The Institute of the Magi
"Too unpredictable to be left unchecked, too powerful to be allowed to rule, too ambitious to be permitted access to the knowledge they so desire.. whatever are we to do with them all?"-King Thurmond II, 243 A.M.
Structure
The structure of The Institute has developed into a multifaceted coalition of actors, ranging from individual people to schools of magic to guild-like entities. If put in a simplified format in a descending order, The Institute consists of the following;
- The Curators and their aids of The Institute, forming what is called The Mind
- The Agencies of The Institute, with tasks ranging from handling and processing of the license applications (The Hand), to hunting down rogue mages who operate without a license and have an outstanding warrant for their capture or their death (The Inquisition).
- The Schools of Magic and their rectors
- The staff of the schools, mainly consisting of teachers, mentors, professors and/or elders
- The neophytes, those studying under a school who've yet to earn their license
- In addition, although no longer students, mages who graduate (the alumni) and/or (otherwise) attain their licenses are nevertheless typically bound to a school which holds primary jurisdiction over their students, former and current. This means the schools
1) can call upon their alumni if there's urgent need,2) may revoke or suspend their active licenses,3) are in charge of tracking and keeping books on the whereabouts and doings of the alumni.
- Similarly to the alumni, the former students who have carved their way to the League and survived the Trials, thus being granted the title of Master, are also tied to their former schools, albeit in a much looser sense. The schools may requisition the help of the Masters who may acquiesce to comply, but who are under no pressing obligation to do so.
Note: neither the alumni or the Masters are a part of the active structure of The Institute.
Culture
The concern for rogue mages grew rapidly after the dawn of Anno Minerva, as more and more people found within themselves the ability to tap into the arcane, as an increasing number of old documents were discovered depicting both rituals, spells and their ingredients, and legends of the old. These legends in particular acted as a warning beacon for the uninitiated, describing mankind's fall from the good graces of the gods of old after rampant use of magic lead to wars, bloodshed and chaos on a massive scale. These documents of the mysterious shrouded past lead to spellcasters being feared and sometimes hated in equal measure, and it quickly became clear it's for the good of both the "regular" people and their peace of mind, as well as the safety and well-being of the casters themselves, to regulate those blessed by the gift of the arcane.
The distrust between those that operate with magic and without goes both ways. Where those without magical abilities fear another apocalypse at the hands of rogue mages, or simply the next fireball aimed at the local inn or warehouse, those with said abilities fear for persecution and getting lynched. As a result it's not at all atypical for many to hide their abilities until they can ensure a safe passage within the protective embrace of The Institute. It functions as an educational center and a safe haven both, and provides a degree of legitimacy to the use of magic in the eyes of the regular people.
A prevailing attitude within The Institute and it's staff, if not a publicly acknowledged one, is that regular non-magical people and creatures are of a lower caste, typically weaker and feebler, but a necessary component of the larger machine. The mages prefer to dedicate their time to the study of their chosen fields of magic and have no time to worry about trifling matters such as farming, cooking or trading, and they are happy to let other people with the luxury of spare time tend to these matters for them. This somewhat snobbish attitude isn't shared by everyone, but it is prevalent enough to have been noted, despite the active efforts to try and act civil and proper when the members spend time among the general populace. The tension between the two groups varies greatly from city to city, but is regardless very real. Particularly the cities, towns and nations that were major actors during The Great Purge find themselves often at odds with the lay-folk.
Despite this, The Institute enforces a mentality within its members for following the laws and rules it enforces, which impose a set of limitations to the use of magic. It's these rules that give the use of magic its legitimacy, and the lay-folk may rest easier knowing that the rule-breakers will be sought out, punished and any damage they cause will be reimbursed.
The Institute has also created their own sign language through which the members are able to communicate with one another out in the public without drawing attention to themselves, and that they also use to greet one another. As a result, outside of the buildings within which The Institute itself functions, the private domiciles of its members are often utilized as safe lodgings away from prying eyes.
In terms of how the members of The Institute behave or carry themselves in the eyes of the outsiders, there are two noteworthy commonalities. First of all the mages are not known for their punctuality; their somewhat study-centric outlook on life and priorities create an attitude that easily comes off as being selfish, where schedules are more akin to guidelines and where punctuality only extends as far as spellcasting is concerned. Therefore, if the services of a mage are required, it's not at all atypical to send the invitation well beforehand. When the mage does arrive, it is often immediately apparent what the other typically noteworthy feature of them is; namely their distinct lack of humor. Mages are typically stoic characters, not ones to be amused by the jokes of the peasantry or the feeble attempts at entertainment bards and other performers are often guilty of. Rather, their interest lies primarily in getting the job done, whatever it is they were summoned to do, and get back to their studies and books.
