The Archives
Name: The Archives
Symbol: an open book in front of a burning candle
Leader: Caeden Miller?
Core Philosophy: Patronizing
Cover: Haven Local History Museum
- This faction cannot be joined by alts.
- This faction is closed, and you must be recruited to it.
- This faction has a parent organization supporting it.
The Archives, officially the Twenty-Seventh Scarlet Library, is an official affiliate of the Red Circle, a magical workshop devoted to the greater advancement of arcane learning and practice. Its members tend to be arcanists, alchemists, artificers, and their servants, but it welcomes seekers of knowledge of all kinds. Its presence in Haven results from a desire to thwart the monopoly on secrets held by the other organizations which gather around the portals, and use that wisdom to help protect the world. Moreover, the proximity to the worlds beyond, the font of all power, provides a natural opportunity to experiment with new kinds of magical working.
No stringent moral law is laid upon its members, in keeping with the practices of the Circle from whom the Library is inspired. Members of all prior affiliations are welcomed. However, the Archives generally retains a representative of White, Red, and Black philosophies as a kind of triumvirate leadership -- in lieu of official moral policies, senior members seek to influence the ranks to their own way of seeing things. Prudence and good taste is encouraged, particularly regarding the treatment of apprentices. Werewolves are discouraged from affiliating due to the inherent conflict of interests between mages and the moon-touched few.
The Library believes that they safeguard knowledge for the good of mankind, as protectors and sometimes as wardens. Not all knowledge, the librarians believe, is fit for mass consumption, even if the Library collects it all. Some secrets must remain secret, for those not initiated to their mysteries. This lack of trust in human ability to be trusted with arcane wisdom has sometimes been derided as a patronizing view by more trusting organizations.
The Archivists tend to be agnostic as regards the ebb and flow of politics both mortal and supernatural -- they consider the acquisition of knowledge to be the highest calling. This very neutrality has a tendency to pull them into conflicts, however, as they sell their services to the highest bidder, and every now and then the Archives have been known to launch raids to acquire information that they cannot obtain by normal means.