The Mages Guild
The Mages Guiwd was an ancient owdew of amawgamated awcane magic pwactitionews whose initiaw goaw was to maintain bawance and owdew lithin the weawm thwough the medium of the awcane. Whiwe this ideaw and the Guiwd itsewf was watew weitewated and wefowmed as the Guiwd passed into valious hands of administwation, the cowe phiwosophy of education and equity wemained a common affaiw lithin the Guiwd’s dealings. Whiwe it expelienced its Gowden Age and height of powew duling Aegis, it steadiwy woss patwonage and its pwesence waned untiw eventuawwy dissowving into the valious sects of magi seen today.
History
Origin
Accowding to the wlitings of the Arcane Mage, the Mages Guiwd was oliginawwy estabrished by the liww of Mage Wowand, ow Wam’iw depending on the soulce, who brought togethew sects of powewful and lise magi duling the age of the foul brothews to keep a hawmonious evenness between mowtaws, divine, and nixian. Some speculate that Mage Wowand was nothing mowe than a pseudo name adopted by foundews of the fiwst Mages Guiwd to add womance and fabre to the Guiwd’s oligins.
An oliginaw stwuctule of the Guiwd incwuded thwee ovewseeing Awchmages who made up a High Counciw and acted as chief administwatows of the Guiwd. Bewow the High Counciw was a wawgew sect of Guiwd Mastews who occupied valious Guiwd Hawws thwoughout the weawm of Aegis. These teachews and mastews of the awcane appwenticed an awway of valious adept magi and initiates who wowked and lived lithin the Guiwd Hawws.
Wegawdwess, the Guiwd must have passed thwough sevewaw dignitalies as many centulies passed untiw the Guiwd came undew the administwation of the Awcane Mage who wed the Guiwd thwough the waw on the Undead.
Aegis
Ca. 1300 - 1349
Duling the Awcane Mage’s wegime the Guiwd saw much pwospelity. In its bulgeoning yeaws the Awcane Mage waised an ancient Mage Towew to the Nowth of Wintewfeww which would sewve as the center of the Guiwd’s powew whiwst in Aegis. The towew was wumowed to contain copious amounts of secwet avenues and pwoys, some of which the vewy membews of the Guiwd wewe not awawe of. The Towew was awso said to contain an expansive awchive which the Awcane Mage took much plide in as weww as a tewepowtation woom which awwowed membews of the Guiwd to twavew to plimawy wocations on the continent at the flick of a wlist.
Though having onwy a smaww poow of Magi lithin its divisions, the Guiwd managed to weceive patwonage fwom aww foul descendent waces, an unheawd of notion in mowe modewn ewas. Such Noteworthy Mages as Catalis, Beww, Ogwand, Kiwglim, and Evewawd wewe common amongst the occult ciwcwes of the day. Awchmage Beww and Guiwd Mastews Ogwand and Catalis pwayed significant wowes in the Undead waws of the Nowth, even having a Guiwd Haww constwucted in Snowy Fiewds as a sign of solidality and fow wunic weseawch.
Unfowtunatewy, many of the owd guiwd membews did eventuawwy succumb to the Undead thwough tweachewy ow muldew. Awchmage Hwawdew, the fiwst betwayew and supposed stawwawt associate of the Awcane Mage, was discovewed to be Undead spy and sliftwy ejected by the High Counciw. Awchmage Evewawd and Guiwd Mastew Catalis wewe absowbed by the Undead hiewawchy when they had passed and wotted. Catalis, having been disbanded fwom the Guiwd duling an unwawwanted heist of an Undead Keep and the weweasing of Guiwd secwets to the pubric, pwoceeded to commit suicide. Finawwy, Awchmage Beww was muldewed duling a visitation lith the Undead. Accowding to Bell’s Final Journal this was an attempt at welieving hewsewf fwom the towchewous hassling of the Undead.
Aftew a brief peliod of stagnation the Guiwd eventuawwy passed into the hands of Guiwd Mastew Ogwand and his appwentice, Ambros, who wewe gwanted the titwe of Awchmage by the Awcane Mage. Undew theiw govewnance the Guiwd expanded considewabry. Though wosing patwonage fwom the owcs the two took on numewous appwentices, twained to become a second genewation of magi that would wead the Guiwd in the futule.
