- See also: Quest: The Scrolls of Banastor
Codex text
To align with the power of the Fade is but the first of many steps. Further is to align the mind to the Fade's rules and find the ties between the realm of the dream and the realm of the flesh. This is the true power of blood magic: the flesh and the mind are inseparable, and therein lies the power to influence and control minds.
(Below the text are indecipherable runes and stains of blood and ink)
Others may speak of the sanctity of the mind. To those who know the true power of the blood, this is foolishness. The mind is no more sacred than the knee, the small toe, or the ear. It is man's organ of reasoning, nothing more. And true reasoning requires connection to the rhythm of the blood, the tireless pounding of life. Interrupt this, and even the mind is yours to control.
(Below the text is a diagram of a blood magic ritual in progress, with no notation or description)
In the Fade dwell creatures both foul and fair, but all plague mankind with lusts and prides incalculable in our waking hours. Our power attracts them, and for good reason: Our unique bridge between flesh and dreams is one way they can enter the realm of flesh. To begin the path to true power, court these poor, terrible creatures and best them. Force them into servitude or pledge your heart to them. Either way, you gain immense power and the means with which to tear holes in the world.
(Below the text, scribbled in the margin, are arcane symbols drawn with blood.)
The creatures, these demons, require little in the way of bribery. Their natural state is one of longing for the world of flesh and blood. This is what you offer them: respite from their eternal search for true life. Engage them in a battle of wills, and you will be successful. Should you fail, the power will be yours, but your body will belong to the demon. Relish this infernal power while it lasts, for once you are an abomination, your demon half will soon swallow your mind.
(Below is a litany of lines written in an arcane, forgotten language, indecipherable to all but the most obsessed of linguists.)
Finally, once you have come to ascend, have tasted the sweet nectar of the demonic blessing, rise anew, ascended, as a god. Through the connection between earth and sky, flesh and dream, blood and memory, you have risen above the petty concerns of the Chantry and her minions, past the notice of secular nobles and their petty squabbles. Through the rituals inscribed in these scrolls, you have mastered the minds of others, braved the temptations of the Fade, and quashed the terrible will of demons. Let no murder or theft weigh upon your mind, as your will is absolute, and the world is yours to claim.
(Below the text are more arcane glyphs, terrible and dark in their implications.)