Cradle of the Filthy

[Rogue]

The Mal'Talzin Order was a shadowy group that dealt in secrets and ancient magics. Few knew of its existence. Even fewer knew of its purpose. The first rule of the Order was this: do not speak of the Order, lest you lose your tongue.

There were several ways to be inducted into the Order, of which the Temple of Praxeum is the most common. The Temple was a school. For a small donation, students were be admitted into the school as acolytes, where they learned the lore and applications of simpler sorcery. The lucky ones would leave as apprentices to the full sorcerers and sorceresses of the Order, and from there work their way into the heart of the Order. Students who were less lucky were sometimes retained and employed by the Temple as caretakers and staff. The unluckiest ones... no one spoke of the unluckiest ones.

Many members of the Order sent their own children to the Temple. At times, the Order also sent out searchers for children with strong potential. The Order cared little for races, sex, or lineage. Even slaves were eligible, so long as they had potential.

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The Temple of Praxeum itself was a small castle, built a long time ago when the Order had more acolytes than the measly handful it had now.

The castle’s east and west wings housed sleeping alcoves and dormitories. Its north tower hosted prayer rooms, offices, libraries *and study areas. Its small southern wing had the kitchens and the eating halls. The great Stone Hall sat in the center, connected to all four directions through a multitude of hallways, stairways, secret passages. There was one indoor garden between the Stone Hall and the Temple’s front entrance, a bigger outdoor garden-cum-greenhouse immediately next to the entrance, several fountains, a deep well, and two large courtyards.

The Temple’s grounds sat enclosed by a thick forest of trees, as far away from any beacons of civilization as its builders could manage while still within the borders of Raiaera. There was one thin path that led in or out of the forest, and rumours had it that those who chanced the forest often met interesting ends. There were workings and magic in the soil to dissuade the common man from finding their way in.

Excerpts from the Book of Three
On the Practices of the Mal'Talzin

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