Cobalt Soul

The Cobalt Soul is an order publicly dedicated to the search for and preservation of knowledge, making it as accessible to the public as possible, guided by the light of Ioun, The Knowing Mistress. Their less-public mission is to use this accumulated knowledge against corruption and tyranny to ensure the freedom of all people. While their archives are available to everyone, the curators of the Cobalt Reserve privately determine what knowledge is too dangerous to be included — typically, information magical in nature or secrets that may be used against unjust leaders, cults, and any other antisocial factions.

Most members of the Cobalt Soul do not consider themselves Ioun's zealous worshipers, but still pay homage to her in some form.

Description
Some members of the Cobalt Soul are monks, while others are knowledge clerics of Ioun, bards, or fighters. Many folks are just standard researchers, caretakers, and historians. Members come from a wide variety of backgrounds and all are expected to assist with and protect the archives.

Cobalt Soul members believe that true strength comes from collecting knowledge and disseminating the truth. Far from passive observers, they attempt to root out corruption in their archives' home cities, striving to expose lies and unveil propaganda. High Curators may spy on members of competing power structures or assist the oppressed in escaping their plight. Infiltrators and operatives engage in espionage and sabotage, using magic to enhance their performance in battle and carry out their secret missions..

Ranks

 * High Curator: Those to whom all other members of their archive must ultimately answer, who are privy to the organization's deepest secrets. The High Curator of Vasselheim and the High Curator of Rexxentrum (Yudala Fon) share dual and equal leadership over the entire structure of the Cobalt Soul. They can manipulate energy for self-defense and impeding enemies.
 * Curator: A small group of three to five curators manage the top-level operations of each archive.
 * Expositor: Trained in the art of espionage, the expositors take on the duty of uncovering secrets and obscure knowledge. Their true mission is unknown to low-ranking monks, who see them simply as well-trained field agents. Expositors report only to their High Curator.
 * Archivist: Charged with organizing the overwhelming flow of information from returning researching expeditions, training new monks, and performing administrative tasks within their local archive.
 * Monk: A member of the library with the most visible public duties: searching out knowledge both modern and archaic, and aiding archivists with its preservation within an archive. In the Ank'Harel library, any volunteer can perform a monk's duties, and are officially accepted into the order after about six months of probation.

History
The Cobalt Soul was founded in Wildemount, just after the Calamity. The first archive was built in the city of Zadash during the reign of the Julous Dominion. When the Dwendalian Empire conquered the Dominion at the end of the Marrow War in 546 PD, the Cobalt Soul was allowed to be integrated into Dwendalian society. There the Cobalt Soul often butts heads with the Empire's Cerberus Assembly, working together but just as often attempting to curtail the political influence of the other.

Some time before 547 PD, the Cobalt Soul expanded to the continent of Tal'Dorei, where they built the Cobalt Reserve in Westruun. Around 685 PD, the Cobalt Soul expanded to Marquet, founding the Temple of the Mentor in Ank'Harel At some point the organization founded two additional archives, one in Port Damali, and the Cobalt Vault in Vasselheim.

The Library has commissioned a large number of cobalt golems to guard their most restricted archives.

Locations
The Cobalt Soul operates several libraries, including the Cobalt Reserve in Westruun, the Cobalt Vault in Vasselheim, and several archives on the continent of Wildemount: the main archive in Rexxentrum, the Valley Archive of the Cobalt Soul in Zadash, and an archive in Port Damali. These libraries are offered a degree of governmental protection.

In Marquet, there are satellite archives in Ank'Harel and Yios.

The Cobalt Reserve in Westruun
With a grand dome of blue, polished stone, the Cobalt Reserve is a well-fortified library in Westruun that is organized, overseen, and guarded by an order of monks in worship to The Knowing Mistress, goddess of knowledge, prophecy, and skill. The Reserve's collection of knowledge is so vast that individuals travel from all over the world to study here. A monk is assigned to every person that seeks entry, both as a guide and as a security escort, as Quian was assigned to Vox Machina during their quest to remove the proto-phylactery from Grog's torso.

Known members

 * Greisalda Cassios, the High Curator of the Cobalt Reserve as of 836 PD. Half-dragonblood, half-human female with silver scales.
 * Cressida Holt, an expositor of the Cobalt Reserve as of 836 PD. Non-binary orc.
 * Quian, a monk who helped Vox Machina research how to remove the phylactery from Grog's chest.
 * "CS", an author of articles based on Beauregard Lionett's intelligence, with whom Zeenoth corresponds.

The Cobalt Vault in Vasselheim
Located in the southern region of the Quadroads, the Cobalt Vault is a light-grey, nearly-transparent cylindrical stone building topped with a blue and black marbled dome. It acts as a repository for the gathering and guarding of information, where monks copy entire books. Vox Machina observed affluent individuals reading books about dragons in the upper research area within the library, carefully monitored by monks to ensure that they did not remove any books. The Curator of this Vasselheim branch, at the time of the events of Campaign 2, had dual leadership of the Cobalt Soul with the High Curator of Rexxentrum.

