The Arcanum in the Free Realms
Structure
The Arcanum is organized by territory. Each city large enough to sustain the presence of the Arcanum has its own organization and its own building called a Tower. Every Tower has a Tower Chief, a Mage of sufficient ability and experience to lead a small to large group of mages. Each Tower has its own organization based on services offered by the guild and the unique political, economic and cultural needs and desires of the area and its leaders. Most Towers also include a Battlemage and his or her cadre of subordinates. Mostly evokers or true battlemages, this subgroup is organized separately under the Tower Chief as they tend to work closely with realm militaries with their own cultures and leadership characteristics. The size of a given Tower may vary, from the bare minimum of a Tower Chief and three to five generalist subordinates, to a large spire of over fifty or even one hundred mages of varying focus, skill and capacity.
Groups of Towers are organized together according to what makes sense from a logistical and geographic perspective. In the case of the Free Realms, the Arcanum has seen well to organize the entire guild in terms of the region itself, with subordinate networks that correspond to each individual realm. Within the region of the Free Realms, this foundation fits very well into the inter-realm political order that both the Arcanum itself and the Free Realms' most powerful country, the Kingdom of Eos, desire. The leadership of the Arcanum in the Free Realms is located in the Tower of Brigden Ford, and it is led by a Grand Master or Grand Mistress -- in this instance, the latter, Grand Mistress Elanethil of Adia.
Each of these larger units have a relationship with the Great Spire of the Arcanum, which the guild's center of power, wealth and training. It is the education and training of prospective mages that three locations around the world become very important: the Great Spire itself, the Capitol Tower in the Imperial Seat, and the Arcane Academy of Bluffside. Unless a special dispensation is made and approved by regional leadership, all prospective mages are initiated and trained in one of the three aforementioned training locations. From there, a mage who has completed their training will start their career as an apprentice to an established Mage of sufficient experience or rank -- though it need not be a Tower Chief or mage of formal rank.
Once through initial training and apprenticeship, newly minted Mages are given their robes and various accoutrements of their membership. Depending on whether they have a specialty or separate set of skills, they may be streamed into specific services or locations by higher ranked mages within the guild. For the most part, the largest circles are the Tower Mages, the Battlemages, and the Arcane Makers -- the latter being that collection of mages who create magical items like armour, weapons, clothing, potions, scrolls and the like.
Culture
Entrance and Initiation
When an neophyte mage enters into training, they are taught to embrace the commonalities between mages throughout the world. Those similarities are underlined through various lessons and experiences overseen by instructors who have deep knowledge and experience across a wide assortment of the world's cultures. In their first stage of training and development, they are taught (1) the history of arcane magic and its effect on the world; (2) the foundations of arcane practice such as spellcraft and the use of spellbooks; and (3) they are given a survey of the different traditions of arcane magic (called the schools or colleges of magic). By the end of their first phase of training, they are ready to be further initiation into a school of magic, usually abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, or transmutation, but sometimes they can choose a more unique specialization such as elven bladesinging, the order of scribes, or the practice of war magic. At a certain point, initiates begin to express their Arcanum and school identity foremost and this is when they are put forward for apprenticeship. Whether an initiate is taken as an apprentice depends entirely on the proclivities of established Mages and their willingness to take an initiate on as a student and helper. How long the experience lasts tends to be anywhere between eighteen months and two years, but some of the most ambitious can take as little as a year to conclude their apprenticeship and earn their true robes and piping.
Practicing Mages and Establishing a Career
Mages who conclude their apprenticeship in good standing are then granted their navy robes and proper piping, which is the colour and pattern of the edging of their robes according to their assigned Tower or special status. For example, the navy robes of Mages hailing from the Brigden Ford Tower have teal piping and edges, while the robes of those from Tannith Vale have forest green piping. The only true difference in arcane robes are the battlemages, who wear orange robes with navy piping -- their particular Tower's colours are shown with a sash worn across the chest or around the waist. This was a recent change, seeing as how Battlemages are the ones who most-often see their assignments change. Some Mages are true floaters, their particular skills or inclinations take them from place to place as troubleshooters or investigators: these mages have the standard navy robes, but they have metallic edging or piping which correspond to their area of focus (gold for leadership, silver for investigation, copper for troubleshooting). Some Mages of particular skill or experience may have piping that is two or more colours -- these Mages tend to have the most storied careers. Mages within the Arcanum have several routes to success, however imagined. Most often, they take positions of incrementally increasing prestige within one or more Towers in various locations throughout the world. Other Mages may become quite specialized in their field, ending up becoming renowned for their expertise and sought after regardless of their chosen location -- those who choose to create items tend to stick to one area or another, depending on the raw materials needed for their craft. Still more Mages make it a point of pride to seek assignments to exotic locations every year or more, finding their breadth of experience building to a point where they can legitimately handle any situation with calm and acumen. On each of these tracks, the Mage tends to seek out greater rank and high prestige within not only their specialty but also the entire guild itself.
Advancement and Leadership
Mages who have great experience, high prestige and no short supply of achievement tend to be streamed into positions of leadership. This is most evident in the circles of Battlemages, where mere survival over time throughout various deployments and assignments tend to point to their acumen, resilience and capability. For others Mages, however, the Guild tends to have three major pathways to leadership: Tower affairs and administration, direct services for important clients, and exceptional capabilities in the magical arts. Tower Chiefs often have favoured Mages that they cultivate for administration of wider and deeper understanding of the goods and services provided. For those on track for becoming Tower Chiefs and then regional Grand Masters, it is the display of general knowledge, reliability and resilience, and business acumen that matters the most. For those who take on direct service with important clients, it is usually their social capacity, political acumen and strategic thinking that matters the most. Finally, there are those who devote themselves to unlocking the deeper and greater secrets of magical abilities, those who wield the most powerful and most far-reaching abilities that widen and deepen the potential of the entire Arcanum. These are the exceptional folks, the ones who tend to take on leadership as a means to an end, not necessarily for economic, political or social gain.
