The Dark Practitioners

Type: Social (Cult)
Dates Active: 217-Present
Membership: Unknown, at least a hundred
Locations: Sporadic
Important Members: Xaneth Bivalder

Description
The Dark Practitioners are a guild of morally ambiguous mages who specialize in the Dark Arts. Many of the members are stronger than typical mages, though the stories told of them are often exaggerated. Some make them out to be evil mages that destroy what and when they want, while others make them out to be mages that are simply shunned by the mainstream mages for seeking forbidden knowledge and achieving higher power.
No matter what stories are told of them, it is undeniable that they are powerful. Some possess the power to bypass the sacrificial component of spells, while some possess the ability to use transmutations on the scale of buildings, or even towns. It is even said that they possess the power of creation, though I’m unsure of the legitimacy of these claims, as most assume that is a farce created to instill fear.
The Dark Practitioners are also the creators of self-inscription, a practice that is frowned upon in many arcane groups. The practice involves inscribing runes onto one’s own body, to be able to cast spells instantaneously at any time. It is also said that the sacrificial component of any given spell is reduced when casting a spell in such a way, due to the pain caused by writing the inscription
History
Founded in the 217th year, Xaneth Bivalder, the man known as the pioneer of the Dark Arts, took several mages on a journey. While the destination of this journey is widely disputed, it is claimed by the Practitioners themselves that they journeyed to the Husk of the Dark One, and, while there, many went mad, but were “blessed” with unheard of arcane power. This has continued to be a common trial for the Dark Practitioners, though if the stories are to be believed, it is a perilous journey.