Forbidden Knowledge

“Some Truths Destroy Those Who Learn Them”

Overview

Concept: Knowledge considered too dangerous to possess
Sources: Pre-Shattering archives, Rot-touched revelations, ancient texts
Guardians: Archivists (selective), Clergy (protective), Black Sky (hoarding)
Danger: Madness, corruption, catastrophe (historically proven)

Guardians and Restrictions

The Archivists

Role: Preserve knowledge, restrict dangerous texts
Method: Locked vaults, selective access, deliberate obscurity
Philosophy: “Knowledge must survive, but not spread”
Dilemma: Preservation vs. safety (constant tension)

Constellation Clergy

Role: Protect faithful from corruption
Method: Destroy forbidden texts, execute heretics (rarely)
Philosophy: “Some knowledge comes from darkness, not light”
Conflict: Information control vs. freedom

Black Sky Cartel

Role: Hoard forbidden knowledge for profit
Method: Steal, buy, extort (sell to highest bidder)
Philosophy: “Knowledge is power, power is wealth”
Danger: No safety checks (sell to anyone)

Historical Consequences

The Thornspire Incident (278 S.)

Event: Scholar read Rot-touched text, shared findings
Result: Entire settlement vanished (see Lost Locations)
Lesson: Some knowledge corrupts communities, not just individuals

The Blinded Sage (230 S.)

Event: Archivist uncovered Shattering document
Result: Gouged own eyes out, raved for days, died silent
Lesson: Truth itself can be weapon

The Constellation Heresy (195 S.)

Event: Priest discovered “true names,” performed ritual
Result: Sky turned black above temple, priest vanished, lingering curse
Lesson: Divine knowledge invites divine wrath

Current Tensions

Song‘s Desperation: Guild-Master seeking forbidden archives (Nexus obsession)
Vask’s Ambition: Commandant wanting pre-Shattering weapons
Morrigan’s Crisis: Needs divine knowledge to restore communication
Returners’ Goal: Recover all knowledge (regardless of risk)
Cartel’s Market: Selling dangerous texts (profit over safety)

Practical Concerns

Identification: How to know knowledge is forbidden before learning?
Necessity: Sometimes dangerous knowledge is only solution
Trust: Who decides what’s too dangerous? (Authority question)
Loss: Destroying knowledge may doom future generations
Temptation: Forbidden = desirable (human nature)

Specific Forbidden Texts

“The Apogee Working: Complete Ritual”

Origin: Luminar Council document (pre-Shattering) Content: Full instructions for ascension ritual Location: Archivist Forbidden Shelf (locked vault) Access: Council of Keepers only (rarely granted)

Contains: - Precise geometric forms (building requirements) - Incantations (Old Luminar, Star-Script) - Constellation alignment calculations (timing requirements) - Participant requirements (300+ Star-Readers needed) - Power source specifications (unknown energy type) - Warning signs (reality destabilization indicators) - Emergency abort procedures (if ritual goes wrong)

Why Forbidden: - Could enable repeat attempt (second Shattering risk) - Explains what went wrong (might inspire “corrections”) - Returners would kill for this (literally) - Even reading it is dangerous (ideas are contagious)

Brother Caelum’s Note: “I’ve read it. I understand why Shattering happened. I wish I didn’t. The knowledge is burden. The Council was warned. They proceeded anyway. We have same text. Will we repeat their mistake?”

“Controlled Corruption: Research Notes”

Origin: Pre-Shattering experiments (author unknown) Content: Methods for inducing, controlling, weaponizing Rot Location: Archivist Forbidden Shelf Access: Denied (even to Kael Greythorn)

Contains: - Voluntary infection protocols (how to infect safely—allegedly) - Acceleration methods (speed up corruption) - Targeting methods (infect specific individuals) - Consciousness preservation (maintain self during transformation) - Weaponization (spread Rot deliberately)

Why Forbidden: - Could weaponize Rot (biological warfare) - Could create Rot-cult (deliberate spreading) - Suggests pre-Shattering knew about Rot (disturbing implication) - Reading it risks corruption (psychological contamination)

The Question: If pre-Shattering civilization knew about Rot, did they cause it?

