Arkaeni

File:Arkaeni-emblem.jpg

Emblem of the Arkaeni Order

The Arkaeni (spelled "Arcaeni" in Anderian) are an order of occultists who seek to facilitate the reinstitution of magic. The order was established in 885 by a former Tethuric named Rodamel; even though it is over 400 years old, members are very few in number, as most people believe magic to be myth and because the Order is still very secretive. Arkaeni also study other things like history, alchemy, astronomy, and religion. They have an unofficial academy in Umstrad called the Atheneum, which also serves as a sort of headquarters. Arkaeni begin their studies there, but ultimately branch off to study in the annals of the various higher learning institutions to try to find hidden secrets among the many historical texts. Immediately following their studies at the Atheneum, it is customary for students of the Order to make a sojourn to the Immortal City in search of ancient knowledge (one such sojourn is the subject of the story Arkaeni (subchapter)). The Arkaeni are also responsible for maintaining a rare orchard of etherwood trees on the Atheneum grounds, which is heavily guarded.

Since 1331.7, Emperor Vralius has employed three of them as advisors and for experimentation at his tower in Victurus.

History

The Arkaeni Order was founded in the year 10,885 EE by a former Daughter of Ethura named Rodamel, whose departure from the Tethuric Church marked the beginning of a quiet but enduring resistance against ecclesiastical suppression.

Rodamel’s story is still preserved in the oral traditions of the Order. While on pilgrimage through the lower crescent of Narsel Vale, she broke from the company of her peers and journeyed alone to view a spectral ruin—a ghost ring said to shimmer under the light of the full moon. According to her account, she encountered a nightwraith not as shadow, but as a material threat: the entity carried a sword of solid iron, and attacked her without provocation. She barely escaped with her life.

Such an encounter would normally be dismissed as madness, but Rodamel had been a faithful servant of the Church for over a decade. She reported the sighting to her superiors. In response, a detachment of the Hand of the Gale was dispatched to the site. They recovered the weapon, confirmed the presence of anomalous activity, and sealed the object away in one of the Church’s vaults. Rodamel, being within the trusted ranks, was informed of the official policy: any item mentioning or demonstrating magical properties—whether object, text, or artifact—was to be immediately confiscated and permanently removed from circulation. No study. No inquiry. No exceptions.

What the Church had intended as reassurance became the seed of her doubt. If magic was false, why so carefully erase it? If it was truly dangerous, why so little effort to understand it?

Rodamel left the Daughters in silence, leaving behind her vestments and Church name. She traveled for several years, gathering what fragments she could from ruins, old records, and suppressed writings. When she could no longer work alone, she founded what would become the Arkaeni—a loose collective of dissident scholars, skeptics, and mystics who shared one trait in common: they no longer accepted that the world had always been as it was.

Over time, the Order adopted structure, secrecy, and a shared mission. Though most of the original members have been lost to time, Rodamel’s guiding question remains the foundation of Arkaeni study: If magic is dead, why do so many still bleed to keep it buried?

Notable Arkaeni

• Niril - specializes in alchemy, ancient religions
• Aridessa - specializes in fortune telling, incantation, conjuring
• Lurius - specializes in poisons, curses, scrying
• Theopholus - successor to Niril as head of the Order
• Delembra - current head of the Order
• Meryne - she specializes in divination through visions, cartomancy, and Aprisic Astrology
• Celium - he specializes in arcane language, cryptography, glyphs, and runes
• Daron - he specializes in potions, herbal remedies, and poison
• Emilyn - she specializes in ancient religions and cultism
• Veryl - he specializes in Salarian Dirt Magic

Key Texts

• Codex of Primary Sources

List of Heads of the Order

Number	Name	Dates	Left Office
16	Delembra	1330-present
15	Theopholus	1303-1330	d. natural causes
14	Niril	1284-1303	voluntary abdication
13	Frivath	1251-1284	d. natural causes
12	Alena Rellen	1244-1251	deposed for fraud
11	Lendrath the Elder	1209-1244	d. suspicious circumstances
10	Spanico the Sane	1164-1209	d. Geldish Fever
9	Motirios	1152-1164	voluntary abdication
8	Velenda the Vast	1134-1152	d. spider bite
7	Holby of Andergard	1098-1134	d. natural causes
6	Jukken	1054-1098	d. poison
5	Bruther the Bright	1006-1054	d. accidental asphyxiation
4	Caerinth Alendo	975-1006	d. natural causes
3	Jogan 3 of Jerinsen	941-975	d. sword duel
2	Uctis the Blue	911-941	d. lightning strike
1	Rodamel	885-911	d. natural causes