Public Agenda
In the eyes of the people the public agenda of The Institute is to monitor, track and police mages, and hunt down those who become outlawed. The Institute is also responsible for teaching the mages the rules and laws that they are expected to follow, as well as the safety protocols for using magic in a way that doesn't endanger the lives of others or property. Furthermore, The Institute is viewed as being in charge of allocating mages where they are needed, when they are needed. Lastly, they are expected to train soldiers and guards to serve in towns, cities and citadels in a similar, although smaller, capacity to The Inquisition. These soldiers and guards go through additional training that helps them combat threats of the magical nature.
Whilst these certainly fall within the purview of The Institute, it also prides itself as the educational center of magic, a safe home for mages and an influential political actor throughout the realm, with academies and houses creating an extensive web that overshadows even that of the Libraries.
Assets
Considering the important role of The Institute as the foremost expert on magic and apprehending and dealing with criminals who utilize magic for unlawful purposes, as well training of troops to combat the threats magic might pose, they are typically well compensated for their efforts. In addition they have a healthy number of additional patrons from former students who wish to repay them, to high-born individuals with a lot of money to spare who wish to dabble into the studies of the arcane. Although "dabbling" is generally considered a waste of time by The Institute and its residents, the generous donations go a long way to persuade the mentors to spend some time with the wealthy teaching them easy to learn parlor tricks and basic forms of magic.
As mentioned above, The Institute has some manner of lodgings throughout the realm in near every town, city and citadel; whether it be mostly inhabited by dwarves, elves, humans or a number of less popular races. They even have a permanent academy among the drow, the dark elves, but its operations are mostly shrouded in more questions than answers.
The bulk of the higher members of The Institute are scholars of one form or another, and though many are powerful mages of their own right, they rarely experience combat situations themselves. For this purpose they lean on The Inquisition.
The Inquisition is a group of individuals, some other mages, some simply enthusiastic, skilled and motivated mercenaries. Regardless, all possess a set of skills that make them particularly adept at hunting down mages, wizards, clerics, sorcerers, witches and oracles alike. The bulk of them are inquisitors, but the more experienced of the group vary greatly and most have a legacy to uphold, featuring towering giants that seem all but impervious to spells and assassins that are capable of killing their targets before they ever realize they are being targeted.
Another notable asset The Institute holds is its sizable army of skilled craftsmen, able to create a vast array of magical items, whatever The Institute might need; weapons, tools and armor alike.
History
Very soon after The Culling had come to a close and Minerva's champions appeared, saving the people from the onslaught of the creatures of dark, some individuals started to experience strange abilities manifesting within them, others found old documents, manuals, manuscripts and instructions for reaching into the energies dwelling within the soulstream and harnessing their power. At first the reports of such individuals were scarce, considered little more than hearsay. Eventually they became more frequent, however, and as such individuals started to learn about each other and themselves and formed covens, schools, guilds and cabals, soon the presence of mages and other magically inclined individuals could no longer be ignored or their existence disputed. Fearful of their lives the common people, those without magic flowing through them, rose up and organized into a mob with a singular purpose; ending this threat. Not all were quite as keen on joining what came to be known as The Great Purge, particularly the non-human races and more specifically the elves, however many of the largely human populated settlements were rather effective in and of themselves. The Great Purge took place over several years, around 128-136 A.M., during which the number of openly magically attuned people declined drastically; a big portion of them was killed, many of them withdrew underground and out of sight, and a handful of them found themselves employed by the people as a means to fight fire with fire. The Great Purge finally came to a boiling point around 133 A.M. when several factions of underground mages started near simultaneous large-scale sabotage and demolition operations joined by some elven factions, in turn crippling the armed forces that had sought them out for the last five years. Regardless, it would be around three more years before truce was declared and the parties agreed to sit down and come up with a deal that would satisfy both sides.
After The Great Purge the factions and schools came together and started to operate together more actively, but it would take another century for them to be united under a single banner, and particularly the efforts of young King Thurmond II, who wanted to ensure peace and stability within the realm whilst keeping the spellcasters in check. Sporadic clashes between the magical and non-magical communities were still happening throughout as not all mages were willing to play by the rules of the truce, which resulted in hate and distrust towards the entire magical community. King Thurmond II had just took over his father who was never a well-liked or popular ruler, and in fears of being overthrown due to his young age (he was barely 17 at the time) wanted to establish his rule and ensure he wasn't overthrown due to poor management of the populace and its security.
And so, around 245 A.M., he was finally able to pull many of the schools together and broker a system that allowed them to practice their magic in peace in exchange for providing certain services to the kingdom. These services included allocating educated mages to positions as required by the rulers of the realm, monitoring the activities of all mages, aiding in protections against magical threats and dealing with rogue mages if they were to rise up and threaten the peace. This gave birth to The Institute, and later more schools joined their influential ranks, seeking safety and purpose, until nearly all schools of magic came to be represented within its organization.
Founding Date
245 Anno Minerva
Type
Education, Magic
Alternative Names
The Institute
Demonym
Magus
Manufactured Items
The Code Of The Magi and Magic License
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