The Book of the Machine

The Book

THE BOOK OF THE MACHINE — in English, translated from the Atlantean version by Jamyang Tsering, c.1939.

Who originally wrote the book is unclear from Tsering Lama’s translation, nor is how he came to possess a copy. Written in a style not dissimilar to the Black Stone of Saïs, the manuscript relates the story of the five pieces of a fabulous machine broken up and hidden by the survivors of Atlantis. Although it does not claim to know where the pieces are, the function of each individual component is listed although, somewhat irritatingly, the author omits any description of what the parts actually look like (other than to say they are made of “astounding” crystals, glass, and precious metals).

Tsering Lama

The first chapter of the book consists of a slightly lurid retelling of the destruction of Atlantis, including many of the elements reworked over time by the likes of Plato, the Theosophists, and Cayce, as well as introducing the presence of the great worm, Shudde M’ell. There is also speculation that removing “the machine” helped bring about the catastrophe in the first place.

Then there are five very short chapters, each of which describes a different segment, giving its name and what its role in the machine was.

• Chapter 2 deals with the Aten Life Giver, the machine’s central power source
  


• Chapter 3 describes the Clypeus as tasked with providing a shield of protection for the doomed city.


• The offensive protection provided by the Agneya Weapon of Flame is covered by Chapter 4


• The visual and auditory monitoring capabilities of the Cup of Yima form Chapter 5.


• Chapter 6 waxes lyrical about the time-keeping capabilities of the remaining fragment: the Mitawi (Viracocha’s Mirror).

Sanity loss 0/1D4 (thanks to a rather graphic description of Shudde M’ell). Cthulhu Mythos +1 percentile (Skim)/5 percentiles (full study), Folklore +10 percentiles, Occult +5 percentiles; average ten days to read fully/3 hours to skim (due to the flowery style). No spells.