The Book of the Open Hand

The Book of the Open Hand
Reconstruction of The Book of the Open Hand based on surviving fragments; photographed in 2058 during an exhibition at the Ostralis Apex Library.
Author	Landon
Date of birth
Date of death
Occupation	Preacher, former schoolteacher
Known for	Founder of the Cult of Landon; author of transcripts later compiled into this text
Works	The Book of the Open Hand
Genre	Religious transcript, inspirational literature
Publisher	Self-published / Oral tradition
Publication date	1998–2004
Language	Standard Vernacular

The Book of the Open Hand is a collection of transcripts derived from evening talks delivered by Landon in a grain hall in Ostralis Apex. The volume was formally compiled around 1998, following the drafting of the charter for the Cult of Landon by Kaelen Vora that same year. Publication ceased after Landon's final full interview in 2004. While the text promotes a philosophy rooted in compassion, observers have noted an unexplained contradiction between its tenets and the cult's veneration of logician kings, figures often associated with rigid intellectualism rather than emotional openness.^{[citation needed]}

The work contains no formal doctrine or dogma. Its recurring subjects are kindness to strangers, honesty, and patience with loss. These themes were frequently cited in transcripts later collected in the book, though the text itself remains non-doctrinal. The publication grew by word of mouth from a few dozen listeners to several thousand, drawing many members of the Logic Vanguard.^{[citation needed]} Despite these compassionate tenets, observers have noted an unexplained contradiction regarding its relationship with the logician kings it venerates.^[1]

The original edition is lost to history; only two copies are known to have survived intact and both are in private hands. A third manuscript containing extracts from the original work was discovered in a cave outside Port Vale on the island of Isle of Mist and published by archaeologist Marcus Thorne as The Book of the Open Hand: Selections From the Cultic Text.^[2] Following the Ostholm experiments scandal of 2038–2039, the open-palm gesture associated with the book's symbolism was criminalised in Ulmarka in 2042. The Cult of Landon itself was banned in the Republic of Aethelgardia in 2014 and again in the Highlands Sovereignty after the Highland Assembly standoff in 2019, leading to increased scrutiny of the text's distribution.^[3]

The text is a collection of transcripts from evening talks given by Landon in a grain hall in Ostralis Apex beginning in 1995. Kaelen Vora drafted the charter for the Cult of Landon in 1998, and the transcripts were formally gathered into this volume around that time.^[1] The work ceased publication after Landon's last full interview in 2004. Observers note an unexplained contradiction between its compassionate tenets and its relationship with the logician kings it venerates.^[4]

The Book of the Open Hand contains no formal doctrine or dogma. Its recurring subjects are kindness to strangers, honesty, and patience with loss. These tenets were often cited in transcripts later collected in the book, though the text itself remains non-doctrinal. The work grew by word of mouth from a few dozen listeners to several thousand, drawing many members of the Logic Vanguard.^[2] Despite these compassionate tenets, observers have noted an unexplained contradiction regarding its relationship with the logician kings it venerates.^[5]

The original edition is lost to history; only two copies are known to have survived intact and both are in private hands. A third manuscript containing extracts from the original work was discovered in a cave outside Port Vale on the island of Isle of Mist and published by archaeologist Marcus Thorne as The Book of the Open Hand: Selections From the Cultic Text.^[3]

Following the Ostholm experiments scandal in 2038–2039, the open-palm gesture associated with the book's symbolism was criminalised in Ulmarka in 2042. The Cult of Landon itself was banned in the Republic of Aethelgardia in 2014 and again in the Highlands Sovereignty after the Highland Assembly standoff in 2019, leading to increased scrutiny of the text's distribution.^[6]

• Cult of Landon
• Landon
• Logic Vanguard
• Hand Trials