Book of the Old Times

A leather-bound volume clasped shut with brass hinges, its aged parchment pages yellowed beyond recognition, inscribed with symbols the Doctor dismisses as 'dated rituals' from Rassilon's era. Engin offers this text as proof of the Master's fundamental belief in eternal rule, warning that no Time Lord—especially one of the Master's arrogance—would accept final extinction. The Doctor flips through its brittle folios, his fingers pausing at illuminated marginalia depicting a figure in regal robes clutching a scepter, the sash of Rassilon hovering like a ghost over the regal iconography.

1 appearances

Purpose

To document the outdated political-theological customs of Gallifrey's ancient regime, serving as historical reference for the obsolete symbols of presidential authority such as the Sash of Rassilon and Great Key.

Significance

The text functions as indirect evidence cementing the Doctor's suspicion that Goth’s rise is not a random power grab but part of a calculated scheme rooted in the Master’s obsession with regeneration and eternal dominance, driving the Doctor’s urgency to reclaim Gallifrey’s sacred artifacts before they’re used to accelerate another cycle of tyranny.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

1 moments

S14E12 · The Deadly Assassin Part 4

Doctor uncovers Masters staged death plan

Engin offers the Book of the Old Times as a source of historical context about the Master’s character, framing the discussion around Rassilon’s era and eternal rule. The Doctor dismisses its contents as mere ritual but flips through its brittle pages, pausing at an illustration symbolizing the interplay between power and death.

Before: Leather-bound volume closed with brass hinges, stored among ancillary texts in the Records Room

After: Crumbling pages exposed as the Doctor flips through them, the marginalia of a regal figure with the Sash of Rassilon prominently featured

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