The Liber Malefic
Liber Malefic – a book written by Marius Hollseher detailing the Realm of Chaos and various Daemons that dwell within it. Two conflicting accounts are presented about this tome: either the author was a fever-struck hallucinating scribe,[1a] or he was the Elector Count of Stirland who was allowed to physically travel through the Chaos Realm.[2a]
History[]
In one version of the story, the dreaded Liber Malefic was penned by Marius Hollseher, a humble Sigmarite scribe who later became a Witch Hunter so zealous and fervent in his duties to destroy Chaos that he’s revered as a hero by others in the trade. When Hollseher was only twenty years old, he succumbed to a mysterious fever that left him bed-ridden and in a coma for almost a month. Just before the healers prepared to give him a merciful blow to his head to end his suffering, Hollseher awoke from his coma in a screaming fit. The illness seemingly gone, Hollseher began spouting a wild tale of horrible locations that he visited while in some dreamlike state. At first, the local High Priest of Sigmar feared that the young scribe might have to be “cleansed” because of the horrible visions, but he relented once it became clear that Hollseher was disgusted by what he saw and seemingly free of any Chaotic taint. In the following year, the meagre scribe became a cold-hearted Witch Hunter — his visions of the Realm of Chaos giving him great insight into its lies and manners of deceit.[1a]
During his convalescence, Hollseher wrote of what he saw in his visions, creating the Liber Malefic — a guidebook, of sorts, of the terrible legendary locations that are rumoured to lie both inside the Chaos Wastes and the Realm of Chaos. Detractors say Hollseher’s accounts are fanciful, rich in allegory and hyperbole; although, his introduction goes far to explain that what is penned in the Liber Malefic is exactly what he witnessed. As the Liber Malefic is too terrible for most to absorb, abridged versions of this book were copied by the Priests of Sigmar, to be used as a primer for the horrors of Chaos that a Witch Hunter might face.[1a]
The true Liber Malefic is an enormous tome, weighing nearly fifteen pounds and a full two feet in height. The covers are crafted from simple, black wood, and the title, once written in gilt gold, is barely legible. The plain look of the exterior belies the amazing illustrations and gorgeous penmanship of the Liber Malefic’s contents.[1a]
There are two different versions of the Liber Malefic. The most common are shortened, edited copies, commonly referred to by Witch Hunters, Sigmarite Priests, and those that hunt down and destroy Chaos. It describes a limited view of several of the legendary locations of the Four Foul Lords of Chaos, which grants insight into how each “lives” and what horrors occur in their domains. These books are small and plain in construction, devoid of the pictures and insanity-blasting illuminations found in the full text.[1a]
Canon Conflicts[]
The other legend says that Marius Holseher was actually an Elector Count of Stirland who waged a military campaign against Araby in 1460 IC. Sometime during the crusade, he discovered so called Mirror of Nightmares and inadvertently traveled through it into the Daemon realm. For reasons inscrutable, the Chaos Gods allowed Marius to return to the mortal world unharmed. Afterwards, Marius wrote the Liber Malific to relay his sinister otherworldly journey.[2a]