1 A
I
a
..............
INTRODUCTION
.....I3 The Theory of Harnessing Magick ....14
The Nature of Magickal Energies
Magick Through Mechanical Contrivance ....................... .I6 Miscellany and Addenda ............I8
BOOK ONE: 1495
...............20
Infundibulum Potentia (Draining Engine) ................. .21 Imagum Illusorius (Optical Illusion Engine) ............25 Imagum Melos (Auditorial Illusion Engine) .........28 Ingenum Infernus (Inferno Engine) .30
.
Ingenium Frigidus (Glacial Engine)
BOOK TWO: 1496
. .32
..............36
Ingenium Fascium (Imprisonment Engine) Ingenium Gnocereus (Intellect Embodiment Engine) .............. .39
.............
Ingenium Auditorius (Clairaudience Engine) ..............41 Ingenium Vedereum (ClairvoyanceEngine) .............-43
BOOK THREE: 1497
............47
Ingenium Meteoricus (Weather Engine). ..................48 Ingenium Alchymia (Alchemical Engine) ....... Ingenium Deflexus (E thereal Interference Engine) ............... -52
BOOK FOUR: 1498
.............55 ...
Imagum Somnus (Dream Engine) .56 Ingenium Insanus (Madness Engine) .58 Ingenum Vaderus (Imparted Motion Engine) ....................61
BOOKFIVE: 1499
..............66
poralis (Temporal Engine) 67 Ingenium Integrita (Integrity Engine) ..................
..
Ingenium Sustentaculus (Li Sustenance Engine) " . ........... Ingenium Curareus (Healing Engine) .. Ingenium Phlogiston (Levitation Engine)
I
,
.............74
BOOK SIX: 1500
.
I I
I
Via Peregreus (Dimensional Engine) Ingenium Perplexus (Cipher Engin
I
I I
!
Ingenium Ma (Magnetic Force Engine
i 1
I
Censurum Veraceus Ingenium Confunderus
Ingenium Tulmultuosus (Earthshaker Engine) ....... Dissolventum Universalis
I ,I i
Testudo ElementaIis (Elemental Engine) ........
I 1 I
SORCEROUS AUTOMATA IN THE GREAT GAME MAKING A SORCEROUS
.. ..
I I I
I
TIONS & GAME STATISTICS STAR IRO
......i i 8
.-
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.-is4 alisb o t t v n N p 1o3itmstnNv allsb otrmt NON Se guarderai le stelle savua raxzzi (comesi fa vederle per un piccolo fovo fatto
colla strema punta de la sottile acucchia,
e que1 post0 quasi a toccaw I'occhio),
tu vedrai esse stelle a s e r e tanto minime, &e nulla wsu pare -sere minore. veramente la lunga distanzia d A low ragionevole dimunizione, ancora &e molte vi sono, che son moltissime volte maggiore che la stella cV&l a terra colI'acqua. Ora pensa que1 che parrebbe qfiessa no* stella in tanta distanzia, e considera poi quante delle s i me+terebbe'e per longitudine e latitudime inpa seminate per esso spazio tenebvoso.
mondo, B dato per penetevuia
&e lor medesimi sivazino essa vita, e che MOM
possegghino la utilitb e bellezzza
del wondo.
the world about is in.fwed wi as my benefactor has increased his benevolence.
case has at last arrived, a n d just as
are my puvsuits,
Fov with g w t a-d pageantvs Ill\aximilian I, now the tIoly Roman &peror/
with the passing of Frederick 11, may he rest in peace, has indeed invested o u r g r a n d Lodovico Sforza with the Duchy of milano, gracious city of the Alps. At last, a duke,
and no longer a regent, to give Milano the place among the cities of the world as she s o richly d e s e r v e s . And 3 1mora, though born but a g r a n d s o n of a lowly condottiere, is how royalty, a n d 3 find p a t r o n a g e i s now greater, and also that renown for my
work among this Jtaly,
J
that his
have acquired greater
for 3 a m seen as one wo&y of being
by the illustvious House ofsforza, which is as it should be, as there i s not o n e whom 3find excels m e in any manner of avt or architecture, let
retained
alone industdous invention a n d such puvswits.
(2must also m a k e mention that he, that is, /2/la,ximilian 4 has faken for a bride B i a n c a maria Sforza. may fheir marriage be f;MiifuI a n d a joy to all. A n d speaking ofmarriages, &e sforza family has fltrher expanded their connec-
yet fail to fitlfill the intent for which 3 developed them, which, inescapablB indicates that my observations or deductions are at times found wanting.This 3 find most appalling, a n d thoroughly inexcusable. Fovtunately, the Duke is a patient man
with my dabblings.
h e covered chariot w a s the d e v i c e which most a p p e a l e d to the Duke, a n d the one upon which 3 e m b a r k e d most enthusiastically. hen at last J had completed construction of the first example of this
o p e n i n g s which allow
the opera-
o M t s i d e world.
J
my method of Orga
3
must be organized in this mannev of investigation, more so, J a d m i t , &an is my
usual wont, for J too readily allow my enthusiasm to overrun
work can suffer as J have learned anew with my invention
a n d stampede down my deliberation, a n d as a result my f k m oversights a n d ineficiency,
1I
the armored chariot. J s h a l l here, then, apply to myself an unaccustomed oPganization, that, while pursuing &is heretfore unexplored s c i e n e , J might avoid the glaring e r w r ofoverlooking significa in my haste to reach the ends. of
Tshusly shall
t
my newest
Codex be o r d e
The j v a h r e The Theory o f f l a m e s s i n /Mechanical ny
and Addenda
Tshere.POW J a m ovganized.
shall have to conduct m y researches careful
great circuma papal bull
spection, for His Holiness the Pope JnnocentV Summis Desiderantes condemning non-Church
witchcraft a n d sorcery only
ten years ago, a n d Stalians have a long memory, esp
11y &e pious ones, Jt
is tragic to see fear of the unknown impede the explo
n of same.Or pel.-
haps i t i s the abuses of s o m e self-styled practitiomers of black a&, the like of which abound in this superstitious 1 a n d . t h e s e unhallowed few bring unwarranted disgrace upon those of us who, with scientific reasonimg,
tion, a n d a clear conscience, Mnivevsal Force.2
a c M t e
percep-
seek to shed light upon
F o h n a t e l % the old goat was called ngregate Direct Superior a few years ago at the ripe old age of too long, so pevhaps this bull will not be prosecuted with as much energy as perhaps it would have befow. Jndeed J
have hopes that filexandervl will be a more curious a n d forgiving Pope. Mnfoviunatels old Rodrigo Borgia-no, he no longer exists, indeed c\e is now the pevfect filexandevVI-hhas already revised his Jnter cetera divina within by a n d large ignored a n y w a y . t h i s Pope may not have a significant impact o n history, despite appointing family membevs like his son Cesare to impovtant clergical posts. fit l e a s t so 3 hope, for 3find that those who impact histo
two months of i t s original pevfect incarnation, a n d i t w a s
in a n injurious manner. e that as it may, 3find 3have attr
the woman reputed to be a witch,
some atkention
a n d hen
inspections for the nonceu3 shall resume them wh m a d o n n a of the Rocks, a n d can move fL1l-y d
11 have to shelve these
3 have finished the madonna ofthe Rocks, a n d find now that the world i s at wa*tl?eTurkmen have invaded Hungary a n d Dalmatia.l%is
they did
long
took some time to arrive in these places. J n a similar mannev CharlesVI11 of F r a n c e has sent his h o p s against ztalia, a n d taken
since, although word
Rrenza a n d Roma. ttte
Pope is said to have
d to Castel Sant'Angelo. J a m glad for
it/ for
J
wodd not see the head ofthe church thhreatened.
TtE jVATURE OFjWAGJCK$IL E . E R G 3 E S udicious eFamination, a n d no small part of surreptitious and secre-
3
tive meetings with the woman from
the village, who at last, with s o m e plying of wine a M d gold, has condescended to share with m e some of her insights, although she has a tendency to stray +m the
swbject at hand, has demonstrated to my satisfaction that here are
indeed four facets
of the magickal powers which permeate the Gav&.Tlqis
as 3 had surmised, for the effervescence which
is
these powers eFude can b e
be offour slightly differingaspects, that i s color and vibrancy, and, for lack of a better word, taste, indicating that they indeed are separate manifes-
s e e n to
tations ofthis unknown a n d
3t is m y belief, a n d by w a t c e method with which these energies interact with the world abowt, that the best naming of these facets is &at they are hea~enl.2r, spiritual, natural, a n d mundane, this being the best eFplanation of the method by which God might cause these powers to b e apportioned among His creation.4
0, Mmxw&ly Power of t k c a w e w l y Delights eavenly power is that which flows from Heaven, borne upon
tL
angels, a n d connects the ea&
the wings
to the divine. J a m uncertain whether
or not the heavenly power may also be u s e d by the Deceiver a n d
his minions,
trapped between Heaven and Hell as though the poles of a magnet, o r whether the Lord smote S a t a n such that he and his angels m y no longer
be what divine spark remains within these paltry a n d sinfMl human shells. With the heavenly powers might one s u p e r s e d e &e limitations placed upon us by God as w e live within
touch the heavenly powevs. tleavenly powers may
His Creation, a n d perhaps even +avel to sit at +tis feet. Spiritual magicks are those which impinge directly upon
that eternal and
inviolate part
the human spirit,
of all of us, granted to us for our eternal salva-
tion by our Creator.'tt.\ehealth a n d state of our spirit i s of paramount import
to the health of o u r bodies, as c a n be demonstrated by the dilapidated position of hose most sinf..l a n d corrupt people, who then succumb to leprosy a n d other ailments. With spiritual magicks might one influence o r dominate the activities of the pevson.6
OMS
effovts of human o r
mechanical will u p o h ~e
magickal enevgies, preventing them from wnvaveling, as is their wont. Since hamans ate pc~ sessed of weukness
mechanical contvol of magickal energies
.
]MEctlfiJvJCfiL CON have studied ca~~?fLlly the manners in whi
of the manner in which Mzechanical devices might c w t e s w c k aberrations in the lines of magi&l fovce. mt e+*,
a s i t is most
illclsh.ative
-these ave some methods by which J believe we might be able to entangle &e magickal ene-ies such that they shall pvoduce unusual resulf~,for the w n t o r lines ofmagickal energy shall itself cause a contohaonofthe C m t i o n about tfieentanglement, and hence what might be termed an abnormal situation, al&ough magick is, itsel5 natwral. /Much as credting a n alchemical $re causes an abnormal heat, yet all is perfectly natural.
tion of natural
SOMI, nor COn-
~
-~
_
_
-__ _
-~ -
.
--
-
_ I _ _
that the tireless appliccltion of the machine to the task shall be balanced discrimination, a n d that the result shall b e as efficacious as b e obtained by human will a l o n e . A n d 3 have no training in magick thvough the application ofthe will besides.
a n y as might
3do not believe that the magickal energies ave infinite in nature,
does the grass, there is never a n infinite supply of gwss for the harvesting, either. CJt is unfortunate that the in a given time. For although they may gvow,
AS
shall consume the magickal energies in the i y i m g of& o r what have you, and therefore that it shall be impossible
mechanical devices bindings, or knots,
to create a permanent magickal effect,for to have a building suppov+edaloft
all, a n d a sure construction to d r a w the curious from across the continent, and bolster trade. A n d intewst in my works shall be widespvead indeed. 11
o n ai5 by means of a magickal contrivance, would be most impressive to
jA~otherCovMlnissioM to paint a vendition of
The Last Supper.
monastery of S a n t a maria delle G r a z i e has asked, a n d
the sum he
wo.thY, especially in the service of these men ofGod. J find it somewhat amusing that they wish for me to pla painting in &e dining hall of their monasteT. Perhaps hey wish the that they dine with O u r Savior, o r pedqaps some of them prefer to think of their bvethven as 3udas. J a m certainly merely jed’ng, here. J p n d the monks most pious individuals, quite unlike h e i r spiritual leader, filexander VI. J look forward gveathas ofered is most
ly io this task,
for J s h a l l endeavor to exceed all my works gone before with
this one, for their benept a n d approbation.
they a r e suvely most
intelligent to
turn to me for such a decoration, as none is my compare.
d that the methods of powering the magickal mechanisms which all design a r e few indeed, especially when 3 co esirable that the method of power rely upon living creatures, like men, o r mules, o r the like. J have at my disposal water wheels, a n d clockwork springs, a n d muscular effovt as from a team of
ho-es.
And 3
have counterweights as well, which, with severe gearing and &e assistance of a clocksmith,
J
might be
able to g e n e r a t e a steady, though small, amount
f o r e for a lengthy period of time. Of these, only the clockspring larly suited to being moved abotct, a n d the water wh-I not at all.
of
3 shall have to create new methods of powering
is
particu-
these m a c
therance of my testing a n d experimentation.
3 visit from U M old f r i e m d icardo Del Cantone, the philosophe9 is in T=i home in Milano. Good old reliable Ricardo! How often w e sat upon the cout+yard a n d practiced o u r perception of the huma pipit bz) scrutinizing
It"
e first metho
c r e a t i o n of many knots of m a g i c k a l force, tying
them together by shall b e tied to
mechanical means, in a n e n d l e s s s u p p l y . T h e s e knots
have n o p a r t i c u l a r effects;at least 3 know not yet how to e n g a g e them with effect, however, by their creation, they shall deplete the magickal potential of the region, cofisuming the m a g i c k a l e n e r g i e s in a M s e l e s s fashion, much as a fire in the d a y t i m e burns scrap wood to n o use other than for its disposal.
( O F t Y C f i L Y U W Y O f l EJVG3flG) iven that J h a v e been
able to create an 3ngenium Solaris,
although indeed a faulty a n d short-lived version, for my own metallccrgical
skills, despite m y
learnings, are less than expert,
shall create e a c h of which
it should be possible, to create an ingenium which an entire image. Comprised of a series of Jngenia Solarii, contvibutes one portion
ofthe image,
a
shape and
projecting a certain color
light, each of which pieces is seen to provide a portion of the whole i m a g e . t h a t is, by carefLI arrangement of patches of light a n d color, a n entire
of
illt-tstration might
be made.
-temptation has arisen,
that J make my rendering of The Last Supper
such ingenia, instead of a standard painting. t h i s rendering to be more
will ceriainly
detailed, to have a more smoky
Cause
of
the
aspect, &an &e normal
the vision so created shall be of threedimensional nature, i t shall better appear that O u r L o r d w e r e seated with his twelve in the very dining hall, which shall be most pvofowndly moving, J a m fresco painting method. find, since
sure.
-
the entirety of the image shall require a um, far beeer than J c a n possibly create here, Furthermore, i t i s doubtful
of the Pope,
that the monks,
take much time. disposed to follow the writs
a n d would
being
will tolerate such a piece of artwovk,
being magickally created.
J a m instead working with a new a n d experimental compound, of my o w n invention, a paint which shall allow me to take my time, a n d render t h e L a s t S u p p e r in g r e a t detail a n d realism, a n d with &e smoky pavor which others have found so appealing in my work. Fresco is
Of &kxgikaI r i e s o ~ u ~ c e eratea by the that the flare of light, or iIIum unraveling of one of these magickal knots, is c a u s e d by the magickal r e s o n a n c e of friction as the magickal lines of force pu a g a i n s t e a c h other, i s my belief
3
much as among mundane ropes, s u c h friction produ
the color of light so disposed a knot shall d e p e n d upon its shape, which is to say what additional shapes are bound into the knot, beyond the basic form which produces light. A n d the aspect of paleness or deepness of the light so produced . shall d e p e n d on how much extra of the lines is pulle which is to say, how much slack is afforded the kno or intensiv, or translucence of the light so created s the tightness of the magickal knot so bound. 3 to my best observations,
3 had originally believed that it would be n e c e s s a J n g e n i a S o l a r i i to c a u s e a detailed image to b e created, linked together a n d carefully a r r a n g e d . B u t MOW 3 see that is a single device, an J m a g u m Jllusorius c a n be built to perform the work of many 3 n g e n i a Solarii, by the addition to the Jvlgeniam Solaris of several adjustments, e a c h of which shall affect the c r e a t i o n of the knots which the Jngenium produces at that moment, and,
which moving,
c a u s e their effects to wax a n d w a n e in a peri-
odic f a s h i o n . t h e adjustments ofthis, as Y shall c a l l it, J m a g u m Jllusorius, in their orbit and rotation a b o w t the central portion wherein the magickal knots a r e tied, efigender differences between the knots, and h e n c e c a n b e so calibrated, through careful a n d studious efforts, to c a u s e an image of any sort which might be imagined, a n d the more conscientious the calibration a n d alignment of these effectors, the m o r e detailed a n d pleasing the i m a g e shall be to the eye. Given a sufficient speed of operation of the J m a g u m Jllusorius, the rapidity with which the knots a r e tied shall b e of such great moment that the created illusion shall not be s e e n to flicker or pulsate, much as the wings of a hummingbird proceed with s u c h swiftmess that a p p e a r to b e a mist, a n d n o t solid. O n c e 3 have found a suitable crafisman here in Milano, p e r h a p s 3 shall pursue this for the pleasure of the Duke, for 3 could create a statue of his father far greater than a n y 3 could of metal alone. J n the meantime, 3 shall not build
Watch m a k e s frequent passes by my w
this ingenium,
for J find the City
J h a v e d e m o n s t r a t e d to my satisfaction, that a n ingenium which shall create a visual i m a g e is completely feasible, e v e n within the c u r r e n t limits of technical expertise, although preferably e n g i n e e r e d by o n e m o r e practiced t h a n 3, it shall b e likewise possible to create a n ingenium wliich shall manifest a n unreril s o u n d for the h e a r i n g a n d entertainment. ince
J most c e r t a i n l y c a n n o t test, for the presence of disemvoices or sounds which are not seen to Le c a u s e d by a n y natur-
T h i s ingenium bodied
al
resource
shall
indeed c a u s e me to
be s e i z e d by
the authorities a n d
burned a s a spiritist, my reputation for invention notwithstanding. t h e J t a l i a n s a r e a superstitious offen obtuse, tation,
lot,
especially when i t
which they
a r e at a
love them though
Jdo, but they
are
c o m e s to manifestation of experimen-
loss to explain. Jt i s
peasant w o u l d not understand, nor even
certain
wish to a
that the a v e r a g e
ept, my explanation
J to m a k e su n undertaking, the w o r d magickal, a n d the same fate should
of m a g i c k a l ingenia, a n d even w e r e
they
should s e i z e upon
befall
me a g a i n .
Desig~ of- this Y ~ g e ~ i c r m he d e s i g n of this ingenium r e q u i r e s a differing s o r t of magickal knot, which shall b e as illustrated here, with the alignment of the gears not in right angles, as with the J m a g u m JIIusorius, but instead at a n a n g l e of sixty degrees, as illustrated here, which shall create the sort of knot requived.