Interior
The outer walkway leads into a concentric cylindrical library approximately 60 feet tall, with hardwood floors and dozens of moving ladders. Monks sit at tables and transcribe copies of stacks of newly-arrived books. In the center of the chamber, a spiral staircase leads to an upper platform with chairs for research or reading. Behind the spiral staircase, a large rug hides a trap door that opens by pulling a small chain and leads to a staircase below. The square-shaped cellar with candelabras flickering in the corners houses a secret book collection, with shelves and locked cases made of glass with dangling chains around the books. The books include information on Orcus and the Nine Hells.

Known members

 * Curator Kusuo leads Vox Machina to an underground secret book collection.
 * Sura, one of the monks guarding the secret book collection in the cellar
 * Wailen, the other monk guarding the secret book collection in the cellar

The Valley Archive of the Cobalt Soul in Zadash
Built off of the western edge of the Pentamarket in the Interstead Sprawl of Zadash, this library is known to contain rare tomes and elaborate writings. It is maintained by the Cobalt Soul. Although open to the public under supervision, it has off-limits areas requiring special approval for access. After signing in, a monk is assigned as a watchful escort. Within the public areas, attendees can read and take notes on the materials within, though removing items from the library is strictly forbidden.

Interior
The archive has a tall, tapering tower that curves at the top into a dome-like pinnacle. Flanking the sides of this tower are three smaller spires. The stonework of the main tower has a smooth, concrete-looking texture. In the morning sunlight, the tower shines brightly and reveals intricate carvings on the various tiers that spiral down the tower. The interior of this library consists of:
 * Several curved staircases carved through the bookshelves, rising to different heights and connecting the higher levels of the library at various points.
 * Rooms usable for meetings or quiet research and study of the materials found within.
 * Subterranean training boxes with sand pits for sparring, as well as urban and wilderness obstacle courses.
 * Private and guarded teleportation circles to Rexxentrum, Port Damali, Tal'Dorei, and Vasselheim.

Known members

 * Archivist Delan, who oversees the section of the library where Yasha stole a book while working for Oban.
 * Archivist Demid Sunlash, who as studying Exandria's moons in Uthodurn when the Mighty Nein first passed through, but he has left. Has information on the Dust family.
 * Archivist Galesh, a half-elf who leads the Mighty Nein to Zeenoth after he's been wounded. Beau refers to him as "Ganache".
 * Archivist Jennah, who provided Caleb with information about the Soltryce Academy.
 * Archivist Madeer, who helps Caleb and Beau find information about the Age of Arcanum.
 * Expositor Beauregard Lionett, member of the Mighty Nein, member of the task force investigating the Cerberus Assembly.
 * Expositor Dairon, Beau's teacher who is sent on a secret mission to Xhorhas.
 * High Curator Loman Turray, Herald of the Zadash Archive, personally conflicted between his loyalty to the Cobalt Soul and the Crown.
 * Tubo, a halfling monk who spars with Beau in an underground training pit while Dairon is away.

Former Members

 * Adon Zeenoth, former elven archivist who had personally overseen Beau's induction into the Cobalt Soul and thus frequently interacted with the Mighty Nein, removed from position following an investigation into and a subsequent trial for corruption.

Rexxentrum Archive of the Cobalt Soul
One of the two headquarters of the Cobalt Soul, the other being in Vasselheim, this library is in the Tangles neighborhood of Rexxentrum. It is easily larger than the Zadash archive by fifty-percent or more. There are multiple floors, with at least four full fifteen-foot high tiers visible from the interior, with many little pocket chambers. Walkways connect the tiers. In the basement are teleportation circles to Vasselheim, Westruun, Port Damali, and Zadash. The exterior of the building is cerulean and has four short multi-level domed towers of polished blue stone.

Known members

 * High Curator Yudala Fon, who has dual leadership of the Cobalt Soul with the Curator of the Cobalt Vault of Vasselheim.
 * Expositor Sia Kresh, the secret, ruthless right hand to Yudala Fon, organizing the expositors of the Rexxentrum Archive.
 * Archivist Kathedoc handles the teleportation room.
 * Archivist Desaund works in the library at the help desk.

Port Damali
An archive in Port Damali has a teleportation room that does not link to Vasselheim, unlike both Rexxentrum and Zadash.

Temple of the Mentor in Ank'Harel
The Temple of the Mentor, the Cobalt Soul's branch in Ank'Harel, was founded around 686 PD, combining a vast library and a temple to Ioun. The local archivists are preoccupied with eradicating factions that they consider evil, particularly the Consortium of the Vermilion Dream, which uses weapons made out of a suspicious material called ruidium. Members of the archive are concerned about the Allegiance of Allsight's fascination with Cael Morrow but cooperate with them out of shared ideals and goals.

Known members

 * High Curator Jamil A'alithiya, the youngest High Curator in the history of the Cobalt Soul.

Personnel at unspecified locations

 * Duan - Has/had a certain level of "understanding of ancient seals and forgotten artifacts of the gods". Helped Arkhan's in his research for Wreath of the Prism.
 * High Curator Jorum Irrelios who made their research on Spire of Conflux, dated to circa 547 PD. In their work, they included records from Vasselheim temple dedicated to Melora.
 * Expositor Fraelin - Fond of Tusk Love
 * Expositor Marcella - Saw the Ruby of the Sea perform once.

Trivia
The cast of Critical Role, other than Matthew Mercer, often erroneously refers to the whole organization of the Cobalt Soul as the Cobalt Reserve.