Cabals of the Fraternal Order of Wizardry

Transcription

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By Simon Berman and Douglas Seacat
T
he Fraternal Order of Wizardry often requires its members to explore obscure avenues of research in order to
advance the order’s agendas or satisfy its customers. Most commonly the order solves this problem by forming
research circles of interested or qualified members. In other cases these groups arise as a result of contact between
like-minded occultists or through deliberate recruitment. Depending on the nature of their research, these cabals may
eventually become publicly known groups of experts within the order. Several semi-official groups are recognized as
the order’s premier experts in their fields.
Cabals may span generations, developing private initiations and other rites. Membership in one cabal does not
preclude membership in others, and it is quite common for senior magi to participate in a bewildering assortment, to
various degrees of commitment. Larger and more clandestine cabals commonly have several levels of membership.
Those involved in forbidden research customarily adopt an innocuous cover to veil investigation into deeper lore.
Senior members may require signs of commitment before allowing access to incriminating texts or methodology.
Cabals of the Fraternal Order Statistic Blocks
Like the gangs and cults described in
Five Fingers: Port of Deceit, the more
important cabals within the Fraternal
Order have been given statistic blocks
to provide an easy reference for DMs.
For expanded definitions of some of the
following terms see Five Fingers: Port
of Deceit pp. 95–97.
Secrecy: Not all cabals are known to
the general membership of the Fraternal
Order. Even among the secret groups
there are different degrees of obscurity.
None of these cabals are widely known
outside the Fraternal Order. This skill
check applies only when speaking
with a Fraternal Brother. A cabal is
categorized as public, open, or secret.
Organization: This provides a basic
description of how rigid the internal
hierarchy is in a particular cabal. A
cabal’s organization is categorized
as loose, disorganized, moderately
organized, structured, or rigid.
Enforcement: This indicates how
closely the membership is policed to
conform to its rules and internal codes.
This also indicates how likely it is that a
member can violate its rules and remain
a part of the organization. A cabal’s
enforcement is categorized as lax,
sporadic, moderate, harsh, or brutal.
Size: Every cabal is categorized by
the size of its membership. A ring has
2–5 members, a circle 5–10 members,
a coterie 11–15 members, a conclave
16–25 members, and a society 26+
members. The number of members does
not include non-Fraternal Brother allies
or support to which a cabal might have
ready access.
Location/Communications: The term
“scattered” is applied to those cabals
whose membership exists as individuals
in many cities and where meetings
in person are rare. Specific cities are
listed for particular concentrations of
membership, but this does not preclude
members elsewhere. Also listed are
typical methods used for members to
communicate at a distance.
Membership Requirements: Events or
prerequisites required for an applicant
to be accepted as a full member appear
here. Unless noted otherwise, all listed
cabals require a prospective member
to be a Fraternal Brother. Many
cabals employ non-Fraternal Brothers
in secondary capacities, but in most
cases these individuals are considered
ancillary support and not counted as
members.
Leaders/Notable Members: This lists
the cabal’s leader(s), its most important
members, or any other notables, as
applicable.
Operations: This describes a cabal’s
daily operations and general purpose.
Alignment: This applies to the general
methods and goals of the group as
a whole and not the alignment of
individual members, which may vary
considerably.
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Major Cabals
These cabals are considered
major due to their influence, not
specifically because of the size
of their respective memberships.
All these groups have access to
a larger number of non-member
lackeys, guards, contacts,
patrons, and others who support
their work.
Allies of the Archive
The smallest and most elusive of major
cabals, the Allies of the Archive (Allies)
are committed Thamarites whose
loyalties to their goddess supersede
their oaths to the order. Based in Ceryl,
the Allies are the wizards most trusted
by the Infernal Archive Thamarite
sept (see IKCG, p. 220). This sept has
access to the most exhaustive library of
evil rituals and infernal summonings in
western Immoren and actively tempts
arcanists into infernalism to observe the
consequences.
The Allies consider it their sacred
duty to aid the Infernal Archive in
its collection of blasphemous tomes.
They have been known to pilfer books
of note from the Fraternal Order’s
libraries, even from the Anthaneum
itself. The Allies can spend years
creating convincing forgeries to leave
in place of the volumes they steal.
Several members of the Allies also claim
membership among the Progenisists.
The deceptive skills of the cabal’s
members are not confined to forgery,
and in the course of their pursuits they
have successfully infiltrated their rivals,
the Keepers of the Gate. In recent years
the Keepers have found their efforts
mysteriously thwarted by the Allies, but
to date they have assumed their enemies
are simply using infernal methods to
stay a step ahead.
