Chapter 1: What Is an Aberration?

Illus. by C. Lukacs

o single common characteristic easily distinguishes an aberration from any other sort of creature, or signals a kinship to creatures of this type. Some are intelligent, some are not; some are humanoid in shape, some are not; some possess innate magical powers, and some do not. This book is chiefl y concerned with those aberrations that pose a pervasive and signifi cant threat to humankind. While a creature such as a carrion crawler is certainly a dangerous monster, it lacks the intelligence to entertain dark schemes against the creatures of the world above. It is simply an unreasoning beast, albeit an unusually bizarre and alien one. Creatures such as aboleths, beholders, and mind fl ayers are far more signifi cant because they represent entire societies of unhuman and amoral intelligences that regard humans and humanoids as potential slaves at best, or, more likely, bleating cattle awaiting slaughter. These intelligent, evil aberrations do share some common characteristics, even if they are not remotely related to one another.

THE CODEX ANATHEM A

Over a thousand years ago, the wizard known as Iphegor of the Ebon Mirror composed a terrible book, the Codex Anathema. A student of distant places, times, and planes, Iphegor plumbed the depths of space and reality with the aid of the Ebon Mirror, a powerful artifact that allowed him to see into strange and terrible places indeed. The Codex Anathema records the frightful visions he observed in the Ebon Mirror, along with rambling essays in which Iphegor describes his own fi ndings and conclusions about matters no sane being should dwell on for long. The Codex includes accounts of astral voyages into the dim antediluvian eons when aboleths ruled over the world, frenetic narratives about passages into the depths of the Far Realm, and dialogues with illithid sages and tsochari imposters. Studies and observations about creatures such as beholders, chuuls, psurlons, and beings clearly originating outside of nature comprise a large part of the Codex. Overall, the book is poorly organized, consisting of a haphazard collection of essays, narratives, notes, and odd arcane formulae jotted down in whatever order Iphegor happened to think of them. No one knows Iphegor’s fi nal fate, but it is said that the Ebon Mirror still exists, buried in some dreadful dungeon. To stare into its depths is to risk life and sanity—yet secrets of untold power might lie within its starry void.