The Priscians are a secret order of sorcerers in the Ardis Vala Mega-Dungeon, descendants, or self-proclaimed descendants, of the Sortians, the losing side of the Archontean Magical Schism against the Theosophists. Their main base is the old Sortian compound on the Floor of the Great Chasm.
| Type | Faction (secret order) |
| Leader | Nerub Null, archmage |
| Houses of the Cycle | ⛓ House of the Band · ☷ House of the Descent |
| Spanish entry | Priscians |
Organization
Each Priscian expedition is a Quintus (“the fifth”), a core of five: war mages with enchanted Priscian gladii, and conversi, warriors converted to ritual use. Hidden teams also work in other levels, including the Halls of Thoth.
Officers: Nerub Null, archmage and leader in Ardis Vala; Jaracondus the Sprightly, second in the dungeon; Cenwulf the Unseen, eighth-grade illusionist leading the expedition team; Justinian, sixth-grade war mage; Vingalok, a niravairi of the Order of Planar Explorers.
Gear: Priscian chain mail and gladii, advanced spells, and the Sortian eyes teleportation system.
Aims
- Reclaim the Sortian heritage; they reoccupied the compound some decades ago.
- Restore the Arcanum Forge, now partly restored and producing legendary Sortian equipment. They study Arcanum.
- Stay hidden, behind a sustained mirage over the entrance.
Relationships
- Kerbog Khan: magical rival.
- Cinna Minux: possible historical alliance; the Court of the Thegn vampire receives charmed informants who may include Priscians.
- Bayrum: leans toward the Sortians’ magical democracy without formal declaration; a possible Priscian contact.
The despoiling
In the present cycle the order inaugurated the Priscian Monopoly of Legitimate Magic. When the Seekers of Ardis Vala refused access to the library of the Palace of the Prism, a Priscian party led by Nerub Null teleported in through the Sortian eyes and, wielding scepters of absorption, defeated the northern group in the octagonal chamber. They confiscated all personal magic items but left gold, gems, rations and supplies. The Seekers were left unconscious but alive; the Priscians “liked them”. The open spark preached by Priscus Pulcher is thus held in hermetic custody.
Conflicting accounts
- A Quintus is a core of five; elsewhere its core is five to seven mages.