The Occult Must Be Sinister

What matters most in the occult?

Naturally, secrecy.

Secrecy itself is power. The fewer people who know you, the stronger you become.

To keep others from understanding them, the Winterhold mages of the North write their secrets only in runes.

To keep others from understanding them, the dragons in the sky speak only in the dragon tongue.

To keep others from knowing about them, the vampires in the cities go out only at night.

To preserve their mystique, the archdruids of the forest spend every day as animals, never living in human form.

But everything changed when Gru came here.

"This is a world without magic. A bunch of occult enthusiasts are always spouting nonsense and keeping up those ridiculous traditions. Ask them to show off their power, and they all go quiet."

"Let's show them what real power looks like!"

Before long, the world began to take a strange turn.

Monstrous creatures appeared, the indescribable offspring of evil gods prowled in the dark, mad faiths spread, and twisted whispers echoed across the land.

The times had changed.

The machines of industry crushed secular kings and nobles. The evil gods of industry crushed the traditions and secrecy of the occult.

The wheel of history rolled on. When people looked up in despair, they realized that someone was actually driving this enormous machine.

"What age are we in? And you're still practicing traditional occultism?"

(The author has two completed works of two million words each, both highly rated, with no record of abandoning a story. Read with confidence.)

(This book was written entirely by hand using traditional methods, with no AI.)

(AI couldn't write a book this wicked.)