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====== Liber Sanguinis ======

The Liber Sanguinis is a holy artifact of [[minorgods:marrow|Marrow]], the Minor God of Blood, Arcana, Medicine, and Life. It is rumored to be written in the blood of Marrow herself, though whether this refers to literal blood, divine ichor, or blood magically copied from her mortal body remains a matter of religious dispute.

The book currently resides in the hands of the [[organizations:theaaegisorder|The Aegis Order]]

===== Overview =====

| Name | Liber Sanguinis |
| Type | Holy book / blood magic artifact |
| Associated Deity | [[minorgods:marrow|Marrow]] |
| Current Holder | [[organizations:theaaegisorder|The Aegis Order]] |
| Status | Contained |
| Contents | Holy doctrine, medical blood rites, forbidden blood magic |
| Recognition | Recognized by the Church of the Flame and Marrow; as a holy artifact of the goddess |

===== Description =====

The Liber Sanguinis is one of the most infamous relics associated with Marrow. It is usually described as a heavy, ancient tome bound in dark red leather, bone-colored fittings, and old ritual seals. Its pages are said to be stained, inked, or fully written in blood.

Despite its terrifying reputation, the Liber Sanguinis is not considered a merely profane object. The Church recognizes it as a legitimate holy artifact of Marrow, though one requiring strict containment, supervision, and theological caution.

===== Contents =====

The Liber Sanguinis is divided between religious, medical, and arcane material. Roughly half of the book contains rites, prayers, anatomical observations, surgical mysteries, and theological writings sacred to Marrow.

The other half contains forbidden blood magic.

These forbidden sections are believed to include rituals of blood control, curse-binding, inherited disease manipulation, sacrificial healing, bloodline tracing, and the weaponization of the living body. The book is therefore treated as both scripture and threat.

===== Religious Significance =====

To followers of Marrow, the Liber Sanguinis is one of the clearest expressions of the goddess's nature. It teaches that blood is life, memory, pain, lineage, magic, and sacrifice. It also embodies the central contradiction of Marrow's faith: the same knowledge that can save the dying can also enslave, torment, or destroy the living.

Marrowite priests often claim that the book is not evil by itself. They argue that blood is simply truth, and that truth becomes mercy or cruelty according to the hand that uses it.

===== Church Recognition =====

The Church recognizes the Liber Sanguinis as a holy artifact of Marrow, but this recognition does not imply approval of all its contents. The book is considered sacred, dangerous, and restricted.

Its legitimate sections may be studied by approved theologians, healers, and specialists in divine medicine. Its forbidden sections are normally sealed, censored, or locked behind protective rites. Even sympathetic clergy admit that the artifact is too dangerous for ordinary handling.

===== Awakening the Creation Engine =====

One of the most consequential modern uses of the Liber Sanguinis occurred beneath the [[locations:emberlibrary|Ember Library]], where the text was used to awaken the dormant Warforged Creation Engine hidden below the library-fortress.

The ritual drew on both halves of the book: its sacred medical passages, which treat blood as life, memory, and divine witness, and its forbidden blood-magic sections, which describe how life may be bound, redirected, or awakened within vessels never born by natural means. This made the Liber Sanguinis uniquely suited to the Creation Engine, whose purpose was not simply to build bodies, but to kindle living identity within constructed forms.

Church scholars remain divided on the event. Some argue that the use of the Liber Sanguinis proved the artifact's holy purpose, showing that Marrow's mysteries can grant life where none should exist. Others consider the awakening a dangerous example of sacred blood knowledge being used at the edge of blasphemy. The Aegis Order's current custody of the book is often justified by this incident, as few other groups have both the need and the discipline to guard such a relic.

===== Current Status =====

The Liber Sanguinis is currently held by the [[organizations:theaaegisorder|The Aegis Order]]. Its presence among the Aegis Order is significant, as the book is both a potential source of medical and arcane knowledge and a dangerous relic tied to blood magic.

The Order's custody of the book is likely to draw the attention of Marrowite clergy, forbidden researchers, blood mages, Church authorities, and enemies seeking to exploit its darker teachings.