"Oh, there you are! I was starting to get worried. You need to tell me if you leave the house." "Sorry mommy, I was out playing with Dawn." "Oh, that's nice - wait, who is Dawn? Is that Lucy's daughter from school?" "No, it's my new pen. See?" the girl held the pen up...

Arcanist Kalama, we are writing to inform you that this is your third and final warning regarding the return of the Implement Malie. Our records not only clearly indicate that you were assigned this Implement, but the fact that you have replied to our warnings with...

Deep within the Arcana Archives there is a sealed room. This room is not a secret – all who reside there are aware it exists – but scant few know how to enter. Shielded by both metal and magic, it was the only room to have perfectly survived the great fire which had...

​In an old broken house, there was a room far in the back of the cluttered basement. In that room sat a worn splintered desk, creaky and forgotten. In that desk there was a drawer, its latch stuck from neglect. In that drawer there was a slender box, its hinges...

The finest Implements I have crafted came not from some perfect specimen from a tree, hewn from straight, uniformed grain and untouched by knots or voids. No, the best are quite the opposite. Consider people. When you meet someone new, who are the ones that stand out?...

INCIDENT REPORT #0134-M Location: Archive - Rear Mezzanine Implement (if applicable): Abraxas Witnesses: None Description: Implement Abraxas discovered unattended on a research desk in the Archives. Implement was checked out to Arcanist Fields at 9:14am. Soot-like...

Unbelievable, she thought as she entered the chamber. The elder Arcanists had to leave for an emergency mission to the far corners of the world, and she was left to defend their remote outpost by herself. "Hello dear, what's your name?" the old man asked as she walked...

The small charter plane hummed along, and the Arcanist had little to do than think about the operation ahead. One shot was all they really had. Of all the types of magic, there were none that could manipulate time. A good thing, to be sure, as it would be far too...

Most Arcanists spend time focusing on the reagents surrounding the magic they use. The most important are the inks, the paper, and of course, the Implements themselves. But they lose sight of where the soul of the magic comes from. The soul comes from the Arcanist...

All her life, people would give her trouble about her plans. Either they were "too complex", or that a plan wasn't needed for something so "simple". And if their endeavors failed? It was always something or someone else's fault - not the fact that they had ignored her...

The first rule of teleportation magic is that you should never use teleportation magic. Teleportation looks great in movies, but unfortunately reality isn't as neat and tidy. Phasing yourself one from place to another by skipping through an alternative plane of...

You have been cleared to use S-Class containment spells for rift closures and Reacher suppression at rift sites using Phos. Due to the usage of forbidden glyphs in high-level containment, these spells are not suitable for city-scale or smaller threats. While powerful...

"Sever the link!" He yelled, gripping his Implement in hopes that one of the other Arcanists could hear him. He made out faint rumblings in his mind, but nothing discernable as words. A cacophony of winds howled about him. This is bad, he thought, his mind reeling. He...

"Will you help me?" A small girl asked him. He nodded, face solemn. He crouched down and met the girl's gaze. "But first I need your help. Can you take me to your home?" "I don't want to go back there," she said, shaking her head. "I know you are scared. But you look...

An eerie stillness permeated the clearing where he had found the rift. It hadn't happened all at once, but rather like air slowly escaping from a pinprick in a balloon. The hairs on his arms stood on end. He opened up his book and signed a spell with Elpis. Nothing...

Now what? she thought, already in position. The rift wasn't too difficult to find, her eye always twitched when one was nearby, so it wasn't hard to pinpoint it. But this one…this one was different. There should be Reachers streaming out of this thing, attacking her....

"You'll be back soon, right?" his son had said. "Before you know it, buddy," he said, tousling his son's hair. "Promise?" He paused a moment and nodded. "I promise."   A wind swirled about him, threatening to hurl him from the precipice to which he now clung. He...

