"The reason that Kadon succeeded in binding monsters where other mages failed was a simple one: rather than attempting to suppress his catspaw's primal instincts, Kadon embraced it. Kadon's scrolls of binding therefore stand in testament to an uncomfortable truth: that a primitive mind might work wonders where the careful reasoning of a more sophisticated one would surely fail. This thought is uncomfortable for any Elf to entertain but, if Ulthuan is to endure, its loremasters can no longer underestimate the magic of Humans simply because the Humans themselves are inferior."
A Scroll of Binding is a magic item that can be employed by a wizard to summon and control monsters and other savage creatures broken previously by the wizard. These scrolls are incredibly powerful, but the magics recorded within them that are used to bind these creatures are incredibly rare and difficult to duplicate.[1a]
Each scroll was crafted with a particular beast in mind, and cannot be used to control different kinds of creatures. It is unknown whether this is a constraint of design, or is simply because the magic involved in their scribing is too fickle.[1b]
Even with their limitations, Scrolls of Binding are prized throughout the many realms of the mortal world. They are a vanishing resource, for their creator, the greatest of all Human wizards, Kadon the Shackler, has been presumed dead for many thousands of years, and no wizard since, even among the High Elves, has quite managed to equal his aptitude at this branch of magic.[1b]
Almost all of the Scrolls of Binding created by Kadon had already been retrieved and depleted by the time of the War of Beasts, particularly by the wizards of the Tilean city-state of Vedenza, including Orsini Sardus and the Arabyan Court Alchemist Tazadis.[2a]
By harnessing the eldritch powers contained within a ruined statue -- built long ago in tribute to an ancient bestial god -- a wizard could utter the words from a Scroll of Binding to summon packs of hideous monsters. Unless the statue was destroyed, the enemy army confronting the wizard would soon find itself overwhelmed by an ever-growing tide of savage beasts.[1c]
Binding Razorgors[]
Thick-skinned and pig-headed, Razorgors are not exactly intelligent, however; their low cunning and brute strength makes them an invaluable addition to any army seeking some raw, if fouly mutated, muscle. Their dim wit makes them ideal candidates to be enslaved by a Scroll of Binding, and a wizard who achieves this certainly gains a physical advantage in any forthcoming battle.[1d]
Binding Cold Ones[]
Cold Ones can be broken to the saddle, and are used as cavalry mounts by both the Dark Elves and Lizardmen. However, breaking them in this way tempers their normally savage nature, and although still ferocious compared to most mounts, it leaves them dull-eyed and sullen compared to their wild cousins.[1e]
For this reason, wizards will sometimes bind pocks of feral Cold Ones to their will with a Scroll of Binding, and then unleash them at the start of a battle to surge uncontrollably forward and savagely attack the foe. Used in this way, a large pack of Cold Ones can inflict terrible harm, while smaller packs are ideal for snapping and biting at the flanks of the opposing army.[1e]