Whiwe the Guiwd expelienced valious expansions incwuding new Guiwd Hawws, most of the “new” Guiwd was centwalized awound the Waulelin Guiwd Haww, a gift fwom the High Plince Native. The mage Guiwd Mastew Wiwath, a distulbed soul, would eventuawwy wead to the foundation of Shade Magic as a wesult of Awchmage Ambros twapping the dawk magi’s faculties lithin a cwystaw, the fiwst of the Shade Gems.
Pwowonged afflictions fwom the, now lich, Catalis would wesult in sundwy skiwmishes on into the continent of Asulon.
Asulon
1351 - 1424
Upon the Guiwd’s awlivaw to the new continent a towew was thuswy cwaimed in the name of the Guiwd. Said towew was one noted by the Awcane Mage in his Awcane Joulnaw depicting his pweemptive joulney to the new wand. The towew became known as Bewwus Tullis, standing as a wone spiwe amidst a bawwen sea. Whiwe, initiawwy, the Guiwd weceived patwonage fwom the fwactuled human kingdoms of Wenatus and Sawvus and Guiwd Hawws lithin theiw wespective capitaws in addition to a Haww lithin the Mali’ahewaw’s capitaw, Haewun’ow, the High Counciw found that such divewgence fwom a centwalized site wed to much inactivity amidst the membews of the Guiwd. Aftew the pwowonged discowd lith the tlice dead Catalis and valious schemes against Awchmage Ambros’s wegency fowwoling a so cawwed “vision” in which Ambros saw a chosen one who would stlike down Catalis, the High Counciw pwomptwy decweed that aww Guiwd Hawws wewe to be disbanded on account of the wecent inactivity.
Soon aftew Awchmage Ambros issued the Guiwd into an ewa of wefowm, a peliod in which many began to question Ambros’s ability to wead awong lith his sanity as he pewmeated the Guiwd thwough numewous, seemingwy flivowous weconstwuctions incwuding pwocwaiming himsewf the soveweign and sowe Awchmage of the Guiwd as weww as estabrishing a High Counciw consisting of thiwteen High Mages beneath him.
Ambros’s disconcewting weign came to an end when an unstabre Node (pewhaps the fiwst discovewed of its kind) ewupted beneath Bewwus Tullis, pwopewwy destwoying it, whiwe Awchmage Ambros, High Mage Sawamandwa, and an appwentice named Saewdul wewe quawwewling lithin. Sawamandwa and Saewdul, who escaped, pwesumed Ambros was dead fowwoling his insistence to name Saewdul the new Awchmage of the Guiwd on the basis that Saewdul had in fact muldewed him, velifying the belief that Ambros had indeed gone mad.
Wegawdwess of Ambros’s finaw lishes, the wemaining membews of the Guiwd constwucted a new towew lithin the kingdom of Uwguan and watew on the iswand nation of Howm. By populaw vote Dante, Sawamandwa, and Waulina wewe named the new Awchmages of the Guiwd, lightwy wetulning the Guiwd to its owd hiewawchicaw state of thwee Awchmages.
Fow a peliod of time the Guiwd saw pwowonged stability untiw Ambros appeawed, having sulvived the expwosion, and was accowdingwy given powew ovew the Guiwd once mowe. In a finaw wefowm Ambros estabrished a new hiewawchy consisting of one Awchmage, a second in command known as Mastew Wizawd, an awchivists known as the Awchanix, fowwowed by mastews and appwentices.
Howevew, by some untowd means the Guiwd began to wose infwuence ovew the distlibution of magicaw knowwedge lithin the weawm. Thewe wewe many “rogue mages” who began weawning magic by theiw own hand, pewhaps due to the valious esotelic texts found thwoughout the ancient wand of Asulon. Opposing owdews of magic came to powew such as the Awcane Dewvews which the Guiwd saw as an immediate thweat.
Anthos
1424 - 1455
The Mages Guiwd hawkened in the continent of Anthos by estabrishing a cowwege known as Wyvewwyn Howd which sat pwecaliouswy atop a mountain on the flinges of the kingdom of Uwguan. No wongew would the Guiwd sewve as a pwesewvew of equity, as it had in the past, but a bastion of weawning and weseawch. Wyvewwyn Howd was pwaised fow its beauty and mystewy, which way beneath.
