It is a dusty rune. That should have been their first clue that it was dangerous.
Codex
Codex introduction
An odd glyph among those dusty runes on the cover; to anyone untrained in the arts, it simply issues a commanding impulse to return the book to where it was found. Those who fail to do so are treated as rival spellcasters, as detailed below; the original wardmaker operated on the paranoid assumption that a noncaster with a strong enough will to overcome his compulsion must be working for a rival wizard.
To one of the magical arts or of exceptional willpower, the glyph is much more dangerous. Any such individual that the original owner of the book did not name as being allowed to handle the book will suffer an excruciatingly painful shock, and if they do not drop the book as a result, the glyph is enchanted to select the single most powerful spell that won’t damage the book and cast it against the offending individual.
Scrolls
Twists, chapters, and details meant to stream with the submission — not general discussion.
No scrolls yet — leave one if you have a twist worth keeping.
Sign in to plant an idea scroll.
Award XP
Enjoyed this? Sign in to thank Kassil with blade clashes — 5 XP each, up to 25.
5 10 15 20 25Sign in to award XP.
Discussion
Reader talk, questions, and feedback — not scrolls.
No comments yet — be the first voice in the hall.
Sign in to join the discussion.
Other takes
No other takes yet — the best compliment on the Citadel is a Retelling.
Bonds
Outbound links for this Codex live in the gathered list above. Bind as Codex to add another piece to the shelf. Kindred Favors gather here too.
No bonds yet.
The must-have gift for the mage/witch who keeps on having his/her book read.
pretty standard trap/ward.
Just the thing to annoy that one mage that thinks he's better than everyone
O.o
Update: Updated Freetext