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Allies of the Archive
Secrecy: Secret (Gather Information
DC 30 followed by persuasion or
threats as reflected in a successful
Diplomacy or Intimidate check
[DC30] to get the contact to talk.
Some potential contacts of this group
are under geas and are literally
incapable of divulging information);
Organization: Rigid; Enforcement:
Brutal; Size: Ring (~5) for the
core group, Circle (~10) of lesser
probationary members; Location/
Communication: Ceryl, but
several members and probationary
members travel frequently abroad;
Operations: Assisting the Infernal
Archive, theft of infernal tomes from
the Anthaneum and the Fraternal
Order at large, thwarting the Keepers
of the Gate; Alignment: Lawful
Evil; Membership Requirements:
Membership Approval (infernalist or
Thamarite with patronage of Scion
Ekris ); Patron (existing member);
Leaders/Notable Members: High
Magus Camden Hurst (male
Midlunder wiz14/Inf3), one of
Ceryl’s six high magi.
Arcanodynamic
Studies Circle
This group of enthusiastic researchers
is one of the order’s largest and least
clandestine cabals. Led by Berck’s High
Magus Gozca Lazco, the members
of the Arcanodynamic Studies Circle
(ASC) are primarily concerned with
research into the theoretical side of
the arcane. Most of the ASC’s ranking
members are skilled evokers, but they
spend their time devoted to pure study
and rarely have call to unleash their
powers.
Advanced inquiry into the fundamental
forces of the arcane grants insight
into the unbelievably powerful forces
that are tapped with every attempt by
a wizard to craft tangible spells with
his will. Members of the ASC publish
information freely amongst themselves,
and even with other order wizards,
although their jargon is highly technical
and confusing even to fellow arcanists.
Most wizards are more comfortable
with terms like “arcane conflagration”
than “exothermic reaction.”
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Recently, the ASC has become
fascinated by the concept of geomancy:
the study of the latent energies that
suffuse Caen itself. Research in this
subject has indicated the druids
commonly referred to as “blackclads”
might have a crude understanding of
these concepts, and rumors suggest
successful advances have also been
made by affiliates of the Cult of Cyriss.
Members of the ASC in Caspia have
requested grant support from the
Fraternal Order’s treasury to capture
and study druids in the Thornwood
and to interview Cyriss cultists. As
yet these requests have been met with
disapproving silence from the High
Magi, but members may take it upon
themselves to privately fund such work.
Arcanodynamics Studies Circle
Secrecy: Public (Gather Information
DC 11); Organization: Disorganized;
Enforcement: Lax; Size: Society
(~40); Location/Communications:
Scattered/Written communication
and several widely read journals,
published openly and rarely using
codes or hidden text; Operations:
Study of theoretical arcane principles
regarding the transference of
energies. Some practical application;
Alignment: Neutral; Membership
Requirements: Membership Approval
(evoker; useful skills such as access
to rare texts referring to pure magical
theories), Patron (existing member);
Leaders/Notable Members: High
Magus Gozca Lazco (male Tordoran
Evo15), de facto leader, although the
ASC has a very loose hierarchy and
few internal regulations.
Cortex Fabrication
Standards Committee
Based in the Stronghold in Ceryl,
the Cortex Fabrication Standards
Committee (CFSC) lays down the
rigid guidelines used in the order’s
production of steamjack cortexes.
Members of the committee are also
provide onsite quality control at
facilities in Berck, Caspia, Mercir,
Merin, and Corvis.
Committee members are exacting and
harsh in their assessment of cortexes.
Any member or branch found to be
cutting corners or otherwise wanting
can expect to face harsh fines and
other punitive measures. The CFSC is
loathed by other members of the order,
who spend minimal time aiding in the
construction of cortexes as part of their
yearly dues, but it is CFSC’s attention
to detail and exacting standards that
have preserved the order’s reputation
for producing the finest cortexes in the
Iron Kingdoms.
Most members of the CFSC are
traditionalists who are wary of
innovations and would reject the notion
that an adherence to exacting standards
interferes with fruitful invention or
improvements. They are usually the
last members of the order to consider
embracing the latest mechanikal
advances, even if those advances
could be applied to increase the costeffectiveness and efficiency of highquality cortex production.
