School of Tenebrous Wisdom

A notorious and long-established academic institution, this school has acquired a sinister reputation thanks to the dubious careers of some of its graduates. In reality, however, it is a respected and sober establishment, with an emphasis on diligent esoteric research. Its members do not share the spiritual and theological obsessions of their brethren in the associated Order of Saint Errolan, however, concentrating instead on the phenomenology and manipulation of their chosen element: Darkness.

The school's founder, Malvinus, created two grimoires. The first, Heart of Darkness is a serious, well-written and scholarly tome, but the second, The Shadow Codex has darker reputation. Although it contains several perfectly acceptable spells dealing with the manipulation of an object's, creature's or person's shadow, two of its spells have a much more sinister purpose. These two, Steal Shadow and Poisoned Shadow, are both used to attack a victim through their shadow, with the aim of tapping or harming their vital essences. Like other similar magic, the use of these spells, even in a good cause, is regarded as heresy.