“The Serpent’s Truth” (Heretical Theology)

Origin: Pre-Schism Serpent-worshippers (Year 150 S.) Content: Arguments for Serpent worship, forbidden prayers, transformation theology Location: Archivist Forbidden Shelf (Clergy demands destruction) Access: Forbidden (possession is heresy)

Contains: - Serpent’s true nature (transformation deity, not deceiver) - Forbidden prayers (allegedly more effective than orthodox) - Transformation acceptance techniques (embrace corruption) - Evidence of Serpent’s benevolence (historical accounts) - Critique of orthodox theology (compelling arguments)

Why Forbidden: - Challenges orthodox authority (threatens Clergy power) - Converts readers (arguments are persuasive) - Enables Serpent worship (provides rituals, prayers) - Clergy fears it (more than almost anything)

Reality: Serpent-worshippers have copies (underground circulation)

“Weapons of Mass Destruction” (Military Manual)

Origin: Pre-Shattering military (fragmentary) Content: Designs for devastating weapons Location: Multiple copies (Archivists, Black Sky Cartel, possibly others) Access: Highly restricted (death penalty for possession in most settlements)

Contains: - Reality Disruptors (shatter matter at molecular level) - Gravitational Collapse Devices (destroy islands) - Biological weapons (disease, Rot, other) - Energy weapons (unknown power source) - Deployment methods (how to use them)

Why Forbidden: - Could destroy settlements (terrorism risk) - Could cause second Shattering (reality weapons) - Could weaponize Rot (biological warfare) - Possession alone is crime (too dangerous)

The Irony: Commandant Vask seeks these (military advantage) while executing those who possess them

“Reality Manipulation: Advanced Techniques”

Origin: Star-Reader texts (pre-Shattering) Content: Astral Geometry beyond safe limits Location: Archivist Forbidden Shelf (triple-locked) Access: Never granted (too dangerous)

Contains: - Advanced constellation communication (compel divine response) - Reality bending (alter physical laws locally) - Dimensional access (travel between realities) - Time manipulation (slow, stop, reverse time) - Consciousness transfer (move between bodies)

Why Forbidden: - Attempting techniques could cause local Shattering - Might explain original Shattering cause (too tempting not to try) - Requires constellation cooperation (currently unavailable) - Even understanding it is dangerous (ideas corrupt)

Brother Caelum’s Warning: “I’ve read fragments. I understand why Council attempted Apogee Working. The possibilities are intoxicating. The danger is absolute. This text should not exist. But I preserve it anyway. May future generations forgive me.”

Case Studies: Knowledge That Destroyed

The Scholar’s Madness (Year 198 S.)

Event: Scholar read pre-Shattering text on dimensional mathematics

Process: - Week 1: Excitement (breakthrough understanding) - Week 2: Obsession (couldn’t stop thinking about it) - Week 3: Behavioral changes (stopped eating, sleeping) - Week 4: Madness (speaking in tongues, seeing things) - Week 5: Suicide (jumped into Aether, claiming “I understand now”)

Autopsy (Priest Valeria’s predecessor): > “His brain showed no physical damage. But his mind was gone. Whatever he learned, it broke him. The text is dangerous. Not because it’s false. Because it’s true. And truth is more than human minds can bear.”

Text Status: Destroyed (burned immediately)

Legacy: Some knowledge is genuinely dangerous

The Rot-Cult Formation (Year 155 S.)

Event: Group read “The Voice’s Promises” (Rot-touched text)

Process: - Initial reading: Curiosity (academic interest) - Continued study: Conversion (arguments persuasive) - Practical application: Voluntary infection (ritual) - Result: 3 died horribly, 7 transformed, cult formed

Impact: Triggered Great Schism (Serpent worship banned, purges began)

Text Status: Copies exist (underground circulation)

Legacy: Ideas are contagious (reading transforms readers)

The Weapon Incident (Year 223 S.)

Event: Engineer found pre-Shattering weapon schematic

Process: - Built prototype (took 6 months) - Tested it (on uninhabited island) - Result: Island shattered (completely destroyed) - Engineer’s response: Horror (realized what he’d created) - Engineer’s action: Destroyed schematic, destroyed prototype, killed himself

Final Note: > “I built it. It works. It’s too powerful. No one should have this. I’m destroying everything. Including myself. May the constellations forgive me.”

Legacy: Some weapons are too dangerous to exist

The True Name Incident (Year 267 S.)

