Bound to Burn (The Cursed Grimoire #1)
Chapter 1
THE RISE OF THE ARCHWEAVER: AN EXCERPT FROM THE CHRONICLES OF ALVIUS ANDROCLARIA
There are no gods, only magic.
The priesthood lied. The magical thread found within a mage’s soul was not an arachnid goddess’ gift from her silken web.
No divine helpers tended to the magical threads.
No goddess mended the Tapestry after careless wielding of power caused destruction.
The most beloved priests were in fact abominations, their souls forming knots and snags that threatened the Tapestry’s structure. Our founding doctrines are lies.
Magic is in peril.
For the good of all, Alvius Androclaria plucked his Soul Thread from his family’s line and wove it directly to the Tapestry. He returned to his body no longer a mage, but the Archweaver. He preached the Truth to his faithful followers and they purged the conniving priesthood.
From the ashes rose the Astrum Order. The old religious superstitions were replaced by an enlightened order of weavers, scholars and stewards of the Tapestry, dividing themselves into four domains. Their leaders formed the Council of Weavers to serve the Archweaver’s will.
Archweaver Alvius Androclaria named his successor, the mortal vessel through which his Soul Thread would be preserved and passed on to posterity: the Archweaver Heir.
The sacred rules of magic were bequeathed upon the Order:
No weaver may curse another, for it is an attack on the soul. Corruption will take root within the magic thread and risk damaging the Great Tapestry.
The Great Tapestry of Magic must be protected at all costs. Weavers that are corrupted, abominations, or deviants must be purged for the greater good.
Only the Archweaver and their decreed Heir are exempt from such rules, their connection to the Tapestry infallible, so they can rule over all.
The Archweaver, the Archweaver Heir, and the Council of Weavers shall henceforth take control of magic. They shall guide those lesser, keep the humans from harm, and ensure at all costs that the Tapestry remains inviolate.