While the a
J m a g u m JIIusorius should
leasing device, it is
that is, that i t b e forged of pmrest metals, a n d carefully e n g i n e e r e d that the o p e r a t i o n of the ingenium shall be pleasing a n d not jarriMg to the ear. Jndeed, it must b e a well-turned ingenium, the better to s u p p o r t the noises which shall e m a n a t e from it. For myself, 3 believe that silver b e the best of
necessary
that this
be a visually
ingeniwm
be
of a
pleasing sound,
both of which are m o s t pleasing w h e n formed c a r e f d l y forged to be the stuff of tubular bells or
materials, or else brass, into
bell shapes,
or
G e r m a n i c g l o c k e n s p i e l s . t h i s also r e q u i r e s
that the pieces of the
b e of uniform thickness a n d cross-section, a n d b e tested to ring t r u e . Or else that their diminishment in size o v e r the c o u r s e of their length - b e a g- a i n d e s i -q n e d for a pleasinq effectto the ear. Glass a n d tin should not b e used, neither lead. J m a g u m /Melos
v
I
,
the careful
attention
erfumer, of great
dedication.5
such a contrivance is c a r r i e d out, a n d i t is engaged to operate, shall cr-eatea great warmth, as though A fire burned in the a i 5 but without tion of
scorching.
t h i s i s d o n e by creating
which p r o d u c e heat, and not light, as they a p e pulled apart. 3t is possible to -use this to c r e a t e a fire, just as placing a piece of wood o n the top of a very hot f u r n a c e wight c a u s e i t to ignite, though i t not be in contact with a ~ actual y flame. knots
J have in mind a method of pvoving great power, for which purpose i t is unimportant, which relies upon this Jngenium Jnfernus. J call it my Jnferno ssary to place a n Jngenium Jnfernus
the water wheel. 9 s the Jngenium Jnfernus operates, which shall have fo be for a lengthy time, a n d hence shall require a very large a n d powerflrl mainspring, i t shall cause the w a t e r within the sealed contain-
era1 version of
moving against
the paddles
of
the wheel,
it shall cause it to rotate. A n d
~
Ir
been captured at Rapallo,
?
and these prizes which have been captured
might become suitable experiments for Jnferno-empowered vessels, which shall not then b e forced to rely upon oatrsmen o r the winds for their mobility. B u t with these prizes tests may b e undertaken without removing a n y ready warships from commission.The design of s u c h a vessel will m e a n that the Jnferno jMechanism shall propel a sort of w a t e r wheel, which instead of using moving w a t e r to propel an engine, i t shall move the engine along stationary w a t q propelling the ship forward. J n this m a n n e r might a vessel run directly into the wind, without tacking, a n d escape pursuit, o r ovevtake
which i t p u r s u e s . Similavly, while a n enemy oarship ill be forced to contend with the exhaustion of those pulling strokes, the vessel powered by a n Jnferno jMechanism shall find g r e a t e r energy in the pwtrsuit, for leaving a n area w h e r e its operation had depleted the local magickal energies shall i n c r e a s e the efficacy of the ingenium.7 those sailing vessels
'
BOOM to jUaMk;Md
7?
e Znferno M e c h a n i s m c a n also
be used
for the heating of
builditself shall be
the M e c h a n i s m distributed a b o u t the building, a n d shall convey the s t e a m so p r o d u c e d by the M e c h a n i s m to the variows rooms. When inside these rooms, the s t e a m shall be m a d e to pass through a n array of thin pipes, the better with which to c a u s e the s t e a m to yield M p its heat, a n d c o n d e n s e o n c e m o r e into wate9 whereupon the water shall d r a i n of its o w n accord, a n d gravity, back to the bottom of the building, there to poMr a g a i n into the ,Mechanism, where it may be heated o n c e m o r e into s t e a m , in a continuous cycle. i n g s . t h e pipings which e m a n a t e from
%
J derive g r e a t enjoyment from the fact that A l e x a n d e r VI i s being be
&owe to
ineffective, a n d cannot even control one fiery Firenzan preacher,
Ferdinand
II is w a g i n g a very effective
w e r e not for his interference, ings ofmine, a n d g a i n
by
campaign against
J should be
better
while
the French. For
able io publish
the exchange of ideas with other
if i t
these ft'nd-
learned men.
.S
J.
heard tell that the F r e n c h h a v e been defeated utterlyj that their a r m y has capitulated at N o v a r a , a n d that CharlesV1II a n d his soldiers h a v e retreated back into F r a n c e . n i s h a s shown that Ferdinand I1 has more of God a b o u t him t h a n the entirety of the self-proclaimed Holy League, for they crumbled in battle, while Ferdinand's troops enacted the will of God by driving the French back home, a n d freeing Jtalia from their tyranny. J a v e now
J
have not h e a r d
thai the Pope h a s
made a n
omment o n
the
matte
has run its c o u r s e , a n d CJ a m devoid of new a n d interesting
this
ideas at
with much a p p r o b a t i o n on my part, as i t will give my h a n d s a better c h a n c e to heal, that 3 might not only write, but also continme t h e painting of’the Last Suppet; which J have had to postpone temporarily, d u e to the incident of which 3 h a v e a l r e a d y m a d e mention.8 moment.this i s met
J n a n y event,
the lack of great and renowned inspirations
leads m e to pursue
the
antithesis of my previous invention, to wit: a n
which i s simil a r in relation
i\;l
the J w a g u m Jllusorius is to the Jmagum
/MelOS. ‘that is, it is a simi-
lar concept, but a differing knot. J n
the knots are driven c a u s e s the area a b o u t the as
they radiate coldness, which to i n c r e a s e in the a m o u n t of c o l d n e s s
into dissolution, Jngenium
this case,
i t possesses.-this is
b e c a u s e although the knot is virtually identical to t h a t of those which emit heat, these knots a r e tied in a mannev which, stepwise, i s the opposite of t h e other; a n d thcts, they emit c o l d n e s s which infuses the s u r roctndings, e v e n to t h e point of smmmoning frost. Or so is my theory. done
Jt is to
the g r e a t c r e d i t
of
Duke
Lodovico S f o r z a ,
of
o u r city,
that
J shall e n d e a v o r to build o n e o f t h e s e for the Duke, which eforts w o u l d m a k e him the most r e n o w n e d host in all the Coniinent, for J a m c e r t a i n h e w o u l d put this t h e r e is peace o n c e more in fair Jtalia. P e r h a p s
-
~
-
-
-______
is J n g e n i u m F r i g i d u s is perhaps the most serviceable a i l e
of the magickal inventions which
haps as well of those
could aught but be carried out
by
this accomplishes a n effect which magickal influence.that is, we have
mundane, or non-magickal, inventions and methods, readily produce
light,
created, and per-
create, for the more 3 think upon it,
3 have yet to
the more it becomes obvious, that
3 have yet
by
which we can
or heat. Or paintings and sculptures.
OPbeautiful
music. And perhaps each of these methods is more easily accomplished
than the design and engineering and assemblag
of a magickal ingeni-
urn, and some have the benefits of social interaction in their accomplishment, as well. But here, with the J n g e o i u m Frigidus,
3 have created an
effect which is most difficult to obtain, and is far the lighter for the effort, which is involved in the creation.
the midst of the city, SAY in Roma, w h e r e i t i s large a n d thick, a n d dusty with the passage of many people, and, with the hut) in
J n g e n i u m Frigidus engaged, in mid-3uly or August, for
charge to the passers-by admission
the opportunity
to relax, however
briefly)
cool b r e e z e AS from early spring. J c o u l d also sell from the other side of the hut beverages of a n y sort) a n d a l l as cold as and a
from
A
mountain stream. Gven including
tea, although i t w o u l d
t h e Jngenium fa
hot
be as if iced.
Frigidus can also be used in
cold voom, which 3 hereby term a"fbigidatou;"as illustrated
best to isolate it from the heat of the outside, and surrounded by thick stone or wood, and tlTe walls covered with fmrs. 3 n h i s frigidator might wine and other foodstuffs be safely stored, and for a great length of time. As no spoilage will occur when the corruption of the heat is done away with.
fi smaller chill a
ingenium) but well powered, might also be used to properly
bottle
of wine, when events unforeseen necessitate the immediate
replenishment of same when none i s to be had. Which would be a great embarrassment to any host.
of a n y t o r c h or lantern
which i s
b r o u g h t withi
irolamo Savonavola is again the talk
ofthe town,
even this far
he preaches. And, all tliings being taken into consideration, 3 a m most pleased, a n d shower my kudos upon his name, although J a m cautious to whom 3 divulge my preferc Friar S a v o n a t b l a has been quite n o t e w o h y these past months, a n d his from where
en-.
sermons are always well-attended. 3 myself would attend him speaking whenever possible, were 3 back in Ptrenze, howeve6
here in jUiIano, m y sta-
the kip to Grenze for a S a b b a t h s e w o n is too difficult. fi s h a m e i t is, for word has finally reached here that SavonarOla was actualtion is comfovtable, a n d
ly oideved to Roma, by the Pope, a n d =fused to go. tte has stated that, “3t is not the will of God that 3 leave Ptrenze,”or so it is said.The P o p e is apparently most anxious to hear of his divine revelation, with which the friar predicted dire punishment of the R o m a n Cutholic ChMrch, a n d in fact all Ztalia, for the immorality of P o p e AlexanderVI, which effects,in fact, are already being felt, in my opinion, for the corruption spreads. For me, 3 think the presence
of highwaymen is more to the tvuth, both in remoti
pa& of3talia a n d in theVatican itself, but cevtainly obedience to filexander the Borgia cannot b e said to be the will of God, not fvom what 3 have s e e n a n d heard. Other stories have been related to m e as well, but 3find them less credible. For altlqomgh 3 have it upon reliable resource that S a v o n a w l a ’ s language is at times colorfLl,there are stories attvibmted to him which 3 sincerely doubt that such a good-hearted and noble gentleman preacher would ever convey to his pious audience. 3 believe some of these stories might be deliberate slandevs engendered by those who suppovt the Pope filexanderV1, whom S a ~ o n a ~is~most l a vehement in denouncing.
these matters, 3 have imagined a new a n d creative magickal ingenium/ which could be m s e d to retain S a v o n a w l a within Firenze, Papal edicts to the contvary.this ingeniam sc\all use t h e ut in contemplating
powers of the magickal forces to prevent a person +om cwssing a certain
the power of the ingenimm, for the imprisonment. J t shall function not by creating a great steel wall, for although 3 a m certain it i s possible, 3 have m o t yet developed my theories enough to admit s u c h an invention, but instead by the impressing of a state of mind upon those subject to its influence, that they s t o m t l y a n d without reserve believe that they may not cross the barrier so presented. F r a n c e s c a is always fond of saying that only that which one believes is impossible truly is impossible, therefore this ingenium shall m a k e those people within its g r a s p believe exit is so, and it shall be so.
barrieq which is erected by
mation to thirteen.'there
shall be a gvouping of numerical
as is necessary for the calculations
arrangement plates
expected fvom the Jngenium.
tl?e method of operation ofthe Jngenium upon the numbevs given is enacted by the dial set to the right ofthe nccmerical plate, which can b e set for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, &c.
AMd
iM
Wutbevs
mostL m p o r a l
VI forbade Friar Savonarola from the pulpit earlier this year, well before Gaster. J wonder if i t might be possible to design a more complicated Jngenium Gnocereus, which shall be possessed of a capacity more akin to personal intellect. J n this fashion, might Savonarola speak with the Jngenium, and give the device homiletic coaching and explanation, and then let the Jngenium itself speak from the pdpit in his stead. while i t may be possible, J do not believe that Firenzan churchgoers will consent to being lectured by a machine, especially affer their lengthy exposure to the passionate and theatrical Savonarola. Jt is a pity, however, for the Jngenium would have no fear of excommunication, execution, or the like. Jt may, however, be said that Savonarola likewise evinces no such feaps.4 ope Alexander
13
no,
this Jngenium, it should be possible to create a n Jngenium Fatidicus, which, by means of a variety of protrusions, not unlike the antennae of insects, shall detect the present weather conditions about, and calculate the future weather conditions which shall occur. 'these calculations shall be based upon what the surroundings are currently like, for i t is evident that there is a cause for all weather. And this Jngenium shall be able to make those calculations, and predict, for example, that here shall be rain, which a human being canno6 at least not until the rain has begun to fall. 5 Jn a
similar
manner to
J~~~~~~~ AhDnoRJus ( C L f i m U D 3 E j V E EjWGYjWG) is now
the S u n d a y afterGaster, a n d while attending services this
that the Fiar Savonavola has continued to cause grief t o the Pope. the story i s that Savonarola, despite being enjoined from preaching, c o n t i n ~ e d to do so all thvough Lent, and with more passion a n d fervor
than before, as he is now quite fiwly considered to be a leading figure in the
city. Why, i t appeaw that the entire city of Rrewze shall rally unto him a n d
back upon this Pope, a n d not a moment too soon, for my opinion, for this Alexander i s so vile, that to tmrn a w a y from him is to e m b r a c e God. 3t is time that these protestevs sought to reform the church. Bcct 3 wonder what tmrn i t s
for very much longer.
-
_-___-
no o n e knows),
h a s been
of King F e r d i n a n d
find
this
and
w e d to j u a n a of Castile.t h a t is,
Queen
Jsabella
of
Spain.
so shortly after the discovery of the flew World
expedition, 3 would not
l\/taximilian a r r a n g e d tlabsburg,
s e e k s to
be
the
s u r p r i s e d if i t i s j u s t f o r
this
his family's
by the S p a n i s h
that that he, a
V~ASOM
m a r r i a g e , for it is well known
expand
the d a u g h t e r
power. tlabsburgs h a v e ruled
the tIo1y R o m a n E m p i r e since, 3 believe, 1438, a n d h a v e held t h r o n e s about the continent f o r nigh O M 300 yLars. Z J f j u a n a is to b e a r to him a son, then i t shall be'cevtain that a t l a b s b u r g shall also s i t upom the t h r o n e of S p a i n . J a m not c e r t a i n that 3 a p p r e c i a t e this effort, for c e r tainly the m o r e p o w e r the family holds the m o r e g r a v e the situation for the e n t i r e continent. For in m y opinion, no squabbles a r e so grand or vicious as those within one family, a n d a family s q u le of this nature would b e so broad in scope as could embroil all
of us.
hopes that t h e e n t i r e new d i s c o v e r i e s of Columbus, &c.,shall b e the sole purview of S p a i n , the J n t e r C e t e r a Divina notwithstanding, nor e v e n paid heed, a n d t h a t t h e r e f o r e the power of the t l a b s b u r g family will t h e n c e b e e x t e n d e d across the
P
r h a p s jVIaximilian
h t l a n t e a n Ocean.
J h a v e a l s o noted that may
Frederick
111 i s
now c
he h a v e a long a n d glorious reign well into
ing of jVaples.
the next
millennium.
the c a u s e of the a r r a n g e m e n t of t h e m a r r i a g e , i t is c e r t a i n that is was a splendid affaiu;a n d o n e which 3 had hoped to see, for the p a g e a n t r y . Perhaps 3 shall s p e n d s o m e time, MOW, as i t is raining out-
Whatever
side, and q u i t e heavily, to p o s t u l a t e a n J n g e n i u m Vedereus, which could do j u s t that, by c r e a t i n g a funnel for visions which may b e piped back from a f a q as though
Akl
they w e r e water.
Yklgekliclm
most Pleasiklg
these pages, althoctgh the materials thereof m u s t be of a most pleasing m a n n e r to the eye, which is to say a n y gold present, a n d all metals used in the construction should b e of gold, must be most highly polished, and smooth of s u r f a c e . And that the wood, which is used in a r e a s , must needs b e carefully s a n d e d as though to a mirror, a n d layered with s e v e r a l applications of lacquer, that i t b e smooth and glossy, as well as d e e p and lusterful to the eye.T&e operation a w d aiming of the Jngenium shall b e done in a m a n n e r much similar to that of the Jngenium jE\udiforius. Howevev) as the funnel brings back visual images, and not those of sound, the aiming shall be much facilitated, wi& visctal r e f e r e n c e s for assistance.t h i s also m e a n s that for those O M one side of the ingenium, they shall see in one direction, while those upon the o t h e r shall see from the opposite side. S o that it may b e n e c e s s a r y for all attending to the i m a g e s d i r e c t e d hereto by the magickal effectsshall set themselves upon the s a m e side of the inqenium, for viewinu.
t
e r e it is, as illustrated upon
-Vatican,
has happened
this yea5 it is indeed troublesome. Worst of all calamities, is the news +m Firenze a n d the w h e r e the spiritual struggle has raged, since the o much
already
L,Dominican GiroIamo S a v o n a r o l a first b e g a n to speak, in a
the last five o r ten years. find now: Rodrigo Borgia, who poses to b e n e Pope fileyanderV1, has struck a blow a g a i n s t him, that is, Savonarola, a n d all those who attend his church, a n d 3 a m certain a t t e n d a n c e has never been b e t t q n o r more regulaq than of late.n\e Pope h a s ordered S a v o n a r o l a to s u r r e n d e r to his autlqori% to a n s w e r for his continued preaching, in spite of the fact of his excommunication. Worst upon this, i s that the Pope has leveled a threat against all Firenze, which, as 3 witmess is this: that the e n t i r e city of Firenze, or p e r h a p s it i s the e n t i r e Republic, for the sins of their capital, shall b e placed a n d held
notewovthy fashion, for
under interdiction, until s M c h time as they yield up S a v o n a r o l a to b e sacri-
ficed. fis this n e w s w a s old has already suwevxdered,1
when i t
reached
my ears, i t is certain
that he
heard that h e h a s indeed given himself u p to the civil authorities in Firenze, a n d they h a v e dutifully, though 3 a m certain with great regret, turned him over to the a u s p i c e s of the R o m a n Catholic Church. 3 have heard that h e h a s been s e n t back to Roma, to face t h e old holy hog himself. M t o n top of everyihing else, 3 hnve heard that there i s also a famine in Firemze! How c a n this be? 3s there no God? Cuuld He actually invoke His wrath a g a i n s t Firenze at the behest of o n e like Rodrigo Borgia, Pope ' though he be? J t c a n n o t be so!B u t a famine there is, a n d all those 3 know in 1 Firenze are reported to b e going hungry, a n d suffering for it. find 3 know I that many f e a r the Wrath of God for the supposed sins of that Dominican. h a v e had no reliable reports on the climate in firenze, nor the wenthe* Perhaps i t has been unseasonably dry, o r hot, o r the rain has trampled down the c v o p s . Or p e r h a p s there h a v e been floods, which have killed the grains. 3 do not know, and the information 3 h a v e garmered +om travelers whom 3 h a v e met in the taverns and public shops are difJ
h a v e now
I3
3
ferent stories, all sworn t r m e . Perhaps it is that the Pope has also quietly ordered merchants to avoid selling foodstuffs to Firenze under pain of eternal damnation, or perhaps
they have enacted this oftheir i
own accord, having themselves witnessed
the impending threat of interdiction, and thence avoiding the city at all costs, so save their own sorry hides, in such case as interdiction might come. t h i s is a
logical conclusion, that the Firenzen countryside has not d, but has instead been robbed of its food by th
"-
I
A m 3 m g e m ; u W L Perma~utlAs stead, 3 shall consider a lesser version rmuiaftts,
of this, a n J n g e ~ i u m
which shall not alter the substance of the mattev; but merely
its manifestation.-this i s a different matter entirels a n d may be accomplished
with this constvuction,
where the plate which is inserted into the i ~ g e ~ i ushall m
c a u s e the material, whatever it may
be, to be altered in shape to &e new fom, according to the carving ofthe plate.ne material to be altered must be placed in the center ofthe spherical chambe3 using a support to hold it there, if such is ~CXESSAVY for small or limpid objects. With this, might a bmken sword be m a d e as new, a l a r g e block of cheese evenly divided into pevfect cubes, or s c r a p s of wood be m a d e into the best of tvays. 3 is possible, as well, 3 believe, kat a bowl ofgraiw and yeast and water be m a d e into a loa$ w d y for the baking, or possibly that a small cat b e m a d e into a large rat, though for what pctrpose 3 cannot imagine. P e r h a p s &e reverse woctld be bettecz6 v e just had word back from Ricardo Del Cantone, in Firenze.
philosopheu; although persuasive in his arguments a n d vigorous in his presentation, w a s unable to s w a y the city coctncil of Firenze. t h e y h a v e had enough of trouble with the Holy R o m a n Catholic Church, and although 3 a m there revered, t h e final decision was that, the ingeMium i s said to work through the t r a n s f e r e n c e a n d manipalation of magickal powers, which, they believe, is sorcery, which i t is not, for s o r c e r y is a black magic.yet sorcery, by p a p a l bull, has been condemned, and the city shall not avail itself of this technology for t h e mitigation of their famine, for they wish not to run afoul of the Pope again, a n d risk interdiction o n c e more.. R i c a r d o has said im his m e s s a g e that s o m e present tkoctght to fuvther appease the P o p e by revealing to him my dabblings in these experiments, blnt that he was able to d i s c o u r a g e s u c h a C O L W S of ~ action. 3 a m glad t o as, the
h a v e s u c h a friend as Del Cantone.
