[Crafting] Qanoon-e-Islam

[Noctis Corvo]

Kane had a rather strange sense of humor. His jokes were usually well thought out, and often required thinking on the part of the recipient as well to fully grasp the humor that lied within. Some may call it aloof, some may call it bland. He just thought that many simply did not appreciate intellectually stimulating humor like he did. And it was this appreciation for the art that led him to his current situation.

It would be a vanity weapon. It would take someone who knew literature to appreciate its...Special Taste. But he figured the recipient was well acquainted enough to at least get the reference. He would have to be careful with his materials, some of them weren't super easy to come by in this world. He pulled out the  basic cover itself first. It wasn't covered yet, just the basic pieces that would become the inner workings of the binding: A couple old bone plates. It took him hours of digging to uncover these things, and even longer to find the right tools to cut them into the right size.

He began his work slowly. Taking out a small chisel-like scoop, about the size of a pen, he began to crudely but carefully write down ancient runes and spell circles into the bonework, decorating the plates with the circuits of dark magic. As he finished, he pulled out his quill, dipping it in his ink, and focusing just a small amount of his own channeled miasma into it as he traced the holes, putting a fine layer of the black ichor upon the eldritch constructs. 

The binding's spine would be special. Not only was it cut and shaped from an actual fused spine, but he had carved three special glyphs into it. At the highest point sat the Sigil of the Gate, the middle held Yggdrasil, and the bottom held the inscription of the Spheres of Quiphloph. He penned in each one carefully, again applying his own unique brand of craftsmanship within the ink, and flowing a test run of his energy through the pieces before setting them aside to dry.

[Noctis Corvo]

The next portion would be trickier. The paper he would inscribe the inner workings upon was old papyrus. It had a unique texture, and to be honest, he wasn't too sure that it was only papyrus when he bought it from the man. Either way, it would do nicely. 

He began transcribing upon the pages various dark rituals, rites, and summoning, taking great care to include pictures and plenty of detail as the circuits completed themselves. Most of the rituals were fake however, almost all of it copied from Kane's almost uncanny memory when it came to the works of the specific author, but nonetheless, the cosmic horror presented itself all the same. Elder gods, ancient evils and all sorts of maddening, unknowable knowledge were transferred down into the pages of the tome. It almost felt at times that he was no longer the one writing it, but the miasma itself and the chaos of his subject matter were bringing itself into existence upon the forgotten pages that lay before him.

As he neared the completion of his work, He wrote a little forward for the recipient. He didn't know if she would open it, but it would serve as a marker of his craftsmanship, as well as expression of his thanks. It was the Title page that really through it all together though. Upon it in Bold, ancient glyphs bore the words of the author, and the name of the madman:

NECRONOMICON

Abdul Alhazred

He then took them and tied them up in order, as to not let them run away as he bound the plates within their leather. It was an interesting choice really, Tanned zombie flesh. It was surprising how these materials just seem to make themselves up. He took the leather sheets, having stitched them up before they were tanned to give the impression of the horrid nature of the book. he stretched and fastened the dark plates with their complementing bindings, stretching taut over each piece as though they were made for each other. He sowed and bound the cover before untying the pages, binding them, and then fastening them to their cover. He even threw in some wonderfully chaotic black-and-red marbled paper that seemed to almost carry some of its own cursed imagery.

As it came together, be fastened in a simple, crimson silk bookmark, and bound it in a matching aged black leather, gilding it and accenting it around the edges. Upon the spine, Kane printed out the words of the author and title, embeding them in the spine with a rather tasteful gold ink that, unless viewed at a specific angle, wasn't even visible. Finally, he attached a black leather with simple square silver clasp to the front, to give it that classic grimoire look.

[Noctis Corvo]

The last part would be the trickiest. He would need to channel mana through it in order to make it take upon its illusory form.

He wasn't sure that his concentration would be enough to hold onto the image long enough. He didn't want to go to far and accidentally ruin his work. He decided in the end to look upon some texts, finding in one of them a pennable magic circle that would help with the transmutation process of a weapon. Deciding to give it a try, he gathered up a piece of charcoal from the nearby furnace, and draw the circle upon the table. It was a little complex, but by the end of it, he was pretty sure he had transcribed it almost exactly as it was within the text. Placing the book in the middle and his hands to the side, he focused his mana to follow the lines, bringing the image of the book into his mind.

He began trying to think of it as incorporeal. Existing, but able to change form. He began to hold this idea of the book overwriting the physical structure of whatever item the person was holding. It was a complex idea, and at first it was difficult to grasp. Over time, he began to change the way he was thinking about it. It wasn't changing the item, it was just changing its physical form. It was a container for the essence of the item, nothing more, nothing less. It would have its own look, but it would simply be a change of appearance. Like a potion, it was an effect, not an absolute.

After meditating on this for a while, the mana began to coalesce upon the book, becoming enveloped in a black and dark violet light as it assumed its new form. Upon opening his eyes, Kane beheld the creation that came from his labor. The book sat, seemingly giving off a faint whisper, and almost seeming to suck the light out from around it. As he picked it up, it felt both cold like leather, but warm like life. It was strange, it was slightly eerie, it was beautiful.

Opening up its info gave him a positive result:

The Tome of the Mad Arab [Lvl 1 Vanity Weapon]
The book seems to know more than it should, and extreme caution should be taken, lest ye wake the unknown darkness that lies within, for that is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange eons even death may die. As you flip through its pages, it seems to hold more than it physically should.

This would look lovely within a library, he decided, and made his way off to complete his delivery.