Cortex Fabrication Standards Committee
Secrecy: Public (Gather Information DC 11); Organization: Rigid; Enforcement: Moderate; Size: Coterie (~12); Location/
Communications: Centered in Ceryl with a strong secondary presence in Caspia, this cabal employs a number of hired agents
to inspect other lodges abroad. Agents working for this committee have considerable clout, as the High Magi take their reports
under advisement; Operations: Oversight of the Fraternal Order’s cortex production. Quality control and standard application
to cortex-related processes; Alignment: Lawful Neutral; Membership Requirements: Apprenticeship, Membership Approval
(fine knowledge of cortex construction, specialization in the Path of the Cortex Master), Patron (existing member); Leaders/
Notable Members: High Magus Ansel Senson (male Thurian wiz15), Committee Chairman, Merril Ceilidh (female Thurian
Wiz12) liaison to the Cygnaran Armory on cortex manufacturing standards.
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Keepers of the Gate
The Fraternal Order’s upper echelons
make a point to maintain a public
show of hatred for infernalists and
Thamarites, but in reality there is a
certain degree of unstated tolerance
for questionable occult activity, so
long as it is done in private and kept
discreet. Realizing that an organization
of hundreds of arcanists is going to
contain some few drawn to darker arts,
the order does not peer into the private
studies of any of its members without
cause.
This state of affairs is not acceptable
to some members. Calling themselves
the “Keepers of the Gate,” this loose
affiliation of order members has
taken it upon themselves to be their
brothers’ keepers. Most members are
pious Morrowans, although a few
Keepers are just pragmatic wizards
who want to help the order maintain
its air of respectability. While they
may appear to be sympathetic to the
Order of Illumination, the Keepers of
the Gate are adamant that no sign of
their work should escape the order or
bring scandal to the organization. They
would never stoop to cooperating with
outsiders unless the threat was dire.
The Keepers have learned and
developed a number of rituals that alert
them to infernal summoning rites in the
nearby vicinity. Once they have become
aware of such an event, they will stop at
nothing to kill the arcanist responsible.
Keepers try to keep a low profile within
the order, and even after they find and
confront a fallen Brother, they will
never mention their organization in any
inquiry into that brother’s demise. Even
so, some Fraternal Brothers strongly
suspect the existence of this group.
Despite spending much of their time
attempting to unearth the corrupt in
the order, the Keepers do delve into the
dark mysteries to better understand
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and combat their enemies. Some
make study of Thamar’s portion of the
Enkheiridion, the texts of Ekris and
Delesle, and other dark tomes. Internal
corruption is a constant danger.
Keepers of the Gate
[DC25] to get the contact to
talk); Organization: Structured;
Enforcement: Harsh; Size: Coterie
Scattered (Secure communications
has been an issue for this cabal,
and they often resort to elaborate
measures such as code phrases,
disguised letters, and clandestine
meetings to preserve their secrecy);
Operations: Investigation and
elimination of infernalists and
necromancers within the order;
Alignment: Lawful Good, Lawful
Neutral, Neutral Good, Chaotic
Good; Membership Requirements:
Membership Approval, Patron
(existing member); Leaders/Notable
Members: Arion Tinao (male
Tordoran Abj14) Guardian of the
Door, leader of the Keepers.
Military Technologies
Advisory Panel
More an official arm of the order than
a cabal, the Military Technologies
Advisory Panel is concerned with
maintaining the order’s relationships
with the militaries of its allies. Centered
in the order’s Caspian branch, the panel
has members in all Ordic and Cygnaran
cities with a major military presence.
This group has regular contact and
overlap with the Cortex Fabrication
Standards Committee, as cortex
production is generally the primary
business between the Fraternal Order
and these militaries.
Most panel members report directly to
High Magus Calster, who coordinates
the order’s involvement with Cygnar’s
military, the order’s most significant
military customer. High Magus Thelos,
who heads up the Merin branch,
coordinates the work from Ord. The
panel’s Llaelese liaison disappeared
with the Merywyn lodge during the
Khadoran assault on the capital in 605
AR. Some panel members are Cygnaran
veterans with a keen understanding
of military needs beyond their
formidable arcane knowledge. Using
contacts made during their military
service, these wizards advise army
and naval staff members on a variety
of subjects. Each panel member is
expected to return a certain percentage
of his advisory earnings to the order’s
treasury, but some less scrupulous
wizards occasionally fail to report minor
contracts and pocket the fee.
Military Technologies
Advisory Panel
Secrecy: Public (Gather Information
DC 11); Organization: Structured;
Enforcement: Sporadic; Size:
Conclave (~25); Location/
Communication: Focused primarily
in Caspia and Merin, but with
members in Point Bourne, Berck,
Highgate, and Midfast. The group
can avail itself of military channels
for communications as needed;
Operations: Provide hired advisors
to the militaries of the order’s allies
in Cygnar and Ord; Alignment:
Lawful Neutral; Membership
Requirements: Membership
Approval (intimate understanding of
at least one type of warfare, veterans
preferred); Leaders/Notable
Members: Caspia High Magus Arlan
Calster (male Caspian wiz19), Court
Wizard to King Leto and head of the
panel, Merin High Magus Thelos
(male Thurian wiz15), Cassandra
Telna (female Midlunder Wiz11) new
liaison to the Ordic Navy.
