Institute of Lemniscate's Arcana

Awldor    Organizations      Institute of Lemniscate's Arcana

Many have met a member of the institute without realizing it.

— Archivist Taenya

The Institute of Lemniscate's Arcana, or simply Lemniscate's Arcana, is a secretive organization that appears to be obsessed with arcane phenomena. The origins of this organization are not known to those outside of it. Many suspect the institute was established within the Queendom of Lunaria. Some suspect that the Lemniscate's Arcana is a truly ancient organization predating the Great Collapse.
The agenda of Lemniscate's Arcana is a mystery. Mixed signals contribute to the inability of outside observers to understand the actions of the institute's members much less the Lemniscate's organizational structure. Every member of the organization appears to be pursuing their own agenda:

• A Helian Sorcerer, who went by the name of Azar, was obsessed with modifying spells to understand the very fabric of reality. It is said that he died when his tower was set aflame in Helian Fire by the then King of Helia, who ordered the attack on grounds of security to his state. Officially, the sorcerer was reduced to ash, which was promptly sealed away. Unofficially, the body of the sorcerer was never found, and none of Azar's possessions survived the flames.
• Many librarians tell of a wizard who only revealed himself in libraries or other forums of knowledge and research across Quassus. It is also said that a library in Vavahady caught sight of someone fitting the same description and mode of behavior. It is believed that this wizard seeks rare and possibly even banished arcane knowledge. He also never speaks with his voice. Instead, he communicates via magically enhanced means. This wizard goes by many names, and in he is simply known by most in Quassus as Parav.
• A Lunarian Bard, who traveled as Soile, sought to understand the inner workings of consciousness by its link to arcane forces. Her efforts eventually led her to begin composing music with intricate melodies and varying tempos believing that such works are the key to unlocking the soul's secrets. No one knows what Soile was able to compose for her musical sheets have yet to be found.

The common thread that unites all of these members is that they all sought their answers in the arcane forces that run wild in our world.

I thought I knew how Xēlōian was spoken and had great fluency according to my personal schema of the language. That was until I heard it from someone who must have been a member of the Lemniscate's Arcana. Their voice revealed to me the hidden beauty I had no idea was there. My understanding must have been no better than a poorly schooled child.

— Alim Runesong ,Xēlōian Scholar

Xēlōian Fluency

The language of magic is Xēlōian, so it is no surprise that the institute's members have mastered the language. The institute's mastery and understanding of Xēlōian is widely believed to be superior to that of even Lunarian High Mages. It is not a stretch to believe that each member of the institute is capable of influencing reality's fabric to a degree unrivaled by anyone else. The factual basis of this mastery is difficult to confirm as institute members almost never reveal the full extent of their powers. Why this is so is yet another mystery the Lemniscate's Arcana leaves unanswered.
It is suspected that each Lemniscate's Arcana member adopts a Xēlōian name as their true name although there is little evidence to support this.

The Seven Ruined Wonders

Some believe that the Lemniscate's Arcana may have a connection to the Seven Ruined Wonders. Only three of these wonders are known to this archive so far: The Silent Pyramid, The Xeo Pyramid, and The Ekla Pentagon. It is rumored that the institute keeps secret knowledge of the other four. It is also rumored that members of the institute know something of the function of each wonder. Some of the more reaching rumors posit that the Lemniscate's Arcana may even be responsible for the operation and maybe construction of each wonder. Of course, such rumors may imply that Lemniscate's Arcana has an incomprehensibly long history. A history more have forgotten than was ever known at one time.

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Structure

While it is easy to believe that Lemniscate's Arcana is a monolithic union of individuals dead set on fulfilling a driving narrative, evidence suggests that this is not the reality. Members have been discovered in every known corner of the world, even places that until recently have been beyond contact with the civilized world. This has led many scholars on the subject to surmise that the organization is a collection of separate cells each claiming to be the institute.
Perhaps the organization had roots in the pre-collapse world. Like Awldor at large, Lemniscate's Arcana was shattered by the collapse and has only recently begun to reassemble itself. Fringe theories suggest that the organization was never shattered and that it was the only organization that survived the collapse intact.

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Public Agenda

When the Lemniscate Arcana reveals their aims we will all either be incredibly shocked or disappointed beyond measure. I cannot tell which is the more likely outcome. - Lunarian scholar

The Institute of Lemniscate's Arcana has no publicly declared agenda, a fact that has left many to guess at what the organization's mission is. It is possible that the institute had a hand in bringing about the great collapse, and that their work is not yet finished. Perhaps the aim was to end the world due to some revelation concerning the nature of the arcane and its magic offspring. If this is true, then they are truly an enemy to all peoples of Awldor and we should all unite against them before it is too late.
It is also possible that they had tried to prevent the collapse from happening, but had failed. They remain to correct their mistake from the previous age. Perhaps the collapse was meant to definitively end the world, and that the institute had managed to keep it from happening then. Perhaps they are still postponing the inevitable to this day. If this is true, then they are true guardians of Awldor, and we all owe them gratitude instead of suspicion.
It is also possible that both theories just described are ludicrous and are not anchored to the fabric of reality. The institute could be working towards relatively benign aims compared to machination of sovereigns and the nations they lead.

Type

Secret, Brotherhood

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I would have expected the design of their medallion to be more... elaborate in appearance. Perhaps there is more to this than meets the eye? What must one know to unlock its full meaning?

— Alim Runesong ,Xēlōian Scholar

Lemniscate's Medallion

The institute's secret medallions are magic infused items with a metallic composition that cannot be reproduced by any known forge. In fact, the makings of these medallions cannot be explained by current understanding of metallurgy. Current speculation is that these items are made from a rare Ancient alloy, or perhaps they are in fact recovered artifacts.
To many outside observers, the medallions appear as round metal plates with a ribbon carved into it. This ribbon is shaped into the sign of infinity, and it very softly glows with many colors. The combined strange sheen of the metal and of the colors of the ribbon carved thereon creates a unique feature that no one has been able to replicate. This design, however, is only a facade.
It is said that no non-member of the institute can perceive the medallion's true form. The rumor is that each medallion assumes a form that is uniquely reflective of their owners, a form that reflects the deepest qualities of the medallion's bearer, a form only other Lemniscate members are privileged to see with permission.
No one has been able to recover a Lemniscate's Arcana medallion from the corpse of an institute member. The medallions are always missing in such cases.

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Note(s) from the Archivists:

Archivist Taenya, are you a member of the Institute of the Lemniscate's Arcana? - Archivist Enna
Nonsense, if I was a member of that institute you would have figured it out by now. - Archivist Taenya
That's exactly what a member of the institute would say! - Archivist Enna
It doesn't always work like that Enna. - Archivist Taenya
But you're also saying that it can work like that... - Archivist Enna