T OntinMe to be a w a z e d at the a r r o g a n c e of our AIexaHderVI.
No,he i s not ours really, he i s a S p a n i a r d , for no Jtalian that 3 could act with shch an unashamed abandon, and so flagrantly violate the laws of ethics. Here 3 h a v e had news that the know
has annulled the m a r r i a g e of Lctcrezia of the Borgias, to Giovanni S f o r z a . t h a t which the Pope himself a r r a n g e d is now annulled! H e has, with a Pick of his ringed hand, declared that all that has h a p p e n e d between Ciiovanni a n d Lucrezia has never occurred! As if he had the Pope
power to rewrite history.
-they w e r e only married fow years ago.3 witnessed the c e r e m o n y . t h e y e n t e r e d togethev t h e bridal suite, after much E.,,elry of course, a n d have
been together since. And
MOW
the Pope is going to pretend for all time that
these events never occurred. 3 must wondeu; what of their consummation? Does this annulment of the marriage make Lucrezia into a n adulteress? O r has that been swept away by divine license as well? Perhaps she is a virgin anew. Next, the Pope may annul the fact that the wind blows. What then? And at all this, he still has the audacity to have Savonarola arrested. 3 hear he is to stand trial, but 3 have no hopes that right will win out, for he is indeed a devilish Pope. 3t may be blasphemy to say it, for the Pope is held to be infallible'by the grace of God, but it is true, and 3 shall say it. 3 shall not, however; repeat it to others. now the plot is s e e n to thicken, and the plans of the Pope to bear fruit. For no s o o n e r is Lctcrezia's marriage annulled, than she is
Ah'
betrothed to Alfonso of Napoli. Her father and brothers kick a ball on
her about like
the street! And with as much concern for her happiness,
being. Or
her respect,
for
J
a m certain that in the upper circle of society
she is now looked upon as a doing o r a prize horse, the Pope. Ah, 3 am incensed.
Of the F'mi-e
or well-
to be had for favors to
figaim
have been wondering of late ofthis famine in Firenze.Therehas been a
3
papal bull against sovcery, which is now in its thirteenth offourteenth
year. And who better to know about sorcery
than the Pope, who is the great
leader in the war against deviltry? And they say a man must know his enemy All of this has caused m e to wonder at the fortuitous
timing of
this famine
which tortures my people. Jt cannot be the will of God, and the possibility of
a coincidence of this sort is far to remote. 3 believe, himself, who has caused &ere to be a famine,
then, that it is the Pope
by exercise of black arts.
Small indeed the chance he would be caught, when all other practicing sorcerers have abandoned their craft or
find
fled across the Mediterranean.
none would dare question him, at least not in the publ'IC square.
3- eHgiure f i g a i m s t S o r c e ~ y o contest this,
T
which
3 shall here illwstrate the construction of an
ingenium
shall detect and destroy any such evil spells which are cast into
its protective encirclement.The diffcul*
of this creation is that it must be of
the aspects of magick, that is, a fundamental ingevrimm cannot be designed, for both the aspect of magick against which
a different construction of
one seeks protection must by its very nature be itself employed in the defense, and because the knots which are produced of
the ingevrimm must
be constrmcted of a manner in which best to employ the auspices of each
the withstanding of assaults. For example, the knots prodmced by the forces of nature must be stout and inflexible, while those which seek to mitigate the magicks of the mind are more slippery, like unto slipknots, and aspect in
malleable.therefore, you need to build a different ingevrium to defend against each different sphere of magick.7
h a v e not b e e n recent
weeks,
a b l e to apply much effortto this Codex, in
the completion of mighiy task i t is.
as J h a v e b e e n embroiled in
The Last Supper in the monastety,
and a
G q x x i a l l y s i n c e 3 a m assailed by the most effervescent a n d odors o f t h e monks’culinary skills all the day, while J a m at work.
J
cookery. t h e kind a n d g r a c i o u s hosts, a n d Godly men, a n d 3
a m most definitively f a v o r e d of plain a n d simple
monks h e r e a r e most
believe 3 h a v e put o n a
hearty girth in the
months,
which J h a v e b e e n at w o r k upon this project. At last J c a n see the completion of he pai-tin a month more or so to see it throccgh, so 3sha aside to finish this employment. 3t is cx bea
shall fake m e but a n d other works
efthe composition of he entire O u r Lord Himself, J a m most pleased.
have ever done. 3 am most pavticularly praud assemblage of disciples. A n d of
J humbly believe hat even H e would find the vended J t is finished. J a m going back out to the plaza, for Giovanni, bless his doughty heart, i s relieved to see me completed at %e m o n a s t e r 3 that J might design fuvther buildings, in jVIilano, for to challenge his skills, a n d has vowed to drink me u n d e r the table this evening, in celebration. all people. t h i s is a h o r r e n d o u s o c c u r r e n c e . no s o o n e r h a v e J completed my m a s t e r p i e c e at the monastery, t h a n 3
J
a m cursed a b o v e
that my most inventive experimental compound, that with which J coated the walls of the monastevy, the beiter to hold the paiat, a n d allow m e to w o r k in light a n d shadow, in m y smoky technique, which i s MOW famous, for the betterment of realism, that this compound is a fail-
discover
ure!
Ah! maria
incarnate!
the walls,
What
ignominy!
z t has b e g u n to peel itself
flakes as a d a m a g e d insect, a n d c a r r y i n g a w a y my w o r k of these past three years upon its feckless b a c k to the floor.Why, dear God in Heaven, why? 3t worsens, every day, 3 c a n see it. Others cannot, they tain that 3 am envisioning the worst, that i t i s but the slightest bit worse, a n d shall a w a y from
curling itself up into
s o o n stop, for certain, but J c a n see it. 3 see students of art, a n d monks, s t a n d about, a n d r e n d e r my w o r k for themselves, for their own experie n c e and stwdy, and
3 know that s o o n theirs
of my m a s t e r p i e c e left upon
this E a r t h . J
&a
a m torn
hurry, to complete their studies of my art, befor instead asking them to b e patient, a n d copy i t preserve
the i m a g e a n d color for postdty. 3
e only executions e e n a s k i n g them to
eye poked asunder, for carelessness. J n m y b r o w n
~
moods,
ing to
J a m
likely
the labels
to
be
careless.
given, of durationj pace o r swiftness of
color o r in shades ofgrayj and t e m p o r a l basis,
'
or w h e n in
including fear, love, a n d enjoyment, a n d
J have
'
not
the funds
at this tim
e patience, to cre-
potentially, neither shall w o r k .
( j V W D f l E S S EflGYNE) at 3 were not
forced to endure all that has transpired! J
h a v e just now l e a r n e d of
the fate which h a s
Dominican friar GiroIamo S a v o n a r o l a , a n d of Pope A l e x a n d e r VI, a n d to f o r e v e r s i l e n c e
called him to t a s k for his e)ccesses, a n d his sins! 3 a m c e r t a i n that this ecclesiastical
which
court, which
has
convicted
S a u o n a r o l a , must to a m a n poisoned of
the
Borgia Pope,
mind by
OIL
be
the
else b e
w r a c k e d with guilt for having m a n as S a u o n a r o l a . But, no,
they shall surely mollify their c o n s c i e n c e s with the fact that lie did i n d e e d preach, despite beiwg b a n n e d from so d o i n g by the
befallen
the
3 am outraged! 3t
the voice,
of S a u o n a r o l a ,
the brain
the subject with incoheent thought, in compensation for which, will be forced to rely upon those instinctive behaviors, which, given
the sinful
naiiire of man, a n d &e Pope
Jt shall render
especially, shall be akin to madness.
3f the operator of the d e v i c e w e r e to mount it upon a c e n t r a l axle, which should spin t h e ingenimm a b o u t as it operated, t h e n the ingenium shall h a v e effectsupon all who s t a n d about it, s u c h that it might s t r i k e a n e n t i r e c r o w d with the frenzy. P e r h a p s 3 should build many of these, a n d secret them inside crates a n d wagons a b o u t Roma, a n d d r i v e e n t i r e city into the m a d n e s s which lives i n c a r n a t e in t h e v a t i c a n . 3
if3
erhaps
J am
being too cruel. Better still, instead of inflicting chaos
upon the recipient, to implant more coherent though$
controlling
the
the subject.
t h e n J c o u l d have
the Pope fall
by
means of
upon his o w n
sword.
t h e settings
be m a d e rehand, or else carefully a l i g n e d d u r i n g operation. t h i s J do not recommend, for if the alignment i s careless, the this shall never work, for subject may be able to c a s t off the efects. the Pope does not c a r r y a sword, c u r s e d be his c l e r i c a l restrictions.4 must
no,
( Y j W P A R t E D ]\/207JOjVEjVGYjVE) o w many months now,
has
it been, s i n c e 3 h a v e b r o w s e d
the
through
this Codex? 3 a m
habit
d a t i n g my thoughts, but i n s t e a d of returning to past
of
not certain, for 3 a m n o t in
pages a n d inscribing additional ideas or illustrations as
od. 3 do not therefore know. J t has i n d e e d b e e n a long time, however., judging by the last e n t r i e s which 3 m a d e upon these p a g e s , a n d by the dust which h a s accumulated, upon these pages, betwixt that d a r k time a n d now. 3 h a v e healed myself of my grief, and despaiu; a n d self-reproach for the loss of
shall,
t h e L a s t S u p p e r , for lose it 3
eventually, but for the nonce, it s t a n d s still, a n d elicits much inter-
est a n d excitement, a m o n g
the peoples of&lilano,
and
all those w h o
good painting, a n d m o r e poignant still that it fades, e v e n before o u r eyes. 3 t i s in that fashion, much like a summer., ain, as i t fades to autumn. which w e shall never se
travel to view it. 3 t is a very
A11 m u s t eventually p a s this C a r t h , and it i s simply my i l l fortune, that 3 shall s e e this p a s s , or at least begin to do so.f l o w 3 c a n better u n d e r s t a n d the grief of those who, t h r o u g h calamitous accident, lose o n e of their children, b e f o r e they a r e g r o w n .
JRnew Conazption shall
3
move
ahead
which to h a r n e s s
upon
these theories, and build new ingenia, with 1 forces which envelop the globe in
with spikes, for
the impaling
of
m a d e of a s i z e large enough to s c a l e city w a l l s without assistance of l a d d e r s o r siege towers, a n d w o u l d
be stout
enough to resist everything
s h o r t of a direct s t r i k e with a cannonball, a n d then only if the artillerists used a n increased charge of p o w d e r . 6
be able to move
properly a r r a n g e d ,
the c a n n o n
b a r r e l of ould
the
be
elevated to angles far
higher
p r o p e l explosive shells, as rain, over
the battlements
a n d d o w n upon
the heads of the enemy. U p o n the defensive, in the resistance of a siege, the J n g e n i u m V a d e r u s c a n be used to deceive the enemy, a s to the strength of the city g a r r i s o n . t h e by tortuous linkages, to a plethora of spears placed a b o u t the w a l l s for the city, a n d set to
ingenium shall be connected a n d pikes a n d other arms,
the sun by the action
the ingenium. n this fashion shall the garrison a p p e a r to b e doable o r more its si and the enemy, set to inaction for f e a r of the g r e a t garrison which appears apon the walls, may b e s e t ctpon by sarprise by the trcte garrison w a v i n g in
of
of
the city, and destroyed.
' t h e r e a r e less s a v a g e applications of this J n g e n i u m Vaderus, as
Jt may
be set
to a n y task r e q u i r e d . Jt m a y
land, for example, when
applied t9 a n
be
the p l o w i n g of similar to this design:
used in
automaton
well.
(TejU-POTIJ\LEjVG3jVE) the Duchy of M i l a n o a n d F r a n c e are strained, a n d J fear that Lodovico El Moro, despite all that h e h a s d o n e for his people, will head into yet a n o t h e r fruitless w a r much to the dilapidation of the Duchy in g e n e r a l . c o u r s e of r e c e n t events. Relations between
3 h a v e taken my leave, to p u r s u e a sabbatical in my home city of Firenze,
Most JIIustrious D u k e himself, to r e n d e r his wife, Jsabella d’Este, for the purpose of posterity, a n d presumably so that h e might be a b l e to rem-
the pyramids, though they s t a n d yet, s h o w the deleterious effectsof time, as does t h e most r e g a l profile of the all
b e n e a t h its feet, for even
along
with
it, as though d o w n a stream, o r instead a n a q u e d u c t , which
shall o v e r c o m e t h e n a t u r a l c u r r e n t of time, which is to s a y s t a n d fast a g a i n s t i t s flow, s u c h that it might be s e e n to c a u s e time within its effectto s t a n d s t i l l . 3 cor\struct a n ingenium which
O f c o u r s e , it
i s obvious
that a n
ingenium
which is
to
be used for the
withalso
stoppage of the flow of time must of c o u r s e constrain the operator
shaN encompass all a r o u n d . However, it is r e a d i l y seen that the interior of the ingenium i t s e l f m a y n o t be affected by the rnagickal bindings upon the times, but instead be allowed to operate freely, for if the ingenium d o e s not experience the passage of time, i t may not operate, hence time will n o t be stopped, a n d a conund r u m or paradox becomes evident. t h e w o r k i n g s of the interior mechanism ofthe ingenium must thus be shielded a g a i n s t the m a g i c k a l
o u t exception, for i t
t
-. .
sure,
and
the magickal
nts thereunto would
re
be
c e r t a i n to pre-
the employment of my 3 n f e r n o mechanism to the g e n e r a t i o n of sucl strengths, as the J n f e r n o mechanism itself has n e e d of magickal p o w e r s u c h as shall b e consumed in the reversal of time. 3 find 3 h a v e n o theoretical or observational basis upon which to d e d u c e the effectsof s u c h a temporal treversal, except p e r h a p s to believe that the i m a g e s s e e n through s u c h a portal would themselves b e m e r e images, the stuff of d r e a m s , in much t h e same m a n n e r that when w e r e m e m b e r events, the people whom are seen to o c c u p y o u r memories are not the true flesh a n d blood relations w e know. J n a like manner, J hope that by reversing time, w e do not c a u s e p e o p l e to exist in a n y real m a n n e r within the field, for s u c h would be a n impossibility, they clude
being e x t a n t elsewhere, a n d very much alive.
0
ne conceivable u s e for
the J n g e n i u m t e m p o r a l i s
c r e a t i o n of a means of preserving the life of one
w o u l d be in the
ill
o r mortally
be found to administer a upon a table, beneath which
w o u n d e d until such time a s a c h i r u r g e o n might remedy. J n this fashion,
the ingenium
the patient
is lain
the c h i r u r g e o n be halted, a n d the
processes its m a g i c k a l knots. Then, when
appears, a n d
all
is in readiness,
the J n g e n i u m
may
healing commence.
Jt becomes obvious ing
the unit
this ingenium, a t i m e d method of empower-
else that a shielded line of c o n t r o l from the J n g e n i u m , be extended through the time-stopping
is r e q u i ~ e d ,o r
o p e r a t o r of efects,
that for
the
the fundamental s o u r c e of operation. d s e w i s e , i t will be to c o n t r o l the function of the machine, but merely to allow i t
a n d to
impossible
to run its course, until at last i t w i n d s down, spent of power,
fop
any
who e n d e a v o r e d to penetrate the m a g i c k a l restraints w o u l d f i n d their time, too, had been halted in its flow, a n d they w o u l d be unable to halt the 3ngenium's progress. 5
(3IVTGGR3Ty C N G Y N E ) am now visiting Venezia,
3
the city of the canals,
a n d have
passed
many a n enjoyable hour tomring at the whim of t h e gondoliers,
the ballets. 3t is a beautifml city, and 3 enjoy my recreation here greatly, but the days are soured with the talk of the w a r which has broken out between theturkmen of the Ottoman a n d attending
Empire a n d fairvenezia. t h i s darkening of my relaxation i s
fleetat S a p i e n z a , although 3 h a v e h e a r d so m a n y u n s u r e which are true. Verily
story, for J h a v e heard
the defeat of the varied stories that 3 ai
doubled by word
of
do these common J t a l i a n s embellish every
the s a m e person
inflate the d r a m a of his discoutrst
the short s p a n of one day, and he s w o r e that w a s struck upon the fleet at S a p i e n z a ! A4ayhap h e w a s t h e r e indeed, head, that h e has gone silly. J t i s painful to m e to hear of the defeat of the fleet, with so being upon the coast, w h e r e any barbarous i n may put ashore. With this concern in mind, 3 went to the shipyard to speak with the shipwrights, a n d to e n d e a v o r to find the truth of the matter. As it befell, when 3 arrived, they were in the process of keeling a vessel for th ke of repairing her, a n d they were putting about the task in a most un ly a n d inefficient manner, that 3 had to exclaim, as though to children, my astonishment. to which exclamation, m o r e t h a n one of the w o r k e r s at the d over
great offense, and brandished a boathook with which extort a n apology out of me, or
blood,
or p e r h a p s
bot
by a learned man, who c 3 must remind myself to hold to my tongue the future with seamen, for they are roguish rapscall' nately recognized
After speaking
J
with the shipwright, for such my defender turned
designed for them a system of lines a n d pulleys
out to
be,
will m o r e effective-
ly tvansfer the forces of their strength against the s which effovtsthey w e r e most gratefi.1, a n d tveated inner, at the most rancid establishment 3 have ever had the displeas b r e a d was quite coa-ely ground, a n d the beef wa though i t had been hacked off the cow with a halberd. And the wine is best left without description, especially the way 3 feel this morn.
