Lorehold College

College of Archaeomancy

Lorehold is the College of Archaeomancy—a term that describes the exploration of ancient things through magic. Its mages explore the past by poring over archaeological sites, calling forth magical energy from old tomes, and summoning the spirits of long-dead historical figures. Lorehold mages travel far and wide across the world, gathering relics of bygone ages and learning dead languages to unpack the secrets of history.

Studies and Philosophy

Lorehold College is devoted to the study of history, broadly understood to include the various aspects of culture, behavior, and social relationships that shape historical events. Its studies include various subdivisions of history (military history, social history, cultural history), archaeology, anthropology, psychology, sociology, religion, and economics. It overlaps with Prismari College in the field of art history, with some students splitting their studies between the two colleges. Lorehold mages use their magic to unearth secrets and share illumination.

Order and Chaos

Lorehold’s two deans carry the titles Dean of Order and Dean of Chaos, as order versus chaos encapsulates the fundamental conflict at the heart of Lorehold’s philosophy. This conflict revolves around the forces that underlie and drive history. Is the course of time driving toward a well-ordered ideal state or slowly devolving into chaos? Are deep patterns hidden in historical texts, or is time a series of coincidence and happenstance? The perspective of order emphasizes the structures that pull people together—law, religion, economics, education, social class, and so on—and how those structures drive historical events. Order focuses on systemic changes and the actions of people collectively. The perspective of chaos, by contrast, emphasizes individual actions, personal bonds of families and friends, and the disruptive force of lone, passionate people in history. Scholars of chaos gravitate toward reckless discovery and the spirit of adventure in their research of the past—the essence and emotion of history over precision or procedure.

The heart of Lorehold college overlooks a chasm littered with ancient ruins

Scholars of Lorehold

Scholar	Description	Principle
Archaeoscribe	chronicling historical truths for posterity	Order
Battle medium	strengthening summoned spirits for use in battles	Order
Chaos scholar	chasing down historical anecdotes as a litany of happenstance	Chaos
Conservator	preserving ancient spell knowledge and other relics of the past	Order
Dustspeaker	conversing with spirits of the past to learn their stories	Chaos
Pastraiser	binding spirits into the monuments that bear their likeness to learn about their inspiring deeds	Order
Relic reader	divining wisdom from the past from the context of ruin sites	Order
Ruin shaman	wielding magic that helps delve into ancient sites	Chaos
Tomewielder	summoning fiery magic from the words in old writings	Chaos
Warsinger	studying the magic used in ancient wars Chaos	Chaos