The Diamond Order
We are the guides and protectors amongst our brethren. Not for us the arts of combat or the martial skills, that sort of training is no proper focus for us. We are healers, we are spiritual guides, diviners, and ultimately specialists in matters esoteric. We wield the most dangerous magicks, for our magicks are the closest to touching the Void, for it is the very nature of dreams, the nature of spirit, of individuality, that we manipulate. That energy, the energy that is the building block for the 'soul' to use a religious concept for but a moment. We can protect ourselves and any companions better than any of our brethren from the fell presence of the Void. We have to, as we are so close, so close we can glimpse beyond the Aether if we so choose. We can even force such entities out, back out of our reality to whence they belong. For the fell creatures of nightmares, those things in from the Void, that realm of endless nightmare and darkness do not fare well when faced with the brilliance of Meanma. They do not fare well at all when forced into the light.
Magister Isabelle Deval, explaining the role and mission of the Diamond Order to her newest apprentice.
Structure
The Diamond Order is perhaps the most hierarchal structure of any of the Orders, even outdoing the stoic and process based Topaz Order and the militant Ruby Order. They have a variety of internal titles and terms that are expected to be learned and remembered by any apprentice during their education. The reason for this is not to create division so much as to acknowledge expertise and wisdom. Spirit Magick is perhaps the most difficult to learn and to master, and has the most risks of any of the eight magick types. However it is also the most potent and directly effective magick to wield against the corruption of the Void, despite being the most vulnerable to its corruption.
Culture
The Diamond Order are perhaps the closest to a sort of spirituality or faith of any of the orders of the Magisterium. This is not to say that they pray or wield Divine Power in any way, nor do they hold any illusions of such. Their faith is in the strength of spirit and the souls of people. They see the mission of the Magisterium more clearly than any other Order, understanding they are the balance, the bulwark, and the triage for reality itself against the Void. A tall order which creates a heavy sense of duty and responsibility.
But yet, they are not stoic or brooding. Diamond Magisters are oft friendly, kind, caring and very giving. They seem to draw strength from caring for others, from aiding those around them. They are caretakers, healers and protectors, and this is not just a truth of their magicks, this is also a truth of their behaviors. They are well-spoken, kind, compassionate, and caring. It seems a Order wide thing, culturally the idea that to truly be capable of mastering Meanma and the magicks of Spirit, one must be emotionally invested in the people and world around them in ways the other Orders are not.
They have another unique quirk, which is that those of the Diamond Order are expected to seek out and find their own first apprentice. As part of their duties once they have achieved their license and the title of Magister themselves, about five years later they will be expected to seek out and find their first apprentice, whilst insuring anyone else with magick talent gets the help they need, guiding them to the nearest Magisterium Collegiate, insuring they are taken in safely and started processing. In this way they are serving their own needs but also the needs of the Magisterium.
As with all of their brethren within the other Orders, their close connection with Meanma, that elemental energy of Spirit, and their continual interaction with it will have notable impacts on everything from physical appearance to how they view life. In a similar vein to their brethren of the Ruby Order, those of the Diamond Order experience a sort of strengthening of emotional feelings, but more in an empathic vein instead of internal, able to easily read the feelings and emotions of a situation and the people within it. This truth plays a large part in how they are amongst one of the few Orders eyed with less suspicion and anxiety and paranoia by the general public and plays well with their reputation as caregivers and healers.
But yet, they are not stoic or brooding. Diamond Magisters are oft friendly, kind, caring and very giving. They seem to draw strength from caring for others, from aiding those around them. They are caretakers, healers and protectors, and this is not just a truth of their magicks, this is also a truth of their behaviors. They are well-spoken, kind, compassionate, and caring. It seems a Order wide thing, culturally the idea that to truly be capable of mastering Meanma and the magicks of Spirit, one must be emotionally invested in the people and world around them in ways the other Orders are not.
They have another unique quirk, which is that those of the Diamond Order are expected to seek out and find their own first apprentice. As part of their duties once they have achieved their license and the title of Magister themselves, about five years later they will be expected to seek out and find their first apprentice, whilst insuring anyone else with magick talent gets the help they need, guiding them to the nearest Magisterium Collegiate, insuring they are taken in safely and started processing. In this way they are serving their own needs but also the needs of the Magisterium.
Guardians of Reality, Guided by Spirit
As with all of their brethren within the other Orders, their close connection with Meanma, that elemental energy of Spirit, and their continual interaction with it will have notable impacts on everything from physical appearance to how they view life. In a similar vein to their brethren of the Ruby Order, those of the Diamond Order experience a sort of strengthening of emotional feelings, but more in an empathic vein instead of internal, able to easily read the feelings and emotions of a situation and the people within it. This truth plays a large part in how they are amongst one of the few Orders eyed with less suspicion and anxiety and paranoia by the general public and plays well with their reputation as caregivers and healers.