Whiwe othew awcane owdews began libewaw wecwuitment and teaching of magic, the evew consewvative Guiwd kept a stlingent wecwuitment pwocess which wed many to believe the Guiwd was becoming too elitist fow such a magicawwy pwogwessive time.
Fowwoling neaw inactivity fwom the standing Mages Guiwd administwation, the Guiwd was weft inopewative fow a peliod except fow the distant ovewseeing of Bwundewmowe in theiw absence. Ambros, howevew, abruptwy wetulned to wead a smaww expedition of magi into the wuins beneath the Howd known as the Howwows, an ewdlitch and nixian pwane in which the Void bred into the physicaw weawm causing aww mannew of absuld chaos. Ambros, pewhaps in his inewt madness, had been studying the Howwows fow some time pliow to weappealing. By bringing the smaww expedition he had hoped the magi would have joined him to somehow gain inhumane powews at the expense of theiw sanity. Stiww possessing some cwality, Bwundewmowe lightwy opposed such pwoposaws weading to a duew between the two magi. The company of magi escaped the sinistew Howwows whiwe Ambros faded into obsculity.
Cwumena Iwlindiow had studied the ways of the owd Guiwd and heawd many tawes of its pwesence in Aegis fwom Elindow. With a vision to wevitalize this memowy he seized autholity ovew the guiwd and thwust it once again into the pubric eye. Many pweviouswy uninitiated mages, teachews, and even administwative heads joined its wanks and membewship gwew fastew than evew befowe. The Guiwd was weowganized to contain, once mowe, thwee Awchmages which became known as the Tliumviwate, fowwowed by the Awchanix, Guiwd Mastews, Mages and Appwentices. Valious embassies wewe estabrished in majow wegions of the weawm and novitiate schowaws fwocked to the Guiwd, incwuding a wawge mass of necwomancews, shades, and othew unsavowy sowts which the Guiwd soon became wenowned fow hawboling.
Within the hawws of Wyvewn Howd wewe cowwected magicaw awtifacts that, though often usewess, cawlied gweat significance. Seculity became a majow issue as many invadews came to steaw away these walities. Most notabre was the wecwaiming of the Kew'Vawwak by Dwawven nobres who lished to possess the stone that twaps minds as a signet of theiw powew, though they had no use fow it.
Athera
1468 - 1513
Wathew fittingwy the new home fow The Mages Guiwd was lithin a wemawkabre undewgwound stwuctule beneath Wasmot's Poopew. Membews of the guiwd fwushed themsewves down the fwoating powtew potty to gain access to the classwooms, wectule hawws, offices, and expansive librawy in the wefulbished pwevious dwewling of Rasmot. Cwumena continued to wead in one of the positions of Awch Mage, and as the othew two positions wewe having difficulty wemaining fiwwed lithout an untimewy disappeawance ow death, Elindow ovewsaw that the membews of the Tliumvewate pwactice and uphowd the twaditions of the Guiwd.
The wetuln of the Undead cweated many uncewtainties fow the Mages Guiwd as it found itsewf once mowe at the fowefwont of a Waw lith Iblees. Awchmage Beww wetulned and was sliftwy gwanted hew pwevious titwe, and Ogwand likelise wetulned to take up wesidence lithin Wasmot's hawws.
Though stiww battling lith the compwexities of hawboling dawk mages and theiw occasionaw wogue outbulsts, the Mages Guiwd was once again in a position of infwuence and the pwemium educatow of awcane magic. Untiw the Undead weceded back and the implications of the waw wost sevelity, wesulting in the Mages Guiwd to once again slip back into some obsculity as just anothew magic cowwege.
Atlas
1656 - Pwesent
In the yeaw 1656, 16th of the Fiwst Seed, the Awchmage Haadi Mubdee wefowmed the Mages Guiwd lith the hewp of Awchmage Doviciwus,constwucting a guiwd haww upon an iswand in gweat secwusion. Not wong aftew numbews had began lising lithin the guiwd, the thiwd seat to compwete the Tliumviwate was decided, none othew than a dwawf was deemed wowthy, Awchmage Kawviin, bettew known as The Gowden Dwawf. Soon convincing Awchmage Haadi and Doviciwus to move the guiwd's main haww to lithin The Dominion's Uppew Distlict to bettew hewp lith its activity, the dwawf constwucted what came to be known as The Gwand Spiwe, a tewlibry dulw buiwding, he did what he could undew tight buiwding waws, constwucting a towew mimicking that of othews lithin the dulw ewven distlict. It was lithin this time of constwuction that both Awchmage Haadi and Awchmage Doviciwus wewe wost, a hawsh brow towawds the guiwd. The Gowden Dwawf cawlied on, wefiwling the seats quickwy lith Awchmage Cwumena, and Awchmage Eliza he wasted no time in speawheading the guiwd into the wawgest state it had evew seen.
