It is said to have been written by Demonspittle the Eternal, a legendary lich who sought to shroud a world in perpetual darkness. The Grimoire appears to have once contained many spells, but only one remains to function as a spell scroll...
Maddening Darkness
8th-level evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 150 feet
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Magical darkness spreads from a point you choose within range to fill a 60-foot-radius sphere until the spell ends. The darkness spreads around corners. A creature with darkvision can't see through this darkness. Nonmagical light, as well as light created by spells of 8th level or lower, can't illuminate the area. Shrieks, gibbering, and mad laughter can be heard within the sphere. Whenever a creature starts its turn in the sphere, it must make a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw, taking 8d8 psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
When using a spell scroll, the spell must be on a caster's class spell list to use as an action (no need to provide any spell's components). Otherwise, the scroll is unintelligible.
If the spell is on a character's class spell list but of a higher level than can normally be cast, the character must make an ability check using the usual class-related spellcasting ability (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma) to determine whether it is cast successfully. The DC equals 10 + spell's level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other effect.
REQUIRED SPELLCASTING ABILITY CHECK
* Cantrip (Common) ... DC 10
* 1st Level Spell (Common) ... DC 11
* 2nd Level Spell (Uncommon) ... DC 12
* 3rd Level Spell (Uncommon) ... DC 13
* 4th Level Spell (Rare) ... DC 14
* 5th Level Spell (Rare) ... DC 15
* 6th Level Spell (Very rare) ... DC 16
* 7th Level Spell (Very rare) ... DC 17
* 8th Level Spell (Very rare) ... DC 18
* 9th Level Spell (Legendary) ... DC 19
Once the spell is cast, the words on the scroll fade, and those pages within the book fall out as dust.