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Progenesists
Members of this group shun no arcane
practice, no matter how disreputable.
They spare no expense to discover and
gain access to the many forbidden tomes
and archives secured by conservative
members of the order who consider this
research to be dangerous. Members
of the Progenesists meet extremely
rarely, and then only when one of their
number requires assistance in a ritual
or summoning. The existence of various
infernalist or Thamarite-leaning cabals
is something of an open secret in the
order. An infernalist who becomes a
threat to the public or endangers the
order’s air of respectability, however,
will be ruthlessly hunted down and
executed.
Most of the Progenesists do not
consider themselves infernalists or
Thamarites per se, instead considering
their pursuits to be valuable but
misunderstood research. In fact, few
of them are truly beholden to infernal
powers but toe the line between
theoretical knowledge and corruption.
This is a distinction the Keepers of the
Gate do not acknowledge, and the two
cabals conflict frequently. Similarly, the
membership of this cabal is considered
a fertile recruiting pool for the Allies of
the Archive.
Progenisists
[DC25] to get the contact to talk);
Organization: Loose; Enforcement:
Sporadic; Size: Coterie (~15);
Location/Communications:
Scattered (Communication is
handled by way of coded messages
or carefully arranged face-toface meetings); Operations: The
pursuit of knowledge forbidden
by the order, especially knowledge
of necromancy, the infernal, and
Thamarite lore; Alignment: Neutral
Evil; Membership Requirements:
Discretion and a fascination with
forbidden arcane lore; Leaders,
Notable Members: The leader of
this cabal is a secretive person
calling himself “the Guide.” He
goes to great lengths to conceal his
actual identity and works through
intermediaries. The most likely point
of contact for potential new members
is Magus Conleth Norwick (Wiz8/
Inf2) of the Five Fingers lodge, who
has published a number of papers
intended to solicit interest among the
order’s younger arcanists.
The Right Hand
The Fraternal Order maintains a keen
interest in expanding its influence,
and some among the order take an
even greater personal interest in the
politics of nations. Former High Magus
Thanos Terpwell was among the most
prominent members of this cabal in
recent decades, with a keen eye toward
expanding order operations into
additional cities and territories.
The cabal’s leader, Lord Merrick
Sarnos, was able to use the clandestine
members of the Right Hand to gain
favor with the nobility and merchant
houses across Cygnar, Llael, and
Ord. More than one Fraternal Order
wizard found himself engaged in
magical espionage on behalf of the
Cygnaran nobility, and more than a few
questionable deeds were committed to
expand the order’s political currency.
One of Sarnos’ great frustrations was
his inability to bring High Magus Arlan
Calster into this cabal, as that friend of
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King Leto proved to be more loyal to
Cygnar than to his peers in the order.
Nonetheless, the cabal includes several
senior subordinates in the Caspian
branch who have access to members of
the Cygnaran Royal Assembly.
The Right Hand is not the most
specifically esoteric of the various
secret societies, but it has had some
success in specialized forms of magic
that aid them in information gathering,
mental domination, and similar arts.
The cabal is one of the largest and
best organized of the order’s secret
societies, with a large network of
contacts and bribed collaborators.
The Right Hand
[DC20] to get the contact to
talk); Organization: Structured;
Enforcement: Moderate;
Size: Society (~35); Location/
Communications: Once focused
in Ceryl, the cabal has become
more fractured and is presently
concentrated near Caspia, although
members are cautious about
interference by Arlan Calster. Coded
letters are passed by way of entrusted
couriers using frequently changed
password phrases; Operations: The
furtherance of the order’s political
goals via intrigue and occasional
espionage; Alignment: Lawful
Neutral/Lawful Evil; Membership
Requirements: Membership
Approval (noble birth or access
to politically useful individuals);
Leaders, Notable Members: Lord
Merrick Sarnos (male Caspian
Wiz16) commander of the Right
Hand, High Magus Emeritus Thanos
Terpwell (male Thurian Evo20),
semi-retired.
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Sons of the Hundred
The Sons of the Hundred are one of the
older groups within the order. The cabal
derives their name from the famous
Battle of the Hundred Wizards in 32
AR, in which battle wizards repelled
the Orgoth from the Tordoran border.