hile inspecting the damage to the vessel,
of which 3 knew little, as 3 m a d e no serious study of n a ~ t i c a sciences, l i t occ thut a magickal ingenium emplaced upon a vessel could be used to e n h a n c e its durability in battle, most specifically against the power of an enemy vessel stviking i t in the side, below the waterline, with a vam. A different ingenium would have to b e used to protect the vessel, a g a i n s t attack by Greek fire, o r other pyrotechnical assaults, b m t J shall here work upon an Jngenium Jfitegritas, which will b e employed in the d e f e n s e a g a i n s t raws, collisions, and bombardments, a n d would also b e useful w e r e the vessel to b e plying t w c h e r o u s waters, w h e r e t h e r e might be rocky s
have
sctrface of the water, invisible reefs, 8tc.
t h e method by which the ingenium sC\all work will into a webwork, l i k e undoing a net or fabric, the gleaned by watch those skilled at knitting, a n d in webworks, one contained completely within
the
(of which 3 h a v e one h e r e before me) has a n inn
glass, and i s hollow, yet the inner a n d outer
SM
like manner shall the webworks of magickal
the otheu; yet be separ the hull of the vessel, which they in turn shall press upon, the better with which it shall keep its shape, as a n y a t t a c k by bombardment or ram shall have to overcome the durability of the magickal net as well as the stvength of the hull of the ship. Agaiurst
the 'timkmeur
T
o afford any efect,
this
ingenimm must
as to protect a vessel against
rock,
by m e a n s be very well powered,
the hostiliiy of theTurkmen
or
the irve-
be woefully inadeqmate. any vessel upon which this ingenimm might be employed, is necessarily a larger vessel, and therefore may admit to a larger s o u r c e of power for this ingenicrm, for its increased efects, of which 3 believe a mundane revision of my previous Jvlferno mechanism for empowerment might well be sistibiliiy of a n underwater
half-measures will
adequate, for although s u c h a motivator is unforgiving of damages inflicted
upon it, i t shall be protected within
the interio9
reinforced hull of a n Jtalian-built warship, a n d
below
decks, of a magickally
there is no place more safe
that. Previous incidents at S a p i e n z a notwithstanding. This will require that a f i v e or s o m e alchemical s o u r c e of heat b e employed below decks, but as 3 understand that fire is likewise used by a ship's cook, 3 cannot see that here would be a n y objection to such an e q u i p p a g e . t h e than
only difficulty arises in that if it w e r e necessary, d M e to the great length of a protvacted naval battle, to buvn for consumption unimpovtant portions of the
ship itself, the stvength of the
ingen;crm's magick would prevent even hardy
sai1ov.s+om prying ornamental planks or woodwork from the
hull to b e
burned. Mpon the other hand, i t should
be noted that should the ingenium run completely out of fuel a n d cease to function, i t is likely that the vessel in
shall take d a m a g e from the enemy,
shall c a u s e here to be an immediate supply of scrap a n d flammable woodstmffs.6 sHch a g r a v e position
which
c ( L X E SMS'tEflllr\lVCE E f l G Z f l E ) per 3 had completed the design of my Jngeniuwr Jmtegritas, 3 r e t ~ ~ n etodthe docks to display m y invention to the shipwright
J fret visit& that place. Sad13 he w a s not receptive to my ideas fov the impmvement ofthe s, a n d in fact was appalled at the idea of employing a five-powered version of my Jnferno mechanism below decks of a warship e n g a g e d in battle. H e could not see that the Jngenimm Jntegritas would protect itself, a n d with itself also &e c w w a m d the ship herself, +om enemy activities as who favowd my c a u s e when
well as the mechanism's fire. J t i s perhaps as well; here are significantly
warships now, a n d a given one which were to employ my Jmgenimm JMtegritas has a greater chance of being caphtred by theTurkmen, at which time w e should see all &e vessels of the Ottoman &+re invincible.
fewervenezian
The Lost
734s ingenium = l i e s upon the technique of infising additional lifeenergies into he subject even as these energies ave extinguished by whatever means.The heat+ being the mmcle which pumps these enevgies abomt the bo& it is most necessavy
that the ingenium be held within close pvoximify to the heat+,or else that the ingenium b e of lavge design.7 Swll ingenia exceedingly
be safely opemted by clockwork, with a mainspring of
stiff steel, and pvotected against water o r whatever elements might
impede i t s fCcnction.So made, the ingenium shall allow the weclrev being the peec son affeded by i t s mgickal infctsions, to opemte in places under water, o r wheve
there m a i n s but only bad ai9 as in a mine shap OF in a building ablaze. tIew 3 must tell that the ingenium only pvotecis the vital ovgans from beiy destv0ye.d by suffocation or poisons; it shall not provide any pvotection against the inferno, which hall dive+ axme the weaver's flesh to be roasted until it no longer fctnctions, althowh the weare? by the g r a c e of my ingenium, shall not be ovecow\e by the smoke before the fire. a
larger version, this
ingenium might be
dto power a ship which would
fish.Pockets of air must be m i n t a i d in cases ofmevgen- and to allow forthe maintenance ofthe ingeuium itself,as well as any smaller ingenia which might be used for personal depavtuves from the vessel for explomtion, &c. Such a ves-
h ~ v e under l the waves as do whales
and &er
the C W o m a n Empire, and thence sewe to launch mines, which shall goat up, a d axbrecldes to the keel 'this undersea vessel has a n
advantage ovev my pevious
design for a non-magickal submersible cr~lfi, wheve&is vessel is not vul-
erable to having its WCkSOPother
the sea, as its m a g i c k a l effects p r e c l u d e ti$ inside the c r a f f . 8
yf
S t a t i o n a r y edifices m a y a Is0 sion of
the
ne vepc
constmcted,
the lowlands by using the force
w i n d m i l l common in
/vetherlands,
which
upon it, m i g h t
afford a
depleting IuXury. 9
be
mill,
comfortable living environment without
the area of m a g i c k a l potential,
ith this
ingenium, it might also
and
b e pos
great heights, where the air become normal human endt-trance, and thence to e
ing
unduly
the occupants
in
inventions. This
modification of my previous JngeniMm
which, by inuerting the ratios a n d realigning the mechathe r e v e r s e o r d e q would from those surrounding, c a u s e the vital force to be depleted, instead of held buoyant. J n this fashion, tlqe c r o w d s would g r o w w e a r y before they colnld bombard m e with their praise, a n d 3 should h a v e a moment’s peace. 10 Sustentaculus,
nisms to w o r k in
New Work to C o m m e m c e better day, now, a n d my t e m p e r a m e n t is less stormy t h a n i t w a s in the previous days, for surely MOW 3 reap the benefits of my is a
this town. F i r e n z e is building a new hall to h o u s e her city council, a n d the government has retained m e to decorate the walls of the new edifice with my works, representing the many F i r e n z e n victories on the field of battle. 3 n light of r e c e n t events, 3 c a n n o t resist but to b a s e my first work upon the Battle of Anghiari, wherein F i r e n z e n f o r c e s defeated the M i l a n e s e a r m y s o m e sixty y e a r s previous. 3 h a v e c a r t o o n e d this f a m e in
pleased by my initial resfilts, of t e n s e a n d fervent soldiers, hovses rampant, a n d c l o u d s ofdlnst kicked u p by the tumult. 3 shall h a v e work, a n d a m
to revise
the plans,
howeveu; a n d find a Letter method of working t h a n
fresco. 3 h a v e in mind a new paint which should s u f f i c e my n e e d s .
/My
high
repute has also attracted the attentions of several young and
aspiring gentlemen, each of whom shows promise, but have a/%
hopes to paint as J do. Raffaelo Santi
J find that Andrea
del Sarto is yet too young.
that one ,Michelangelo Buonarroti is interested in
J my
I
heard complimentary reports a b o u t his statues of Bacchus, a n d Pie+&at St. P e t e r ’ s . J myself shall withhold j u d g m e n t until J c a n see his work personally, which J shall be able to do, since J a m told he also has been commissioned to help to d e c o r a t e the hall of the city council. led m e to think of warfare, a n d what J c a n perhaps accomplish for the betterment of the welfare of the soldiers of Firenze, a n d J h a v e devised a n o t h e r variation upon the t h e m e elucidated by my Jngenium Sustentaculus, which, by infusion of vital enevgies into the body of one wounded or ill, as from battle or plague, a n d focused in the m a n n e r by which the Jngenium J n t e g r i t a s effectsits works, shall c a u s e the d e c r e p i t u d e to b e flushed from the patient’s system, that they might spring whole a n d hale from their beds anew. u t my w o r k o n this painting has
J t is
J
fear a most difficult ifigenium to d e s i g n a n d calibrate, for insuf-
the desired effect, while J will c a u s e the i l l p e r s o n to evoke s u c h a
ficient infusion of vitality will not h a v e believe a n e x c e s s i v e infusion
f e v e r as might p r o v e fatal, or else to feel c u r e d of all i l l s while yet uuhealthy,
that
that he arise from walk away, with his arm yet d a n g l i n g from the
is, a w o u n d e d man might feel so vital
the chirurgical table a n d socket, a n d bleeding, which would b e most unseemly. r the most accurate imparting of the effectsinto the ailing person, the effectsof the ingenium must b e conveyed with a wrapping woven skillfully of gold a n d silken threads, which may c o v e r the patient all around, as though a cocoon or a s h r o u d . t h e silk should b e of the brightest a n d most cheerful colors available, that the patient may not believe a shroud it i s indeed, a n d thereby p a n i c a n d d a m a g e the ingenium, which is very delicate by n a t u r e a n d design, a n d poorly-disposed to a b r u p t shocks or motions. t h i s is b e c a u s e of the fact that the ingenium itself must b e blown of glass, so as to afford itself to b e perfectly unreceptive of the e n e r g i e s it produces, for a n y build-up, w h e t h e r in the ivrgenium or of the surroundings themselves, c a n c a u s e a wave, which, suddenly imparted upon the patient by w h a t e v e r circumstance, c a n b e deleterious in effects.6 s yet
J
know of no J t a l i a n s so well-versed in
d e e m them
skilled
the art of
glass blowi-g
that 3
e n o u g h to u n d e r t a k e t h e prodcrction of e c c e n t r i c
gears a n d precision-cast meclqanicat contrivances.
Perhaps J
c a n per-
the government to a n n o u n c e a reward for whichever a r t i s t c a n p r o d u c e the best blown-glass clockworks, a n d t h e n employ that p e r s o n . in the production of this most merciful J n g e n i u m C u r a r e ~ s11 suade
O n e final w o r d of warning: t
he
m a c h i n e itself must not only b e of glass,
b e k e p t fastidiously c l e a n . t h i s cleanliness i s not for the p l e a s u r e of the patient, for certainly his a w a r e n e s s will likely not proceed past the w r a p p i n g s in which he is laid, but for the prevention but it
m M s t
also necessarily
of a n y build-up of m a g i c k a l potential upon
the e n g i n e itself 12
invention, a n enced and
skilled
in a r t i f i c e . t h e r e was q u i t e s o m e a r g u m e n t a m o n g
those p r e s e n t upon which of these worthies stood i n d e e d a b o v e t h e others, a n d while the debate gvew m o r e heated, J quietly e x c u s e d myself a n d paid a call u p o n o n e of the gentlemen whose n a m e h a d a r i s e n fre-
e p p o n e 3 fouiZd a most interesting a n d e n e r g e t i c character., a n d
73
a g r e e d at o n c e to
build
he
a m a c h i n e to my specifications. H e s e e m e d
ceased moving t h e e n t i r e time w e spoke, not even to partake of wine, which h e did while working ~ p o his n lathe, a custom which J found mildly alarming. 3 g a v e him a n a d v a n c e sum, a most curious man, a n d never
h a v e n o d o u b t s but
this
is
the evening
that he shall c o m p l e t e the project in the stated time. of the d a y M p o n which h e b e g a n his labors, s o 3 shall
m y hands.
the combination to bear a great rock aloft. T h e kite shall cause the assemblage to drift in a downwind direction, while t h e J n g e n i u m shall
hold the missile aloft. B y manipulating the kite from the ground, i t shall be possible to aim the rock most accurately. B y a calculation employing the triangle formed by the string of the kite, the elevation of the kite, and the angle of elevation of the kite string itsel5 the true distance from the holder of the string to the city may be readily calculated, and the rock sighted along the string to drop where i t will.
Great calamity Befulls has resmlted from Camillo’s engineering my ingenium. t h e technician has taken the presumption of testing his skills by powering the ingenium, befove informing m e of the completion of his labors. 3 c a n only a s s u m e that he had the device
3
is a most calamitous effect which
switched to
maximum effect, s i n c e that w a s the position in which J
each kind, each with a f o r w a r d s a n d b a c k w a r d s mechanism, J c a n ensure that rival inventors shall not be able to steal each ofhers' letters, saving only by theft of the competitor's J n g e n i u m P e r p l e x us. 2 a n d o n l y two of
shall be equipped with s e v e r a l quills, e a c h welle q u i p p e d with ink, a c c o r d i n g t o t h e d e s i g n for a n improved quill, which J h a v e in a n o t h e r C o d e x around, though 3 c a n n o t find i t at this moment.3 t h e s e quills shall b e set in a free-floating manne9 b a l a n c e d as illustrated here, to be manipulated by the magickal e n e r g i e s c a u s e d by the written p a r c h m e n t passing into the c e n t e r of the ingenium. t h e s e quills must b e most finely balanced, as to r e a c t to the slightest pressure, for surely the pressLtres e n g e n d e r e d by the magickal field of the ingenium shall b e delicate indeed. A n d the ingenium must b e operated o n a solid s t o n e flooq in a sealed room free from drafts, o r insects, a n d the o p e r a t o r mtmt remain perfectly still, lest h e also reduce the ingenium's w o r k to nonsense by j a r r i n g o n e o r m o r e of the quills. A n d a n Jngenium S o l a i r s must be built inside, to illuminate the pages as they are encrypted. Jt is also possible to send d r a w i n g s encoded, as the m a g i c k a l operation of the J n g e n i u m o n l y encodes the pvesence of lines; the J n g e n i u m
't"
e Jngenium
Perplexus k n o w s n o t a line
of a letter from a line of a d r a w i n g , hence
d r a w i n g s a n d illustrations shall likewise
be
r e d u c e d to nonsense.
c
t h e sheets of p a r c h m e n t upon m a d e must
the e n c i p h e r e d m a r k s shall be however. For items which are of utmost
which
b e fed individually,
importance, s u c h as m e s s a g e s s e n t to c l e v e r a g e n t s o p e r a t i n g in for-
there
b e attached s e v e r a l thin blades, which shall reduce the original p a r c h m e n t to ribbons. B u t 3 n e e d not this m e of security, for 3 intend to m a k e several copies of my Codex, twenty or more, for the selling, although e a c h shall also be given with a n J n g e n i ~ mPerplexMs, which shall at o n c e pro a n d p r o v e my work. e i g n cities,
can
No, this 3 c a n n o t do, for i t would break me, o e the fees which 3 would b e forced to levy upon those, w h o are interested in my book, to pay, would d r i v e them away, a n d again 3 shall h a to s h a r e my enthusiasm. 3 shall h a v e to publish thi course, c e r t a i n comments edited out, to avoid the f i n d also, 3 shall l e a v e c e r t a i n ingenia o u t of thi the Viu P e r e g r e u s . t h e copies shall be ready in
the effectsof magnetic axes o f f o v c curved across the l a n d s c a p e from one e n d of the earth to other. ;In this 3 recalled my visit t o v e n e z i a , w h e r e the ca are plied by boatsmen, a n d where 3 saw gondoliers at work, a n d also provided technical aid in the shipwrights in keeling a vessel for repairs. 3 n this, the magnetic forces J believe a r e as invisible a n d h a v e thought a g a i n upon
unbreakable ropes, bmt deformed not by stresses in a down
but actually buoyed in a graceful a r c a b o v e the l a n d s from Earth to the other, w h e r e each line of magnetic force is rooted or attached.
fi g o n d o l i e r pulling a likewise manner,
a
boat with
do men pull
a pole propels at a
his
craft forward, a n d in
boat with ropes. W e v e the ropes to
the work of the shipwrights, a n d w e r e t h e gondolier’s pole to e x t e n d from the e n d of the earth to the e n d of the earth, h e could still ply his craft by pulling his body a l o n g its length. J n this manner, i t c a n be readily s e e n that the
be
1
g r o u n d e d miles away, it would m a k e no difference to
lines of m a g n e t i c force, being of themselves inviolate a n d permanent, may
b e used, with a n
a craft across
gears c a n
the smrface of the
p l a n e t in much
be u s e d to propel links
n essence,
3
ingenium d e s i g n e d for s u c h a purpose, to propel
the
o f a chain.
ingenium will act as though i t were a
system, which, using lines of m a g n e t i c force
hi&
a r e intangible
a n d invisible, yet a p p r o a c h i n g t h e infinite in number a n d of exquisite fine r y of detail, m a y b e passed t h r o u g h its system repeatedly a n d without loss of efficacy, e x c e p t i n g by which the ingeni
t h e orientation of the d e v i c e is most easily accomplished, being merely the d i r e c t i o n of the pulleys with respect to the ingenium, that is, the ingenium perform
will be
the eforts
um c a n n o t
be
the magnetic effect,
d r a w n irresistibly t o w a r d s the magnetic pulleys a s
by
o n the magnetic lines. J\s designed here,
w o r k e d in reverse, for the pulleys
rely
they
the ingeni-
upon the tension of
lines to d r a w themselves t o w a r d s them, a n d in reversed
pushing a g a i n s t the ethereal rope, the magnetic lines w o u l d
become hopelessly snarled, magnetizing
Arise, 0 , M e c k a w i s m ! uch a n ingenium would necessarily
S
the ingenium require
the
beyond u s e .
5
u s e of some sort of
elevating mechanism, in a v o i d a n c e of having to ovel*come t h e
that which is to be t r a n s p o r t e d . J t i s far easier to propel a craft t h r o u g h the ai5 which is frictionless, t h a n t h r o u g h the ground, which i s filled with r e s i s t a n c e . t h u s , employing the J a g e n i u m forces of friction
M p o n
jMagneticLts into a s u s p e n s i b l e craft of my o w n design, we find
suited to
the comveyance of people rapidly
A
over g r e a t d i s t a n c e s .
vehicle
3
ind
that the
b a l a n c e of su
that used in be thrust into the grounc
d e v i c e is no+ in ordeq
J might rotate forward, a n d by t h e rocket as t h e Jngemium /\/lagneticMs pulls m e f o r w a r d . Truly walking the earth should be far easier on the constitution t h a n it. P e r h a p s this shall b e m o r e b a l a n c e d . such a m a n n e r
No,this would be a
most undignified m a n n e r of transport.
to counterweight a n d b a l a n c e
the
J shall
have
initial d e s i g n . fib, but i f 3 w e r e to7
C (COflFG5SYOflGflGYflG) ve
had
plenty e n o u g h of the B o r g i a family! 3 a m furious!
the s o r t - h a v e m a d e a c o m p l e t e m o c k e r y of all that is tloly, let a l o n e all that is Jtalian. We h a v e heard tell that the h u s b a n d of L u c r e z i a a n d this is her first hwsband, s i n c e the other m a r r i a g e s w e r e h e s e v a l e n c i a n nobles-they
Borgia,
annulled, a n d h e n c e never w e a k e n i n g of the
heart,
are mothing of
existed, h a s died. P r e s u m a b l y he died
of a
hearts h a v e b e e n w e a k e n e d w h e n Cesare s k e w e r s them with a stiletto. With Cesare’s bloody hands, he should t a k e the n a m e C a r d i n a l S i n . tt a m which is n o t a s u r p r i s e s i n c e m a n y
fuvious!
that he shall d e M y any w r o n g doing, a n d a s h e is a n ordained m e m b e r of the clergy, he is incapable of lying, thus w e shall all h a v e to accept his i n n o c e n c e in the matter. tle is as innocent as a mongrel dog, or a plague-ridden rat! What this country needs, in fact w h a t the e n t i r e Catholic Church a r o u n d th Of course, Cesare being a Cardinal, it is c e r t a i n
gears being the ratio of five to seven, tion that which will
this
being according to my calcula-
r i m g from the imperative field
the opportunity for
untruth, without the loss of the imperative to speak, for it does no good to force someone to speak the truth, if he will not answer the questions put to them.
