Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan

"I have often heard that it is not man who pursues knowledge, but knowledge that pursues man. Yet I know this to be false. Knowledge does not pursue man; it hunts him down. Its pursuit is deep and devoid of emotion, like a hawk or hound chasing a rabbit."

--Hsan theGreater, 2nd Century AD

The author of this book is the ancient Chinese philosopher Hsan theGreater. This book was written around the 2nd century AD and is said to have originally been titled "The Seven Secret Teachings of the Earth." However, the original text has been lost without a trace, and only this faithful and detailed Chinese manuscript is known. The oldest version is divided into seven volumes, each equivalent to a chapter, with different content and themes. Each volume contains one or more incantations.

Volume 1: On the achievements of the Yellow Emperor, his astonishing inventions, and medical skills

Incantation: Resurrection of the Dead (i.e., "Resurrection of the Dead")

Volume 2: Ritualistic Cannibalism and Ghoul Beliefs

Incantation: Contact Ghoul

"These creatures cannot be called fully human, yet in many respects they are akin to man. They walk erect on two legs, with their bodies leaning forward, resembling a pack of dogs; their skin, like rubber, is repulsive to the eye."

--H.P. Lovecraft, "Pickman's Model"

Ghouls are humanoid monsters with elastic, rubber-like skin. They have hoof-like feet, dog-like faces, sharp claws, and speak in a rapid, crying voice. Because they often feed in graves, their bodies are usually covered in fungi that grow in graveyards. The ghouls depicted by Lovecraft are terrifying creatures living in the underground tunnel networks of various cities; they make pacts with witches and sometimes attack humans. After a long time, humans may transform into ghouls.

Volume 3: Celestial Ghouls

Incantation: Summon/Control Byakhee (i.e., "Summon/Control Byakhee")

"There, beating rhythmically, was a pack of trained, hybrid winged things... something utterly unlike anything that might be compared to a crow, a mole, a vulture, an ant, or a rotten human corpse—I cannot recall, and absolutely will not recall."

--H.P. Lovecraft, "The Festival"

This interstellar race, which usually serves the "Nameless Hastur," has bodies made of ordinary matter, and ordinary weapons like handguns can inflict normal damage. Byakhee can fly in outer space, and each can carry one person. Those who ride them must use appropriate incantations or ** to resist the vacuum and cold of space. Byakhee have no bases on Earth; they generally only appear when summoned for a mission or used as mounts. [1]

In combat, Byakhee attack with both claws simultaneously (two attacks per round) or bite the enemy. After a "bite" hits, it begins to drain blood from the victim. Starting from the round it bites (including the initial bite), Byakhee drains 1d6 Strength points from the victim each round until the victim dies. Given the nature of Byakhee, it will not let go until the victim dies or is completely drained of blood.

Victims who miraculously survive can recover Strength at a rate of 1d3 points per day with careful nursing and blood transfusions.

Volume 4: Earth Ghouls and Their Relationship with Earthquakes

Incantation: Contact Shambler (i.e., "Contact Shambler")

"A mass of writhing tentacles, attached to that soft, grayish-black sac-like body... Aside from the mass of tentacles that writhed and groped about, it had no other discernible features. No, it had—yes, there was a bulge at the front of the thing... it was a receptacle for its brain, or nerve center, or whatever morbid organ governed this hideous, nauseating creature."

--Brian Lumley, "The Burrower Beneath"

Introduction

These creatures are like giant squids living in the earth.

Their long, worm-like bodies are always covered in slime, and a sound resembling chanting always accompanies these creatures.

These powerful diggers can live for a thousand years and carefully protect their offspring. Shamblers have many unusual abilities that are unlike any other creature on this planet. The most important among them is the great Shudde M'ell (one of the Great Old Ones).

Shamblers in any stage of growth can communicate telepathically, allowing them to connect with any individual of their kind, sensing thoughts regardless of their location. However, only adult Shamblers can telepathically control creatures of other races.

Volume 5: Deep Ones of the South China Sea Coast and their Human Followers; Time and Space; Hounds of Tindalos and Liaodan

Incantation: Contact Hounds of Tindalos

"'They are lean and hungry!' he shrieked... 'All the evil in the universe is concentrated in their lean, hungry bodies. For that matter, do they have bodies—I only saw them for an instant; I cannot be sure.'"

--F. Belknap Long, "Hounds of Tindalos"

Hounds of Tindalos inhabit Earth in primordial times, an era before life had evolved, even before single-celled organisms existed. They dwell in the "angles" of time, as opposed to "curves" (understand "angles" and "curves" literally. The space-time in which humans live is "curved," while theirs is "angled"; simply put, they exist in different dimensions). Unlike their ancestors (i.e., ordinary creatures including humans), this concept is difficult to grasp and applies only to Hounds of Tindalos. They hunt ordinary creatures like humans and pursue their sacrifices across space and time. They are immortal.

The appearance of these creatures is unknown, and no one who has encountered them has survived. Hounds of Tindalos are actually very different from "hounds," but they have always been referred to as "hounds" in stories. Due to their relationship with "angled" space-time, they can only materialize in places with "angles" (less than 120 degrees), such as room corners. In a typical house, the walls form angles of about 90 degrees. When Hounds of Tindalos appear, smoke first emerges from the corner of the room, followed by the head of a hound, and then its entire body.

Volume 6: The Cold Plains of Central Asia and the Unknown Kadath

Incantation: Gate of Kadath (i.e., "Gate of Kadath")

"Ho! Hastur! Let us go! Send the gods of the earth back to the secret realms of Kadath, whence they so often come, and pray that I meet not my other thousand forms. Farewell, Randolph Carter, and beware; for I am Nyarlathotep, I am the Crawling Chaos."

Volume 7: Nyarlathotep and His Numerous Forms; The Rising of R'lyeh and the Return of Cthulhu; Azathoth, the Beginning and the End; The Ideal Forms of Gods and Creatures—A Hierarchical Sequence Arranging Various Divine Beings and Creatures in a Bureaucratic System

Incantation: Contact Nyarlathotep

From: Dragon Sky

Original: ./