Although the Orgoth recaptured Tordor
eight years later, the Battle of the
Hundred Wizards was an important
early victory in the Orgoth Rebellion.
The Sons of the Hundred claim to
oppose tyranny in all forms, but their
track record is spotty at best. They
took no particular stand against Vinter
Raelthorne IV and his Inquisition, and
their current agenda seems focused
almost exclusively on opposing the
Khadoran Empire. Many are simply
Cygnaran patriots who admire the
military and have no interest in deeper
philosophies. A number of younger
members of the order have been
drawn to the Sons since the onset of
war in 604 AR, but the majority of the
cabal is made of older wizards with
an interest in military history. Many
of the Sons are extremely vocal in
their belief that a contingent of battle
wizards could turn the tide of war in
Cygnar’s favor. These enthusiasts write
regular letters advocating the idea to
the Cygnaran Armory and any other
military office they can think of. In
truth, the Sons of the Hundred rarely
see actual battle, preferring to argue
about historic military engagements
or criticize current campaigns from
the safety of the order’s comfortable
lounges. General Adept Sebastian
Nemo has even been granted honorary
membership, although he has never
attended a meeting or done more
than politely acknowledge the cabal’s
attention.
Despite the preponderance of armchair
warcasters, many of the Sons are
actually well versed in the destructive
powers of magic. Some of the younger
members of the cabal are members of
Cygnar’s armed forces, and the Sons
can count several gun mages and storm
smiths among their ranks.
Sons not busy abroad meet as often
as once a month, with the largest
concentration convening at the estate
of High Magus Thanos Terpwell (the
de facto leader of the cabal) 10 miles
outside Ceryl. Members pay close
attention to reports from the war front,
and during these meetings tempers
run hot as members argue theoretical
tactics. This has resulted in several
fatal duels in the cabal’s history. At
other times Sons have arrived at battle
sites abroad to offer their services to
Cygnaran commanders. While a few
notable engagements have been won
with the aid of such individuals, more
often they have been turned aside from
fear of disrupting ongoing efforts.
Sons of the Hundred
Secrecy: Open (Gather Information
DC 16); Organization: Loose;
Enforcement: Lax; Size: Society
A large concentration at Ceryl, with
smaller regular meetings at Corvis
and Caspia. Members communicate
openly via letters and “essays” and
also contribute to a twice-yearly
publication entitled State of the
Military, an Outside Prospectus,
read by and considered of tactical
interest to Cygnaran generals;
Operations: Debate and discussion of
the role of magic in battle. Occasional
combat alongside the Cygnaran
military; Alignment: Neutral
Good; Membership Requirements:
Membership Approval (enthusiasm
for the use of magic in combat);
Patron (existing member); Leaders,
Notable Members: High Magus
Emeritus Thanos Terpwell (male
Thurian Evo20)
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Minor Cabals
These cabals are generally of lesser
influence and may also be focused on
niche or obscure studies. In time some
of these may rise in stature.
Brothers in Service to
the Maiden
More a cult than a cabal, this small
group of lay followers of Cyriss are
arcanists who proudly follow in the
spiritual footsteps of the Fraternal
Order members who founded the Cult
of Cyriss in 283 AR. Most members of
the cabal are truly dedicated to their
faith, but there are a few members
who simply are fascinated with Cyrisstech and study it to advance their
understanding of the arcane principles
that underlie cortexes and related
mechanika. The cabal has traditionally
comprised only a handful of arcanists,
but with the recent membership reforms
and the influx of arcane mechanics
into the order, it has begun to consider
expanding its membership.
The Brothers work closely with temples
dedicated to Cyriss in Ceryl, Caspia,
Five Fingers, and other locations,
trading information and copying tomes
from their respective libraries. The
Cyrissist obsession with geomancy and
the underlying theories of the arcane
have also led several Brothers to attain
membership in the Arcanodymanics
Studies Circle as well as the Society
of Reduction and the Tri-Fold
Conjunction. Past attempt to solicit
Sebastian Nemo—due to his insights
into cortex manufacture and other
technologies of interest—were met with
silence. Rumors that this warcaster has
recently taken to plundering Cyriss-tech
for his own use has lead to a growing
antipathy from members of this cabal.
Circle of the Word
This group of researchers devoted to
unearthing the mysteries of certain
obscure arcane terms began decades
ago. As they peered into these mysteries
they became fascinated with the origins
of sorcery and wizardry and came to see
themselves as the true inheritors of that
seminal human arcane organization, the
Circle of the Oath.