Of course, tr
is as pure a ma
r as possible, so it is required that
the ingenium be created of the purest materials possible, however ver
shall
sil-
be of n o use. Better much that it be made of beaten gold or
perhaps platinum, and lubricated with pure oil or perhaps holy water, if significamt amount can be had withoHt complaimt from the local
t o make thi
geniuw powevful in aspect and irresistible in dominance,
it is my intention to imstall it in a room o f a tower built among the banks of a fast-flowing
stream, therewith to build a water wheel with which to
provide the i n g e d u w a constant and unwavering source of motivation, which
shall be seen to invest most thoroughly the area with the impera-
tive for veracity.
3t will be necessary to admit a disengagement mecha-
nism to allow the imgenium to rest while the magickal energies of
the
area are being restored.
Anotlqer Ydea 0 OM
must know, of course, &at to interrogate a n y of the
Borgia fam-
ing ingenium would c a u s e
g r e a t c a l a m i t y to in
the matter.
befall all who
dertook
the pursuit
who questioned
E s p e c i a l l y if those
of
the L o r d ’ s
truth
the B o r g i a (whichever
o n e i t w a s ) w e r e themselves u n d e r the influence of my Censurum
their o w n disposiTo that end, i t is ingenium which shall w o r k a n d which shall have a
Veraceus, a n d thence s p o k e freely a n d honestly of
tions towards this most powerful a n d c o r r u p t family. but a simple endeavor to m a k e a s e c o n d a r y
at
the same
time as the C e n s u r u m V e r a c e u s ,
similar i m p a c t upon t i o n of
the person’s
wagickal enkrgies
psyche,
to influence
by
using a different construc-
the mental
processes o f t h e per-
son. T h i s 3 n g e n i u m O b f u s c a r u s w o u l d c a u s e those so affected to forget
all which had
occurred
e n g a g e d . Jt w o u l d n o t to cause
be
while the
mechanism of
r e q u i r e d to
the police
to forget
be
the engine
were
of smaller i m p a c t in radius,
the confession
inclusion of a l a r g e g l a s s lens w o u l d the effect to be focused in nature. 8
be
as
well,
although
so a s
the
ea) assistance in causing
3 a m d i s m a y e d by the slow pace with which bad n e w s
-day
through - Jtalia. J t i s suvprising - to me, as are fain to talk at great a n d exhausting
c a n sometimes travel
well,
for J t a l i a n s
length about all m a n n e r of subjects,
and to g e s t i c u l a t e with
s u c h force that just s u c h a
they cause your inkwell to spill upon yomr p a p e r s . 3t is in m a n n e r that 3 h a v e received this latest a n d most ~ n w e l c o m e
bit of tidings. 3 h a v e b e e n given word that the F r e n c h have r e t a k e n the City ofIl/\ilano from t h e forces of the Duke Sforza of Milano, my f o r m e r p a t r o n , J t is
said that Lodovico now languishes in prison, awaiting the pleasture of L o u i s FII. S u c h are the forttunes of w a r a n d politicking, but 3 had better hopes for 3 1 Moro, a n d n o w i t is a p p a r e n t that 3 shall n e v e r be g r a n t e d the p l e a s u r e of completing the s t a t u e he wished of his father. A n d a magnificent statue it would be, with not its e q u a l in all the world! 3 will not return to that city of M i l a n o a g a i n , for 3 a m c e r t a i n that should 3 appear, the F r e n c h will force m e into making s o m e a r c h w a y commemorating their trimmph at the city gates, a n d 3 h a v e no desire to bring their t r e a c h e r y to qlory. Or p e r h a p s they would press me into devisinq a new m e a n s of interrogating
the Duke. Bah!
bear t h e thought of the S
r z a s imprisoned by the French. 3 t h a s s o u r e d m y stomach, a n d now 3 must a b s t a i n from w i n e a n d spicy dishes, a n d r e s t r a i n myself to p a s t a s . J shall h a v e to find a means of purging myself of this phlegmatism, a n d so shall p u r s u e the invention
cannot
shall affect but a can arrange for
small portion o f t
the effects
of
the i M g e M i u m to b
cords, so as to erase more evenly t which distribution was designed and tested by constructing a manm e q u i n of cantaloupes, Necessarily, large people might r e q u i v e a different distribution. Fdditionally, a n independent sot,wce of motivation i s not pe-d on the blowing of the wind, feasible, as a n escapee cann ium shall have to especially o n a dark Nedite be empowered by a*small but vigor of metallic
s shown in drawing ith the distribution of the tra Z, shown here, the small effects of the imgefiium will be distributed in a n arrangement such that it shall conceal the entirety of the
hile meeting with Albert0 Rizzutto again, over dinner this day, he c h a n c e d to bring to m e s o m e ill tidings, which is that thetmrkmen have at last wrested the city of D u r a z z o f r o m v e n e z i a n presence, therewith robbing their army of its strongest hold upon the lands of Asia Mino9 south of Dalmatia, which could b e said to be m o r e o f t h e B a l k a n s than Asia M i n o r propenthis a l a r m s m e greatly, for i t is a possibility now that t h e t u r k m e n will launch a great fleet, with the intent and purpose of landing upon t h e v e n e z i a n coast, striking at that fair city, a n d conquering her at once for subjugation into the Ottoman Empire. Or else that they may m a r c h along the Adriatic
A
Coast, moving a g a i n s t Zara, a n d dismemberVenezian holdings piece-
by Constantinople.this is worrisome to me, for the effectsof the M o h a m m e d a n zealots linger s t i l l in S p a i n , a n d J wodd ill meal for consumption
see that h a p p e n to f a i r v e n e z i a .
E w g q i w e to Smite v
the earth!
n preparation for such a n event, 3 must c a l c m l a t e &e n e c e s s a r y engineering of a device of magnificent destructive capabilities, with which 3
b e a b l e to bring to a s u d d e n demise any Ottoman aspirations to J t a l i a n lands, whether by invasion of fleeto v m a r c h of army. t h e brightest inspivation J have had is to create a n engine which acts upon the ground as does
might
itself,that is, a n ingenium which shall, by its nature, c a u s e a great trembling among the elemental forces of the earth, a n d thereby the tangible earth propeu; for the disarray a n d disruption of the enemy. Also for the destruction of his fortifications a n d siege engines. J n w i h e s s of which, the terror of his people would b e g r e a t s u c h that they would b r e a k at the sight of the approach of the Venezian army, a n d the new magickal engines of w a r employed by same. J n this manneu; i t is n e c e s s a r y to c a u s e oscillations among the lines of elemental force. Or perhaps random vacillations would be better. yes, that i s the solution, for although cyclic forces c a n indeed create l a r g e disruptions, as evidenced by the method by which children disrupt a piece of rope in a the wind
a g a i n s t ao ill-rigged sail, which c a u s e s it to whip
regular fashion to play at jumping it (3can see them doing so outside my window, a n d 3 hope that they will cease their squealing, m e concentrate),
the better to help
but in a similar fashion, it is possible that s u c h a disruption
will result in a minou; o r even a pleasing effect,much as a violin string is set to vibrating for o u r ammsement. Furthermore, r e g u l a r disrmptions depend in
large p a r t on the regularity of the medium tyss
&&
of
battlefield a r e likely to be very poorly homogenous, dirt a n d s a n d . 3 r r e g u l a r stimulation i t must be.
of a
the grounds a mix of stone and
transmission, a n d
inner suvface of the ingenum.
J
cCZose s e v e n t e e n g r a p n e l s , s i n c e s e v e n -
t e e n is a p r i m e numbeq a n d n o t divisible by a n y of the m a n y c a m s is s u c h
that the g r a p n e l s will
other. A n d the
gearing
not a l i g n themselves in
the s a m e s e q u e n c e for some several thousand revolutions of the main drive shaft, which shall require several houvs of continuous effort, o n &e part of he ivlgeniuuur. the beatings ofthe grapnels causes the sphere to vibrate (these vibrations also facilitatethe continuing revolutions of the cams). Fu&emore, be stable in aspect, a n d in fact is detachable from i t s stand.O n c e the correct vibratory fequency is acheived, &e b r a c e s holding the ingenum in place are =leased, a n d the sphere set f&e to bounce about the engine is not created to
the landsdcape, transmitting its vibrations into the very ground, a n d causing it to convulse with tremovs AS the suvface of the sea i s convcllsed with waves, the compete cycle of i t is impossible that the ingenium shall be seen to be
until s u c h time as its c a m s cease mtating. j+er s e q u e n c e s is played out,
standing in the s a m e position as when i t w a s fbst begun to operate, and his as shall continue to cause the machine to have a n irregular effect. when a violinist bows the s a m e notes but holds his wrists at a different angle, he plays a different string, so shall the Jngenium-tumuliuosus provide a nevev-ending s e q u e n c e of random a n d a b e r r a n t pluckings of he elemental forces. A n d m u s i n g tvemovs as a result.
fter great thought a n d meditation upon
the
ect, J find +ha+J now
a m unable to s e c u r e a suitable testing location for my J n g e n i u m
that a n y n e a r b y would suffer a n d doubtless c a u s e the full force of the law to fall upon my
Ifuosus.
needlessly, balding
Jts effectwould b e so great,
head. Furthermore,
after great concentration,
J
a m Mnable to elu-
cidate the m a n n e r in which 3 might t r a n s p o r t the effectof my ingenium to a location m o r e r e m o t e than that of the device, for it would be a n ill-advised e n d e a v o r to c a u s e a t r e m o r of the
eav-th at a n y location within twenty miles of the ingenium, to s a y nothing of the ingenium being the very c e n t e r of the trembling. 3 shall h a v e to shelve this d e s i g n Mntil J have a better patron, funding, a n d s o m e o n e m o r e reliable than Camillo to do my engineering. 1
-
DYSSOLUTYOJV EJVG
ince 3 a m unable to test m y Jngenium tt,tmulfuosus, 3 have
r
-a
instead
decided to undevtake a different approach to creating AM
effective ingenium for making w a r upon theTurkmen.n\is device,
properly deployed a n d employed byVene2ian or Firenzan tvoops Id, will hold inviolate J t a l i a n fvontievs against &e most ingenious inventions a n d stvongest forces which &e m o m a n E m p i r e
array agaiMst
thing that theturkmen have so as to bring them to a peaceable and favorable resolution of this war
With that 3 thought of endeavoring to create
the direct destruction of their fortifications, instead of employing the indirect method of shaking their uery foundations through a quaking earth.
Of course, poor Rizwtto may have been taken somewhat aback, as he did not understand whereof J ejaculated my excitement of inspivation, and 3 left him abandoned in the plaza without explanation. Jt is unfortunate, at times, that 3 must write my inspirations immediately, lest 3 forget them. Perhaps the remainder of my biscotti and the bottle of wine which 3 fovgot
by the side of the table both will
have served to solace my effrontevy.
this device has a smaller radius of invocation,
and is thereby consum-
mately easier to aim and set off without Mndue effects upon the user of the device or the device mechanism pvoper
For its effect itself, it is best
described, that it imparts to the affected material an acute lack of cohesion ofthe stuffs of which it is made, causing it to fall into disarray, or powdeu;
as though eaten
by termites or
rusted through completely, although even if
the item affected were not iron or wood, even were it stone or glass.'the Greeks might say the targeted material were rendered into atoms.
t h e dewice
is a i m e d
by the
dishes mounted o n top of
which, being g e a r e d together that
the contraption,
they a l w a y s move in tandem, a n d by
e q u a l a m o u n t of tlqe radius, a n d being properly a l i g n e d a s to
be
syn-
I -
chronous, p r o d u c e a n isosceles t r i a n g l e of projection,
the focus
which point, being
of aiiack, is r e n d e r e d dissolute.
X’ime Pvesses ince the
days are pressing upon the w e l f a r e o f v e n e z i a , 3 h a v e
that J must m a k e every effort to create and d e m o n s t r a t e this d e v i c e for the benefit of the city, a n d theveby a l l Jtalia. For the p u r p o s e of the demonstration, i t would b e most seemly were the d e v i c e to be selfmotivated, to which e n d 3 shall u s e a tightly wound spring of metal, as a mainspring, the tensile power of which shall be e n o u g h to motivate the m . Of course, for the winding of the spring, 3 shall h a v e to u s e a lever a r m of sufficient moment, but J believe 3 c a n borrow a w r e n c h to determined
<
suit my n e e d s from Ciniffa, w h o m a k e s carriages outside of town. Despite been
the
able
r e c e n t results o b t a i n e d
to r e t a i n
by that
the services of o n e
c a r e l e s s Camillo,
flernani
Bellizzi,
a very
lent m e t a l smith a n d m a k e r of clocks. Jt is most important entire a s s e m b l a g e of this Dissolventum Universalis closely- fitted a n d studiously c a l i b r a t e d metals, for t o l e r a n t of nothing in
the
line of deviation; e v e n
be
J have excel-
that the
m a d e entirely of
the d e v i c e
the flexibility
itself
is
of w o o d e n
boxes is too g r e a t for its admission.2
O n c e the d e v i c e i s tightly w o u n d upon set u p
iM
the
mains
the dishes and into o p e r a t i o n . T h e aiming of the dishes involves
a s u i t a b l e location, it is only n e c e s s a r y to a i m
engage t h e m e c h a n i s m determining
tiie d i s t a n c e of the height of the t r i a n g l e f o r m e d by their foci,
the estimation of which
is difficult for e v e n experienced artillerists.
H e n c e 3 h a v e also desigMed
A
s y s t e m of reflecting m i r r o r s a n d lenses,
which l e n s e s are mounted a b o v e the
dishes, but s o close in aspect to their position as to be nearly identical, a n d which t r a n s m i t the f o c u s of the dishes to their v a r i o u s reflecting mirrors, which g u i d e the light to a single plate, thusly g e n e r a t i n g a d o u b l e image, which c a n therefore
be
the device. For w h e n t h e i m a g e o n the viewing plate i s least distorted by the twin images, then the operator of the Dissolventum Universalis knows that the d e v i c e is properly a i m e d upon that spot.
u s e d for aiming a
E ~ o r t iRobbery! ~ ~ ! y mother! t
h e p r i c e s which that t l e r n a n i Bellizzi has levied a g a i n s t m e for this project are exorbitant! Gvidently h e has had a m that r a s c a l Camillo, who J c a n only a s s u m e g a v e him a heavilye m b r o i d e r e d version of the incident, and though being disposed of a b a n doning the job thromgh Camillo’s detractions, nonetheless found himself unable to r e n e g e upon his word, a n d in p u r p o s e of forcing m e to a b a n d o n his services, raised his prices to levels which he thought J w a s unable to afford. He has underestimated me, howeve6 for 3 h a v e s e q u e s t e r e d quite a fair r e s e r v e in my years, a n d paid his inflated prices, in surprise of which he vowed to perform for m e his finest craftsmanship.
L--.l--.ll
- c -
-.
1___cI_----
-"I^.
bloody hands. Perhaps h e thinks Louis will n o t remember his resistance to his cousin Charles. 3 do not pretend to understaMd tlqat man's mind.There is no telling to what depths A l e x a n d e r the Borgia will MOW stoop.
that he aspires to paint a fresco next to those of Botticelli, Signorelli, et al; in the S i s t i n e Chapel. tle is a dreamer, and J myself w o u l d distance my work from that ofthe church. t h e n e e d for this Testudo €lementalis is now greater than eve5 for w e find
/Michelangelo
Buoncxrroti confides to me
omvselves SurroMnded with enemies, from thetctrkmen to the French to &e
Church. With B i a n c a maria Sforza's m a r r i a g e to &Iaximilian I, the tIoly R o m a n E m p i r e i s s t i l l on o u r side, although even h e i r valme is qmestioned at this time, with S w i t z e r l a n d MOW standing in sovereign testimony to the tloly R o m a n Gmpire's ineffectuality in enforcing their will t h m u g h military means. With these notifications in mind h a v e 3 constructed the design for Yur Fmurctiour s
illustrated
in drawing a, the transmission
surround my invention. J n
pod
of
the
this, the circumscription of the rod must Ly its
the c r e a t i v e impediments io the motion
that through
t e s t u d o €lementalis c a n without needless w a s t e
lication of
be
of
the rod,
derived,
of
a tvammel o r other such e l a b o r a t e
that a n elliptical perimeter to the
the b e i t e v io protect a
which a body of
the e x p a n in front of the soldiers, a n d cause havoc.3
m a g i c k a l enevgy a n d abrogating
sion of the protection to incorporate empty space into
line of men
b r a v e enemies might breach
t h e central mechanism of this ingenium is, as illustrated here, the crucible, which c o n t a i n s the material to be c o n s u m e d by the ingenium, which in turn, shall be sekn to affectthe elemental manifestation of the output of the device, thereby determining w h a t m a n n e r of wall shall be erected, for
the protection. 3 must consult with those v e r s e d in the alchemical arts to u n d e r s t a n d exactly which materials a r e best suited to the c o n s e c r a t i o n of the ingenium to c e r t a i n elements, although from conversations with a chirurgeon, 3 a m led to believe that bile, blood, phlegm, a n d urine are the materials associated most efficaciously.4
3ts Msuges e ingenium, being designed foe a n d e m i n e d y suited to, the pvotection of
T
k a body of soldievy, in maneuvevs against the foe, i t
shall be obvious that i t is
which are most readily obtained by soldiery. J n this fashion, the ingenium MM be carried upon the back of one of the soldievs to allow for maXimal povtability, or else, should the size afthe device be prohibitive, as might be the case for a device large enough to protect a fLll regiment, it best powered by
manual eyevtions,
a n be povted about in a small wagon designed for that purpose, with a modi-
fied c r a n k m a d e expressly fov the use by two or four men,
or possibly mules.
A n d now 3 have indeed o n c e more, at great personal expense a n d consid-
erable diff;culty, obtained the materials needed for the constvuction of this ingenium, for with it 3 c a n prove o n c e a n d for all time that indeed my designs are sound. No more will the craftsmen here build of these engines in
their completeness, but instead 3 w a s forced to dispevse the pieces of the ingenium among several craftsmen,a n d undevtake the completion of the
the a s s e m b l a g e of the ingenium myself. 3t appeavs that word of GmiIIo’s roof a n d Bellizzi’s workshop has spvead rapidly about the city, a n d none othevs will risk their o w n houses. parts a n d
jh&er
Fu;!mve.
