Arcanum Aeterna is a city hidden beyond time, carrying the lost traces of magic. It exists between layers of reality, only revealing itself during Moments of Forgetfulness—such as eclipses, rare planetary alignments, or a wizard’s final breath. The entrance can be found through abandoned clock towers or mirrors scattered across the world. The city serves as a time capsule, preserving the lost moments of magical history. Its streets, walls, and even the air are infused with ancient spells. These memories are not static but manifest as living illusions, allowing interaction with the past. Be careful—it can be dangerous.
The inhabitants of the city include Memory Spirits, the ghostly echoes of forgotten wizards and creatures; Archivists, guardians resistant to time who are either time-wielding sorcerers or beings crafted from philosopher’s stone; and refugees, those who have escaped the outside world, including souls of forbidden spell books or individuals fused with cursed artifacts. And of course, there are also witches, vampires, mermaids, and the outcasts.
A maze where lost memories take physical form, the Labyrinth of Echoes has walls made of a mercury-like substance that reflects forgotten spells. Notable structures include the Cathedral of Broken Oaths, a monument dedicated to wizarding betrayals, and the Library of Silence, home to books containing unspoken spells—every page screams when opened. The Bazaar of Lost Arts is a marketplace where extinct magical crafts are traded, such as moonlight-forged metals or emotion-driven divination, a favorite among divination witches. Shadow Weavers sell fabrics woven from light, granting invisibility to the wearer, while the Stardust Tavern serves drinks infused with the memories of galaxies.
The Academy of the Forsaken is a school for those rejected by traditional magic institutions. Rather than forbidden magic, it focuses on neglected magic. Subjects include Melancholy Alchemy, the art of transforming tears and regrets into potions, and Forgotten Languages, the study of magical dialects no longer spoken, such as the Dream Language of Ancient Giants. The Spire of Final Words is a colossal tower where the last words of dying wizards are trapped. Visitors can listen to them and even communicate with the past, though some whispers may drive them mad.
The city has its own magic, called Memory Magic, or Mnemonomancy. Wizards can use memories to create magical effects. For example, if someone remembers a fight, the anger from that memory can summon ghostly figures reenacting the battle. However, if used too much, these ghosts may escape and haunt the city. There is also a strange effect called Temporal Erosion. If you stay in Arcanum Aeterna too long, you may start losing your own memories. Eventually, your body will melt into the city’s foundation, becoming part of its walls and streets. Every step you take may be someone’s forgotten existence.
Recently, entire sections of the city have started disappearing, possibly due to Memory Merchants from the outside world stealing Arcanum’s energy. The Archivists are not immortal; each one is a fragment of a collective consciousness bound to the city. If an Archivist dies, the city trembles, and a piece of its history is lost forever. Structures are built from obsidian reinforced with the bones of ancient wizards and stardust-infused glass. Streets are illuminated by fire pixies trapped in lanterns. Shadows occasionally replay past events in flickering silhouettes.
Every year, residents release a memory into the sky, forming dancing lights that illuminate the city during the Night of Echoes. Another tradition, the Day of Silence, forbids speech, requiring communication through gestures and memory transference. Arcanum Aeterna preserves what the world has chosen to forget, but at a cost. Stay too long, and you may lose yourself in the whispers of the past.
Would you dare to enter? But do not forget—all magic comes with a price.