Twelve Meridians. Will it be enough? A dozen Arcanists tossed throughout the world to prevent a global catastrophe? He felt even smaller as the train car in which he sat journeyed past countless forests crowded with trees and then mountains with towering peaks with...

It was too hot in this desert heat, he was too tired, and this whole operation was too much to bear. But bear it I must, he thought, nodding to himself. They had to close the rifts which had formed around the world. Rifts were like a crack in glass. They start out...

Here are the top nine pens I made of 2020, though it was a hard choice. They are each so unique, I really need to share more of the 'before' pictures. I find the woods I use fascinating because I use the gnarliest, and quite frankly, ugliest burls I can find. By...

Many people hold the belief that orchids are difficult to tend to, but this is not true. It’s about balance. If you strike the right balance, an orchid with thrive. The same is true with the Implement known as Orchid. There are spells within the arcane texts that...

“May I see it?” a girl asked him, rocking back and forth on her heels looking up at him. He did not acknowledge her, and instead quietly waited in the line to purchase his ticket. The girl shook her head, seemingly embarrassed. “Sorry, I mean, can I please see it?”...

I need a vacation, Beverly thought as she took yet another photo of a man posing for his driver’s license. This one had not asked nicely for a retake, but she didn’t care anymore. She had grown accustomed to it. People hated going to the DMV, and they had no problem...

“Why does grandpa have to stay here? He smells weird,” the little boy said to his dad a little too loudly. The man grimaced and looked over his shoulder to see if his ailing father had noticed. If his old man had heard, he gave no indication of it. Instead, he...

The boy signed the spell and cast it upon the wall of fire before him. A wave of water materialized around him; droplets momentarily suspended in the air. They hung for only a heartbeat and crashed into the wall, tearing holes into the flames. Within a second, the...

“You cannot improve upon the old spells,” they tell me. The masters here believe that the spells which have stood for the history of the Arcana are the only true spells. Do not get me wrong – I respect their expertise and guidance, but not a single teacher has been...

I do not fear the veil of death. I do not fear crossing upon the Archeron. I do not fear the revelation of the underworld and its dark gate. What I do fear is having to make the journey alone. “He’s dead.” “You don’t know that!” “Look, I understand you are upset. But...

I have the same dream each night. I know many are afflicted with dreams and nightmares that will not relent. In trying to make sense of it all, I have come to learn that most recurring dreams are rooted in some source of stress that you have yet to face. Others...

I told him to flee. He either didn’t hear me or pretended not to. To my grave, I will always believe the latter. My master’s mind had already been set to a plan. I had witnessed his thoughts come a bit slower now that the white and gray lines had taken over his once...

“Measure twice, cast once.” I’m not saying what I’m doing is safe. But I do believe it is necessary. Those fools at the Arcana are so wrapped up in the way it used to be done that they aren’t willing to grow or adapt. Hell, even the Reachers have shown us that they...

Originally thought to be lost, Glaive was recently returned to the Archive. It was not dropped off on our doorstep, however. It appeared suddenly one day in the Vault, where all unused Implements are safely kept. The former bearer of the Implement, Ricard Lilium, was...

“Why bother?” the boy asked, shaking his head. “Excuse me?” The teacher, in middle of reading a passage to the group of young Arcanists, put down her book. “Why do we bother to use lead-based Implements if their effects don’t last?” The teacher nodded, her eyes...

​Perfect darkness enveloped her, and her ears rang with a dull tone. She reached out, her heart pounding. Her hand only met the slick stone wall of the crumbling crypt, but it granted her a glimmer of solace to have something to ground her. The years of training. The...

Maps are powerful things. You may laugh, but I posit that knowing where you are, where you need to go, and where something is can give you an incalculable advantage. This is why Shore is so amazing. It can find things, nearly pinpoint them if you can create the right...

I asked when I was a child Why the dark was so scary and wild. Why the day had to die And steal the blue from the sky. Why in growing shadow did the Reachers scrape As the barriers between our worlds lost their shape. She stroked my hair and said The dark was a...

