Cabals of the Fraternal Order Statistic Blocksprivateerpress.com/files/Fraternal...

Cabals of the Fraternal Order of WizardryWeb EXTRA! By Simon Berman and Douglas Seacat

The 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.

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.

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.

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.

Cabals of the Fraternal Order Statistic Blocks

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Allies of the ArchiveThe 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.

Arcanodynamic Studies CircleThis 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.”

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.

Major Cabals

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.

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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.

Cortex Fabrication Standards CommitteeBased 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 cost-effectiveness and efficiency of high-quality cortex production.

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

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 GateThe 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

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.

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 PanelMore 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.

Keepers of the Gate

Secrecy: Secret (Gather Information DC 25 followed by persuasion or threats as reflected in a successful Diplomacy or Intimidate check [DC25] to get the contact to talk); Organization: Structured; Enforcement: Harsh; Size: Coterie (~15); Location/Communications: 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

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.

The Right HandThe 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

Progenisists

Secrecy: Secret (Gather Information DC 25 followed by persuasion or threats as reflected in a successful Diplomacy or Intimidate check [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-to-face 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.


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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

Secrecy: Secret (Gather Information DC 20 followed by persuasion or threats as reflected in a successful Diplomacy or Intimidate check [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.

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 HundredThe 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

Sons of the Hundred

Secrecy: Open (Gather Information DC 16); Organization: Loose; Enforcement: Lax; Size: Society (~40); Location/Communications: 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 CabalsThese 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 MaidenMore 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 Cyriss-tech 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 WordThis 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.

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.

Dedicants of the EnigmaThe 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


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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.

Esotero Editio StudiesA 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.

Inheritors of NivaraThese 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.

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.

Keepers of the AnthaneumThe 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 non-involvement that they are considered a minor cabal.


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 far-reaching influence of the Right Hand if the Anthaneum were to be seriously threatened or compromised.

The One KeySomething 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 GroupFounded 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 CyphersKnown 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

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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 ReductionThe 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.

researchers think the endless lightning of the Stormlands over the Abyss might be a manifestation of the Unquenched Fire.

The Tri-fold ConjunctionStemming 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.

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 FireInterested 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

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