As their research lead inevitably to the
Gift of Sorcery and the origins of the
Telgesh alphabet, the cabal became
obsessed with Thamar and the earliest
Thamarite scions. The Circle of the
Word has concluded that Thamar
granted the powers of the arcane to
humanity by uttering a lost word
that can be transcribed into a “prime
glyph” in Telgesh. They believe clues
to this end may be found in ancient
Morrdh ruins as well as the writings
of the goddess. The cabal theorizes
that knowledge of this word and
glyph would grant an arcanist a total
comprehension of magic and could
possibly lead to ascension.
Dedicants of the
Enigma
The creation of powerful arcane items
carries a heavy price for the wizards
of the Iron Kingdoms. The risks and
costs associated with such creations are
a topic of frustration to the Dedicants
of the Enigma. Obsessed with finding
arcane shortcuts to these obstacles,
the Dedicants have ventured into the
furthest fringes of the occult.
The cabal is uninterested in exploring
infernals as a solution, considering the
price paid at least as onerous as the
more mundane risks of magical artifice.
Instead, the Dedicants have become
obsessed with arcane formulae and
rituals derived from Sebastien Kerwin’s
early efforts in the development of
mechanika and the later researches of
Victor Baerd. These complex formulae
extend from the occult into the study
of pure mathematics. The laboratories
of the Dedicants are inevitably covered
Most members of the Circle of the
Word are content to research these
mysteries, and the cabal includes
a number of notable linguists and
bibliophiles, but a few have become
driven beyond all scruples to learn the
prime glyph. Given the group’s studies
into early scions such as Ekris it is a
relatively small additional step for some
to begin making infernal bargains in
exchange for occult secrets otherwise
lost to time.
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in thousands of tiny, scrawled glyphs,
symbols, and mathematical formulae.
By inlaying these glyphs in detail,
Dedicants can forego the typical
supernatural toll that magic item
creation inflicts on the soul and health
of an arcanist, but some argue they
have opted to pay an equal cost to their
sanity.
Some members have penned tomes
detailing the madness-inducing occult
rituals that seem key to the Dedicants’
studies. Members dispute the nature
of the mental toll of this work, but
critics insist these practices can lead to
paranoia, mania, and even murderous
rage. Even the least dangerous of these
formulae can have strange effects on
arcanists, seeming to infect viewers’
minds with recursive equations and
visualizations of strange arrays of
formulae and runes. Scion Nivara is of
particular interest to all members of the
cabal who are tempted and taunted by
the concept of her Puzzling Artifice.
The recovery and study of this device is
a priority of the cabal, as it is believed
that Nivara may have unlocked many
useful secrets in the process of its
creation.
Inheritors of Nivara
Esotero Editio
Studies
Following Nivara’s philosophy of
power at any price, the Inheritors have
developed dangerous rites intended
to unleash a participant’s arcane
potential by pushing his mind to its
extreme limits. These rituals are often
accompanied by torturous physical
ordeals to help the participant reach
the absolute limits of his consciousness.
These rites are performed rarely and
in complete secrecy, as they violate
any number of the order’s laws, to say
nothing of possibly drawing unwanted
attention from the Order of Illumination
or the Keepers of the Gate.
A collection of bibliophiles, this cabal
functions as something of an inscription
service to the order at large. Members
of “Esotero” are all masters of the Path
of the Arcane Scribe, a path that the
cabal developed centuries ago.
The cabal members have a general
interest in all aspects of the written
word, but in particular they are
interested in obscure spellbooks, for
which they will pay handsomely. The
actual power or forbidden nature of
these spells is irrelevant to them, and
Esotero members will pursue a lost
copy of a book inscribed with a unique
spell that renders a field immune to
ergot infestation with as much gusto
as they would a tome of forgotten lore
pertaining to the mysteries of Ancient
Ichthier. The Esotero has a significant
library for the use of its members,
containing dozens of bizarre and unique
spells, but it is diligent in turning over
seriously blasphemous or dangerous
books to the Keepers of the Anthaneum,
with whom they have excellent
relations. While most of its archives are
harmless and of dubious worth, these
specialty spells occasionally find unique
applications in the hands of the clever
and the skilled.
8
These dedicated Thamarites represent
one of the more serious cults within the
order. Representing themselves publicly
as researchers into the history of the
arcane, they are really only interested
in lore relating to Scion Nivara and
her methodologies. Though few in
number, almost all the Inheritors claim
membership in other cabals within the
order, particularly among the Dedicants
of the Enigma, the Progenesists, the
Arcanodynamics Studies Circle, and the
Sons of the Hundred, from whom they
steal knowledge for their own purposes.
