The Tome of Eternal Darkness
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| The Tome of Eternal Darkness, as found in the Roivas manor. | |
| Author | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Translator | The book's magic. |
| Genre(s) | Magical tome |
| Publisher | None |
| Released | 1150 (first appearance) |
| Media Type | Hardcover (Human flesh) |
The Tome of Eternal Darkness is a fictional book found in the video game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. It is key to the plot, in that it contains the stories of all of the characters (which one plays as throughout the game) that were consumed by the darkness one way or another, and the game itself is named after it. Save for one (Pious Augustus), every playable character in the game comes to possess the Tome, marking them as the chosen warriors/pawns Mantorok has selected to fight against the three Ancients vying for power in the universe.
This item would appear to be a reference to Abdul Alhazred's Necronomicon as described in the fictional works of H.P. Lovecraft. Both are ancient grimoires of Middle-Eastern origin (the Tome is originally entombed in The Forbidden City buried by Persian sands). The book is written in human blood and bound in human flesh, bones fitted into the spine and the rune of Mantorok, himself, etched into a seal on the cover. This fits with the game's constant referencing of the Cthulhu Mythos, as well as Mantorok's role as the "Corpse God".
The Tome contains many magickal properties. Firstly, it houses the spells that previous (or in some cases, future) bearers have learned, allowing them to be used by later (or prior) generations, with the Tome itself functioning as means by which inherent magickal energy is channeled. While arguably limitless, magickal energy must recharge between castings, a slow process which can hinder its use if one isn't more innately in tune with magick and the associated thought processes than someone else. (Example: Michael Edwards, the Canadian firefighter, has a very small magick meter, probably because his line of duty calls for swift action rather than thought. Peter Jacobs, the World War 1 journalist, must spend a great deal of time thinking about what he sees, and so has a very large magickal capacity.) Secondly, because of its alignment with Mantorok, the Tome and its contents hold sway over all three Ancients, hence why it is able to cast spells of any alignment, including Mantorok's own (which, in turn, dominate over all three other alignments). Thirdly, just coming into possession of the Tome causes its bearer to experience what has happened in his forebearers' lives, flooding the brain with knowledge of their pasts, their ends, and the great mission guiding all their lives from then on. Finally, language barriers disappear thanks to the Tome, which automatically translates words, spoken or written, into the bearer's native tongue, as demonstrated by various characters, notably Dr. Lindsey, Michael Edwards and Alex, speaking with the spirits of, or reading about, previous Tome-bearers in plain English.
It also seems possible to store items within the Tome.
A note by Aaron Roivas found in Maximillian's chapter suggests that there is more than one copy of the Tome, though it is also possible that the Tome can be present in more than one place at a time or simply manages to "find its way" into the hands of its next owner. It appears that only the chosen ones are able to read the Tome, and even they cannot read separated chapter pages without the actual text in their possession. It is also notable that characters who would probably have been otherwise illiterate, such as Ellia, are able to read the tome perfectly.
Many characters who receive the Tome do so when they are mysteriously transported to a small chamber containing the book. The chamber is decorated with macabre skeletal patterns. Light streams though a small window, though what's outside the room is never seen. Statues representing those who have died in the fight against the Ancients(and/or with the Tome in their possession, the truth is unclear) line the chamber's tiny walkway, which is covered in ghostly, screaming faces. The screams increase in volume and number as the character approaches the book, which is cradled in a giant, withered left hand. The hand opens when the character nears, allowing him or her to claim the book. Doing so results in him or her being instantly returned to wherever he or she entered the chamber from. This chamber, like the Tome itself, appears to exists outside of normal time as statues can be seen of characters who (from the perspective of the current character) will not be born for decades or even centuries to come.
It seems that monsters associated with the Ancients can tell whether someone has the Tome, and will move immediately to attack that person. Bonethieves possessing people often reveal themselves in this way (that is, by suddenly attacking the book-bearer with no provocation.)