Event: Priest discovered constellation’s true name (forbidden text)

Process: - Spoke name during prayer (testing if it worked) - Result: Sky turned black above temple (localized phenomenon) - Duration: 3 days (darkness persisted) - Priest: Vanished (never found) - Temple: Cursed (abandoned, no one will enter)

Current Status: Temple still dark (20 years later)

Legacy: Some prayers should never be spoken

The Forbidden Shelf

Contents (Partial List)

47 Texts Total (Archivist inventory):

“The Apogee Working: Complete Ritual”
“Controlled Corruption: Research Notes”
“Weapons of Mass Destruction” (fragmentary)
“The Serpent’s Truth” (heretical theology)
“Reality Manipulation: Advanced Techniques”
“The Voice’s Promises” (Rot-touched revelations)
“True Names of the Divine” (constellation names)
“Dimensional Access Protocols”
“Temporal Manipulation Theory”
“The Beneath: A Study” (Voice Beneath research) 11-47. [Various other dangerous texts]

Security: - Triple-locked vault (physical, magical, divine) - Location known only to Council of Keepers - Armed guard (always present) - Access log (every request recorded) - Denial rate: 95% (only Council members granted access)

The Dilemma: Should these exist at all? - Preserve: Future might need them (knowledge is sacred) - Destroy: Too dangerous to exist (safety is sacred) - Current: Preserve but restrict (compromise satisfies neither)

Access Requests (Year 287 S.)

12 Requests: 10 denied, 2 granted

Denied: - Alchemist Kael (wanted Controlled Corruption notes—too dangerous) - Guild-Master Song (wanted Apogee Working—suspected embezzlement) - Returner cell (wanted Reality Manipulation—would attempt it) - Various scholars (curiosity insufficient justification)

Granted: - Brother Caelum (Council member, researching) - Bishop Vael (Council member, theological study)

The Pattern: Only Council members access (internal knowledge only)

The Black Market

Illegal Circulation

Reality: Forbidden texts circulate underground - Copies made (before originals secured) - Stolen (from archives, occasionally) - Transcribed (from memory, by those who read them) - Sold (Black Sky Cartel, high prices)

Prices (Murky Chasm, Year 287 S.): - Serpent theology: 100-200 Coins (heretical but common) - Rot-touched revelations: 200-300 Coins (dangerous, sought) - Weapon schematics: 500-1000 Coins (extremely illegal) - Reality manipulation: 1000+ Coins (if available—rare)

Buyers: - Cultists (Serpent-worshippers, Rot-touched) - Scholars (forbidden knowledge is still knowledge) - Criminals (weapons, power) - Desperate (seeking solutions orthodox won’t provide)

Sellers: - Black Sky Cartel (primary source) - Corrupt Archivists (rare but happens) - Thieves (steal from archives)

Enforcement: Difficult - Possession is crime (but hard to prove) - Copies proliferate (can’t destroy all) - Demand exists (people want forbidden knowledge) - Supply continues (profitable)

Philosophical Debates

Should Forbidden Knowledge Exist?

Preservationist Position: - All knowledge is sacred (Light constellation teaching) - Can’t judge danger without understanding - Future generations might need it - Destroying knowledge is crime against humanity - Preserve but restrict (current compromise)

Destructionist Position: - Some knowledge is genuinely dangerous (Shattering proves it) - Preserving it risks repeat catastrophe - Safety over knowledge (protect humanity from itself) - Destroy dangerous texts (prevent misuse) - Better ignorant than extinct

Pragmatist Position: - Evaluate case-by-case (some texts safe, some dangerous) - Context matters (who seeks it? Why? For what?) - Knowledge isn’t dangerous (application is) - Restrict access, not existence

No Consensus: Debate ongoing (287 years, no resolution)

Who Decides What’s Forbidden?

Current System: Archivist Council of Keepers + High Constellation Council - Archivists evaluate (scholarly assessment) - Clergy judges (theological assessment) - Joint decision (both must agree to restrict)

Problems: - Authority bias (protect their power) - Incomplete understanding (can’t judge what they don’t fully understand) - Inconsistency (similar texts treated differently) - No appeals (decisions are final)

Alternative Proposals: - Public vote (democratic but dangerous) - Scholar committee (expertise but no accountability) - No restrictions (freedom but chaos) - Destroy everything (safety but ignorance)

Current Status: System persists (flawed but functional)

Is Ignorance Safety?

Arguments For: - Luminar Council had knowledge (caused Shattering) - We have ignorance (survived 287 years) - Correlation suggests: Less knowledge = safer - Practical: Can’t misuse what you don’t know

Arguments Against: - Ignorance prevented cure (Rot spreads, we can’t stop it) - Ignorance prevented prevention (didn’t see Shattering coming) - Ignorance prevents recovery (can’t rebuild what we don’t understand) - Practical: Can’t solve problems without knowledge

The Paradox: Need knowledge to survive, but knowledge might kill us

No Resolution: Both sides have valid points

In-World Documents

Archivist’s Warning Label

FORBIDDEN SHELF - WARNING

The texts beyond this door are dangerous.

