8.17 Cabalists

Once a guild of scholars, the Cabalists sought vast and deep knowledge in all aspects of life. Their studies were, and remain, shrouded in secrecy from the rest of Aetolia, for the Cabal understood that knowledge is power, and those who direct their efforts towards this knowledge deserve to reap the benefits.

The Cabalists' characteristic skills were those of Numerology, a lore based on the numbers and the mystical powers they contain, allowing them to toy with the very fabric of creation. Their research into the dark arts of Necromancy rewarded them with the ability to deal with the science of life essence, death and decay in their purest forms. Finally, their abilities in Domination permitted them to call upon the service of Chaos entities to aide them in combat, plying the Chaos Lords by valuable goods or by force.

The ways of Numerology had been lost since the time of the Grand Artifice at the end of the Second Mortal Epoch, until Eocik, a wayward farmer of Spinesreach, found a cache of forgotten Ankyrean scrolls in the City's catacombs. The Cabal was dissolved by Eocik in the year 463 MA, out of his fear of Numerology's destructive potential - defiant ex-Cabalists and Spirean loyalists created the Archivists in response, carrying the Cabal's legacy forward.