"Power has its own beauty. Perhaps the most beautiful combination of grace
and might among the mortal creatures of Toril is a dragon."-Sammaster the Mad, Tome of the Dragon
"Power has its own beauty. Perhaps the most beautiful combination of grace
and might among the mortal creatures of Toril is a dragon."
-Sammaster the Mad, Tome of the Dragon
The original Tome of the Dragon contains all the theories, experiments, and conclusions reached by Sammaster regarding dragons, dracoliches, their ultimate destiny as rulers of all of Faerūn, his Cult's role in bringing this reality about, and its favored position in Toril's new order.
On this book's pages are recorded all the crossbreeding experiments that Sammaster conducted with dragons that allowed him a better understanding of how draconic life functions. These, in turn, led him to a better understanding of how to return dragons to a form of that life as dracoliches. These records allow any Cult wizards (or other wizards who somehow manage to decipher Sammaster's encrypted texts) to create any of the draconic hybrids detailed elsewhere in this book.
Further, this tome also contains all the spells detailed in the Sammaster's Spells section (including all the necromantic wizard spells from the Player's Handbook.) This tome also contains the procedures and processes needed for the creation of a dracolich. Finally, even further encrypted in a magical script of his own devising different than the bulk of the manuscript, Sammaster detailed the creation process and materials needed to create amulets of draconic might. No one can create a new amulet of draconic might without Sammaster's instructions.
In appearance, the original Tome of the Dragon is 14 inches tall x 10 inches wide x 6 inches thick and is covered in tanned, treated red dragon hide. It is closed with a clasp in the form of the Cult's symbol. The cover is unadorned but for a Cult symbol displayed prominently in gold gilt upon the front cover.
The covers of the Tome radiate magic, and if a dispel magic is cast on the Tome before it is handled, the book can be safely examined and read for 1 turn per level of the caster of the dispel magic. If no such precaution is taken, anyone who touches the Tome must make a saving throw vs. death magic or be affected by the dragon breath emitted by the tome. Thereafter, a ld2O roll is made for each page turned and compared to a secret ld2O roll made by the DM; whenever the character's roll is less than the DM's, a dragon breath effect is emitted and affects the character.
The dragon breath of the Tome of the Dragon is generated by its enchantments and never harms the book that produces it. Each time the breath gouts forth, it has one of the following effects (determine randomly by ld6 roll), which originate from the Tome except as noted:
There is also said to be an invisible, unmarked enchantment on a particular page of the Tome (a page that displays a spell) that allows someone who knows about it and is in direct flesh-to-page contact to utter a secret word of activation that immediately inflicts 3d8 points of damage on them but empowers them to breath forth a dragon breath weapon of their choice (from those listed above that the Tome can emit and identical in damage and extent to the Tome emissions) once per round for the next three rounds.
Another page of the Tome of the Dragon is said to bear an invisible enchantment that is awakened the same way as the dragon breath power (uttering a secret word while touching the page). It acts as a teleport without error spell on the awakener of the ability. The Tome is left behind, but the awakener and all nonliving items she or he is carrying or wearing are whisked safely to a remote location on the surface of Faerian. Unfortunately, the destination is (randomly) chosen by the Tome, regardless of the wishes of the being teleported.
The book is written in a magical cipher constructed by Sammaster that resists all known mundane and magical decoding attempts (such as comprehend languages spells). Some form of magic is woven into the writings, as the letters themselves register on a detect magic spell, so certain magics employed by the church of Deneir might possibly be able to break the code, but the only known way to read the writings is through the knowledge of how to render the pages readable that is passed on from Cult wizard to Cult wizard verbally. All such wizards are geased never to reveal the secret to any non-Cult member, even under pain of torture or magical compulsion.
Over the centuries since Sammaster's death, many copies of the Tome of the Dragon have been made by Cult members, the better to spread Sammaster's divine teachings. (Most major cells of the Cult have their own copy, and some individuals do too, though those belonging to individuals are the most likely to be more corrupt copies.) While these texts all likely have some form of magical protection cast on them, the single original volume of the Tome of the Dragon is nigh-indestructible and qualifies as an artifact. No known magical spell or mundane attack can permanently harm it in any way.
Some quotes that have leaked out from copies of Sammaster's work over the years include:
"Benevolence is the best mask for manipulation. Those who have power are sluggards and wastrels if they use it not, but are wisest if they learn many ways to achieve their ends. There is a time for the ravening assault and a time for deft misdirection. And then there are grimmer occasions when one lacks even the time to choose how to proceed. These are best kept rare."
"Mages are superior to other mortals for they alone have felt, raw and unfettered by the guiding hands of deities, the power that moves and gives life to all things. It is right that wizards rule."
"Death is not to be feared, but to be passed and surpassed. Beyond death lies cold reason and immortality in which power is all-as it should be."
"To think again upon some action taken is to waste time better spent in turning to tackle something else. Move on; Faerfin provides us all with an endless supply of foes.'
"Danger lies not in the talons and spells of foes, but in one's own doubts and fears. Wizards have no time to waste thinking on dangers if they are truly to become masters of magic."
"There is a shorter term for kindly wizards. One can and should call them 'fools.'"
"It is rare that the gods allow any of us a second strike upon a foe who has beaten us before. To waste it is to insult them-and they will swiftly show how they suffer such slights."
Harper sages theorize that, if the original Tome could be found, the silverfire of Mystra's Chosen (and perhaps even Shandril Shessair's spellfire ability) just might be able to damage it. Rumor and legend also say that the original Tome bears some lingering horrible curse beyond the traps detailed above for any non-Cult member comes into contact with the it.