Not metaphorically. Not theoretically. Actually dangerous.

Reading them can cause: Madness, corruption, death, catastrophe.

These are not exaggerations. These are documented outcomes.

Access is restricted for your protection and humanity’s survival.

If you have legitimate need (Council-approved research), proceed with extreme caution.

If you’re here out of curiosity, leave. Curiosity killed the scholar. Literally. Multiple times.

If you’re here to steal, understand: The knowledge you steal will destroy you. Not because we’ll punish you (though we will). Because the knowledge itself is poison.

You’ve been warned.

—Archivist Council of Keepers

Scholar’s Final Journal (Before Madness)

Entry 1, Year 198 S.

I’ve been granted access to Forbidden Shelf. I’m researching dimensional mathematics. The Archivists warned me. I’m proceeding anyway.

Entry 7

The mathematics are beautiful. Elegant. Perfect. I’m beginning to understand how reality bends.

Entry 14

I can’t stop thinking about it. The equations. The implications. If this is true, everything we know is wrong.

Entry 21

I’m not sleeping. Don’t need to. The knowledge is more important. I’m so close to understanding.

Entry 28

I understand now. I understand everything. The Shattering. The Aether. The Rot. The Voice. The constellations.

It’s all connected. It’s all one thing. It’s all—

Entry incomplete. Scholar found dead (suicide) Day 35. Jumped into [Aether. Last words: “I understand now. I wish I didn’t.”]

Clergy Condemnation (Official Statement)

REGARDING FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE

The High Constellation Council declares:

Some knowledge comes from darkness, not light. Some truths corrupt rather than illuminate. Some wisdom is folly disguised.

We forbid: - Serpent theology (heresy) - Rot-touched revelations (corruption) - Reality manipulation texts (hubris) - Weapon schematics (violence) - True divine names (blasphemy)

Possession is crime. Study is sin. Dissemination is heresy.

We do not make these restrictions lightly. We do not enjoy censorship. But we must protect humanity from itself.

The Luminar Council had all knowledge. They destroyed the world.

We have partial knowledge. We survive.

Ignorance is not weakness. Ignorance is wisdom. Ignorance is survival.

Obey these restrictions. Or face consequences.

—High Constellation Council, Year 156 S. (reaffirmed Year 287 S.)

Returner’s Argument (Underground Pamphlet)

AGAINST CENSORSHIP

The Clergy says: “Forbidden knowledge is dangerous.”

We say: “All knowledge is dangerous. And necessary.”

The Luminar Council had knowledge. They caused Shattering. True.

But they also had: Medicine (cured disease), communication (connected world), prosperity (fed billions).

We have ignorance. We survive. True.

But we also have: Disease (kills thousands), isolation (fragments humanity), poverty (barely subsist).

The Clergy wants us ignorant. Calls it “safety.” We call it “control.”

They hoard knowledge. They decide what’s dangerous. They protect their authority by keeping us stupid.

We demand access. We demand truth. We demand the right to learn, even if learning is dangerous.

Because ignorance is also dangerous. Ignorance of medicine kills. Ignorance of Rot-cure kills. Ignorance of Shattering-prevention kills.

The Clergy says: “Trust us to decide.”

We say: “We’ll decide for ourselves.”

Free the knowledge. Open the archives. Let humanity choose.

Even if choice is dangerous. Especially if choice is dangerous.

Because freedom includes freedom to fail.

—The Returners, Year 285 S.

Black Sky Cartel Advertisement (Coded)

RARE BOOKS - DISCREET SALES

Collector seeking unusual texts? We acquire.

Specialties: - Historical (pre-Shattering, rare) - Theological (alternative perspectives) - Technical (practical applications) - Restricted (officially unavailable)

Prices: Negotiable (based on rarity, risk)

Discretion: Guaranteed (no records, no questions)

Contact: [Coded location]

“Knowledge is power. Power is expensive. But ignorance costs more.”

[Note: “Rare books” is code for forbidden texts. “Collector” is code for buyer. This is illegal book trade. Authorities know. Can’t stop it.]

Brother Caelum’s Dilemma (Personal Journal)

Entry 89, Year 287 S.

I’ve read the Forbidden Shelf. All 47 texts. I’m Council member. I have access.

I understand why they’re forbidden. The knowledge is dangerous. Genuinely. Provably.

But I also understand why people seek them. The knowledge is valuable. Genuinely. Provably.

