The Arcanum

The Arcanum – Shugenja and Scholars

The Arcanum studies the unseen threads of Yamato: spiritual energy, natural phenomena, relics, and the intricate weave of legends. Composed of scholars, shugenja, and human and yokai researchers, the Arcanum functions as both academy and archive. They classify local lore, record unusual events, and investigate the mystical forces that permeate the land—from the Celestial Island of Seihō to the fallen star and every enchanted forest, swamp, and ruin in between.

Membership spans species: kitsune serve as cunning investigators, ryujin navigate oceans for submerged relics, tanuki study the limits of illusion magic, nekomata bend time, sound, color and space, and humans maintain detailed logs and experiments. They collaborate with the Shogunate, Council of Harmony, and Spirit Wardens, ensuring that magical knowledge is responsibly applied, while guarding against misuse that might provoke yokai uprisings or divine wrath. Certain texts are restricted to members of the Arcanum, classified by ritual and secrecy; others are shared in academic symposia, where scholars debate ethics, theory, and interpretation.

The Arcanum also maintains a delicate relationship with powerful artifacts: relics are cataloged, analyzed, and occasionally neutralized if deemed too dangerous. They are not enforcers, but advisors, guiding other factions on the use or containment of mystical energy. Their libraries, observatories, and hidden laboratories are scattered across Yamato, from the peaks of Reikonzan to the shores of the Yūshōkai, creating a web of knowledge that connects mortals and spirits alike.

The Arcanum’s existence ensures that Yamato’s spiritual and natural phenomena are not just feared or exploited, but understood, preserved, and harnessed in balance. They are the keepers of wisdom, the chroniclers of the unseen, and the cautious innovators who safeguard the frontier between magic and reality.