Keepers of the
Anthaneum
The handful of wizards who curate
the Anthaneum are among the most
respected of Fraternal Brothers. The
Keepers of the Anthaneum (KA) report
only to the Magus Convocation and
their control over this archive affords
them considerable clout. They are
careful to screen their members and
weed out those guilty of ambition. They
deliberately seek to minimize their
impact on their fellow arcanists and
focus on their duties with obsessive
diligence. It is for this policy of noninvolvement that they are considered a
minor cabal.
Web EXTRA!
The KA maintains total control over the
Anthaneum in the Ceryl Stronghold,
possibly the largest and most exhaustive
collection of occult tomes in western
Immoren. They approve access to the
library on a case-by-case basis and have
a reputation for fairness, even if they
prefer to err on the side of caution.
Numerous forbidden books are kept
in the Anthaneum, and the keepers are
tasked with organizing and protecting
this priceless collection. While it is not
much discussed with outsiders, there
has been an ongoing secret war between
this cabal and inventive agents of the
Greylords Covenant since the inception
of that Khadoran order. Most of these
efforts are subtle, but over the decades
there have been numerous deaths on
both sides.
Keepers of the Anthaneum are older
scholars who specialize in divination
and abjuration. They use their skills in
these fields both to ward the library and
to track down the occasional missing
volume. Furthermore, they have
organized the library with a catalog
system so complex and counterintuitive
that, even if an uninvited guest were
able to penetrate the Anthaneum’s
defenses he would have incredible
difficulty locating the knowledge he
sought. While they are reluctant to
use such allies, the KA could demand
the help of battle-ready members of
the Sons of the Hundred or the farreaching influence of the Right Hand
if the Anthaneum were to be seriously
threatened or compromised.
The One Key
Something of a cabal within a cabal,
the One Key was founded by members
of the Circle of the Word who
became fixated on the significance of
Morrdh in the origins of Telgesh and
Scion Ekris. Unsatisfied with merely
learning the history of Telgesh, this
ring of conspirators began to research
Teldoquorin, also known as the
“Sounder at the Gates,” the infernal
entity they believe to have empowered
the first lords of Morrdh and later
granted Ekris his unnaturally long life
and much of his power.
The One Key believes that Teldoquorin
is an unthinkably powerful infernal
entity, possibly one of the Cadre
Architectia of the Nonokrion Order,
with whom the founders of Morrdh
entered into a bargain. The precise
nature of this bargain remains a
mystery, but from all indications
the Sounder is able to open the way
between worlds with great ease.
Members of the One Key conjecture
that the Sounder’s ability to do so is
instrumental in the use of Telgesh
and that Thamar learned some of the
infernal’s secrets prior to destroying the
city of Korshivas.
The One Key possesses of a number
of suppressed texts dealing with the
early history of Morrdh and infernal
rites. The ultimate goal of the cabal
is to contact the Sounder themselves
and open the gates between Caen,
Urcaen, and whatever realm or realms
the infernals inhabit. So far, the One
Key has not found any specific rites
for contacting the Sounder, but it has
recently come across several references
to several lesser infernal entities that
seem to be associated with Teldoquorin,
including one of Infernal Executor
stature. The rituals to contact this entity
exact a high price in blood, but the One
Key is already preparing to carry them
out in hopes of learning more of ancient
Morrdh and its dark bargains.
Orgoth Studies
Group
Founded as a research circle over a
century ago to explore the general
nature of Orgoth necromancy and
evocation, the Orgoth Studies Group
(OSG) gradually became the order’s
recognized experts on all things
Orgoth. In the present it functions as an
archaeological society, whose members
and spend much of their time studying
Orgoth relics and requesting grants for
field expeditions.
The group has acquired a number of
interesting Orgoth artifacts over the
years and houses much of its collection
in the order stronghold at Mercir.
It has one of the most impressive
collections of Orgoth death masks
in all of western Immoren as well
as several pieces of armor and other
items associated with some of the most
infamous Orgoth tyrants. Even so,
the OSG’s archives and collection are
woefully inadequate in comparison to
the Greylords Covenant’s successes in
this field. Jealous and frustrated, the
cabal hopes to make a find as important
as the Greylords’ triumphant discovery
of the huge cache of fellblades beneath
Khardov. In pursuit of this goal, the
OSG has begun to hire adventurers and
other mercenaries to accompany their
archaeological expeditions. They believe
several Cygnaran sites have yet to be
fully explored or plundered, including
Henge Hold and Nine Stone along the
western coast.
Rune Cyphers
Known for their astonishingly deep
knowledge of magically derived
inscription techniques, members of
this cabal are often sought out by
other members of the order for aid in
inscribing spellbooks or deciphering the
strange codes used by the sorcerers of
old. This small cabal makes its home in
Caspia and is composed largely of older
scholars.
