Treatise on Light

While hunting in the Halls of Metos, I was astonished to hear a
rustling sound as a revenant I had just killed collapsed. Upon
searching his body, I came across the following pages hidden within the
back of his tunic. The fireball with which I killed him had burned
through the back cover and a number of the pages. Despite this, I
thought I would provide a translation of that which remained so that we
might better understand the magical system of Dericost. I was quite
surprised by the amount of reverence paid to the Falatacot sources;
there is obviously at least a faction of the Dericostian nobles who
still adhere passionately to the Falatacot beliefs.

I would like to thank Kuyiza bint Zayi for her invaluable help and
advice in my preparation of this translation; all errors are of course
my own.

Treatise on Light

From the beginning, the Blessed have held the prominence of the
Elder Gods, all honor to them; this much is right and just. As the
Falatacot before us, we have striven to uphold their laws (lit., 'patterns of rightness')
even as we have passed in service to the Mother Ice into Eternity
beyond the reach of Time. The Books of Truth, prophecies of the
Foremothers and Words of the Elders, have set forth the war that was in
the Beginning, when the Deep Darkness strove against the Elders, before
the making of Creation (lit. 'all-that-is'). They also set forth the method (lit. 'tool') used by the Elders, all honor to them, in the binding of that Darkness to the abyssal depths (lit., 'deepest deepest') where it yet abides. That method was light.

Many have thought and said in these times that the Darkness is a metaphor (lit. 'word of false seeming');
know you that this is not so. The Darkness abides yet in the abyssal
depths, where it was of old. The Darkness has a voice, through which it
leads those astray who turn from the Elders, who give up their light to
become things of shadow and twisted hatred. The Darkness fears the
light, for light is a symbol of those Elders who are themselves the
Light that formed all things. Know, and be watchful, and be vigilant,
for the Foremothers have said that the Darkness shall yet find its
foremost Servant in the times to come. And so it is written by those
who spoke only truth (lit., 'truest truest' a double superlative).

It is stated in the Elder Book of Making that Xiauhtatli and
Cuametoc formed first the earth, then the sea, then the stars, then the
red moon, then the gold moon, then the sun, each according to its
function and each from that which defined its role(?). The ancestors (lit. 'roots of all'),
Sekem and Sekmet, were formed from the light which remained once all
other light had been placed within the heavens; it is this that was the
source of Foremother Tezcaticopo's observation that 'each life is a
star of light upon the web of Creation'. By the words of the Elders
themselves this is so (again, 'truest truest'). It is this light which burns within us that grants us the ability to shape Creation through what is called magic.

Light and magic share many properties. This is proper, because
light and magic are the same. Magic cannot be made without light,
because light is the voice of the Elders in the Web of Creation made
manifest through magic to reveal the Way (this passage is extremely obscure structurally, and may be a translated quote from Falatacot sources).
What magic can be made without the glowing of light? When magic has
been started, the hands shine like stars, the eyes are dazzled, and the
light reveals itself more according to the strength of the working.
This light is the light of the life of the magician made manifest, for
when working magic, the magician feels her own light made less after
the magic has been made. The making of magic takes fuel and light from
the light within the magician herself, and so magic must not be made
for levity or low reasons. Making magic for low reasons defiles the
light of the magician and the Elders who are the source of that light,
as it has been written in the books of truth ('truest truest').

Let us inquire into the experiments of magic, to understand better
the ways in which light is made manifest through its workings. Magic
must travel in a straight line; so also light is composed of
innumerable rays of absolute straightness. Magic brings forth something
from seeming nothingness; even so does light reveal features where
before was only featureless darkness. Magic cannot arise save through
the action of consciousness; so can light not exist save where it is
set by the Elders, all honor to them. Magic reflects certain colors
which show the essence of elemental signatures; light reflects colors
which are components of itself (this is quite obscurely stated,
but seems to be saying that each elemental damage type is a
'wavelength' of magic in the same way that each color is a 'wavelength'
of light). By these and other ways too many to mention and catalog
here without being prolix in the extreme magic and light are revealed
to be aspects of the same blessing.

Each type of magic has a color, a star, a metal, a plant, a stone,
and these reveal the patterning of the Elders which have been set
within the light to reveal its nature to those with eyes to see. The
color of lightning is purple, its star is the Eye of the Golem, its
metal is platinum, its plant is hethazi, its stone is lapis lazuli. The
color of acid is green, its star is Rez'arel, its metal is copper, its
plant is cryzza, its stone is malachite. The color of fire is red, its
star is the Sun, its metal is gold, its plant is rebeth, its stone is
carnelian. The color of frost is blue, its star is the Revealer, its
metal is silver, its plant is the snow-tear, its stone is crystal. The
color of thought is yellow, its star is Alb'arel, its metal is iron,
its plant is the darkthorn, its stone is imperial topaz. The color of
strength is indigo, its star is the Gromnie's Head, its metal is lead,
its plant is shulavek, its stone is hematite. The color of circularity
is orange, its star is the Wheel, its metal is tin, its plant is
tituval, its stone is amber. The wise magician, in accordance with the
will of the Elders, may understand many things by observing their
qualities and surroundings, for like is drawn to like in accordance
with the laws of Creation.

(Translators Note: the text
here goes without warning into a series of experiments and magical
workings. I suspect an abbreviation or lacuna in the original.)

To
see events transpiring at a distance. Take a bowl of beaten silver and
fill it with seawater. When Alb'arel rises, call its light upon the
surface of the water. It is better if the Revealer is upon the horizon,
or directly overhead; and it is better if the Gromnie's Head be cast
down, or afflicted, for this is a star of confusion. Recite the
following upon the water "IXAX BARACHARTHAO OUTH CHAAIOMNEMNOTHOTIKOS"
and breath thrice upon it. Set your mind to what you would know, and it
will be revealed to you, and you shall behold wonders.

To gain favor at court. Fashion the image of a man seated in a
throne, holding an orb in his left hand and a rod of office in his
right hand, and let this be made in amber. And let the Wheel be rising
or overhead when this is made, and let the Sun be above the horizon and
let Rez'arel be below the horizon at the time of its making. If
Rez'arel cannot be placed below the horizon, let it at least be
setting, or the fire of it will surely consume you with the rage of
high officials.

To preserve from vermin. Fashion an image of the vermin from which
you would be free in lead, and let the Gromnie's Head be rising,
afflicted with Rez'arel by aspect or by conjunction. It is better by
conjunction. Suffumigate the image with shuyalek and sulfur, and set it
in the place to be preserved, and the vermin of whom the image is made
shall flee far from it, and shall not come in that place.

To drive away thieves. In the last hour of the day with the Sun
conjoined with Alb'arel, fashion an image of a strong warrior, armed
with sword and shield, with sword extended. This image should be made
of iron, and the heart of the image should be carved of carnelian with
the following characters upon it (characters omitted). In the
second hour of the night on a day when the Wheel is conjoined with
Rez'arel, make the image of a bound thief in lead, kneeling, with hands
bound behind the back. And in the head of this image should be set a
hematite stone carved with the following characters (characters omitted).
And suffumigate these images with rebeth, amber and frankincense, and
set them in a niche beside asthe entrance to the place you would
protect. And no thief shall come near that place.

To gain visions. Take the...

(Translator's Note:
the text breaks off here at the end of folio 5r. The binding indicates
that at least three folia were lost to my fireball.)