Book of Beasts (Merlin and the Book of Beasts)
The Book of Beasts is a book that features in Merlin and the Book of Beasts.
History
The Book of Beasts was an ancient magical artifact that dated to the times of Merlin. Centuries ago, the world contained numerous monstrous creatures that terrorised mankind. Thus, the original wizards such as Blaze stood alongside an entire army of young warriors to do battle with them and capture the beasts. To contain these evil creatures, an ancient text was crafted by Blaze that was formed from skin that became known as the Book of Beasts. Once caged, the creatures remained trapped within its pages and were capable of being unleashed by a wizard in control of them. The wizard Blaze later passed the Book of Beasts to his apprentice Merlin where it remained in his care until it was stolen by the witch Morgan le Fay. It remained lost even after the Battle of Camlann that saw the death of King Arthur and Mordred. However, in reality, Mordred survived and took the Book of Beasts in order to create a new dynasty of Pendragon's by having King Arthur's daughter Avlynn Pendragon bear him an offspring. Thus, he assaulted Camelot with an army of monsters at his command that were born from the book and was known only as the mysterious Arcadian. To save the lands, a grown Avlynn Pendragon assembled a group of Knights to end the reign of the Arcadian and sought out Merlin for his aid in stopping the creatures from the Book of Beasts.
It was during their confrontation with the Arcadian that Merlin learnt the truth that it was Mordred who had survived Camlann. During the skirmish, the Knights managed to escape with the Book though Mordred retained some measure of control on it and the power of releasing its monsters. When Merlin was fatally wounded, they sought the Fountain of Brittany to heal him and find a way of destroying the Book. However, Merlin revealed that it was a powerful artifact capable of resisting any normal weapon. Thus, one option was taking the Book of Beasts into hiding or find a powerful weapon capable of destroying it. The only such weapon was Excalibur that was hidden within the Lake of Destiny where Avlynn sought her legacy as a Pendragon to lay claim to it after passing the trials to wield it. But upon claiming the sword, the group were snatched by giant winged birds from the Book of Beasts who brought the prisoners along with the book back to Camelot to the grasps of the Arcadian. To stop Mordred, Merlin unleashed the power of the Book which claimed the Arcadian within it but its dark magic overpowered Merlin. He nearly attacked Avlynn only for her to stab the Book of Beasts that freed him from its influence though costing him his magical abilities.
Once stabbed, both the Book and sword Excalibur remained trapped until a worthy wielder arose who could use both in combination with the forces of nature to free the twin artifacts.
Overview
This text was a large book that contained drawings of numerous monstrous creatures on its surface made from powerful magic. Ultimately, it served as a mystical prison designed to hold the monsters within it. Through the use of incantations, it was possible to release the creatures within the book who served its master. These ranged from giant birds to the mythical Gorgons that were all released at its bearers command with the capacity to bring kingdom's to ruin. New creatures and beings were capable of being imprisoned within the Book of Beasts by drawing them with a pen onto the blank pages. Other times it as possible to envoke the power of the Book to release its dark magic that imprisoned others within it through magical lightning. This was described as being the process through which the essence of a being was trapped within the text. Some claimed that the Book of Beasts chose its wearer whilst others stated that the text corrupted its wielder to suit its own goals.
Appearances
- Merlin and the Book of Beasts:
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