..
e experiment is a failure. After cranking the handle
T
‘ 3 m ya r m s
ached,
ofthe ingenium until
no ctwtain of fire arose in testament to my
labors. 3
moved about a n d felt the g r a s s at the radius ofthe t e s t u d o Elementalis which should h a v e arisen, according to my calcuIations, a n d felt about w i h my
hands.-e
grass was most cevtainly parched a n d withered, a n d a rev-
fect ring of browned grass
stood about me, but unfovtunately this is not
enomgl/tto forestall a n enemy. J endeavored to w a k e another s h n g e r spring
with wlqiclq to wind the inaeMium, but durinq the crankinq the linchpin split d u e v
to inferior constvuction.
L
v
~
this day that JV(aximiIian I, the E s t e e m e d Holy o m a n €mperor, has, in w h a t is now known as the Peace of Trent, r e c o g n i z e d the F r e n c h o c c u p a t i o n of her c o n q u e s t s in our f a i r 3talia as legitimate. 3 t i s now obvious that tttalia is a b r o k e n and d i v i d e d - l a n d , which both a n g e r s a n d s a d d e n s me, a n d m o r e so that s h e shall not h a v e the b e n e f i t o f f o r e i g a s s i s t a n c e to d e f e a t F r a n c e . Jtalia shall h a v e to d r i v e out the Fre h herself, e v e n if i t t a k e s received word
twenty y e a r s , but d r i v e t h e m out w e shall!
Ordinarily 3 do not like to lose my temper,
the
n e w s f r o m Ciiovanni while b r e a k i n g fa
er, e v e n as
3 did so, 3 was able to draw
that w h i c h routing the F r e n ch from the field. explosion of rage a n d
indeed
shall b e
most p r o d u c t i v e in
3 t is s u c h a s i m p l e variation of my o w n previo a n d less d e s t r u c t i v e to h o m e s t h a n wonder find
that
that 3 had
the J n g e M i
that
y y I ~ I ~ ~ . L ( o s ~ s ,3
not previously invented its mechanism. However,
my t h o u g h t s a n d s u c c e s s e s both flow m o r e readily w h e n the contemplation of m a t t e r s martial in nature. 5
J
3 am
OM
b e c o n s t r u c t e d of p u r e s t iron, the better to focus the destructive forces which this shall unleash, a n d aiming may be effected through the manipulation of the scope mounted O M top of the device. 3 1 2 keeping with the necessity of military ingenia to be p o r t a b l e a n d i n d e p e n d e n t of water, wind, &c, a n d other s o u r c e s of exte n a l power, it is n e c e s s a r y to turn the c e n t r a l axle of the ingenium manuallyj however, wiih a proper series of gears, this method of empowering the d e v i c e c a n b e calibrated to a n y s t r e n g t h or rapidity of fire desired. J estim a t e that in o r d e r to bombard a n d destroy a city wall, with a series of fiery projectiles like unto a storm, that a t e a m of twenty horses or m o r e e ingenium should
and amplik
might be required, but although a lesser a m o u n t might not
strike d o w n t h e
the conflagration would cause great fear a n d c o n sion a m o n g +he d e f e n d e r s . J m u s t also someday test this device, however, to e n s w e that i t does not heat u p as a result of g e n e r a t i n g s u c h temperatures itself.6 rock,
t last the w o r s t e v e n t which 3 h a v e s t a n d i n g only
feared has c o m e
that of being b
as c r u e l a n d unseemly a f a s h i o n a
A l e x a n d e r VI,
that vile
and the C h u r c h , h a s now ordered, by papal are said to b e set a g a i n s
noble of mortal m a n
all books
which
s c h e m i n g uswper of the bull, for
-
---
the C h u r c h ,
".. t h r o u g h fiat of
burned, as t h o u g h in which a r e to
his
o w n p e r s o n a l distastes J a m c e r t a i n , to
the fires of Hell
b e c o n s u m e d by
itself. F o r e m o s t of these
flamesa r e
my o w n latest n o t e b o o k which
J have
books
the m e r e two dozen copies of
published, a n d at my o w n e x p e n s e
book h a s c a u s e d is so great, a n d e n g e n d e r s s u c h tremulous feelings in t h e hearts of the c h u r c h , that the pope has o r d e r e d , as well, with g r e a t solemnity of p u r p o s e , that no written r e c o r d of my n o t e b o o k s having existed is to be m a d e , and all kr\owledge of this Cudex having been created is to b e smitten from the
a n d great t r a v a i 1 . t h e offense
which
be
my
minds of m e n for all time, u n d e r penalty of excommunication, e t e r n a l
be struck from the pages of history, destroyed utterly as w e r e the untold volumes of the Library of A l e x a n d r i a . A l t h o u g h J myself face charges of heresy, this 3 c a n n o t damnation, purgatory, &c. my Cudex is to
the uncovering of m u c h k n o w l e d g e to the b e t t e r m e n t a n d enjoyment of the common man, a n d to tMrn my b a c k so upon my own d i s c o v e r i e s into this
allow to h a p p e n , for J h a v e s p e n t my y e a r s in a tireless q u e s t for
most mystical of p o w e r s i s a b u r d e n m o r e heinous and w e a r y i n g to m e
than any
other. 3 c a n n o t let it b e
so.
h a v e items of s u c h great p o w e r as
this
ingeMium of f i r e a n d
the h a n d s of the u n s c r u p ~ l o u sBorgias would c a u s e g r e a t calamity, upon the rest of Jtalia, a n d perhaps all of E u r o p e . A g a i n s t those w h o would c o n s i g n k n o w l e d g e to oblivion, as though i t brimstone in
tion.
The objective is to s n a v e a line of magickal force r a w it towards the
iMgeMiMm
itself, but without consmming
in the act of capturing it, much a s a drawn in to
and
fish is captured and
the fisher’s vessel, by m e a n s of a barbed hook
line itself, p r e s e n t i n g a t a n g e n t i a l line to urn, with a
the
ingeni-
great amount of additional power d u e to
the stresses i m p a r t e d upon the elasticity of the force, a n d h e r e shall b e illustrated that i n g e ~ i u m . which c a n d r a w m a g i c k a l p o w e r s into the area f r o m l a n d s far beyond.
o f a s FUMCtiOM
UMd Jvu.tcrwe
ne b e g i n s with s n a r e s , w h i c h
hooks,
but f o r m e d in c o m p l e t e circles, a n d
turned o n c e around
back
fashioned of
upon t h e m s e l v e s a n d
gold, to afford the greatest
the
shall b e as
protection to
m a n n e r s o illustrated, in d r a w i n g s
the
purest
u s e r . t h e s e are w o u n d in
b t h r o u g h e, for the making
of the
s p o o l -itself is intricate, a l t h o u g h s c h e m a t i c a l l y i t is difficult to illumi-
lawdl
so,3
jUUSt
Close
v e n thowgh my burning of wy notebook was seen, a l t h o u g h
rough papal edict not r e c o r d e d , a n d even deliberately remembered to b e f o r g o t t e n by t h e m o s t f e a r i n g of the pious, i n d e e d the suspia i n e d h e n c h m e n is c i o u s a n d untrfisting m a n n e r of the Pope a n d his e v i d e n t s t i l l . 3 r e t u r n e d to my domicile last w e e k , a n d upon entering, found that the s a n c t i t y of m y d o m a i n had i n d e e d b e e n violated, a n d many of my w o r k s in p r o g r e s s
had
b e e n t a k e n a n d r e m o v e d . Fortunately,
J
that s u c h a n e v e n t might t a k e place, a n d had taken care to hide this manus c r i p t b e n e a t h the a s h e s in the fireplace, which is a b o v e all the last place
practiced foresight, for i n d e e d 3 had o b s e r v e d
one might *
expect A stu-
dious a n d careful man s u c h as 3 to s e q u e s t e r invaluable d o c u m e n t s . my
stolefi w o r k s h a v e
bee@n o w
u n n a m e d priest, but as obnoxiofis Pope, they
their
r e t u r n e d to me, peremptorily,
the v a n d a l s acted
offered, a-d
upon
by a n
the g u i d a n c e of the most
in fact r e q u i r e d , no e x p l a n a t i o n of
activities.
3 c a n n o t a b i d e this t y p e of hounding, to be trea
Without respect, a n d
to h a v e my p r o p r i e t y a n d p r i v a c y violated, a n d with s u c h a c a s u a l disregard for m o r a l i t y . t r u l y n o w do 3 u n d e r s t a n d better the w o r d s of the
Christ w h e n +le s p o k e to the P h a r i s e e s of his time, althowgh 3 c a n n o t r e m e m b e r exactly w h a t they w e r e , a n d 3 do n o t wish to m i s q u o t e Him in these p a g e s , s o 3 shall h a v e to look u p the passage in qmestion this evening. But s u f f i c e i t to s a y that J agree with t l i m that the holy men of
the day
were, a n d for
m e yet are, c o r r u p t
individuals w h o
not
God
hold
sacred,
but
instead revere more
their
their and their
poweq a n d
privilege,
that the P o p e has s i r e d a n o t h e r child. B y i m m a c u l a t e conception, 3 a m s w r e , s i n c e h e is u n w a r r i e d . 3 c a n only p r a y t h a t this Pope A l e x a n d e r V I and his s c h e m i n g offspring r e c e i v e their j u s t rewards both in this world a n d in the I~ereafteu; for the sooner they r e a p the t r e a c h e r y a n d c o r r u p t i o n they h a v e sown, the sooner 3 shall b e a b l e to c o n t i n u e these studies. J n fact, w e r e the Pope to die next position. Why,
the word
y e a 6 3 couldn’t
J
is
b e m o r e elated.
these illegal and affronting s e a r c h e s w e r e house. J h a v e had w o r d that a n f i r a b m e r c h a n t h a s
m a y perhaps know why m a d e upon my
c a u s e d one copy of my m a n u s c r i p t to d i s a p p e a r . H e c l a i m s to h a v e
the papers u p o n h e a r i n g of the edict, bat the c h u r c h a u t h o r i t i e s d o u b t his word as he is merely A h e a t h e n and not at all a C h r i s t i a n . T h e y s e a r c h e d his h o u s e a n d those items which he w a s shipping back to his homelands, but they found not my book. H e c l a i m s that it c a n n o t b e r e c l a i m e d from the fires which c o n s u m e d it, a n d so is held in prison at this time at the Pope’s 1eiswre.There are those w h o s a y he c o n s o r t s with burned
supernatwral forces, a n d m a y h a v e u s e d d a r k arts to secrete my Codex
the trath
of that sfory,
3 will l e a v e these m a g i c k a l researches to l i e fallow for t h e p r e s e n t time, until the Papal f i r e s nation are cooled. p e r h a p s 3 c a n d i v e r t my o w n attention from
hatever
3 g h i a r i yet awaits m y brush. 3 have also r e c e i v e d n o t i c e from the merc h a n t Ciiacondo that he would like m e to r e n d e r his wife, Lisa, for posterity. 3 hope this will help d i v e r t me, although t h e f a s h i o n of s h a v i n g one’s eyebrows does not e n d e a r f i r e n z a n w o m e n to m e . P e r h a p s w e r e 3 to include m o r e of her in the d r a w i n g , this farcical depilation will not b e as noticeable, a n d the painting will also look less like a d e c a p i t a t i o n as do so many portraits. B u t these are t h o u g h t s for a n o t h e r day. 3 m u s t MOLL,
this Codex among upon i t no more. 10
sequester
think a g a i n
my m o s t p e r s o n a l belongings, a n d
e),, Mike. You’re probably wondering all this stuff is stLlcli at the back ofthis book. well, there’s two reasons.
there, though not many. 1 ended up malung a bunch of little slips of paper, each with the name of one engine, and sorting the list that way, and then copving it over by hand again. Sigh. Well,
stuff to write down all the game mechanics Have funfor these things, wondrous as they are. HOW SORCEROUS EflCiJflES Second, when you’re playing a role-playing game, especially the Great Game (which is WORK Jfl REAL LXE really getting popular over here), you realnpredictably No, wait, that’s not what I ly shouldn’t worry about petty things like meant to say. Actually, sorcerous engines are pretty predictable, difficulty numbers. although I can tell you that We don’t in real life, 8 they are not all alike. Not right? We just make a even the engines we use for reckoning of the odds 1 our aerodreadnoughts, all ! made to the same plans, are PVOPeV e M e V So, when someone I alike. That’s because of the in the Great Game way they are built and q i e s are wants to make a magv tuned and maintained; harickal engine, o r if he monics can be different for finds a copy of the each one. Furthermore, Codex, or just a page, utkenfions there is some unpredictabilor whatever, you can hand him the book, f ity in a magickal engine, E because the energies it conand use a heavy-duty create [, sumes to do its work can clip to hold these pages shut. That way, cause some strange effects. 8 1 Unlike gasoline back there, he’ll deal with the info I which is pretty much unias he would in real energies t life, without suits and 1 form, magickal power varies greatly. feat difficulty numbers and required Anyway, there are two skills. It’ll make suspension of disbelief eas- types of sorcerous automata: spontaneous and ier, role-playing more realistic, and what continuous. Spontaneous engines gather up the heck, it lets you, the Host, fiidge all the enough power to fire off an instant spell, and numbers if you have to for the sake of dra- when they have it, the spell gets cast. An exammatic interest. Speaking of dramatic inter- ple of a spontaneous magickal engine is the est, I have a dinner date with Marianne destruction engine o n page 104: Crank it up, tonight, and-well, never mind. and a few moments later a blazing fireball vomits forth to smite the enemy, as Morrolan would I’ve taken the time to alphabetize the list of engines described in this book, and put it. I
Wheo
+he
1
used,
+he mechanical 1
peu.fectjy bOMnd 1 I
enough power to create a temporary change in conditions, enact that change, and then they’re done. They act just like wizards do, drawing up power and using it-except they cannot selectivelv eliminate unwanted power. The brainless things just use it all. Continuous engines are different. They weave a complex and long-lasting spell, creating all these subethric ltnots which can redefine the reality around the machine. Since these Imots try to unravel themselves, the magickal engine has to hold them together, which it does by continuing to run. It keeps the tension off the knots so they won’t untie, if you want to think of it that way So what they do is gather up large quantities of energy, larger quantities than the spontaneous engines do, and use them to alter the qualities of the world immediately around them. The reason they need to usc so much energy is that the spells must be able to last for a lot longer. The curious thing is that the engine itself is what does the work, not the magickal power.
The engine uses thc magicli as a catalyst, but when it is shut off, it releases the magicltd energy back into its surroundings. This means that when a continuous sorcerous automata starts up, it gathers up a bunch of power, depleting the area. When it’s shut off, the power returns pretty rapidly. However, if you moire the magiclcal engine, the power it has accumulated goes with it, held by its mechanical arms. If it’s shut down somewhere else, that place will have more power than normal. We haven’t done much experimenting on what happens when a place has more than a normal amount of magickal energy. Mer all, we’ve only had these aerodreadnoughts a short while, and we’re keeping the few other engines we’ve built securely under guard back at Falkenstein. So what happens when an area is ovcrstoclted on magick? It could be that anyone casicing a spell in the area gathers more power than intended. You could simulate this in the game, if you like. Take your normal sorcerv deck, and shuffle in extra cards from another deck. When
~~
~~
~
someone draws a card from the sorcery deck, have to wait for the normal regenerative properand the top card on the deck after they draw is ties to generate enough extra magick before we a card from the extra deck, they automatically can leave. Not a terribly great situation, espedraw that card too, and add it to their hand. If cially since this means that our magnetic force the top card after that is also an extra card, they engine is a sitting duck for the capture. I’ve draw that one too, and so on, until the top card brought this problem to the attention of the is a normal sorcery deck card. Perhaps the wiz- king, and suggested we install auxiliary proard has the option of discarding these extra pellers on the front of our aerobattleships as an cards forced upon him or her, or perhaps not. emergency propulsion system. Not is definitely more fun., and I think it’s more realistic. Casting a spell in an area supersaturat- HOW SORCGROMS EflCiJflCS ed with magick would seem to be as risky as WORU J f l GfijMGtERNS lighting a torch in a fireworks warehouse. very sorcerous automaton has an associated Especially if there’s another joker or two in the activation level, which is the amount of extra cards. magiclcal energy the engine needs to cast the You could take a simispell it’s designed for. If you lar approach when somelook over the list at the end one fires up a magickal of these pages, you’ll notice tinfo v e s e e n engine in an area where that continuous engines there’s a lot of magickal more energy to require mani- activatea lot power. than do spontaneous engines. This is due You can imagine that festations to the effects I described as magickal engines above. However, there are become more common, come spontaneous magickal whatever wizards are in engines which require more the area are going to get power than a mage would to peeved. The things will do the same thing with a suck up the energy and spell. For example, the keep it, perhaps-if they’re transformation engine takes a magnetic force engine or 16 points of power to actisomethin g-even carry vate, while a Templar can that energy away. This change the shape of an item might be incidental to the engine operator’s purposwith a 12-point spell. This is es, or the user of the because the effects of the Templar’s spell will fade, but engine might even do it the spontaneous engine’s deliberatelv, to disarm the local mages. Let me tell you, when we launched effects are permanent! Once a transformation the airships from Bayern, we were magickally engine changes the shape of an item, it will forever be that new shape-that’s its new natural destitute back in Munchen. It was bad. This also means that continuous magickal condition. When a magiclcal engine is switched on, the engines can be used to trap or disable other continuous magickal engines. For example, imagine Host begins to draw cards for it from the sorone of our aerobattleships resting at anchor. cery deck, one card per round (or at whatever Someone comes in with another magickal frequency the Host deems suited for dramatic engine and sucks LIPall the power in the area for effect). All cards are added to the engine’s pile; its effect. Now our aerobattleship can’t gather the engine cannot refuse any card. Once the up enough power to get out of there; there sim- value of the cards in the engine’s pile equals or plv isn’t enough power left around, and we’ll exceeds the engine’s activation level, the mag-
magickal
may into being
pull the Star Iron-laced control arm back to nor-
automaton and apply any harmonics that are For spontaneous engines, backlash is a popudestruction engine called for. These harmonics will affect the indi- lar approach to take-the vidual casting of the spell for spontaneous fires off such a powerful fireball that it also melts engines, and they will be- sustained with the itself in the process, that sort of thing. effects of a continuous engine for as long as it’s SORCEROMS operating. Magiclral engines are designed to use AJMJflCi
14
engine exhibits no harmonics at that time. associated with them, depending on how well they were put together and calibrated. This craftsmanship value is added to the number of cards Of the appropriate Suit that were drawn for the purposes of determining harmonics. Thus, if an engine draws two cards of the appropriate suit, and three cards Of another suit, it would normally exhibit the harmonics of that second suit. However, if the engine had a craftsmanship of two, it would have effectively drawn four
it’s best if these fireballs hit the target. Therefore, you have to aim them. Aiming an engine is different from calibrating it (calibrating an engine is covered under Making a Sorcerous Automaton). Consider aiming the magickal engine to be like steering a car, while calibrating it is like tuning h e engine and aligning the wheels. This is an especially appropriate simile for things lilre magnetic force engines, which are used to move and steer the
harmonics.
netic force, you need to be able to do it in a con-
deck as do human mages. Continuous engines deplete the deck temporarily; when a continuous engine is shut down, all of its cards are returned to the deck at whatever rate the Host deems appropriate (usually, unless the characters are ~mbroiledin combat, We just dump the whole slew back into the deck)
Aiming a magckal engine requires that the operator undertake a Tinkering feat, and the more difficult the job ofaiming, the tougher the feat becomes. Also, the more important it is that the magickal engine not affect anything else nearby, the more difficult the task becomes. For example, it’s easy to aim a destruction engine to
impact on the engine itself. The second time we launched the Vakyrie, one of the knots of magickal energy got itself caught around the control arm for the magnetic force engine and Pulled it to maximum. Suddenly We found ourselves hurtling at an impossible speed out over the North Sea headed straight for the Arctic in win-
orphanage on the other. I haven’t bothered to note which engines need to be aimed; it’s pretty obvious which Ones they are. Besides, players are so clever, they might think of a new way around such restrictions.
c
W
r skim a Madckal
En&, is not as ” easy as it might seem. This is because the technology, the knowledge of .how to create one, is not known to the world at large. Unlike malung a new-fangled device with Tdiering, which relies on commonly held knowledge, the possibility of creating magickal engines is an idea unknown to many. It’s sort of like trying to make an atomic bomb in 1950; you can only get the technology &om the Soviets or the American-British Manhattan Project. Yeah, right, and good luck to you. This means the dramatic characters have to gain access to the knowledge of how to build magickal engines through their own activities. That’s right: This isn’t invention by feats, this is Creation Through Adventure. Creation Through Adventure requires that the dramatic characters jump through five hoops:
J
Y
v
1) Get the Plans 2) Get the Materials 3) Build the Engine 4) Tune the Engine 5) Determine Its Efficiency I’ll explain each of these in order. There may be one or two things you don’t understand at the moment I explain it, but all shall be made clear, so stick it out.
