Companion Archive

Seals, Marks, and Signs

Compiled from the records of Sable Dunmore, with annotations by Thessaly Vorn, Breck Ironhallow, and archivists of the restored Grand Linguistic Archive.

A seal is an argument. It claims authority, permanence, accuracy, or truth — and the claim and the reality are not always the same thing. Select any mark to read the full entry.

Imperial & Institutional

The marks that governed.

The Quiet Ledger Seal from Songs of the Firstborn — the closed eye of the Office of Continuance

The Quiet Ledger Seal

Office of Continuance

The eye is not closed because it cannot see. It is closed because it has chosen not to.

The Aldenmere Imperial Seal from Songs of the Firstborn — the mark of the empire that authorizes and suppresses

The Aldenmere Imperial Seal

The Aldenmere Empire

It looks entirely trustworthy. That is not an accident of design.

The Grand Linguistic Archive Seal from Songs of the Firstborn — the institutional mark of the nine-hundred-year elvish archive at Vel Tharun

Grand Linguistic Archive Seal

Grand Linguistic Archive · Vel Tharun

It owns knowledge — with the same confidence it appears on everything else.

Personal & Cultural

The marks that preserved.

Sable Dunmore's record mark from Songs of the Firstborn — a Wrenfolk filing stamp meaning a record kept is a candle lit

Sable's Record Mark

Sable Dunmore · Ashfen · Wrenfolk tradition

A record kept is a candle lit. It claims exactly what it does.

The Wrenfolk Archival Seal from Songs of the Firstborn — the mark of Wrenvale Islands record-keeping tradition

Wrenfolk Archival Seal

Wrenfolk · Wrenvale Isles

They do not make their mark impressive. They make it accurate.

The Ironhallow Family Mark from Songs of the Firstborn — the dwarven surveying seal bearing a crack added after Year 143 of the Deep

The Ironhallow Family Mark

House Ironhallow · Kharanor · Thurak

The crack was added after Year 143 of the Deep. The family has never officially explained why.

Orc shamanic mark from Songs of the Firstborn — a witness mark from the Thurak steppes that records what the land felt

Orc Shamanic Mark

Orc Shamans · The Steppes · Thurak

It does not claim authority. It witnesses.

Dwarven & Ancient

The marks that endured.

The Kharanor Stonehall Seal from Songs of the Firstborn — dwarven memory cut rather than written

Kharanor Stonehall Seal

Kharanor · Ironfast · Thurak

Dwarven memory cut rather than written — final rather than provisional.

The Kazgrom Stonehall Seal from Songs of the Firstborn — the largest dwarven authority on either continent

Kazgrom Stonehall Seal

Kazgrom · The Great Stonehalls · Thurak

The largest dwarven authority on either continent. The record speaks and the people let it.

The Durgath Deephold Seal from Songs of the Firstborn — the dwarven mark certifying depth down to where the survey stops

Durgath Deephold Seal

Durgath · The Deep Vaults · Thurak

It certifies depth down to the point where the survey stops. What lies beneath is not acknowledged.

Drevari threshold marks from Songs of the Firstborn — ancient First Age symbols that describe what is true rather than what is owned

Drevari Threshold Marks

Drevari · First Age

Not symbols. Descriptions. A mark that states what is true rather than what is owned.