The atrocities committed during the Mundane War were not easily forgotten. Mages were slaughtered in brutal manners: all because they bore the skill to influence the arcane. Out from this bloody and dark time rose an enigmatic organization dedicated to making sure the tyrannies of anti-magical sentiment would not be ripped anew. A secret society that was dedicated to making magic what it always should have been: free.
The Arcane Hand's sigil, typically found on elongated hexagonal pendants worn by its agents.
Structure
The Arcane Hand’s members could be found anywhere. Anyone could be one, from a beggar on a street to a king’s right-hand advisor. This gave the Arcane Hand an incredibly powerful presence, as no one could ever be sure if someone was an agent for them or not. They typically watched from the shadows and pulled strings in the background, underneath the politics of kingdoms across Legere. Their arcane memory manipulation rituals made it especially difficult for even some former agents to remember if they were ever part of the Hand or not.
Prior to 296 DHT, the Arcane Hand had a division of agents zealous dedicated to the second mission statement of the organization. Known as the Bureau of Classified Arcana, this task force of elite members of The Hand sought to erase knowledge of risky magic from the public pool of knowledge.
Agenda
The Arcane Hand strived to uphold each individual’s Creator-given right to wield magic in civilizations across Legere. They believed magic was a natural expression of someone’s will in the universe, and was akin to the ability to walk and talk itself.
The Arcane Hand's Mission Statements
- Fight for an individual’s right to wield magic across Legere. The Arcane Hand soaked through the political infastructure and applied pressure on many nations with their influence in order to steer policy away from restricting magic in any capacity. One of their foremost goals was to prevent a Mundane War situation from even coming close to reoccurring. The Hand did not compromise on their belief that no one had the right to take the ability to cast magic away from someone.
- Uphold the image of arcane casters. In order to more easily advocate for the previous ideal, the Arcane Hand toiled to preserve a good image of casters to the common people. This meant a minor level of policing was mandatory for true arcane freedom. Such measures included:
- Eliminate dangerous arcane casters. The Hand believed magic was an amoral object, and that it was the individual that could harness that magic for evil. One could either take the magic out of the criminal and force them to commit crimes using something else, or they can take the criminal out of the magic and stop their deeds forever. They kept an ever-vigilant watch against arcane evildoers who would sully the perception of magic and move to intercept them wherever they showed themselves.
- Monitor demonstrably dangerous or volatile arcane paths. The Hand had a list of particularly notorious arcane paths. When a caster emerges utilizing one of them, they were placed under surveillance and intercepted should they step out of line.
- Combat demonic forces. There was very little debate within the Hand on how to handle anything that tapped into the profane. Every rank member was taught about the destruction caused during Demon Wars. All demonic magic and artifact experimentation was expressely banned to the highest order. While the Righteous Order and the Cornerstone Foundation before it took the lead on the confiscation of Demonic artifacts and knowledge, the Arcane Hand baked forbiddance of such implements it into their own tenants as well. The only research ever completed on such artifacts were explicitly done by lending the most experienced and incorruptible of wizards to the Righteous Order, where they would manage the proceedings.
- Spread arcane knowledge and teach the masses how to utilize it. The Arcane Hand believed that the absolute best way to combat fear of the arcane was to teach people how to use it. Once anyone was familiar with it, the fear of the unknown and ensuing doubts could easily fade away. This also provided opportunities for more talented mages to rise and continue the never-ending pursuit of the arcane. The Hand often led education efforts in the form of affordable schools and colleges for even the common folk.
History
Founding
The Arcane Hand formed during the establishment of Phovezila at the end of the Mundane War. The secret society gathered in response to the atrocities that had occurred, but were separate from the governing body of Phovezila.
Major Involvements
The Gilding of 259
Imperator Hyperius committed a terrible atrocity by forcing a hundred Cloudwellers to learn aurelimancy specifically to provide enough material for the construction and gilding of Hyperius’ Palace. These mages (or at least the ones that survived training) were forced into this arcane labour under the pain of death of their families. While the Arcane Hand attempted to interfere with this cruel mistreatment of mages, Hyperius’ inquisitors proved to be an impenetrable wall against the most dramatic and would-be effective moves made by the Hand. Unable to do much else, the Arcane Hand ended their operations against Hyperius, wanting to avoiding taking a definitively political stance by appearing to aid the rebel movement growing in the Cloudlands.
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The Corgathian Spellcraft Crisis
The Corgathian Spellcraft Crisis was a political event that occurred in the mid-270s DHT, where the king of Corgath, King Roland, son of Bertramus, began to place restrictions on who could use magic. This was a source of unrest for the Corgathian public, and eventually involved the actions of the Arcane Hand.
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These decrees were initiated by undercover cultists of the Body of Baal, who infiltrated the Corgathian nobility as advisors. The cult utilized these policies to stir unrest among Corgathians and radicalize spellcasters to their cause.
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The Unbirthing and Independence of the BCA
From 290 - 296 DHT the director of the Bureau, Mosso Solren, voiced his concerns that the Arcane Hand was being too light handed about its actions against “dangerous arcane paths” and that not enough funding was being granted to the BCA to fund its activities. The Unbirthing was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as the Solren’s Wall project chewed through the BCA’s budget. Solren feared that an arcane apocalypse would befall Legere if the BCA continued to be shackled by the confines of The Hand’s modus operandi, and formally requested autonomous operation. The agents of the BCA as well as a good deal of members from The Hand sympathized with Solren’s stance, pressuring institutional heads into complying. The Hand begrudgingly agreed, allowing the Bureau to become its own, independent entity.
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