As mentioned in Chapter Four: Past, Present and Future, some of the works of Roger Bacon were lost during the Rosicrucian Purge. They were not all destroyed, however, and one, known as the Opus
Maximum, has survived to the present day. Rumors of
its whereabouts and contents circulate within the Covenant, and occasionally there is information of a slightly more concrete nature.
Preparation: The Cast Members should hear
about the Opus Maximum some time before the Chronicler plans to run the Story, so that it does not seem to have been made up for a single session. Some possible rumors follow.
The Opus Maximum contained the greatest of Bacon’s Invocations. One of these would call back the dead from the Otherworlds, create a new body for them, and restore them to life. Another could create living beings from nothing.
The Opus Maximum was inspired by demons. It is bound in human skin and its ink is made from the tears of innocents mixed with the ashes of their bones. Some say it corrupts any who read it, others that it allows the reader to control and destroy the Fallen Seraphim.
The Opus Maximum was left in the library of a monastery in the Alps and stolen during the seven- teenth century. It has occasionally surfaced in the book trade, but has always been lost, stolen, or sold just before a member of the Brotherhood could get to it.
The Opus Maximum was Bacon’s way of referring to his life. There is no book at all.
Background: The Opus Maximum does exist, but it
is not a book. It is Bacon’s greatest work: one of the Seraphim bound into a bronze head and required to
answer questions and otherwise assist the head’s owner. The Seraph in question never liked the Gifted in the first place, and seven hundred years bound into a piece of metal has not improved his temper at all. Thus, he is unpleasant, arrogant, and insulting. The binding is still in effect, however, as is his essential nature as a Seraph—he has not Fallen. Thus, he is compelled to answer questions, and he always does so honestly and helpfully. His ability to use other powers is severely limited by the binding—he can heal anyone touching the head, restore their mental balance, and break any malign magics upon them. He can also transport the head and its owner anywhere on earth, although not to the Otherworlds. The head is almost impossible to dam- age, and even that does not break the binding. At this point, freeing the Seraph bound there would be very unwise, as he has a grudge against all Rosicrucians.
Hook: One of the Cast Members is looking up
some piece of information in the Shrine’s library. She is looking in an old book, covered in dust, which clearly has not been touched for years. It falls open because someone left an unfinished letter between the pages. The letter is dated 1786, and says that the writer has found a description of Roger Bacon’s “greatest work” (opus maximum), and now knows where it is. The details, he says, are in a fourteenth century account book, which is currently in the library of Sir Samuel Hartshorne.
The book can be as easy or difficult to find as desired. Sir Samuel’s library was sold upon his death, so the book is currently in the Reiner Susskind Memorial Library in Philadelphia. It may have gone there directly, or the characters may have to trace it through the book trade for several steps, coming up with plausible reasons why they should be allowed to look at the records. If the book was sold recently, it would have fetched around $30,000, so people would expect anyone looking for it to have a good reason.
RSML: The Reiner Susskind Memorial Library is
a private institution, open only by appointment. Getting an appointment is not simply a matter of call- ing and asking. Jonathan Hartry, the librarian, does not like people looking at his books, because they might cause damage. However, the terms of the trust that funds the library require him to allow access to people who can show that they have a genuine
research interest. If, by some strange quirk, one of the Cast Members is a noted medieval historian, this is easy—she just get references from her contacts and Mr. Hartry may even be quite friendly. Otherwise, things are much harder.
Mr. Hartry is not going to accept a story about looking for lost treasures of any sort, and flatly refus- es permission to such people. Serious academic research on the middle ages, probably socioeconom- ic, is needed, and the characters need to be able to bluff. Given the standard background of Rosicrucian characters, it is likely that at least one person has some sort of contact with an academic in the field, even if it is merely someone who taught them. Otherwise, they have to work through their contacts in the Covenant, which means telling other people what they are up to, or coming up with a good cover story. Fortunately, leads to the Opus Maximum are so common, and so commonly false, that they will be allowed to get on with it—for now.
The Cast could also try breaking into the library or magically intimidating Mr. Hartry. If they do break in, they have trouble finding the book in question: the cataloguing system is unique to the Susskind library and not terribly clear. The place is also well secured, and the police turn up quickly, as there are a number of very valuable books on the premises. Mr. Hartry is not easy to intimidate (Willpower 4), nor is he easy to
bluff. He requires letters of reference to be on headed paper and posted direct to him from the relevant uni- versities, and if the characters make him suspicious (by not knowing anything about medieval history, for example) he calls the numbers to check with the ref- erees. If the characters are fake, he calls the police.
Assuming the characters do get the book, it is writ- ten in Latin with Gothic script, so it is not easy to read. Providing they have some time, they can figure it out, but not if they are rushing because the police are on the way. The accounts are for Sir William Percy and concern his castle in the north of England. The relevant entry is under 1386, saying “12 shillings for walling up the greatest work of Master Roger Bacon, thick enough so that it cannot speak to us nor upbraid us.” This is a clear reference to the Opus
Maximum, but is likely to confuse people who think
it is a book.
The Percy Castle: The Percy Castle is easy to find
and get into, as it is owned by the National Trust and is open to the public (admission £5 for adults, free for National Trust members). The National Trust does not, however, let people knock down walls in the cas- tle to look for hidden treasure. The Cast Members might come up with an absolutely brilliant scheme and somehow get permission, but it would have to be really impressive to be allowed.
Most likely, they have to use stealth to sneak in. The castle is well secured, with alarms and patrols. This is England, so the security guards do not carry guns. On the other hand, this is England, so any use of guns will bring the Armed Response Unit—effec- tively the SWAT team.
The account book does not mention where the head was walled up, but it can be worked out. The area must have been built in the late fourteenth century, and not substantially altered since. This limits the search to two towers, at opposite ends of the castle. If the Cast Members get near the relevant wall, they are able to sense the magic. The head is in the north tower, walled in above a garderobe, which was itself bricked up in the late fifteenth century.
The final complication is that the garderobe was bricked up because it is haunted. The ghost has long since gone insane and destructive, as anyone would if locked in the toilet for five hundred years.
Aftermath: If the characters recover the head and
make it out of the castle, they have a very useful item, even if it is constantly rude to them. If they let any- one else know that they have it, senior members of the Covenant are keen to take it from them, so that it can be properly looked after. Also, the Inquisition wants to examine it to make sure that it does not con- tain a demon. The Cast Members can, of course, try to keep it secret, but that proves very difficult.