The Spectral Arcan was established many centuries ago, when strife and violence of the rebellion took hold of Ostanza, the same rebellion that would result in modern day Turia. This conflict threatened to unravel the social order of Ostanza and the continent as a whole, and so, at the peak of the violence, a parlay was called, and the mage lords of Ostanza decided to prioritize the preservation of the kingdom and advised the king to let the rebels leave to form Turia, thereby ending the bloodshed and violence. These mages decided to form an assembly and aid the King in his attempts to restore order and balance in Ostanza again. Taking the name the Spectral Arcan, a reference to a powerful, historical union of mages during the Age of Heroes, the mages took the kingdom to new heights of power and expansion in the wake of this separation, and under their guidance, a renaissance of magical research and discovery.

In the centuries since, the Spectral Arcan has subtly ingrained itself within most facets of the government, becoming a force of political and military power that many say could rival the king himself. This reality is not lost on the royal council, and tensions often simmer between the Arcan and the paranoid King. The mages of the Arcan are known for their extravagant lifestyles and intimidating history of political and economic control, and some of the populace mistrusts them, including the King himself, though no one dares to cross them or the king. There are eight ruling positions within the Arcan, and the families of each member are appointed as lesser members without responsibility, called “annexes.” Mages of the Arcan wander throughout the kingdom with little fear of argument or resistance.

Members are elevated into one of the eight major offices on the death of a member that leaves an office vacant, or when a standing member abdicates their position. The remaining members then recommend replacements and vote on the mage to fill the newly open office.

Goals

The chief priority of these powerful arcane specialists is to maintain the “Truth of Magic,” a strict code enacted to never again allow the rampant misuse of magic seen in the rebellion centuries ago. General members are referred to as “Guides,” while the higher circle of members who deal in judgment and oversight are called “Makers.” At least one member is established at each place of arcane learning.

Membership is largely kept secret unless out of necessity, though the existence of the order is relatively common knowledge. Anyone found to be practicing magic is logged and checked up on routinely, as misuse of magic is grounds for arrest, judgment by the Makers, and punishment outside of the local law. Even so, their reach and oversight are not without limits, and many dark and terrible dealings manage to go unseen by the Spectral Arcan.

Relationships

The Arcan has worked directly with the king and his chamber for so long that the two factions have become deeply intertwined, frustrating both of them. Though they rely heavily on each other, every smile and agreement barely conceals an undercurrent of venomous loathing on behalf of the King. Some members of the Arcan feel that it is far too soon to overtly address the Crown, while others believe it would be foolish to miss the opportunity the ongoing conflict with Turia is creating.

The Arcan has established itself as the more forward-thinking face of the kingdom to the outside world, with Lord Athesias Uludan going out of his way to upstage the Crown at every diplomatic opportunity, all “in the name of the king.” Most foreign officials happily deal with the Arcan instead of the Crown, especially those of the kingdom's closest trade partner, Qarth. The Arcan ensures that such meetings are recounted to the king with embellished tales of their diplomatic success.

Figures of Interest

The mysterious minds of the Spectral Acran often quarrel over goals and methods, but ultimately these eight mages are united by their heritage and a shared thirst for knowledge.

Archmage of Civic Influence, Enchanter Yurek Windkeeper

(male human)

Yurek is respected as the acclaimed Elder of the kingdom and the third oldest member of the Arcan. Once an instructor at the Solstice Academy, he only returns every few years to collect young students to become his apprentices in his research. Many of these students go on to continue their research, often at the Solstice Academy, and become leaders in their prospective fields. Yurek is a valuable asset and member of the Arcan, but he is very much in his older years, and unfortunately, has yet to train a replacement. Some worry that he will die before he gets this chance, and are worried the balance of the Arcan will be off as a result.

Archmage of Domestic Protections, Enchanter Martinet Ludinus Da’leth

(male elf)

Ludinus is the oldest and only original member of the Arcan, as well as the master of warfare and conflict. Charged with overhauling the military structure of the Kingdom of Ostanza, Ludinus directed the construction of the garrisons on the southern borders and often oversees their maintenance. Wise, if emotionless, he bears a deep hatred for the orcs in Nezdrekh, and spares no effort gathering information on their weaknesses and secrets. Ludinus spends most of his time developing arcane weapons of war and shoring up the military might of the kingdom, while subtly challenging the leadership of the Crown Marshal Hayden Clive.

