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.
Scholars of Lorehold
The Lorehold Scholars table offers examples of the scholars in Lorehold College. You may use the table to randomly determine the scholarly focus of a Lorehold student or faculty member. The Principle column notes which side of the order-chaos conflict a scholar more likely aligns with.
Lorehold Scholars
| d10 |
Scholar Principle |
| 1 |
Archaeoscribe, chronicling historical truths for posterity Order |
| 2 |
Battle medium, strengthening summoned spirits for use in battles Order |
| 3 |
Chaos scholar, chasing down historical anecdotes as a litany of happenstance Chaos |
| 4 |
Conservator, preserving ancient spell knowledge and other relics of the past Order |
| 5 |
Dustspeaker, conversing with spirits of the past to learn their stories Chaos |
| 6 |
Pastraiser, binding spirits into the monuments that bear their likeness to learn about their inspiring deeds Order |
| 7 |
Relic reader, divining wisdom from the past from the context of ruin sites Order |
| 8 |
Ruin shaman, wielding magic that helps delve into ancient sites Chaos |
| 9 |
Tomewielder, summoning fiery magic from the words in old writings Chaos |
| 10 |
Warsinger, studying the magic used in ancient wars Chaos |
