Arcanum Obscura

Type

Forbidden-magic cabal

Focus

Lost arcane knowledge and unrestricted experimentation

Operating Area

Pallasia and secret field operations

Leadership

Grand Arcanist Malecath Vryn

Headquarters

Vault of Shadows, Selendris Mountains, Pallasia

Motto

“In darkness, we see.”

The Arcanum Obscura gathers forbidden spells, relics, and ancient texts, rejecting restrictions on magical study. Its wizards, sorcerers, and scholars pursue dangerous experiments regardless of accepted ethics.

To many outsiders the cabal remains a myth. Within it, advancement depends on arcane achievements and risky assignments; careless members may become subjects of their colleagues’ experiments.

Recover lost magic and pursue unrestricted arcane knowledge.
Use that knowledge to reshape the world and surpass mortal limits.

The Grand Arcanist holds final authority and is chosen through secret arcane trials. The Council of Shadows oversees branches of study; Shroudmasters handle fieldwork and enforcement.

Grand Arcanist — Malecath Vryn directs the cabal.
Council of Shadows — An inner circle of archmages advising the leader and overseeing research.
Shroudmasters — Field operatives, spies, and enforcers trained in magic and subterfuge.
Initiates of the Obscura — New members assigned lesser work while proving loyalty and experimental skill.

Recovery — Retrieve relics and spellbooks from ruins, tombs, and temples before rivals.
Experimentation — Study necromancy, blood magic, and planar manipulation without accepted safeguards.

Recover ancient texts and relics and continue forbidden experiments.

Master the Lost Language of Creation, rumored to be the gods’ language of world-making.
Find immortality through a synthesis of life and magic.
Replace existing magical regulation with the cabal’s own rule.

Wizards seeking lost spells, sorcerers studying bloodlines, and scholars rejected for dangerous ideas join through obsessive study. Ambition brings advancement, but inadequate caution can make a member an experimental subject.

Pass a demanding initiation and the Rite of Veils.
Prove loyalty through experiments and dangerous assignments.

Forgotten spells, powerful relics, and opportunities for forbidden experimentation.
Protection from magical authorities through secret bases and operations.

Contribute relics, spells, or completed missions to the Vault of Shadows.
Pursue knowledge even at personal cost and keep the cabal’s secrets.

Rite of Veils — Blindfolded initiates enter the Vault, swear to seek forbidden knowledge, and bind a soul fragment to the Obsidian Archive.
Eclipse Gathering — The entire cabal meets during solar eclipses to share secrets and make major decisions.

Malecath Vryn — The Grand Arcanist is said to be centuries old, sustained by dark rituals.
Elira Duskwhisper — An illusionist and diviner guarding the Vault, able to alter memories and perceptions.
The Bleak Scholar — A lich who keeps the Obsidian Archive.
Orthanis Val’thar — The archmage who led the cabal’s founders over 500 years ago.

Whispered Oath — collaborates in recovering forbidden knowledge.
Imperial Academy of the Arcane — certain members secretly provide funding and resources for access to the cabal’s knowledge; the institution opposes its practices.
Celestial Order — regards the cabal’s experiments as threats to responsible magic and cosmic balance.
Shadow Hand — competes for magical contraband and rare relics.
Ebon Inquisition — has hunted the cabal for centuries.

The Vault of Shadows is an underground complex in the Selendris Mountains, concealed by wards and illusions.

At its heart, the Obsidian Archive holds forbidden tomes, cursed artifacts, and records of the lost language of creation.

History

Rogue mages led by Orthanis Val'thar founded the Arcanum Obscura over 500 years ago in opposition to a ruling magical council’s restrictions. Its aims expanded from collecting forbidden knowledge to using it to reshape the world.

The cabal survived purges by the Argent Concord and infiltration by rival wizarding guilds.