In Foro

In Foro is one of the older arcane periodicals of Darkon. The magazine found its beginnings in the correspondence of several Darkonian wizards, who were friends and regularly debated magical principles and collaborated on the construction of spells through letters. As old age crept up on them and their membership dwindled, the last correspondents decided to use the benefits of the printing press to take what they considered to be an optimal formula for magical research national.

In Foro proved, if not widely or wildly popular, then still highly appreciated by many arcane practitioners in Darkon, and in other domains as well once it became known there.

Rules

In Foro prints submissions from arcane practitioners and invites readers to send in responses to establish a dialogue of learned minds. The only limits on submissions to the magazine are:

• Any criticism should be constructive;
• Sending in personal attacks on another contributor disqualifies authors from the right to submit letters for one year;
• For security reasons, all submissions must be anonymous or entered under an alias.

Compilations

At a certain point, the magazine offered a special service of compiling specific lines of correspondence into separate volumes to order. The contributing authors would receive a modest amount in royalties, and the magazine earned a rather more substantial amount in revenue. Some of the more memorable compiled correspondences include a spirited discussion between wizards Magister Chaleur and Miss A., titled simply On Life.

Relocation

In Foro's offices in Karg were closed down in 724 BC, after a minor scandal. For a time, more than one subscriber to the magazine had wondered whether King Azalin, beyond a doubt the greatest Wizard in the land, had ever contributed to the magazine, and several letters enquiring into this subject were printed in the 723 BC December edition. The then-editor assumed ambiguity would boost sales, and decided on a tongue-in-cheek response that the identities of all contributors must remain a secret, "but he would not deny it".

Whether this tactic actually would have boosted sales remains unknown, as the Kargat arrested the editor on charges of lèse-majesté, and delivered him to the dungeons of Castle Avernus. He was never seen again.

The remaining staff scattered to the four winds, rather than be contaminated by the editor's mistake, and In Foro languished - until the magazine's company name, archive, equipment and supplies were purchased in bulk in the spring of 725 BC by an anonymous investor, who did not wish to see 'the great old magazine' fade into oblivion.

In deference to the gaffe that had been committed by the previous editor, In Foro's offices were moved to Port-a-Lucine in the summer of 725 BC, and a new editorial staff appointed. In all other respects - save perhaps the quality of the illuminations - the periodical has continued on as it had been doing before. The main client base has remained the same, and In Foro is still printed exclusively in Darkonese.

Dangers

• Any number of 'traditional-minded' Mages may take offense on philosophical grounds to an institution like In Foro, which was founded to promote arcane development through openness and cooperation, rather than secrecy and solitary study. It is not inconceivable that one or several such Mages might decide to do something ... unfortunate ... to anyone they suspect of being involved with the magazine.
• Greedy spellcasters like Thedmore could see In Foro's archives as a treasure trove of material to pad out their own spellbooks. Some would truly rather commit violent robbery than pay a bit of gold to order their own collection of back issues.
• The magazine is now the property of the Centurions of the Night. While they have not made any overt changes, they are using the magazine to disseminate some truly dark theorems, and dropping breadcrumbs that may lead keen students to the Shadow Weave.
• All published submissions are anonymous or under an alias, but In Foro knows the real names and addresses of over half its regular contributors - and all its subscribers. Any halfway pragmatic secret service or politician would give someone's eye teeth for that kind of information.