The Encyclopedia of Sanctum

Glass Grimoire (weapon)

"On his left side he has a book strapped to his belt, the cover sky blue and covered with jewels. Encrusted in the center is what seems to be a large iridescent opal of sorts, its colors in rapid unpredictable motion."

- Crimson Assassin, "And Freedom"

Though an expert sentry and user of steam sheaths, Glass Grimoire was a spellbook used by Mallory Zauberman of the New Moon as a secondary weapon. In its pages held ancient spells and summons, its origins dating back to the violent First Age of Sanctum. 

The Glass Grimoire

History

Through context clues, Glass Grimoire's creation was dated to be sometime during the First Age, in the early centuries of Cerhelia. Although with no clear author, it was most likely created by a high ranking mage in the towers of the Southguard as new weaponry against the encroaching forces of Zodirion. There is also no recorded history of the specific weapon being used, though, as spellbooks were commonplace in Cerhelia, though it amazed Eristar to see one this complete. 

Mallorn discovered it not long after he joined the New Moon in Fo.A. 705. It was four years later when he was designated as an agent, but two years later when he departed on an intel mission to Zodirion of Old to investigate stirrings within the destroyed capital of Zin-Caelum. It was his first time entering the lands of Edrelion, and he decided to pass through Cerhelia and learn a little bit about its culture. In La'etl he spent a day and stayed in the hospitality of the the Balcazar family, meeting a six year old Rosalie, noticing the Cerhelians' love of magic instilled at a young age. They told him of the Southguard, where crumbled towers stood above a war-torn wasteland that an adventurer like him would find many lost secrets. A month later, Mallorn left the warmth of Cerhelia and departed Alusviin, finding himself amongst the wastes. Though it was a tough journey by horse, met with many a fierce sandstorm, Mallorn would complete his journey. But he did take shelter in one of the many towers that still stood tall, and there in the rubble of a desk, found Glass Grimoire. He took it with him because it looked too important to leave just sitting out here. 

Mallorn would return to Alusviin on his return journey from the south and have its pages decoded, finding it to be a book of magical spells. An Aestagian with no history with magic, he was not attuned to it yet found the book handy in tough situations over the next few years. Steam sheaths were his specialty, but he found it handy to have a backup option at his side. Mallorn used Glass Grimoire until his death in Fo.A. 737, where it was recovered and stored inside Opal Vale, in a special display case in the library, its final resting place. 

Appearance

Glass Grimoire took the form of a regular sized book: its dimensions were seven inches wide, nine and a half inches in length, and its thickness was around two inches. It was bound with a sky blue dyed leather cover, and in Cerhelian there was a title written. Rosalie could decipher it as "In Defense of the Southern Towers," but Mallorn just called it Glass Grimoire because it sounded cool. The cover was also decorated with golden embroidery, all framing the circular gemstone embedded in the center. Though mainly blue, the crystal's colors changed often and were always "moving," in swirls, and the hue designated the overall magic remaining in the book. It would take a few hours to recharge if depleted, in which the color of the gem would appear grey and unmoving. The spells would reflect this color change, with spells appearing dull in color and less powerful the more the magic bank was depleted. The gemstone would also give a flash when a spell was used.

The pages of the Glass Grimoire were old and tattered from age, though the magic kept them clinging on to the spine of the book. Each page had various illustrations and was cluttered in Cerhelian text, where Mallorn wrote in his messy handwriting the translated names of each spell. There was one spell per page. Mallorn kept the book clasped to his belt at all times. 

Mallorn concentrating while using his Glass Grimoire

Abilities

There were over three hundred pages inside of Glass Grimoire, equating to around that number of individual spells. Mallorn however did not use every one, as he was a man of simplicity. "I'm easy. Just give me a cigarette and a fishing pole," he would say. "And if I could fish up a pint of Calendulan Hard, that'd be even better."

On the offensive, Mallorn had been seen to use spells such as one which would cast a wave of energy out like an arc. He could also open up rifts around him that casted these magic slashes in greater quantity, as well as fire magic burst projectiles that had some sense of homing. On the defensive, Glass Grimoire could create a curved magic shield at a short distance from Mallorn, but it would easily break upon enemy contact. Short range, projectile, and a shield were all Mallorn needed, though he was fascinated by the multitude of summons he could perform. He could act as support and summon spectral crows that acted as scouts, eyes from above and lights in unseen places. Defensive summons could also be casted, such as ghostly swordsmen and spectral beasts. 

One unspoken ability of the Grimoire was that one spell was used to track entities, which made Mallorn an excellent agent of the New Moon. There were many other spells inside these pages, but too many to discuss.