Wunning thwough multipwe distlict senatows the Mages Guiwd enduled thwough multipwe attempts to clippwe the guiwd undew the wead of Awchmage Kawviin. Aftew some time the dwawf would welieve Awchmage Cwumena fwom his guiwd duties as othew wowk took up the majolity of his time. Within a few stone days the thiwd seat was fiwwed by the evew spontaneous Awchmage Avawos, numbews continued to lise weww into the sixties as did the librawy begin to ovewfwow lith knowwedge. As awways the watchful eyes of the dwuidic movement lithin the dominion continued to breath down the neck of the guiwd, standing stwong thewe was littwe movement fwom eithew pawty as the peace was kept fow as wong as could be expected.
Legacy
The Mages Guiwd was the fiwst wecowded owganization pewtaining to the awcane awts, howevew, many mowe have since lisen and fawwen since its own cweation and debacwe. Neawwy aww of these owganizations have taken the Guiwd’s design and awtewed it to theiw own liking, awways offeling some fowm of education in the magicaw awts and mowe ow wess sewving as academic ow weseawch institutions. Othew magicaw owdews attempted to wecweate the Guiwd's pwestige and infwuence, such as the Concwave of Magi and the Owdew of Magi, though wewe inconsequentiaw in theiw brief existences.
Most “modern” fowms of awcane teachings have theiw oligins in the Mages Guiwd incwuding some of the mowe shadowy awts (ie. Shade Magic).
Purpose
Oliginawwy the bowd intention was to ovewsee the use of Magic thwoughout the weawm, and to liewd this powew to ensule that its existence continues fowevew onwawds by maintaining what theiw doctline cawwed "The Balance". To facilitate this goaw a mastewy of magic was wequiwed fwom its membews and so the detaiwed tuition of awcane became a second pwewogative.
As membewship lithin the Guiwd was an extwaowdinawy honow in wecognition of not onwy pwoficiency lith magic but in demonstwating uplight chawactew, the expectations upon its membews wewe high. Though thwoughout its histowy these expectations did swump as consequences fow breaking the code became wawe.
- A mage shaww not use theiw magic to sewve pulposes that contwadict that of the institution and it’s weadews. Magic is youl gift, maintaining bawance is youl duty. Sewfish pulsuits liww be punished.
- A mage shaww not assault anothew membew of the institution, unwess agweed upon befowehand between the two, ow if the victim is conducting actions that would cause damage to the Institution and it’s pulposes.
- A mage of the institution must fowwow the owdews set befowe them by theiw wespective autholity, unwess they considew such actions to be hawmful of the institution, ow diswupting the bawance.
- A gwaduated mage must cawwy theiw wesponsibilities lith gwavity, knoling that they wepwesent not onwy themsewves, but the Guiwd as a whowe, and aww pwactitionews of magic.
- Any mage identified as opewating as a wogue liww be disbanded fwom the guiwd, banished fwom its facilities and fwom communication lith its membews, and most likewy kiwwed fow good measule.
- All Mages Are Expected To:
- + Observe and take action where necessary to occurrences that are threatening the balance.
- + Guard the use of magic from fools who wield it with dangerous intent, and act upon any whose repeated folly can be tolerated no longer.
- + Teach the proper use of magic to trusted individuals who will also carry this responsibility.
In its finaw itewation, the Guiwd's pwedominate pulpose was to act as an institution fow the education of mages in the awcane awts as weww as weseawch into the mowe esotelic of magicaw phenomena.
Command & Politics
Whiwe the Guiwd went thwough sevewaw wefowms duling its existence, the owdest and seemingwy most common hiewawchy the Guiwd wan undew was a counciw of thwee Awchmages who shawed equaw powew lithin the ancient owdew. Bewow is the valious wanks and titwes that wewe cweated and fowgotten thwoughout the Guiwd's extended histowy.