The Rune Cyphers do not possess
any dark or forbidden tomes, but
transcribing thousands of disparate
texts grants them an impressively
broad knowledge of the arcane. In
addition to being masters of the Path
9
Web EXTRA!
of Arcane Inscription, the Rune
Cyphers have developed a number of
techniques and abilities (both magical
and mundane) for translating languages
and deciphering the obscure ciphers so
popular with arcanists.
While they do not widely advertise the
fact, members of this cabal frequently
perform a service for other, more
secretive cabals, helping to encrypt and
obscure their coded messages to one
another. The group has a reputation for
reliability and discretion in this regard,
helping to facilitate communications
among many of the Fraternal Order’s
widely scattered research groups.
The Rune Cyphers are careful not to
become involved in blatant indiscretions
or violations of order rules and claim
it is not their place to remember or
comprehend the coded messages they
were hired to obscure.
Society of Reduction
The Society of Reduction was originally
founded to create a thorough list of the
occult techniques of the Iron Kingdoms.
As the researchers delved into the
hundreds of arcane methods, however,
some of its members began to seek the
underlying connections between them.
What they found was maddening. These
researchers became obsessed with the
idea that there is a fundamental way
in which all arcanists and even priests
interact with the magical powers of
Caen—but for every similarity between
two practitioners of the arcane they
found three disparities.
Driven to consolidate all magical
philosophies and techniques into one
theorem, the Society of Reduction
has been continually frustrated. Even
so, their pure research has provided a
variety of lesser breakthroughs, and
the Reductionists have learned some
techniques that provide shortcuts in
spellcasting.
10
The group is openly known throughout
the order, and its members can be found
in related cabals and research circles,
particularly the Arcanodynamics
Studies Circle and the Circle of the
Word. Inevitably, some Reductionists
grow unhinged as their efforts to unify
magical theories disintegrate. Some are
lost to madness, while others turn to
various religions for answers.
Students of the
Unquenched Fire
Interested in (and some would say
obsessed with) fire, the Students seek
a way of creating a flame that never
extinguishes. They don’t see this as
an entirely pragmatic goal but also in
terms of metaphor. The flame that never
extinguishes is a power with no limit,
no ends. Mastery of that flame would
represent a final mastery of reality itself.
In pursuit of the Unquenched Fire,
many Students dabble in alchemy and
even pure arcane researches into energy
like those of the Arcanodynamics
Studies Circle. More disturbingly, a
number of Students have been drawn
to the study of Scion Stacia. The mad
scion is known to have been a potent
evoker herself and to have burned
the city of Mercir to the ground in a
confrontation with members of the
Fraternal Order. Despite the animosity
between the scion and the order, the
rumor that a pillar of unquenchable
flame somewhere in the Cardare
Mountains marks the site of her
ascension makes her the subject of
serious interest to the Students.
Similar tales of unquenchable flame,
including the balefires said to dance
in the rigging of the ghost ship
Atramentous, also attract the attention
of members of this cabal. Others have
turned their eye to reports of some
ancient disaster in the east that beset the
elves before the founding of Ios. These
researchers think the endless lightning
of the Stormlands over the Abyss might
be a manifestation of the Unquenched
Fire.
The Tri-fold
Conjunction
Stemming from a research circle
created over three hundred years ago,
the Tri-fold Conjunction is a group of
magi fascinated with the three moons
of Caen and their effects on and
interactions with the use of magic. The
Tri-fold Conjunction’s interests do not
make them an inherently illicit cabal,
but they remain in secrecy out of a
jealous desire to guard the secrets they
have uncovered. This cabal includes
a number of individuals interested in
Cyriss-related astronomical research as
well as those who belong to the Cult of
Cyriss itself.
Several members of this cabal have
attained access to the Great Cygnaran
Observatory near Mercir. They make
use of its telescopes to better track and
understand the intricate dance of the
three moons Calder, Laris, and Artis.
Most arcanists know that the three
moons of Caen have an arcane effect
whatever their alignment but cause
a surge of arcane power when in full
alignment; members of the Tri-fold
Conjunction have mastered the subtle
changes wrought by the thousands
of arrays that the three moons move
through.
Several members of the cabal are also
members of the Brothers in Service
to the Maiden. The order’s secret cult
of Cyriss is interested in the insights
gained by the Tri-fold Conjunction,
but also view the cabal as a gateway
through which some Fraternal Brothers
may be inducted into the worship of
their goddess.

Cabals of the Fraternal Order of Wizardry

Transcription

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