Example: “Controlled Corruption” text. Contains methods for weaponizing Rot. Horrifying. Forbidden. Absolutely.

But also contains: Methods for slowing corruption. Consciousness preservation techniques. Understanding Rot’s nature.

Kael Greythorn wants this text. I’ve denied him. He’s developing Compound Theta-7 blind. Succeeding (partially). But slowly.

If I gave him the text, he’d progress faster. Save more lives. Cure more people.

But he’d also have weaponization methods. Could create Rot-plague. Could destroy settlements.

Do I trust him? Yes. Mostly. Probably.

Do I trust everyone who might steal the text from him? No.

So I deny access. People die slower. Kael works blind. Progress is limited.

Is that right? Is that wrong?

I don’t know. I preserve the text. I restrict access. I hope I’m right.

Because if I’m wrong, I’m complicit in deaths. Either from withholding cure, or from enabling weapon.

There’s no good choice. Only least-bad choice.

This is what guardianship means. This is the burden.

Quest Hooks

The Retrieval: Retrieve forbidden text before wrong faction obtains (race against time, moral complexity)
The Decision: Discover forbidden knowledge (destroy, preserve, or use it?)
The Scholar: Protect scholar who learned too much (cure madness, mercy kill, or let them spread knowledge?)
The Infiltration: Infiltrate Black Sky to prevent sale of dangerous information (stop illegal trade)
The Evaluation: Help Archivists evaluate newly discovered text (dangerous or safe? Consequences either way)
The Ritual: Stop Returner from performing forbidden ritual (prevent catastrophe or enable breakthrough?)
The Theft: Someone stole from Forbidden Shelf (recover text, track thief, prevent misuse)
The Temptation: Offered access to forbidden knowledge (accept and risk corruption, or refuse and stay ignorant?)
The Debate: Mediate preservationist vs. destructionist argument (both sides valid)
The Leak: Forbidden text circulating publicly (suppress or let it spread?)
The Cure: Forbidden text contains Rot-cure (use it despite danger, or suppress it for safety?)
The Weapon: Discover someone building forbidden weapon (stop them before completion)
The Truth: Learn Shattering’s true cause from forbidden text (share truth or suppress it?)
The Madness: Scholar going mad from forbidden knowledge (intervention before they harm others)
The Choice: Gain access to Forbidden Shelf (what do you read? What do you do with what you learn?)

Deliberate Ambiguity

Is Knowledge Actually Dangerous?: GM decides - Real threat (Shattering proves it, madness cases verify it) - Authority control (knowledge isn’t dangerous, power is) - Misunderstanding (danger exaggerated to maintain control) - Varies (some texts dangerous, some just inconvenient to authorities)

What Knowledge Exists?: Campaign dependent - Complete Luminar archives intact somewhere (everything is recoverable) - Only fragments remain (incomplete, dangerous to piece together) - Most destroyed (lost forever, few fragments remain) - Varies by text (some complete, some fragmentary)

Should It Be Pursued?: Moral question (no right answer) - Yes (knowledge always valuable, ignorance is death) - No (some doors should stay closed, safety over truth) - Selectively (depends on knowledge, seeker, and context) - Players decide (campaign explores consequences)

The Archivists - Guard forbidden texts
Constellation Clergy - Condemn forbidden knowledge
The Returners - Seek forbidden knowledge
Black Sky Cartel - Sell forbidden texts
Alchemist Kael Greythorn - Denied access
Brother Caelum - Guards Forbidden Shelf
The Apogee Working - Result of forbidden knowledge
Reality Manipulation - Forbidden techniques

“Luminar Council knew everything. That knowledge shattered world. Now we hide what remains, afraid to learn what they knew. Are we cowards? Or survivors? Maybe both.”

“The Rot whispers truths. Beautiful, seductive, damning truths. Those who listen change. Those who embrace it spread the knowledge. We call them monsters. They call us blind.”

“I’ve read the Forbidden Shelf. I understand why it’s forbidden. The knowledge is dangerous. Not because it’s false. Because it’s true. And some truths destroy those who learn them.” — Brother Caelum

“They call it ‘forbidden knowledge.’ I call it ‘inconvenient truth.’ The Clergy forbids what threatens their authority. The Archivists restrict what threatens their control. We seek what they hide. Because truth is worth the risk.” — Returner

“Forbidden knowledge is profitable. Dangerous, illegal, but profitable. I sell it. Buyers know the risks. If they go mad, get corrupted, or cause catastrophe—not my problem. I’m just merchant.” — Vex Shadowhand