Public Agenda
They are the educators, the caretakers and the first point of contact for most Arcanis Touched coming into the Magisterium. They, amongst all Magisters, can detect and identify which connection within someone untrained will inevitably be the most stable and strongest, which is how the decision is made as to which Order new pupils will be inducted into as apprentices. They are also the rarest of magisters, the least numerous of all the Orders, so as one might expect there is always an onus, a desire, to find those whom perhaps could master Spirit Magick, to seek out and find those students. It is very common for Magisters of the Diamond Order to be part of regular sweeps seeking magick talent, or even doing so themselves, seeking out potential future magisters. In fact internally, it is part of the order's culture. They are also the Order with the most direct mission to repair and heal the world, to mend World-Wounds even should it cost them their lives, and to insure the beasts of the Void are held in check, and banished from or kept out of our reality as much as is possible.
Assets
As with any of the Orders of the Magisterium, the Diamond Order is very wealthy indeed, for it acts on some level as a guild. Magisters can and do charge rather exuberant fees for their services and talents, it is perhaps the only real benefit, besides not getting executed as a heretic, that a licensed magister can enjoy. However even in this, it is not entirely for them. Some 12% of funds earned via any exercise of your magickal talents are owed to the Magisterium, and that is on top of paying the tax rate of the nation you live in.
These rather exuberant guild dues do not just pay for the license and paperwork along with their permission to exist, however. In truth, magisters get a great deal of value out of this arrangement beyond these obvious and simple perks. They have unquestioned access to any library, labratory or workshop of the Magisterium that is not tied to any specific order, as well as all those tied to the Diamond Order directly. They are also guaranteed accomodations anywhere in any facility of the Diamond Order in a specific sense, once again unquestioned.
The Diamond Order is most active on the continent of Gavis-Lune, with six Scholarly Halls in large cities across the continent including one in each of the four national capitals. They have but one more on the continent of Durol, in Kelethan, as all Orders do, as well as sharing facilities with the Opal Order in two other cities and with the Emerald Order in one. On Wyriel to the south they have but one, in the Morian capital of Tortuga, as well as sharing facilities in Rydan, the capital of Waston. Like all orders of the Magisterium, the Diamond Order is actually extremely wealthy, perhaps rivalling some countries, yet that wealth is exceedingly decentralized and all tied up in bits of property, in funding magickal research, in funding schooling and development, and in the hands of its members doing all variety of tasks. It is never still, never stagnant, never collecting in one place with one or a small group of people. They are not centralized in any way comparable with a government or anything of the like, and as such this wealth is never really used in that sort of fashion.
These rather exuberant guild dues do not just pay for the license and paperwork along with their permission to exist, however. In truth, magisters get a great deal of value out of this arrangement beyond these obvious and simple perks. They have unquestioned access to any library, labratory or workshop of the Magisterium that is not tied to any specific order, as well as all those tied to the Diamond Order directly. They are also guaranteed accomodations anywhere in any facility of the Diamond Order in a specific sense, once again unquestioned.
The Diamond Order is most active on the continent of Gavis-Lune, with six Scholarly Halls in large cities across the continent including one in each of the four national capitals. They have but one more on the continent of Durol, in Kelethan, as all Orders do, as well as sharing facilities with the Opal Order in two other cities and with the Emerald Order in one. On Wyriel to the south they have but one, in the Morian capital of Tortuga, as well as sharing facilities in Rydan, the capital of Waston. Like all orders of the Magisterium, the Diamond Order is actually extremely wealthy, perhaps rivalling some countries, yet that wealth is exceedingly decentralized and all tied up in bits of property, in funding magickal research, in funding schooling and development, and in the hands of its members doing all variety of tasks. It is never still, never stagnant, never collecting in one place with one or a small group of people. They are not centralized in any way comparable with a government or anything of the like, and as such this wealth is never really used in that sort of fashion.
History
The Diamond Order's history is a storied one, as they are sort of held up as paragons of purity when talking about Magisters. Tales of facing down the Void, of banishing dark creatures from realms beyond, along with curing the sick, healing the crippled and generally just caretaking society will do that for you. They are perhaps the hardest studying order, not quite salt of the earth like Topaz Or Emerald Magisters, but hard workers in their own ways all the same, and as such have a strict kind of professionalistic pride to them.
Eternally bound, we serve
Magister Jacob Evertsson, conjuring forth a Shimmering Shield by Keon Croucher, using Heroforge
An image depicting an older human, Magister Jacob Evertsson, as he demonstrated the Shimmering Shield spell-form to his newest apprentice. He is very much a typical example of how the magisters of the Diamond Order dress, they prefer simple garb, forgoing any armors or even in most cases choosing to forgo weapons, leaning upon their magicks more than any other Magister. They wear whites and golds, wishing to emulate the diamond like shimmer of the very manna that they wield, the shining essence of the soul, of Spirit. One may think they see many similarities between this garb and that of the Opal Order, and the difference here lies in the silver trim. Silver trim marks the Diamond Magister, the silver trim a symbol of the advanced age and lengthier time of study those of the Diamond Order oft must go through to become a licensed Magister. Silver is also a protective element, oft tied to keeping the soul or spirit pure, warding off the 'bad spirits' of the Void, and thus a fitting addition, even if such a thing is likely just superstition.
Founding Date
3-7-397 SuD
Type
Education, Magic
Alternative Names
Spiritualist
Ruling Organization
Parent Organization
This was a fantastic article, really enjoyed the intro quote from the magistar that really set the tone for the rest of the article. Well done!
Many thanks :) I know I'm almost a year on responding, but thank you very much for the kind words!