Its greatest weakness is that it has few dismissal or protective effects: its focus seems to be upon the sending of dangerous creatures to an enemy and spells that harm others Price 7,200 gp (1,600 gp without rituals and spells) Complexity 28; Shock 19 Skills Knowledge (arcana and religion) and Profession (YogSothothery philosopher); Bonus +4 Rituals 3rd—inscribe the Yellow Sign 7th—acid blood curse, bind dimensional shambler, call dimensional shambler 8th—obscene fertility rites of Shub-Niggurath 9th—avatar of the Black Goat with a thousand young Spells 5th—shriek of the byakhee 6th—consume likeness, melt flesh 9th—ferox, tsunami ELTDOWN SHARDS These fragmentary writings were found in an early Triassic strata on Earth Two discoveries of the shards were made, in different locations One consisted of 23 separate tablets, while the second discovery was of 42 tablets, seven of which were common to the first find Most of the individual shards are incomplete and some are fragmentary in the extreme Though discovered from an era in which the great race of Yith ruled that planet, the Eltdown Shards seem to have been written by an enemy of the Yith They contain information on many pre-human and long-lived races and entities, as well as extensive lore on the nature and weaknesses of the Great Race Price 1,670 gp (500 gp without ritual and spells) Complexity 18; Shock 14 Skills Knowledge (dungeoneering, history, and nature) and Profession (Yog-Sothothery philosopher); Bonus +1 (untrained) Rituals 8th—contact Ithaqua Spells 1st—mist of R'lyeh 4th—enlightenment of the Blind Idiot God 158 6th—wave of oblivion THE KING IN YELLOW This fabled play might have been penned by the King himself It has two acts and is rarely performed The first act is simple, almost banal, while the second act is of unearthly, poisonous beauty that enthralls the mind and soul Anyone reading it for the first time must make two DC 25 Will saving throws If the first save fails, the reader gains a major insanity, becoming obsessed with seeking out and serving the King in Yellow If the second save fails, the reader gains another insanity, generally psychosis While the play does provide indirect clues about the King in Yellow, Hastur, and their interests, it is usually deemed far too dangerous to read Readers of this play usually draw the attention of the King and his minions, who might quickly appear On those rare occasions when the play is performed on stage, the entire audience is exposed as if they had read the play and must make Will saves as described above Price — cultists of the King in Yellow and/or Hastur might pay up to 30,000 gp for a complete copy in legible condition Complexity 25; Shock 25 Skills Knowledge (religion) and Profession (Yog-Sothothery philosopher); Bonus +3 (untrained) THE NECRONOMICON This is hands-down the most famous and most lethal of all the ancient books The original version was penned by Abd al-Azrad, and is also known as Kitab al-Azif It always contains specific sections about the following: ‘‘ Creatures that live beyond the threshold of material space ‘‘ Information on other planes of existence ‘‘ Formulae for resurrecting the dead, opening gates to other dimensions, and performing dark rituals