The Argentum is the intelligence agency of Thrane, and answers directly to the Council of Flamekeep. It was originally founded hundreds of years ago as a branch of the Knights Templar dedicated to handling dangerous magical artifacts. Thrane's transition into a theocracy during the Last War led to the Argentum being restructured to handle intelligence and counterintelligence responsibilities.
This change in focus; from protecting Khorvaire at large from supernatural threats to protecting the interests of Thrane; is contentious among members of the organisation. The addition of mundane threat management to the organisation's portfolio is seen by some members to be a distraction from their true mission. The Argentum also continues its original mission of handling and securing dangerous magical artifacts and ensuring they cannot be used to harm people.
Unlike many other intelligence agencies, the Argentum allows its members to leave. Should an agent leave the organisation, or have their membership revoked, they are subjected to a geas that prevents them from divulging the organisation's secrets but are otherwise free to live the rest of their lives.
The Argentum is led by Director Nystrum Shadar (male human oathsworn templar, he/him), a retired general of Thrane’s military responsible for several decisive victories for Thrane in the later years of the Last War. Though Director Shadar answers directly to the Council of Flamekeep, he is not himself a member of the group.
Director Shadar manages the Argentum as a whole, but much of the organisational burden is carried by twenty-four directors, each of whom manages their own teams of agents and administrative staff. Members of the Argentum can be drawn from any of the other orders of the Church, and the membership of the Argentum is not public knowledge. To facilitate covert communication, all Argentum agents are taught a form of sign language, which also allows them to identify each other in the field.
In circumstances where Director Shadar is unavailable, the Director of Artifact Research, Minister Lycia Velencor (female human silver pyromancer, she/her), acts as the leader of the organisation.