Nagash with one of his nine books
The Nine Books of Nagash are nine massive tomes that record the secret spells of Nagash, the first and greatest of all the Necromancers. Each book contains the secret to one of Nagash's necromantic spells.[1a]
Overview
When Nagash began to experiment with Necromancy, he combined his mastery of Dark Magic with his knowledge of death from the Mortuary Cult. He committed his findings into nine accursed tomes -- the Books of Nagash -- the most powerful source of nercomantic magic in the world.[2a]
Long after his defeat by the Army of Seven Kings, one of Nagash's books was stolen from the Black Pyramid by the lords of Lahmia, and over the course of centuries they secretly became adept practitioners of necromancy. This would culminate with the queen of Lahmia, Neferata, utilizing such knowledge to recreate the Elixir of Life in a corrupted form, giving birth to the first Vampires.[2b]