Scroll of Seeking
Author: Mela
Description
The Scroll of Seeking was written by the followers of Mela during the war against the Anathema, recording her words and lessons as she recounted them, as an account of how the Incarnate of Air brought sorcery into Creation. It is accepted as part of the central canon of the Immaculate Texts.
Contents
The tale begins with the dark powers of the Anathema, opening the gates of the Underworld and Yozi Realms, breaking Creation asunder to fuel their villainous whims. Some call this power ‘sorcery’, but to the Incarnate of Air this could not be. She looked upon these horrors and sought a way to unlock the perfected powers not only of her enlightened soul, but of her enlightened mind, and her enlightened purpose.
First of the Immaculate Dragons to incarnate, as she awaited the coming of her four companions Mela travelled Creation to unlock the power she knew was needed to overthrow the Anathema.
Mela first travelled to the farthest forests of the East, to the Pole of Wood, for the Elemental Dragons surely knew the way to unlock such power. Here the Elemental Dragon of Wood looked upon her, and did not speak. Mela waited, Mela requested, Mela asked, Mela demanded, until at last she understood: it was not the place of the Elemental Dragons to speak to those of Creation, not even to one of their own Incarnate. Realizing this, Mela was humbled. The Elemental Dragon nodded and the creatures of the forest birthed and foaled all about her, and she understood: as they birthed their young, so must she birth the spells needed to defeat the Anathema. Mela thought long on this, and as she did she wove a mantle from the fur and hair of the forest’s creatures, embroidered with all the secrets of the world. Her children wrapped about her, she continued on her journey.
This is the First Ordeal of Sorcery, the Lesson of Wood, the Station of Humility, the Trial of the Mantle.
Mela traveled to the furthest northern glaciers, and came to the Pole of Air. Here, the Elemental Dragon of Air gazed upon her with eyes that recognized and yet did not, but Mela was humble for she understood this to be the proper way of things. She spoke to the winds about all that she knew, about all that she had learned, and the spells that were her children furled and unfurled about her, but for five days and nights the Elemental Dragon of Air remained unmoved. On the final day, Mela spoke all she knew of the unrestrained powers of the Anathema, and that her sorcery would be drawn from the winds of the world not imposed upon it. At this, the Elemental Dragon nodded, and from the leather of her sled dogs and the coins of her purse, Mela crafted a girdle, to wear as a reminder that even the Mother of Sorcery must restrain her knowledge for use in right action.
This is the Second Ordeal of Sorcery, the Lesson of Air, the Station of Tutelage, the Trial of the Girdle.
Mela traveled to the most distant oceans of the West, to the Pole of Water. She journeyed and journeyed, days becoming weeks and weeks becoming months, and yet the Elemental Dragon of Water did not appear. Many great and terrible creatures rose up against Mela to impede her progress, many beautiful beings emerged to tempt her, and each Mela cast down in turn. At long last, the Incarnate of Air came to know that she was not travelling to reach a destination, but to for the journey itself, and with that realization she arrived.
The Elemental Dragon of Water could not be seen, deep within the darkest depths. Instead, before her stood a sword of water given solid form, the blade of infinite sharpness and radiating the cold of the deepest ocean. The sword presented Mela with five riddles, stating that if she answered false it would cut her down and the Anathema would rule Creation forevermore. But the enlightened mind of Mela heard the five riddles, and her journey had taught her the answers to each, and with the last answer the sword offered itself up to her hand and the Elemental Dragon of Water emerged to nod. Mela then continued on her journey.
This is the Third Ordeal of Sorcery, the Lesson of Water, the Station of Journey, the Trial of the Sword.
Mela travelled to the furthest Southern deserts, to the Pole of Fire. Here, the Elemental Dragon of Fire looked upon her, and at once the flames of that place took on the forms of all the monstrous Anathema whose power held Creation in thrall, all the suffering peoples of Creation has endured at the hands of their monstrous rulers. These visions would have reduced anyone to tears, broken their spirits and stripped them of hope, but to the heart of Mela the visions granted only strength, for they showed the rightness of her purpose. At length, the Elemental Dragon nodded, and Mela gathered up the flames, twisting and crushing them until all the fears and horrors came together in a single burning gem. This gem Mela thrust into her chest, above her heart, and continued on her journey.
This is the Fourth Ordeal of Sorcery, the Lesson of Fire, the Station of Fear, the Trial of the Stone.
At long last, Mela came to the shores of the Blessed Isle, and travelled to the slopes of the Imperial Mountain. There she met with the Immaculate Dragon of Wood Sextes Jylis, the Immaculate Dragon of Water Danaa’d, the Immaculate Dragon of Fire Hesiesh and the Immaculate Dragon of Earth Pasiap. The Anathema now knew the journey of Mela was near its end, and they sought to stop her before she could grasp the power that would overthrow them, but the Mountain was the Pillar of Creation, and the Immaculate Dragons would allow no demon to pass in pursuit.
Mela ascended the Mountain, climbing ever higher to gain the summit, unaided by any Charm or artifice. At long last she stood at the summit of Creation, and about her the Mountain trembled, the Elemental Dragon of Earth coiling about it. From the summit she could see to the edges of Creation, could see the Elemental Dragon of Air rising to the North, the Elemental Dragon of Wood rising in the East, the Elemental Dragon of Fire rising in the South, the Elemental Dragon of Water rising in the West. And below she could see the Immaculate Dragons as they stood around the Mountain, light at last beginning to break the darkness of the Anathema. The Elemental Dragons were eternal, and so too were their Incarnations. The Immaculate Dragons were Transcendent, souls born perfect upon the summit so they might cast out the deepest depths of evil. And Mela knew what she must do.
‘As the Dragons sacrifice of themselves so we might be, we now sacrifice what we are,’ spoke Mela, ‘we shall be the first, but also the last.’
And then Mela cast aside the objects of power she had gained on her journey, for she needed no power but what lay within herself. And in so doing she was transformed, and became the First Sorcerer, truly the Mother of Spells.
This is the Fifth Ordeal of Sorcery, the Lesson of Earth, the Station of Sacrifice, the Trial of the Soul.
Significance
The Scroll of Seeking is well known across Creation, often reproduced and studied by the monks of the Immaculate Order and those within the Realm who take up the study of sorcery. Together with the White Treatise, Black Treatise, and the Woven Scrolls, the Scroll constitutes the source of theological knowledge on (legitimate) sorcery referenced by the Order.
Even amongst those who are not directly adherent to Immaculate theology, it is a popular text for sorcerous studies, covering the Five Ordeals through which students pass to grasp the sorcerous arts.
Some, particularly Scavenger Lords with access to ancient relics, find that the tale woven about Mela bears striking and suspicious similarity to ancient tales about another ‘First Sorcerer’, the Solar Exalt Brigid. Lunar and Sidereal Exalted are themselves quite dismissive, holding to their own stories as to the members of their own Exaltations who are the true sources of sorcery. Even some spirits claim to be its source, such as the Southern God of War Ahlat, whose Cult claims sorcerers who prove themselves by undergoing the Bull God’s trials are gifted with access to great power.
The text itself has passages open to a great deal of interpretation, and a number of the major sorcerous schools currently extant (particularly the Kinetropic School, School of Right Action, and Silurian School) have made extensive commentaries to fit Mela’s quest within their own viewpoints.
In addition to its use in sorcerous instruction, several passages of the Scroll are valued by Immaculate theologians. Of particular note are the words of Mela as she achieves sorcerous insight atop the Imperial Mountain, which reminds Creation that the Immaculate Dragons came to be only once and will never walk the world again, that the duty of preserving and saving Creation has been passed to those who followed after.
