RPPR Illustrated: The Chronicler’s Book of Hours

Description: The Chronicler's Book of Hours is a powerful tome that can summon a godlike being. All of its powers are based on a heretical and forgotten cult that worshiped a deity known only as the Chronicler. The mortal world was only temporary and doomed to fall under the sway of Lethe, an evil demon and nemesis to the Chronicler. Lethe destroyed memory, cursing every mortal to an afterlife of amnesia and pain. The Chronicler alone could record and preserve the memory of the faithful, saving them. Unfortunately for the cult, the Chronicler does not preserve them after the faithful die. Instead, acts of faith draw the Chronicler closer to the faithful. Eventually, it appears and records them into its own prayer book, removing them from reality. It is impossible to tell what happens to a person trapped in the Chronicler’s prayer book, but presumably it is not an enviable afterlife.

To activate the book, a person must read two different books. The first book read is the active power. The second book read is the price paid to activate the power. You cannot read the same book twice in a row. The power activates the instant the second book is finished. 

Activating the Book: Reading any book takes about 5 minutes. The book automatically translates to the reader’s most proficient language. 

Once a power is activated, The Hour of the Chronicler draws nearer. Add 1 to a hidden clock called “The Chronicler.” When the book is discovered, the clock has 1d12-1 on its clock. 

When the clock reaches 12, the Hour of the Chronicler comes and the Chronicler arrives. The clock resets. It does not matter if multiple people read it - all share the same clock.  

The Chronicler adds the victim to the Book, draining their life force away.  The Chronicler is a godlike cosmic entity and can only be countered by Lethe, a forgotten entity and not described in this entry.  The Chronicler looks like an inhumanly tall medieval scribe or saint in an illuminated book but with a veiled cloak that hides their face. 

This book was inspired by a real world tome that can be read 6 ways.  

Book 1: Sunset - Glorification of the Chronicler.

Book 2: Bedtime - Sleep as the Image of Lethe, the Destroyer of Memory. 

Book 3: Midnight - The Judgment of the Chronicler.

Book 4: Dawn - The Chronicler confronting Lethe.

Book 5: Noon - The Immersion of the Chronicler by Lethe.

Book 6: Afternoon - The Death of the Chronicler

The Powers

Book 1 active power: Past Clairvoyance - see the past of a person or place. Learn one thing the person has done or has happened at a place. If the reader does not have a specific question they want answered, a random scene of the past is shown to them.

Book 2 active power: A glass vial containing a purple mist appears in the possession of the reader. When the glass is broken, the mist clouds the memory of anyone who inhales it. The mist only affects people in the same room and dissipates after a few seconds. The reader is immune to its effects and instinctively knows what the mist does. 

Book 3 active power: A feather quill loaded with ink appears in the possession of the reader. When the quill is touched against the skin of an entity, it is paralyzed in pain as ink runs into its body. This is normally a lethal attack and can affect magical and non-human beings. It can only be used once. The reader is immune to the quill and knows what it can do. 

Book 4 active power: The reader gains the ability to verbally condemn any living being capable of understanding language. The reader can speak all languages and automatically succeeds on any attempt to coerce or intimidate. The reader reveals the target’s darkest secrets and fears, though they do not know this until they speak to the target. The target is automatically stunned into silence for a day. This ability lasts one hour per reading. The reader must speak at least 5 minutes to condemn a target. 

Book 5 active power: The reader becomes immune to all mentally affecting events and abilities for one full day. They cannot be scared, traumatized, or affected by any supernatural ability that affects the mind. 

Book 6 active power: The reader cannot die for one full day. They take damage as normal, but their body remains intact. At the end of the day, all of the damage is inflicted at once. The reader cannot read this book until one week has passed from their last reading. 

The Prices

Book 1 price: One of the reader’s secrets is revealed to a person they know and does not already know that secret. 

Book 2 price: The reader forgets one of their skills for a day, chosen randomly. 

Book 3 price: The reader feels weak and in pain for a day. 

Book 4 price: The reader finds it significantly harder to emphasize with others. This can harm their ability to understand motivations. 

Book 5 price: The reader feels as though they are drowning for 5d6 seconds. This can be traumatic. When it is over, they are soaked in cold water. 

Book 6 price: Small living creatures, like insects and mice, die around the reader. This can be unnerving. 

Art by Patsy McDowell