It is known in some academic circles that a strange and unique tome exists among the list of odd metaphysical reference material that is currently available today. It should be said that it is not a single volume, but two books. One which contains a translation of an older, apparently nonexistent tome and the other, which is a key for deciphering the first. The translated material, which is encrypted and requires the key to be of any use, seems to be a grimoire or book of shadows. Only one copy of the original existed and has been destroyed or otherwise lost to the ages. Speculation that the original text was the spellbook of an ancient Russian sorcerer is widespread when researching the rumors that surround this set of books. It is unknown who performed the translation and subsequent encrypting of the original tome. However, due to particular phrasing in Old East Slavic and its apparent translation into a more modern Russian dialect, some have suggested the translator be of Russian ancestry. Whoever did this translation obviously had a copy of the original volume. Still, the original has never surfaced on the standard or black markets. There are some wild tales about the origin of the book; however, these claims have never been fully substantiated. At the moment, there is no physical evidence that these claims are fact. The mystery surrounding the book's origin and the unknown translator are trivial in comparison to the absurd notions that comprise the actual content of this archaic mystical tome. Read more...