​It’s always the same story with thieves. They lack imagination. To be fair, I messed up in the first place, letting it slip to the wrong person that I had been recruited by the Arcana to arrange high-security transport of goods. They must have figured I was moving...

The voice came at once, without warning. It was not unlike my own voice, but with no source or direction. Someone inexperienced with the sensation might think it be their own, but I know better. “Westclaw Keep in danger. All available Arcanists prepare for siege.” My...

“What happened? It didn’t always look like this. Is it some type of corruption…or an evolution?” It is established that Implements can change. They can shift not only in what feats and proclivities they possess, but also in appearance. While theories abound, no one is...

Four-hundred and twenty-five pages. I know each one by heart. Every single stroke of every glyph was made by my hand. I practiced writing every glyph every night until my hands cramped up so badly that it was impossible to continue. After a decade of this training, I...

“Will you look after the child?” A cloaked man asked, clutching a small bundle wrapped in a ragged gray blanket. “Ridiculous. Do you think we are running some kind of orphanage?” The guardswoman at the gate made to shut the station’s window, but the cloaked man...

“Is this Implement safe to use?” “No.” Even though we can craft new Implements, there is a part of the process that is still unknown to many, even in the upper echelons of the Arcana. The knowledge of how to imbue an Implement with its power is one that is only passed...

Each time I close my eyes, even if just for a few seconds, I feel it. I’ve asked others, and many have said they feel it also. I struggle to describe the sensation. But the darkness I see when my eyes close somehow grows deeper every second, like I’m falling into the...

‘Never you mind the bard’ they chant But to whom do they turn when they drink and rant? They beg for a song to remember loves met Or more often so a song to forget. But to whom do they turn when darkness raps at their door? Not a bard – they want something more....

My name is Wenge, and I am the one who matches Implement to Arcanist. Though there are those who pretend Implements choose their wielders, but that is simply not the truth. Implements are artifacts independent of any terrestrial bond. That said, there are Arcanists...

“Every spell exacts a price. Some far greater than others.” “It’s good to see you again,” I told him. The man smiled broadly. “And you as well.” “I’ll say hello to your son since I am travelling back that way,” I lied. “I would like that. Thank you,” the man said,...

Truth takes many forms. Our perceptions form a great deal of the truths we accept. One very important lesson I have learned is that our minds perceive more than we know, and can reveal the many forms of truth, if you know where to look. Dreams are overlooked because...

It was like being in the epicenter of a storm. Countless specks of light, like hot blue sparks, swirled around me. If we hadn’t been in mortal danger, I would have afforded myself to be more in awe of the spectacle enveloping us. It was a shield, but unlike any shield...

I can topple the highest buildings ever made I can make the oceans roil and churn I can bring untold power yet never fade I can grow a fire and cause the world to burn What am I?   “I can’t accept this Implement.” “I’m sorry, this is the only one the Keeper chose...

“Nothing is more sad than the death of an illusion.” -Arthur Koestler Chameleon is rare in its specialty: Illusion. With a properly formed spell, an illusion can appear so detailed and true that it can become nearly indistinguishable from reality. Chameleon’s...

“How come I never see you write with this pen? It’s really nice.” “It’s not an ordinary pen.” “What? What do you mean?” “Look, I’m not really supposed to tell you…” “You know what? I’m done with this. You disappeared for five years without a word, and now you are back...

“There must be some mistake.” “I’m sorry, is there something wrong with the Implement?” “Well, I mean, look at it!” “What about it?” “It’s got a skull on the top!” “I still don’t see the problem here.” “With scary red eyes! It looks evil! And its name is Shroudweaver....

"I will not, cannot, and adamantly refuse to be the bearer of this Implement. I understand I specifically requested an implement that possessed strong offensive fire magic properties. But the power this…exaggeration…of an Implement carries holds is so immense that it...

It is well-documented that the Reachers, those who transgress into our world uninvited, possess the ability to consume the light around them. This appears to happen before the point of manifestation into our realm. For a period of time, there were those that believed...