GETTtlE PLANS bviouslv, you ain’t a-goin’ nowhere untd you do this. You can obtain copies of the plans fi-om my copy of Leo’s Codex, or discover a longlost page of Leo’s original notebooks in some widow’s attic in Genoa, or acquire the plans from someone else who, by hook, crook, or genius, has a copy of his own. Or, hardest of all, you can design your own magiclial engine (don’t even try untd you’re Excellent at Sorcerous Engineering). Getting the plans must be played through in the game. We of the Inner Circle are loathe to give up our secrets, as would be anyone else the Host decides has a plan for a magickal engine. Unless the dramatic characters have ingratiated themselves to
no end with the leaders of Bayern, they’ll have to come up with a darned interesting scheme to get hold of the plans.
flEW SKJLL: S O R C E R O ~ S
ENGJNEERJflG (e)
his is the ability to design and tune sorcerous automata (building them in and of itself is a Tinkering feat). A Poor Sorcerous Engineering skill means you are technically illiterate with magiclial engines; you don’t know how to operate them, and if you tried to design or tune one, others nearby would run for very solid cover from the impending blast. Good Sorcerous Engineering is still not particularly good; you can probably adjust very simple devices, but your designs are only the most basic, and are still unreliable at best. Tuning complex magickal engines is still a nervous undertaking. Great Sorcerous Engineering ability allows you to readily design very simple engines, and even undertake some more complex ones. Tuning engines is something which you perform with confidence. Those with Exceptional Sorcerous Engineering skills can design a wide variety of engines, and tune them quickly and efficiently. Characters with an Extraordinary ability at Sorcerous Engineering can create any magickal engine imaginable, and tune even the most temperamental and explosive engine without a fuss. Those with such skills are on par with Leo himself, and are probably bent on global domination besides. Designing an engine from scratch involves a Sorcerous Engineering feat. Use the complexity of the engine as the difficulty of designing it, i.e., the harder it is to build, the harder it is to design as well, right? If the engine being developed is a new one, use our complexities as guidelines. If it’s a combination of engines given in this book, you might want to take the higher difficulty and add half the lower to determine how tough a feat it is. There are several restrictions on the use of Sorcerous Engineering. First, anyone with the skill must also have Sorcery at a level equal to or
greater than Engineering. You have to be able to see the subethric knots to be able to adjust the way the engine Produrn them, and YOU can Only adjust the engine as Well as YOU can S e e the knots. (well, O b 5 SOrneone with a @ magician for a mentor might be able to deign an engine to tie speCifiC bo@, but he YC COuldn’t tune the engine Once it’s built-) second, dramatic CharaCcannot take &mxmus Enginering as their mandatory Poor skill without the permission of the Host. Third, dramatic characters cannot have a Sorcerous Engineering skill greater than Good without having a great background story (feasible, or at least interesting and fun) which the Host accepts. Generally, characters should only be able to improve their Sorcerous Engineering skill beyond Good through game play-and extraordinaryactivities, as well. The only method we know of in New Europa to leam this skill is by being a member of the Bayernese Inner Circle, which is composed of Ludwig, Rhyme, Morrolan, Auberon, and myself. We don’t even let Or in On the saeq at least not much. The fewer who the better* to the a character must either join Opefullythe former*
didn’t work well, but that was after Bellizzi lost h s disintegration engine-and, presumably, swept up his Star Iron and threw it away.) The amount of ron you must have to build the magickal engine depends on its size and the base complexity of its construction. This chart shows the sizes of engine which can be created, how much Star Iron is required for each one, and the increase in the engine’s base cost given as a result of its size. Big engines get very, very expensive. Engine
Size Tiny Small
Medium Large
Comparison Complexity Range Guide S M Y 1/2 oz. 2 oz. 40z. Toy Chest
Desk Carriage Locomotive
8oz. 1lb. 2Ib.
1Ib. 2 lb. 4 Ib.
2Ib. 4 lb. 8 Ib.
Cost
Increase x0.5 xl x1.5 x3 x8 x20
Key: S Simple (Difficulty1-20). M Moderately Complex (Difficulty21-50). V: Very Complex (Difficulty51+).
Obviously, this is just a guidehe. For better suspension of disbelief, the Host should adjust the numbers for engines at the edges of the complexity range, and promote or inhbit the development of those engines which are deemed dangerous. Also, remember that the character building the engine can subtract 100 times his Tinkering ability or glass that fi-om the base cost of the sorcerous automaton whatever other materials fie COSt by the engine’s price the engine requires. A lot oftJGs can be done with before mdtiplfing a flick of the Host’s wrist, as role-playing a shop- increase due to size* ping expedition to the hardware store usually isn’t that exciting. The persons involved in the creation uilding a sorcerous autom of the engine must part with a lot of cash at this building a steamtech invention, as I covered in time, in all likelihood. the basic game rules I sent last year. Aside &om the mundane materials, it’s also First you have to figure out how difficult the necessary to have some St engme is to b d d . Take the complexity of the magbig secret of sorcerous some amount of Star Iron to work, otherwise the iclcal engine as gven under Sorcerous Automaton mechanical assembly will be unable to actually seize Definitions at the end of thls section. This is the and control the magickal power around it. (As an base difficulty. This base difficultv might be aside, it seems that Leo was lucky enough to have increased by the duration of its power source, and had some Star Iron in whatever iron he used in his the reliability..of the power source, as shown in the devices. Considering they were all small engnes, a following tabies: very little bit would have been enough. Perhaps he also recycled his iron from his previous efforts, which would explain why his engines generally
B
1
1 ’ 1
Power Source
~~
source the magiclial engine uses, although one must be chosen. You never know when some circumstance might make it impossible to power the engine. Pick any of the ones you \vmt from the base rules [that’s Cnstle Fmlhenstein page 210Mike]. The Cost increase is added to the base cost of the engine after all other adjustments have been made-after subtracting for the slull of the builder, multiplying by the engine size, etc.
Tinkering
LevelCostPeat Gross
0
10
Poor
1
8
Good
2
6
Fine
3
4
Exact
4
2
Description of the Craftsmanship Within a mile or two, ponderous control, a lot of interfeknce Within a thousand yards, sluggish control, high background Within a hundred yards, reasonable control, some slop Within ten yards, room-by-room control, a little static or noise Perfect aim, precise control, no interference at all
Thus London-bombing destruction engines can have gross control, because even if they miss the Tower of London by a few
Reliability is not defined here. Pretty much, it’s up to the Host to determine how unreliable a n unreliable power source is. Generally, though, unreliable means that the engine’s operation can be interrupted relatively easilv; the steam pressure must be kept h g h , so the boiler is very susceptible to rupture, for esample, or the hand crank has a tendency to slip off the main camshaft. Escellent means that the power source is very difficult for an enemy to disable; perhaps it is very simple or well armored. An indestructible power source is just that; perhaps the magickal engine runs off a radium pile or a giant well-armored battery or geothermal power or something. Next we must talk about craftsmanship. This determines how easily the engine can be directed or aimed, or how tight the controls are. The actual mechanics of the control device are not
his kitchen well done by a magickal howitzer, and the desired effect of terror will be achieved. Our Bayernese aerobattleships have good controls on their magnetic engines: Thev can maneuver effectively on the battlefield, but their ability to drop bombs on Prussian Landfestungen is marginal (thank God for our excellent pilots!). Victorian medicine would love to have an exacting clairvoyance device to allow for internal exams. It is Possible to upgrade Craftsmanship by one level. YOU Cannot go more than that, because YOU can only improve on bad en€$neering by SO much before You’re already rebuilding the thing from scratch with all new parts. To upgrade, calculate cost and time as if you were making the thing from scratch, but cut the time involved to one half normal and the cost to one tenth normal.
Engine Size
Complexi
1
Immense
Yes, immense magickal engines get very expensive. What would you expect from an engine that could melt New York when fired from some mad scientist’s secret base in Antarctica? Subtract the character’s Tinkering slull from this final value, and that number is the time in weeks it will take to manufacture the parts and assemble the engine.
t u j w ttE EjVGJflE nce the magicltal engine is all put together, no one’s going to guarantee it’s gonna work right the first time. Lord knows when Rhyme flipped on his first engine, we thought the castle was a goner. After an engine is built, you’ve still got to tune it. This requires a sorcerer. Well, it could be done by the guy ~ l 1 0built it, assuming he was also magiclially inclined, but such people are rare. But before you can tune it, you’ve got to flip it on. Put the controls u.here you think they ought to be and power it up. And hope for the best. Magiclial engines are very temperamental things, and even after the best engineering and pre calibration, things can still go wrong. So, when first powering up an engine, add together the values of the building character’s Tinkering ability and the calibrating mage’s Sorcerous Engineering. The players can add 1/5 the value of any cards they wish to play at this time to this total (ix., diamond face cards are worth a little over two points). Once the players have played whatever cards they want, the Host turns over the top card of the Fortune Deck and compares the draw to this table: Quality Tinkering t Sorcerous Engineering 0-8 9-12 13-16 17-20 21-24 Result A SE E A A Q-K 10-K 9-K WF A K-A 6-J RP 6-8 4-5 8-9 I< J-Q DW 4-5 3 9-Q 7-10 5-7 2 2-4 2-3 2-8 2-6 BU
& K-A 10-Q 3-9 2
Key: SE: WP. DW:
E:
Superefficient Works Fine Doesn’t Work
RE BU:
Efficient RunsPoorly BlowsUp
The result of the draw of a joker is entirelv up to the Host. Once the machine is running, and with any luck hasn’t blown vou to pieces, the magician must make a Sorcerous Engineering feat equal in difficulty to the activation ofthe spell to bring it into good running form.
DGTERjMJjw n PAl?jIjwtERS
s
ow that it’s built and running, we need to take note of exactly how it works, its activation level, range, etc.. Every magiclial engine has an activation level noted for it under Sorcerous Automaton Definitions. T h s activation level is how
Effect is what exactly the magickal engine does. If the engine can be adjusted in effect, it will be noted here. These effects are based upon the illustrations Leo gave’in this Codex. With a little bit of ingenuity, you can engineer the sorcerous automaton differently to alter the effect it has-you know, customize it.
odd materials. After an engine is calibrated, it will only alter the substance for which it is prepared; if you calibrate the engine to change lead to gold, and put steel into the conversion cham-
of the spell, which is the amount of power it goes off. Finally, I give the suit aligned to the engine’s spell. Engines require aligned energy just like human mages do; when drawing from EflGJflG (Pgn 28) the sorcery deck for an engine, non-aligned Effect: This creates sounds-
Making a Sorcerous Automaton, above.
simple toot is easy, but a good rendition of a
crowns. The cost covers materials and costs asso- Operation: Continuous, 16 points (Y) ciated with crafting the device. If the dramatic Investment: Difficulty 20, Gost 1500 characters farm out the job to a contractor dwarf or something, or else hire a wizard to d o the
Effect: This engine transforms the material put ed in this fashion
Operation: Spontaneous, 16 points (e) Investment: Difficulty 60, Cost 6000 c
C L f i m h D J E f l C EEflGJflE (pg, 41) Effect: This engine creates a magickal pipeline of extradimensional nature, which carries the sounds made at a distant location back to the engine so that the operator can hear it. It does so without eliminating the sound at the source. The area of effect determines how much sound is pulled out; a large area of effect might transport every conversation in a large ball room, while a small engine will eavesdrop on just one corner of it. Also, the amount of energy used by the engine determines the quality of the sound: volume, static, distortion, minimum audible sound, etc. Operation: Continuous, 18 points (4) Investment: Difficulty 30, Cost 3500 c
CL~mvOyfiflcE EflGJflE (Pg, 43)
truth, no matter what, and n o matter how trivial or pithy the remark. “Gee, that’s a terrible coat you have. You should really have it tailored. And you nicked yourself shaving again, you maladroit, but I should have guessed by the stumbling way you m7altz.” “I shall ignore your contemptible babbling. You’re always cutting me down, old chap, because you’re so conceited, and insulting someone as much more handsome than you as I am makes 370u feel better.” Oooh. Trouble. Operation: Continuous, 20 points (Y) Investment: Difficulty 60, Cost 7000 c
DeTTRMCTJOfl GflGJflG (139,104) Effect: This unleashes blazing wads of doom, much akin to explosives or fireballs. It’s not exactly either, because it’s magickal in nature-it just tears stuff apart in a kmd of photon-torpedo mix of all the elements. Like maybe it engenders a molecular-level steam explosion like the one that took St. Helens apart up in Washington in 1980. The amount of damage the shot causes is equal to the amount of energy used in the creation of the fireball. It is possible to build this engine with a higher or lower activation level, and in fact, it’s recommended that smaller engines have very small activation levels. You don’t want to hold onto something when it unleashes a fireball that’d take apart the World Trade Center. Operation: Spontaneous, 16 points (e) Investment: Difficulty 35, Cost 3500 c
Effect: This creates an extradimensional gate, the location of which may be moved around. This gate is paired to another gate a t the engine by an ethereal tunnel which transcends normal space. This gate allows people at the engine to look through the gate and see what’s on the other side as if they were there. This means that people on opposite sides of the engine will be loolung in different directions of the target area, and will see opposite walls of the place the far gate is placed. This gate allows only for the transmission of light, yet it does not diminish the light present at the location being spied upon. D J f l E f l S J O f l f i L GflGJflE ( 1 3 ~ ~ 8 2 ) Operation: Continuous, 20 points (4) Effect: This creates a dimensional gate between the engine and whatever plane it is built for. Investment: Difficulty 3 5 , Cost 4000 c Although it can be aimed at any place in the tarEflGJflE {pg. 89) get plane, a dimensional engine, once built, can Effect: This causes all persons within the field of only access that particular plane. It is possible to its effect to want to speak the truth, no more design the engine to create a different gate and no less. They may endeavor to lie, but the which will access a different plane, but frankly, difficulty of the task is the power drawn by the we’re not going to play hunt-and-peck with a engine to start the spell, modified by the Host if transdimensional doorway. You never know; the the lie is particularly large. Evasions and half- way things run around here, I’d expect to open truths can result in a slight decrease in the diff- a gate on Cthulhu himself? Whatever the case, culty. Obviously, then, a large and powerful when you draw a joker while operating this gate, engine will be nigh irresistible in its sodium pen- expect company. tatholic effect. Jokers make everyone speak the Operation: Continuous, 24 points (4) truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the Investment: Difficulty 25, Cost 2000 c
cofll=EssJ~fl
DJSSOLUtJOfl EflGJflE (Pg. 98)
EjYlTttlStlfi
targets can resist the effects, both by force of which is dependent upon the amount of mag-
solution). The dissolution engine requires a I’d recommend that an exceptional Athletics variable amount of power, depending on the feat be required to shut one down before it runs
from there. The amount of power required also you want it, for example
into component atoms.
Investment: Difficulty 70, Cost 7000 c
DRAJflJflG GflGJflG (Pg. 24)
leech, used to disarm those sorcerers and wizards who might oppose you. With a joker, you might consider having the magickal knot get tangled in the engine, growing bigger and bigger until something has to happen ... Operation: Spontaneous, 1 point (any suit) Investment: Difficulty 15, Cost 1000 c
is, the more difficult the engine is to build and calibrate (the stats I give here are for a circular wall). The strength of the wall is equal to the power put into it by the engine, though the exact effects depend on the elemental manifestation. Earthen walls take damage equal to the power before they are temporarily breached, while walls of fire will burn anything that tries to
DRGAjM GflGJflG (139.56) to fill the person’s sleep. This can be used in psychoanalysis, to help someone resurrect suppressed memories. It can be used as a punishment or
Operation: Continuous, 16 points
(Y)
GflGJflG (pg. 52)
against any person or place inside radius of effect is increased by the amount of power the engine has accumulated to trigger the spell. If a joker is drawn, perhaps the area acquires a permanent deflection against that type of spell, or perhaps the engine draws in a11 the power of its aspect in the area. Operation: Continuous, 14 points (any suit, by design) Investment: Difficulty 35, Cost 3500 c
tlEJ\LJjVCi EflCiJjVC (Pg. 74)
Effect: This causes all wounds and illnesses to be removed from the person wrapped in the gold and silk shroud of the engine. The amount of power the engine requires depends on how badly injured the person is. It takes one point of power per wound incurred to heal someone, plus extra power as determined by the Host to compensate for illness or poison. Once the activation energy is acquired, the actual healing process is impossibly fast. If a person is healed CEjVERJC JLLMSJOjV EjVGJjVE with a joker, he gets hyperactive for a long while, and demands immediate action in all situations. Effect: The engine is a vehicle for casting illu- Operation: Spontaneous, variable points (+) sions. The actual illusion created depends on Investment: Difficulty 70, Cost 7000 c what module is attached to the engine, because it’s the module that contains the mechanisms JLLUjKJflfiTJOfl EflGJjW (Pg. 23) that actually tie the subethric knots. Each mod- Effect: When activated, this engine creates light ule is a little easier and cheaper to build than a all around it. It does not glow of itself; it causes hll-fledged engine of that type, but the cost and all itcms within its radius of effect to be illumicomplexity of the generic illusion engine more nated, in essence to reflect a magickal light. The than makes up for the difference. light has no source, so there are no shadows within its area of effect. The magick causes items Operation: Continuous, 16 points ( 0 ) outside its radius to be lit as well, simply because Investment: Difficulty 40, Cost 2500 c Difficulty 15, Cost 1200 c for an illusion mod- there is some reflected light from items within the engine’s radius. However, this reflected light ule (any type) is scant at best. By the way, you’ll notice that this Difficulty 20, Cost 1500 c for a moving illusion is a hearts spell; it’s psychic magick. I think this module (any q p e ) is because the engine doesn’t actually cause real light, just the illusion of it. I’m not sure why it works that way, and Morrolan is tired of trying Effect: This causes everything \;rrithin the area of to explain it to me, so just accept the fact. effect of the engine to decrease in temperature, starting with the hottest items, &e torches, lamps, Operation: Continuous, 14 points ( 0 ) etc. Given enough time and magickal power, Investment: Difficulty 15, Cost 1500 c everythmg in the icy grip of a glacial engine will freeze solid. The lowest temperature to which the glacial engine cools the surroundmgs can be set with a control lever. As illustrated here in the Effect: This causes whatever device to which it is Codex, the lever runs from about 4O0 F to a good attached to move in a manner determined by the step below zero. Humans inside its effect wdl like- operator of the engine. This engine cannot be used wise decrease in temperature, although their spirit’s on its own, but must be mechanically connected to force acts as a bit of a buffer. Stay inside a glacial whatever it is that the operator wants to move. In engine’s radius too long, though, and you’ll die h s sense, the imparted motion engine is much like from hypothermia. Here’s a clue: When you no a magickal internal combustion engine. And when longer feel the cold, run like hell and don’t stop a joker is drawn, your accelerator gets stuck on 111 until you’re sweating like a pig. power! The difficulty of the Tinkering feat required to control the engine’s effects depends on what Operation: Continuous, 14 points (e) kind of mechanism is being moved. A go-cart is Investment: Difficulty 20, Cost 2000 c easy, but a giant robot battle suit is very difficult.
