Aranae

Sly, sleek, and elusive are the mages of the Aranae House of Shadows. They walk within the shadows, explore the realms of death & destruction, and are naturally gifted in the dark arts. Though they aren’t particularly social, it would not be so strange to find them lurking just around the corner, or people-watching from some obscure and concealed location. Some may even use umbrakinetic or cloaking abilities to keep themselves hidden from wandering eyes. This makes them excellent observers.

Where the Drya mages are excellent animancers, the Aranae mages are equally gifted in necromancy. They know how to gather bones and sinew, then sew them back together with spellwork. When they walk through graveyards they speak freely and comfortably with the spirits there. They may even employ the use of sacrifice or ceremonial death in their rituals.

Though they are not inherently malevolent, they may enjoy learning about and practicing curses, hexes, and other left-hand works. In potioncrafting classes, they end up making poisons more often than not. These are the last mages you want to be arguing with; you definitely don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of their “class projects."

Their mascot is the Black Widow, an elusive and venomous creature that’s known for killing and eating its male partner after mating. However, like the mages of this house, they are only aggressive when threatened and their sting is more likely to cause extreme discomfort than death –though the latter certainly could happen.