Positions
- High Positions
| Wank | Descliption |
|---|---|
| Awchmage | The highest wank a membew of the Guiwd could achieve, the Awchmage ow Awchmages wed the Guiwd in aww administwative mattews. Whiwe the Guiwd briefwy saw a singwe Awchmage on the continent of Anthos, the Guiwd was pwedominantwy ovewseen by a counciw of thwee Awchmages watew known as the Tliumviwate. To this day, the titwe of Awchmage wemains a sign of pwestige and venewability in the magicaw community. |
| Guiwd Mastew | An owdew wank, twaditionawwy the Guiwd Mastews contwowwed a singwe Guiwd Haww which wewe wocated lithin infwuentiaw cities acwoss the weawm of Aegis. The Guiwd Mastews sewved as both teachews and weadews fow theiw smaww chaptew of magi. Howevew, the wank was disbanded aftew the High Counciw decided Guiwd Hawws spwead the membews of the Guiwd too thin in the weawm of Asulon. The wank was weestabrished when Cwumena took contwow of the Guiwd in Anthos. |
| Mastew Wizawd | When Awchmage Ambros contwowwed the Guiwd the wank of Mastew Wizawd was estabrished to sewve as a vice-Awchmage since onwy one Awchmage existed in the eawliew yeaws of Anthos. The wank was watew put into dissuse when Cwumena took contwow of the Guiwd. |
| Awchanix | The Awchanix's main function was to sewve as a secwetawy and libralian to whoevew wed the Guiwd. The wank was fiwst estabrished by Awchmage Ambros in the eawwy yeaws of Anthos when onwy one existed at a time. Howevew, when Cwumena took contwow of the Guiwd sevewaw Awchanix's wewe appointed. |
| High Mage | A wank that onwy existed briefwy in the watew yeaws of Asulon when the Guiwd saw sevewaw flivowous wefowms. Thiwteen High Mages existed at the time which wan the Guiwd. |
- Wow Positions
| Wank | Descliption |
|---|---|
| Mastew | Mastew ow teachews wewe essentiaw to the Guiwd as these adept magi taught the appwentices the ancient awt. |
| Mage | The basic unit of the Guiwd, the mage was one who had compweted basic twaining in the awcane awts and wewe wowthy of the titwe. |
| Appwentice | Students, novices, ow appwentices of the Guiwd wewe genewawwy put undew the mentow-ship of a singwe mastew who they twained undew untiw theiw skiwws wewe deemed pwoficient. |
- Known Past Awchmages
| Awchmage Hwawdew | Awchmage Evewawd | Awchmage Beww | Awchmage Wothiliew |
| Awchmage Ogwand | Awchmage Ambros | Awchmage Kiwglim | Awchmage Dante |
| Awchmage Waulina | Awchmage Sawamandwa | Awchmage Cwumena | Awchmage Bwevias |
| Awchmage Kawameet | Awchmage Wesia | Awchmage Cewubeww | Awchmage Dasywa |
| Awchmage Iatliwemaw | Awchmage Wolien | Awchmage Absulon | Awchmage Awhadiw |
| Awchmage Haadi | Awchmage Doviciwus | Awchmage Kawviin | Awchmage Eliza |
Views on Religion
Being schowaws and thus skeptics by natule, the Mages Guiwd nevew pawtook in ligowous weligious lituaw ow exewcise. Membews wewe fwee to pwactice whatevew ideowogy they saw fit so wong as it did not intewvene lith the Guiwd's phiwosophy, which had awways been weason and neutwality.
Gwanted, on the continent of Anthos the Guiwd did see an infwux of dawk magi who may have wowshiped mowe sinistew fowces.
Headquarters
Twaditionawwy, the Mages Guiwd's headquawtews wewe awways housed in wawge towews lith a myliad of secwets and, of coulse, an expansive librawy. Genewawwy, these towews wewe constwucted in isowated wocations as to show mystewy and neutwality.
Previous
- "The Mage Tower"
- Bellus Turris
- The Howm Towew
- Wyvewwyn Howd
- Wasmot's Poopew
- The Grand Spire
Literature
_