Operation: Continuous, 14 points (+) Investment: Difficulty 40, Cost 4000 c Effect: O n further discussion between Auberon and Morrolan, it was decided that Leo was wrong about the action ofthis engine. It actually creates a sort of dimensional barrier, an invisible, intangible, but nonetheless very real wall, which is all but impossible to pass through. That’s how it’s possible to weave it with spikes; the spikes are there, and the person feels them,
Colder items are the first to be affected. Allowed to increase enough, and lacking any means of dissipating that heat, eventually something ill under the influence of an inferno engine w melt or burn or whatever. The mc&num ternperature to which the inferno engine heats the surroundings can be set with a control lever. As Leo designed it, the lever runs from about 200’ F (boiling water) to just Over 450O (burning wood). Humans inside its effect will likewise increase in temperature, and although their willpower and the body’s natural mechanisms
well, actually a sphere, which traps intelligent
deep yogurt.
to the amount of power drawn by the engine. Operation: Continuous, 16 points (4) Investment: Difficulty 35, Cost 3500 c
J N t G G R W GflGJflE (Pg. 69)
J~MIJSolVlM@J~ E f l G J W (Pga 37)
Effect: This engine reinforces the natural , like the walls of a tower or the hull
Effect: This causes all within its grasp to forget everything that occurs while the engine is operating. I mean everything. It’s as if those affected by the engine are in a continuous state of complete confusion. Memories and training which occurred before the engine was switched on may still apply, so someone would probably remernber that he is facing his arch-enemy, although the moment someone turns his face away from his long-hated nemesis, he’d forget that person was there. While under this engine’s effects, acts
forms of attack. Add the energy accumulated by the integrity engine to the natural strength of whatever structure is reinforced. For example, if you’ve determined that a particular wall is strength 15, so that it’ll take a strength 16 blast from a destruction engine to breach it, and someone fires up an integrity engine which gathers ten points of power before it activates, then the new wall strength will be 25, and the attacker will have to come up with a 26-point fireball from the destruction engine to put a hole in the defenses.
engine’s spell’s power. Yeah, use Courage for this, because it represents the difficulty in forcing your brain to work against all the effects of
GNGJflc (Pg. 39)
Operation: Continuous, 16 points ( Y ) Investment: Difficulty 50, Cost 5000 c
JjvFGRflO GNGJjVG (Pg. 30)
Europa’s answer to the TI-59. It’s a calculator, pure and simple, and gives very accurate answers very quickly, even if the operators don’t exactly know the math involved. To generate an answer to any equation, no matter how difficult, the
Calculating the escape velocity of the planet is very easy; the result is easy to explain and obtaining the gravitational contestant is simple. Calculating th ickness of steel necessary to withstand vac and provide protection nearly impossible, since no against asteroi one here really knows what's involved. Remember, the intellect embodiment engine isn't intimidated by math, just defi Operation: Spontaneous, 6 points Investment: Difficulty 35, Cost 3500 c
the Perception feat. Other senses are not affected; it's every bit as easy to hear an invisible person as a normal guy. This makes it very important to calibrate an invisibility engine properly. Finally, lower the feat difficulty for someone close at hand. And with a joker, it might be fun to have the invisibility field deflect all light, making the persons within perfectly invisible, no chance to be seen at all, but also blind as a bat. Operation: Continuous, 20 points (e) Investment: Difficulty 25, Cost 2500 c
[i
I
JflTELLJGEflT GflGJflE (Pgm41)
LeVTtj4tJOfl EflGJjW (Pg. 77)
Effect: This creates an artificial human Dersona. the personality of which depends o n how the engine was tuned. You might ge n antisocial ly religious pacifist chauvinist schizo, or a de gluttonous child. Impossible blends are possible with poorly tuned engines, and in fact it is conceivable that with an abject failure of tuning, you might get a personality that deliberately lies to you. In any event, the persona is intelligent and can communicate with the operator. I suggested ach a Morse code key to make things easier. All information gathered from an intelligent engine should b gathered through role-play, not through fea and cards. It is, after all, another intelligence. Operation: Conti Investment: Difficulty 80, Cost 8000 c
Effect: This engine causes itself and evervthina attached to it to rise up in the air, or else to grind itself firmly into the ground. The amount an individual engine can rise up depends on its area of effect; if all of the vehicle can't fit into the area of effect, it probably can't be held up. The more energy the engine gathers to activate the spell, the more rapidly it can cause its vehicle to rise and fall. Yeah, these are loose definitions, but I don't want to bog the Host down with all sorts of strict and exacting definitions about vehicles, size, shape, mass, and stuff like that. Even if I did, the players would just find a loophole and pilot an aerobattleship through it. Operation: Continuous, 18 point Investment: Difficulty 45, Cost 4500 c v
J f l V J S m J L m ERIGJflE (PgEffect: This engine causes the light to flow about it at the periphery of its effect, though not uite all light, o r else the person made invisible As Leo would never be able mentioned in his expi to those to the invisibility field, t en through the field seems to warble bout, as it coalesces back into a natural state. Kind of like it did in Predator, although in that movie the light seemed less fluid and more like it was refracted through crystal. At longer distances, it will appear to an observer that the invisible field is a light smudge or shadow or dim spot, because some of the light which strikes the field is held within it so that those inside can see. To spot an invisible person, add the power of the engine to
Effect: This engine turns all environments it ' encounters to c'np n1;t.lhlp fn,- hiirnan hqhitation. other that's fatal to something that's non-fatal. As I understand the engine, it will only affect that which might poicon nr drown o r ~ ~ ~ neef f & ple; don't coun, -___J -- -ZY-----the inside of a volcano, because you'll burn like a flare as as you ht the lava. But against smolte and water and poison gas, it's great. T~ defend against smoke and thin ai must gather 20 points nerve gas require 3 ints of power to be gathered for activation. Operation: cor+:-,7n,,o ,A, v
-__
v
---I--
p p p
Investment: Difficulty 50, Cost 5000 c
~~y~
- ~ ~ ~
MADNESS EflGJflE (Pgu58)
]\/1ESjVERENGJflE (139.61)
Effect: This is a variant of the madness engine, but instead of creating random chaos in the victim’s brain, it imposes commands instead, and allows the operator to control the victim. The engine must be calibrated for each command or set of commands, but it is a flexible enough design that it can deliver almost any type of control the owner wants. Despite its name, the mesmer engine does not allow for post-hypnotic suggestion. When its effects are ended, the victim returns to normal. The only after-effect is that it might be possible to cause the victim to immediately forget all events while under the control of the engine, although that’s doubtful, NfiGflctJC FoRCc EflGJflE (pg,86) because then he’d also immediately forget the Effect: When fired up, this engine causes itself commands the operator had given to him. and the vehicle in which it’s installed t o move Operation: Continuous, 22 poi about, pulling itself along the magnetic force Investment: Difficulty 70, Cost 7000 c lines of the Earth. The amount an individual engine can push around depends on its size; the OLFjlCtQRy JLltZSJOfl bigger the engine, the bigger the vehicle that EflGJflE (Pg. 29) can be hauled about. Yes, you can use under- Effect: This creates smells for the amusement of sized engines in a vehicle, if you want something all. Obviously, some will choose to flood their that moves ponderously slowly. The more ener- apartments with nice smells; others, to flood the gy the engine gathers to activate the spell, the apartments of their enemies with foul stinks. more rapidly it can move itself about. Yeah, as Since it is the illusion of smell, and not the real with the levitation engine, these are loose defin- smell itself, the bouquet (be it fair or foul) itions, and for much the same reasons. Just use remains as fiesh with every breath as it was for your common sense. the first. One of the worst tortures I can imagOperation: Continuous, 16 points (+) ine would be to have an ever-changing foul stench illusion gagging some hapless prisoner Investment: Difficulty 45, Cost 4500 c for hours on end. This way, the foul bouquet is MGGAPtlQNE G f l G J W (Pg 42) ever-fresh and ever-new. Yeaugh. Effect: This engine creates a magickal pipeline Operation: Continuous, 16 points (0) 20, Cost 1500 of extradimensional nature which carries the Investment: sounds made at the in8eniztm to a distant location. The area of effect and the amount of ener- Difficulty 25, Cost 2500 c for a moving illusion g y used by the engine determine the quality of QptJcfiL JLLMSJQfl EflGJflE the sound: volume, static, distortion, minimum audible sound, etc. If a joker is drawn, tlie (Pg. 25) dl sound awa), Effect: This creates an optical illusion, a magmegaphone engine might from the source, leaving the operator unable to ickal hologram sort of thing. The exact illusion communicate with those close at hand. Plus generated depends upon how the engine is calithere’s the difficulty of speaking when you can’t brated more than on its engineering, although hear yourself do it-your volume and tone may certain engines might not have enough flexibility in their controls to allow them to create any take on weird characteristics. illusion one might imagine. Ordinarily, the illuOperation: Continuous, 18 points (a) sion will not move. With extra effort, though, a Investment: Difficulty 30, Cost 3000 c moving illusion can be created. Effect: This causes the basest measures of a man to come out to play. Essentially, it instills a sort of immediate mob mentality on people, where human ethics and social mores are suddenly no longer a consideration. The way each person reacts to this will vary from autism to cavorting to mayhem or murder. It’s up to the Host to decide what exactly shall happen. A person may resist the effects by making a Courage or Charisma feat which beats the strength of the spell. But if the engine draws a joker from the deck ... Operation: Continuous, 20 points ( V ) Investment: Difficulty 60, Cost 6000 c
Operation: Continuous, 16 points ( Y ) within the engine’s effects, as ~7ellas to those outside trying to hear what’s going on inside. Investment: Difficulty 20, Cost 1500 c Difficulty 25, Cost 2500 c for a moving illusion Operation: Continuous, 16 points (+) Investment: Difficulty 20, Cost 2000 c
RCCORDJflCi EflCiJflE (Pg. 45)
Effect: This combines the effects of the clairaudience and clairvoyance engines, and directs their output into a derivation of the cipher engine, thereby recording all events that the engine perceives for future .playback. When the engine plays a recording back, it creates an optical and auditorial illusion of sorts, but it is actually the delayed imparting of the images of the actual event. Operation: Continuous, 24 points (4) Investment: Difficulty 50, Cost 5500 c
REPMEOR EflCiJflE (Pg. 39) Effect: The inversion of the imprisonment engine, this one is designed to keep people out of its radius of effect. Since it’s a magicltal barrier, people may pass f?om the inside to the outside freely, but they may not reenter. If 1understand my magick, even a person half in and half out of the barrier will be unable to get back inthe thing ~ o r l t sort s of like those tire spikes they used to have at drive-ins. To overcome the strength of the wall, the persons who wish to cross must make a Courage or Etherealness feat equal in difficulty to the amount of power drawn by the engine. There is apparently some benefit to trying to rush the cvall en masse, but not a great one, so we’ll leave it to the Host to determine, especially since “en masse” carries very different meanings for a small engine as compared to a huge one. Operation: Continuous, 16 points (4) Investment: Difficulty 35, Cost 3500 c
S J l E f l C E GjVCiJjVE (Pg, 42)
TEjUPO&ilL EflCiJflE (Pg. 67) Effect: Wlien activated, this engine dramatically slows the passage of time for all within its grasp. The amount that time is slowed depends o n how much power the engine gathers to do its work; for each point, time slows by a factor of one. Thus, if a temporal engine activates with 30 points of power, then for each 30 minutes of real time, one perspective minute will pass within the grip of the engine. It’s possible (at least in theory) to make a personal harness which will protect you from the engine’s effects. This lets you move through the engine’s field normally. Thus, in the above example, you’d be able to move thirty times as fast as the people who were trapped in the temporal amber. Operation: Continuous, 28 points (4) Investment: Difficulty 90, Cost 12,500 c Difficulty 40, Cost 5000 c for a protective harness
WflSFOR&lj4tJOjV EflCiJfiE (Pge 52) Effect: This takes any item and alters it in shape to something else. It does not make any chemical changes to the item; something which starts as wood ends as wood. The shape of the item to be made is determined by a carved plate which is inserted into the machine (this also requires calibration of the engine), but once the shapc to be made is determined, anything can be transformed. Given the shape of a sword, you could put sawdust and make a wooden sword, a book to make a paper sword, or a chandelier to make a glass sword. It works this may because the engine doesn’t actually change the molecules, it just rearranges them. It doesn’t even break matter down to the molecular level, I don’t think, just to small chunks. Operation: Spontaneous, 16 points (4) Investment: Difficulty 45, Cost 4500 c
Effect: This engine dampens sound within its area of effect. This means that sounds inside the engine’s area of effect are made much quieter, and also that those within the sphere of influence will be less able to hear sounds made outside the engine’s reach. To simulate this in game terms, add the amount of energy the engine has LtLtJjVj4tE EjVciJNE (Pg, 106) accumulated to the difficulty of any Perception Effect: Although this was not completely task involving sound. This is applied to those described in the Codex, I thought I’d indude it
S t A R ZfRoIV:W t l A t JS Jt? tar Iron, also l a o w n as Cold Iron, is the key ingredient for a magickal enginewithout its effects, a magickal engine cannot manipulate the raw power of sorcery. But what is Star Iron? I mean, to me, iron is iron is iron, right? Chemical symbol Fe, and that’s about all I remembered from my chemistry class. It rusts, it melts, is presses clothes to take some when heated, and you’re supposed _every day with your vitamins. Iron. But no, I was very wron as Auberon took great pains to demonstrate to me. See, over here, Mike, there’s two types of iron: the normal stuff, and Star Iron. Yeah, always spelled CI with caps. Normal iron is what the Prussians are beating into sabers and bayonets and land fortresses even as we speak. Normal iron has some negative effects on magick, too. The iron railways the Prussians and English Steam Lords are building are hampering the normal flow of magicli about the land. But Star Iron, well, that’s something different.
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or may not be, but it’s almost certain that there is no magick in deep space. Since the iron here has been exposed to the Earth’s magick for thousands of years, its suppressive effect on magick has been reduced over time. It’s been denatured. But Star Iron, Morrolan thinks, has never been exposed to a magickal field, and so has a very serious effect on magick. Over a few hundred thousand years or so, he thinks Star Iron will be indw tinguishable from normal iron. This sounds pretty reasonable to me; I mean, the planet is supDosed to have been made by a whole bunch of iron-nickel asteroids mushing together, right? So, in theory, all the iron on the planet is Star Iron if you go back far enough. And since it doesn’t act that way, that indicates that maybe Star Iron can be denatured by chronic exposure to magickal energies. Whatever the case, Star Iron is needed, so Star Iron the characters must get. As you might figure, you just can’t go trot on down to Fred’s Convenience Store on the corner and pick up half a pound of Star Iron. While it is possible to buy it fi-om time to time horn collectors and governments, it is a rare instance indeed, and very very expensive besides. Instead, the dramatic characters must find a way to go where some Star Iron may be found, and get it themselves.
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s its name implies, Star Iron is extraterrestri1 in origin (I had to explain that word to the gang when I first used it, but now it’s become very chic among the salons). And Star Iron has a great effect upon magicli, far more so than normal iron. To hear Auberon explain it, Star Iron is a lot like plutonium to the Faerie. Yeesh. Star Iron’s effect is so pronounced that the Faerie can actually die just by being too close to it-they don’t even have to touch the stuff! And we’re talking the True Death here! No one knows why Star Iron has these effects. Grey Morrolan believes that is it because other planets out there do not have magick. That may
t o w t o CiGt J-t
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ou have to go somewhere to get the Star Iron. This can either be a meteorite crater or a museum which has a meteor on display. Whichever the case, the dramatic characters must first figure out where the stuff is. This can be accomplished through interviews, research, spying, or whatever, depending on what sort of Star Iron source they’re trying to pursue. For example, it might be easy to determine that the Smithsonian Museum has a few meteors on &splay. But crossing the Atlantan to the New
&
_ How _ _to k t It
Ari7~naCrater
Amount 50 Ibs.
Hudson Bay
unknown
Bedinkhe Stadtvwseurn
10 lbs.
Grand theft, defying the impeccable Prussian security
Smythe Estatej South Africa
2-4 OZ.
Festung Falkenstein
3 lb.
Siberia
Unknown?
Chateau Mousseau
7 oz.
Tokyo
2 Ibs.
Pay a lot of money for his meteor Have a good reason, work for the Bayern Inner Circle Wait for the meteor (?) to hit in 1908 Break into Mousseau’s private estate Steal the Emperor’s katana, rumored to be forged of a meteor
Prospecting a lot of small rocks, but the stuff is only 1/4 effective If the Bay is really a crater, go diving a t the center and look
Add your own ideas, and change these listed here so your players can’t get an unfair advantage. There is no known way to refine iron ore or steel to extract the Star Iron which mav be
er-the better the character’s sorcery, the easier it is to identify the subethric changes Star Iron causes. The easy way to tell if a chunk of ore has Star Iron in it is to walk up and bonk a Faerie with it. If the Faerie vaporizes, it’s Star Iron. Then it’s time to run like Hell before the rest of the Faerie roast your body alive.
Gwects OF S t f i R rrriofl
S
tar Iron has a nasty effect on Faerie, Seelie and Unseelie alike. This table shows what kind of effects Star Iron has on them. The effect depends on the amount of Star Iron present, and the Faerie’s range from the Star Iron. Star Iron which has been denatured over time (very old Star Iron, in other words) should be treated as a lesser amount, in proportion to its effectiveness. d
Amount 0 - 4 oz.
4 - 8 oz.
8 - 16 OZ. 1 - 2 Ib. 2 - 4 lb. 4 lb. and up
Disturbing 2ft 5ft 10 ft
25 ft 50 ft 100 ft
Painful lft 2ft 5ft 10 f3 25 ft 50 ft
Deadly touch
lft 2ft 5fi 10 ft 25 ft
- , - - -
L
i l
eople will kill fo them. Wizards will sell their souls for hem. Wars could be Y
e wrong hands.
mes everyone in
7
Beyond the Faerie the Secrets conained inside this
CF-6061
8b SBN# 0-937279-68.4 d Leonard0 da Vinci IS e , k.All Rights Reserved
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