​I have heard of those who have the same dream every night. Something similar now happens to me after I came to wield the Implement known as Venture. Each night I have a different dream. That may not sound special to you, but for me is unheard of. I have not recalled...

“I’ve grown very attached to this pen. Sorry, ‘Implement’. It has a unique weight to it. When I first pick it up, it feels like a normal pen at first, but then I feel a comforting pull, like an invisible magnet pressing it gently into my hand. I know it is just a...

“When I assumed the responsibilities of this office as the Head Minister of the Arcana, I was given this Implement to commemorate the occasion. Even though I have carried it with me every day since my inauguration, I have always held onto the secret hope that I would...

The preferred Implement of Quistis Locke during her short-lived time as a minister within the Arcana Implementia. Called the "Silent Queen" by her fellow ministers, she rarely held so much as a meeting, preferring to communicate through short scripts. Though these...

“This isn’t going to hurt, right?" “It won’t if you stop moving and be quiet.” “AAHHHH! AAAHHHH! What the hell?! I wasn’t moving.” “Yeah, I lied. I just wanted you to shut up.” - Excerpt from Rags to Stitches: Tales of an Arcanist Healer While not as widely known as...

Minister: “We will destroy it.” Splat: “Like hell you will.” Minister: “In light of your…contributions, I will let that comment slide, Mr. Splat. The fact remains that this Implement was not created according to Arcana specifications and must be destroyed.” Splat: “I...

Second does not have as deep a history as most of our active Implements, for it is one of a new generation. This is also apparent by its more unconventional modern design. Its creation, however, does carry with it a story of note. The tip of the pen bears a bullet. At...

“You can’t use it for that.” “Why not?” “Are you kidding? That Implement helped bring down the Corrupted King himself. It was instrumental in the sealing of at least two separate Class A Reachers. And that’s just the history we know about before it came into the...

“The permanence of what I have done will forever reverberate through my soul. This Implement…this will be my atonement.” - Josephine Harflex There are but a handful of Implements recorded in the Arcana which utilize lead. It is well-known that Implements must utilize...

Vashor was believed to have been lost until it suddenly resurfaced as the chosen Implement of Queen [REDACTED]. Not much thought had been given until, many years later, the Queen passed away.  A copy of her diary, along with Vashor, was later anonymously left on the...

There are few Implements as well-known as Depthwake. Master-level spells scribed by the Implement possess an intensity unmatched by many Implements designed exclusively for offensive spellcasting. Arcanists believe part of its efficacy is due to an ethereal tie to...

Originally christened ‘Gobus’ by its creator, Kholis is an Implement whose ethereal composition has almost fully transitioned to dark magic. The story of this transition was almost lost to record, due to the secrecy of the operation it was created for. A village by...

It was an unseasonally cold morning in the city of Canberra, Australia when Dexter Splat arrived and concurred with the confused locals that it was, in fact, much too cold. Icicles should not be forming on the rooflines of their houses. Not even in the winter. And...

“For us, nothing is certain but death and taxes. But for them, those that lurk beyond our perception, nothing is certain but Mildred Rapt. And if they run into Mildred, death ain’t too far behind.” Mildred Rapt had no passion for being an Arcanist. To her, it was a...

Not much is known about the Implement known as Pathmourn. It was discovered one morning on the steps of Writsforge, one of the hidden libraries of the Arcana. The Implement was bundled up in a dark crimson cloth. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the cloth...

Not all dark magic is evil. Man's innate fear of the night has led many to believe that if something is associated with darkness, that it must somehow carry a sinister purpose. Take, for example, a lesser known member of the Arcana Implementia, Nox. Nox, replete with...

Warding Implements tend to be looked down upon by some Arcanists, but that view is incredibly shortsighted. Implements lauded for their use in combat get their share of the spotlight, but without the protection afforded by warding spells, some battles would be over...