> [!success] The Arcanum > ![[Flag-Abbey.png]] > > [!question] Shard > [[Thalnor]] > > --- > > [!question] Headmaster > Torol Valdoran > > --- > > > [!question] Population > 8,000 > > --- > > [!question] Languages > [[Languages|Thalnoran]] (80%), Other (20%) ## Description > Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. > — **Aratur Holimion**, Bladebearer, Magister of the Arcanum Founded independently of any governing body, the arcanum is a monument to arcane knowledge and literature. It is comprised of seven towering spires, six of which form a circle around a central middle spire, called the Magister. Each spire represents a good-aligned deity of the realm and area of study, while the Magister has many more floors dedicated to such things as secular libraries, ceremony halls, alchemy and other various workshops. The most notable achievement one can seek to attain during their study at the arcanum is that of a Crescent, a half moon pendant with a star in the center, recognizing the wearer as one that has stepped into the Ninth Gate. # Arcanum Annexe Annexes are smaller branches of the Arcanum that serve smaller regions, often far away from the larger Arcanum. The primary responsibilities of an annexe are the education and instruction of local leaders and figureheads that pertain to identifying various types of magic in the world, as well as where to source magic users for defense, civil projects, information gathering, and so on. In addition, the Arcanum Annexe keeps detailed records of magic users within the surrounding territories. Likewise, the magic-using denizens of those territories are expected to report to an annexe the first and each subsequent time they step through one of [[The Gates]]. The Arcanum itself is an independent organization and, as such, has no power to enforce any of its guidelines. However, they are often granted this power by the nation that chooses to employ the Arcanum's services. # Writings of Odam ## Informal Writings ### Path of the Traveler: Volume II, page 53 > …as I dreamt, I saw again the inner workings of the great machine that serves as the core to our advancement … [illegible] … and a great many symbols, all of which were unknown to me, arranged in such a manner that one can not help but wonder: if this has been designed as such, could ever there exist such a thing which has not? ### Path of the Traveler: Volume IX, page 213 > In [[Khurranai]], when we arrived at the Blue Grotto, we were all waiting on the boat. Waiting to go in. It was packed with [illegible] boats everywhere. The rocking of the boat started to make me dizzy. ### Path of the Traveler: Volume IX, page 214 > Once I was done shopping in the leather market, I ventured to find food for a picnic lunch. While searching for food, I came across a vendor displaying a menagerie of aurochs parts. The vendor explained what each part of the aurochs was. The nose, tongue, testicles, penis, four stomachs, feet, and the tendons. I decided to search for my picnic elsewhere. ### Path of the Traveler: Volume IX, page 610 > The light atop the Daggermount had been shining three days prior to my arrival, I was told. A local beggar explained the strange custom to me, at my inquisition. The Trail of Whispers. It was intriguing, yet not beyond the capacity of my Aura. That much I could feel. ![[Kald/_images/Gates_Excerpt.png]] ==The Nine Gates from== ==_Path of the Traveler: Volume XXIII_== ### The Path of the Traveler: Volume IXX, page 551 > Why does my body disobey my will? The Giants are no more. The Trial is complete. The last dragon has kissed the ground beneath my feet! I could rule all of Vastuum by right, all of Thalnor by force, and yet my physical form disobeys my every command. ### The Path of the Traveler: Volume XXIII, page 775 > At the time of this writing, it has been forty-two winters, seven months, and twelve days since I cautiously stepped through the First Gate. From the cradle, I learned magics as other children learn toys and the Wildlands as other children their mother's garden. […] Of the myriad sacrifices one must endure along this Path, one stands true above all else—if you aspire to harness great magic, others must die. … Tonight I lay my pen to rest ahead of my body. Tonight I step through the Ninth Gate.