Obliviates

The **Obliviates** are a society of Long who reject affiliation with any of the Hours. They achieve this by drinking water with the magical property of causing them to be forgotten. Many of the Obliviates currently reside at Port Noon, where there is a spring with this property. The society is descended from similar societies called the House of Lethe and the Ordo Limiae. Its symbol is a closed eye.

## House of Lethe

The original incarnation of the society, the House of Lethe, was inspired by the Vagabond, in her mask as the Centipede. It originated the closed eye symbol and the practice of drinking from magical streams. It also originated a practice of taking on names with no meaning, or at least names with meaning only in obscure languages.

The House of Lethe had branches in Thebes, Damascus, and Aleppo, and wrote primarily in Greek. In at least some cases, initiation into the House of Lethe involved writing a book in a single night, or a single day and night for the Damascene branch. It fought with the Hooded Princes prior to their flight from the Fifth History. According to "C.R.O.D.", the House of Lethe had very particular customs regarding magical rituals, such as summoning Caligines using specifically Knock-lore with a Winter-initiate and the Malleus Imperative.

## Ordo Limiae

The Ordo Limiae was based in the Roman province of Hispania Gallaecia in northern Iberia, on the river Limia. The Limia was historically identified with the Lethe, and believed to have the same properties of causing memory loss. They wrote primarily in Fucine. Members took three oaths called the Ivory, Iron, and Silver Chains.

The Ivory Chain forbade interactions with the Hours, although there were certain exceptions and indulgences. In particular, the Ordo had an understanding with the Ivory Dove. The Barrowchild, an adept who wrote In Memory of Gods, was a member of the Ordo, which suggests she learned of the Lithomachy from the Ivory Dove.

The Iron Chain required members to remain secret from the world, and prescribed substantial punishments for those who broke it. This could involve calling upon King Crucible, although this was reserved for the direst cases, as it risked drawing the attention of the Forge of Days.

The Silver Chain forbade heterosexual intercourse, out of fear of the Crime of the Sky. Those who broke it were to be punished with death, although "there are lesser punishments prescribed for various acts that do not involve actual coitus". Homosexuality was permitted, and in fact even encouraged as a means of resisting the temptation to break the Silver Chain. Those punished in accordance with the Chain would sometimes have their punishments incorporated into summoning rites.. The Crime of the Sky may have been the reason for the Ordo's condemnation of Hokobald of Pocsind, formerly of the House of Lethe.

## Obliviates

The Ordo Limiae moved out of Gallaecia and became the Obliviates during the Renaissance. The Obliviates currently reside mostly in Port Noon, which is home to a secret spring bearing the same properties as the Limia. However, some members can be found in the Capital by exploring with an Atlas of Dreams. Julian Coseley is a member of the Obliviates, as was Lagun. They maintain the general secrecy of their predecessors, as well as the practice of taking on false names, but have apparently abandoned the strict customs of the House of Lethe surrounding magical rituals.

## Known Members

* The Barrowchild
* Burzghash
* Melerai Yivni
* Kurenai
* Julian Coseley
* Lagun (dead)
* Hokobald of Pocsind (expelled)
* C.R.O.D. (maybe)
* Dr Ibn al-Adim (speculated)

## References

1. ↑ The Serenity of the Black Wood
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Alexis Kennedy, on Discord. See https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356792927768281089/453953522782699540/unknown.png
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 On Matthias and the Amethyst Imago: Pursuit
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 On Matthias and the Amethyst Imago: Loss
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 On Matthias and the Amethyst Imago: Transformation
6. ↑ On the Matter and the Deeds of Serpents
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Those Indignities Perpetrated By the Deceitful Fraternity of Obliviates
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Ivory Book
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Iron Book
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Silver Book
11. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethe#Real\_rivers
12. ↑ My Deeds, My Powers, My Achievements...