- "Sentinels of Lore, Guardians of the Past, Preservers of Tradition, Loyal Defenders of House Gladius"
- ―The Arcano Signum precept
Arcano Signum was one of two battle teams in House Gladius of Clan Tarentum. Founded in 25 ABY as the Praxeum, it underwent various transitions as leadership was changed. In its last form it functioned as a training team, just the way it was founded by Windos Helkin Tarentae, and served as the home for new members until they reached a proper rank and were moved to Gladius's other battle team, the Keepers of the Night. It was dissolved in 30 ABY, its last leader being Sith Commander Balia Donos.
Mission
In the past, the purpose of the Praxeum was to teach new members of Gladius the ways of the Clan and the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. Later on, the purpose of the reformed Arcano Signum was to provide House Gladius with an elite team of Force users with a mandate to protect their parent House at all cost. Recently, both concepts of the Praxeum and Arcano Signum had been combined, making it a defense team and offering it as a training facility so newer members may also become elite team members.
History
Windos Helkin Tarentae, founder of the Praxeum.
Balia Donos, last battle team leader of Arcano Signum.
Immediately after the Brotherhood Civil War, Windos Helkin Tarentae returned from voluntary exile to Clan Arcona. With his return and the end of the war came the need to help newer members who had recently joined Clan Tarentum and House Gladius. As a result, in 25 ABY, Windos founded the Praxeum, which rigorously submitted its members to training exercises in hopes of seeing them succeed and rise in rank in the clan and the Brotherhood. After Windos stepped down as Krath Tetrarch, Kazarelth Talismarr took on the same responsibilities and followed the same basic principles that Windos had set up for the team. pushing it at the same pace.
With modifications in the structure of Gladius, however, things were bound to change. While Kazarelth transferred to House Cestus, the Keepers of the Night battle team was temporarily dissolved. In 28 ABY, Dralin Fortea, a Protector at the time, was not only given the responsibility of leading the now lone Gladius battle team, but also the responsibility of reformatting it to meet the House's needs. He met these goals by making the team a powerhouse of members who would defend the House in times of need, renaming it "Arcano Signum." He would lead the newly programmed team until his appointment to the position of Aedile.
In 29 ABY, Ronovi Tavisaen Tarentae was named the first Obelisk Sergeant of Arcano Signum at a time in which the House Summit found it advantageous to restore the Keepers of the Night. Working with Dralin, Ronovi brought back the morals of the Praxeum as enforced by Windos and Kazarelth, making it a training team once more as well as providing defense to Gladius. Ronovi's responsibility, as it was when Arcano Signum was still the Praxeum, was to help new members grow and flourish in the House and clan: once members got to the rank of Jedi Hunter, they were transferred to the Keepers of the Night as part of an elite fighting force.
Ronovi later left Gladius to become the Aedile of House Cestus, leaving her second-in-command, Balia Donos, as Sith Commander. He, like Ronovi, continued the process of training new members until Arcano Signum was dissolved by order of the House Summit. In its time, it had rotated five battle team leaders and served many Gladius members as a means for training and learning.
Traditions
A tattoo of the Arcano Signum sigil
During its time as the Praxeum, Arcano Signum traditionally served as an outlet for new members to participate in several team-based exercises and competitions. While this may be considered more of a process than a tradition, it transcended the changes the team went through from 25 ABY to 30 ABY.
Under Dralin Fortea's leadership, team members were expected to bear a tattoo of the Arcano Signum sigil, more symbolic of the Krath Order than the others. This tradition ended with Ronovi Tavisaen Tarentae's appointment to Obelisk Sergeant.
Arcano Signum's headquarters was Paradus Avium throughout its entire duration. Paradus Avium also still serves as a room for conferences and emergency bunkers for the House.
Beginning with Ronovi Tavisaen Tarentae's leadership, it had been tradition to have a Sith Flight Leader as second-in-command. While they were not necessarily the successors to the battle team leader position, they worked alongside the team leader making various assignments and procedures within Arcano Signum.