Codex Abyssus

"'All shall become one, and the one shall be many. All shall become many, and the many shall become one.'"

Overview
The Codex Abyssus is a large, ash-black, disturbing tome of unknown origins, which describes an ancient vision of the end of the world (the Abyssum) and the central tenets of what historians have concluded to be an ancient death-cult, known as the "Order of the Abyss". The mystery of its meaning and origin has excited the popular imagination, making it the subject of study and speculation for philosophers and historians around the world.

The Codex is of particular significance due to its disturbing contents and profound effects it imparts upon the reader, with many having become seriously ill or, in some cases, terminally insane upon completion of the book. Further studies are being conducted; It is also theorized that the Codex might be one of a series, none of which have been discovered as of this date.

Background
The Codex is the first known volume, apart from The Kaido, to describe the religious faiths or tenets of ancient populations, as the book has a notably aged appearance. It was discovered by the Arcadian Arcane Order during an archeological survey off the western coast of Southada, encased in an iceberg. Due to the location in which it was discovered, and the lack of any corroborated historical evidence suggesting the existence of such a tome, the consensus remains that The Codex is the first of its kind to show the religious beliefs of ancient, long-gone peoples of the Southadan glacial tribes.

Section I: Abyssus
"I shall show you fear

in a handful of dust."

- Line 1 of The Codex Section I, Abyssus, focuses primarily on a vision of the end of the world. The Abyss is described as the beginning and end of all things, the origination and the conclusion off all things immaterial and immaterial. In this sense, the Abyss operates like a somewhat immaterial god; That is, the Abyss occupies and is all things (and non-things). The text continues by describing that the Abyss has no home, and is "beyond the furthest reaches ... of all peoples and all times"(Codex, 2), and that in fact, the entire world itself, as well as the void or "abyss" around it, is it's eternal domain.

The text then descibes the 'two-fold' nature of the Abyss; the Prima, or all existing things (humans, plants, animals, souls, etc.), and the Inferna, (abyss-as-essence). It continues by stating that all things are mutuable; The book takes the position that there is no difference between the reader, others, and the abyss itself. The Codex states that it contains everything and nothing simultaneously; It is the eternal.

Section 2: The Empire of the Night "Death to the kings

Death to the fight

Death to the hope

Of the [burning] light."

- Line 54 of the Codex Section II, The Empire of the Night, (Nox), is a highly disturbing chapter which further depicts the end times of the world and the cessation of Alathra itself. It begins by recounting the supposed future destruction of all the great empires, and how the arrival of the end shall be a purification of blood, both of the vulnerable and weak (the farmer) and the powerful (the king). This is the section where the apparent fascination and love of death within the book, (and supposedly the cult) takes hold, with the book describing blood as a purity process which must be shed in order to trigger the arrival of the Abyss itself, and thus, the salvation of the world from the tyranny of Empire.

The Codex then states, supposedly from the point of the Abyss, that followers of the Abyss have been "stationed" or "spread" over all Alathra in order to wait for the end-times and help fufill the prophecy of the Abyssal return (the supposed blood-purity rites included within these goals). The book then feverishly depicts the final day of Alathra, when "the true dawn" shall break and all shall become one with the Abyss, achieving salvation. After this "day of the raven-flight," what the book describes as The Empire of the Night shall reign over all lands, an empire in which "I shall be you and you shall be me ... and we are all together", a land where "true freedom" shall reign.

Section 3: The Order of the Abyss

Section III, The Order of the Abyss, is the most academically debated section of the book, with no conclusive historical evidence being found to support the existence of such a society or cult. In fact, based on local historical records of the area in which the book was found, it seems almost odd that an entire section would be dedicated to something completely lost by the sands of time. However, several scholars, most notably from Arcadia, have raised arguments which claim to find seemingly related links of ancient cult-like groups described in the local texts of many cultures across Alathra. These claims though, have been rejected by most of the international community.

Section III describes the existence, foundation, and practices of the supposed Order of the Abyss. According to the Codex, The Order was founded by the Abyssum itself, commanding various prophets and followers to go out across the world, plant themselves in hiding, and wait among the peoples for the supposed day of salvation. Several references are made to an "icy cavern" as the birthplace of the supposed order, though nothing of the sort has been discovered as of writing. The book concludes, violently, with a short and foreboding section known only as The Fire-Sermon, in which the Abyss supposedly speaks directly to the reader. The section is as follows: "I AM THE END OF TIMES

I AM THE BEGINNING OF

THE NEW WORLD

I AM THE UNHEARD

I AM THE SHADOW

I AM THE NIGHT

I AM THE ONE

IT HAS ALREADY BEGUN.

Thus spake ABYSSUS." The Fire-Sermon is of particular note due to its disturbing content, as well as the aforementioned affect it has upon the reader. Upon seeing the gold-laquered text of this passage, many have begun to scream and bleed, often making demonic or otherwise disturbing noises as though recanting some sort of chant. Victims of these affects have been known to go mad, losing all cognitive inhibitors, or to fall seriously ill for several weeks, requiring urgent care. It is for this reason the book has been put under permanent lock-and-key, and the Arcadian Arcane Order has terminated (and recommends for all international explorers) their exploration of the Order of the Abyss and the tome itself.

Current Status
The Codex Abyssus is currently held in the deep in the vaults of the Arcadian Altanate, though proposals have been made to transfer the work to a secure part of the Alathran Library at Kais-Kogong for historical preservation and safekeeping.