Archmage of Industry, Enchanter Baroness Jenna

(Neutral , doppleganger)

One of the younger members of the Arcan, Jenna is known for her business acumen and her extravagant lifestyle. By hiding her nature as a doppelganger and using memory-altering magics at a young age to fabricate a false past, Jenna constructed her human persona from the ground up, leveraging her powers of deception to essentially write herself into history as a member of the Arcan. She helps oversee central guild business in Ostanza under Guildmaster Kai Arness, and helps Exchequer Nunvua Dimgate organize the collection of tithes through starostas across the kingdom.

Archmage of Dysology, Guide Doolan Tversky

(female gnome)

The second-oldest member of the Arcan, Doolan is in charge of the study and understanding of abnormal creatures and deviants of arcane creation that might threaten the kingdom's way of life. She is an absentminded yet brilliant gnome who is obsessed with all beasts, aberrations, and creatures of legend. Doolan imports creatures from around the world, often delivered by Qarth, to study, disassemble, and use in her attempts to revolutionize magical practices. She resents the Order of the Archive, as her reputation has caused them to bar her from their facilities. She wishes to catalog the unstudied horrors of Gaia and has covertly obtained the services of Qarth to retrieve new specimens.

Archmage of Diplomatic Union, Enchanter Lord Athesias Uludan

(male human)

Athesias’s charm and bombastic personality serve him well as a diplomat. His duty is to foster a positive relationship with people of power both within and beyond the borders of the empire. He was originally one of the most effective instructors at the Solstice Academy, but his penchant for spectacle and his rampant narcissism made him a difficult ally to trust with state secrets. When the office of Diplomatic Union opened, he was quickly and quietly reassigned. Athesias finds great pleasure in ruining or usurping the plans of his counterpart in the Crown’s employ, Emissary Lord Zeddan Graf.

Archmage of Antiquity, Guide Lady Vess de Rogna

(female half-elf)

A public recluse for most of her life, Vess is both a brilliant mage and dedicated historian. She assumed this post after replacing her criminal predecessor. As an instructor at the Solstice Academy for over two decades, Vess has studied and unraveled a number of historical mysteries and pre-Founding riddles — and hoarded some of the spoils for herself. Always eager to pursue forgotten lore and artifacts of eons past, Vess has been known to quietly vanish to Waldren for weeks at a time, returning with fewer guards and more uncovered secrets as she wanders the Vesper Forest. She is infatuated with finding the location of the Temple of Life.

Archmage of Conscription, Enchanter Headmaster Zivan Margolin

(male human)

Zivan Margolin inherited the position of headmaster from his father, the late Jorma Margolin. Zivan has been the headmaster of the Solstice Academy in Ostanza for nearly twenty years. Calm, patient, and quietly imposing, Zivan walks the halls of the Academy with a keen eye for talent. He is in charge of the curriculum and also watches for any latent powers that may be worth grooming as future allies of the Arcan and kingdom, dangers to be monitored, or prospective minds for Yurek to train. Zivan has rarely had the opportunity to demonstrate his full power, for he is typically busied with keeping the peace between the feuding parties of the kingdom. Those who have witnessed his true might, however, now know that his words are backed by some of the most powerful magics within the Spectral Arcan.

Archmage of Cultivatio, Enchanter Headmaster Oremid Hass

(male earth genasi)

The current headmaster of the Hall of Erudition in Tarmar, Oremid is tasked with watching and grooming the next generation of mages and arcane specialists outside Ostanza. While he himself is a gentle soul who adores animals, he puts on the façade of a strict man with no sense of humor, which is further enhanced by the elemental influence of his earth genasi blood. He teaches students that failure is not an option, and that emotion is a barrier to one’s true ability. Equally feared, respected, and privately loathed by the students (and some instructors), Oremid personally dismisses those who break under his school’s curriculum and heaps joyous praise on those who endure their training.