Factional Politics
Finally, all Mages must operate within the internal political landscape of the Arcanum itself. While the organization was initially set up to monopolize arcane magic and ensure that the world is never again shackled to the dangerous whims of so few, the ambitions of those within the Arcanum have meant the scope has drifted. There have emerged factions within the Arcanum based on where they believe the organization should be focusing their considerable attention and resources. The oldest of these factions are the Guilders, those who hold strictly to the founding principles of the Arcanum as a goods and services provider held at arms-length from mundane political concerns. The Guilders make up approximately one half of the Arcanum's current number, but their numbers are quickly shrinking in the face of very active opposition from their rivals. Despite their shrinking numbers, the Guilders hold most of the positions of leadership within the Arcanum -- they are most often the Tower Chiefs and Grand Masters throughout the world. In addition, they have many of the Makers on their side as well. The next faction are the Mercantilists, those Mages who believe that the scale and scope, the reach and grasp of the Arcanum has not only surpassed that of the mundane realms around it, but have completely eclipsed them. The Mercantilists believe that the mundane realms must be guided actively, through whatever means necessary, to ensure that the world is prepared for the future challenges and threats that often lurk around every corner. In this, they have been quite successful. These "interventionists," as the Guilders call them with disdain, are quickly increasing their numbers by actively pursuing apprentices in an organized and strategic manner. The Mercantilists are bolstered by a great degree of support from the battlemages, since they most often find themselves having a sense of loyalty and camaraderie with the people they fight alongside on the battlefields, patrol alongside in the wilderlands, and embark on adventure with to various ruins, tombs and barrows throughout the world. There are a small number of Moderates who have not yet made their choice in regards to the direction of the Arcanum as a whole, and they are most often the ones driven to the highest degree of achievement in the arcane arts. With so many wildcards active within a guild of wildcards, the great game of factional power struggles is one fraught with twists and turns, secrets and betrayals.
When an neophyte mage enters into training, they are taught to embrace the commonalities between mages throughout the world. Those similarities are underlined through various lessons and experiences overseen by instructors who have deep knowledge and experience across a wide assortment of the world's cultures. In their first stage of training and development, they are taught (1) the history of arcane magic and its effect on the world; (2) the foundations of arcane practice such as spellcraft and the use of spellbooks; and (3) they are given a survey of the different traditions of arcane magic (called the schools or colleges of magic). By the end of their first phase of training, they are ready to be further initiation into a school of magic, usually abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, or transmutation, but sometimes they can choose a more unique specialization such as elven bladesinging, the order of scribes, or the practice of war magic. At a certain point, initiates begin to express their Arcanum and school identity foremost and this is when they are put forward for apprenticeship. Whether an initiate is taken as an apprentice depends entirely on the proclivities of established Mages and their willingness to take an initiate on as a student and helper. How long the experience lasts tends to be anywhere between eighteen months and two years, but some of the most ambitious can take as little as a year to conclude their apprenticeship and earn their true robes and piping.
Practicing Mages and Establishing a Career
Mages who conclude their apprenticeship in good standing are then granted their navy robes and proper piping, which is the colour and pattern of the edging of their robes according to their assigned Tower or special status. For example, the navy robes of Mages hailing from the Brigden Ford Tower have teal piping and edges, while the robes of those from Tannith Vale have forest green piping. The only true difference in arcane robes are the battlemages, who wear orange robes with navy piping -- their particular Tower's colours are shown with a sash worn across the chest or around the waist. This was a recent change, seeing as how Battlemages are the ones who most-often see their assignments change. Some Mages are true floaters, their particular skills or inclinations take them from place to place as troubleshooters or investigators: these mages have the standard navy robes, but they have metallic edging or piping which correspond to their area of focus (gold for leadership, silver for investigation, copper for troubleshooting). Some Mages of particular skill or experience may have piping that is two or more colours -- these Mages tend to have the most storied careers. Mages within the Arcanum have several routes to success, however imagined. Most often, they take positions of incrementally increasing prestige within one or more Towers in various locations throughout the world. Other Mages may become quite specialized in their field, ending up becoming renowned for their expertise and sought after regardless of their chosen location -- those who choose to create items tend to stick to one area or another, depending on the raw materials needed for their craft. Still more Mages make it a point of pride to seek assignments to exotic locations every year or more, finding their breadth of experience building to a point where they can legitimately handle any situation with calm and acumen. On each of these tracks, the Mage tends to seek out greater rank and high prestige within not only their specialty but also the entire guild itself.
Advancement and Leadership
Mages who have great experience, high prestige and no short supply of achievement tend to be streamed into positions of leadership. This is most evident in the circles of Battlemages, where mere survival over time throughout various deployments and assignments tend to point to their acumen, resilience and capability. For others Mages, however, the Guild tends to have three major pathways to leadership: Tower affairs and administration, direct services for important clients, and exceptional capabilities in the magical arts. Tower Chiefs often have favoured Mages that they cultivate for administration of wider and deeper understanding of the goods and services provided. For those on track for becoming Tower Chiefs and then regional Grand Masters, it is the display of general knowledge, reliability and resilience, and business acumen that matters the most. For those who take on direct service with important clients, it is usually their social capacity, political acumen and strategic thinking that matters the most. Finally, there are those who devote themselves to unlocking the deeper and greater secrets of magical abilities, those who wield the most powerful and most far-reaching abilities that widen and deepen the potential of the entire Arcanum. These are the exceptional folks, the ones who tend to take on leadership as a means to an end, not necessarily for economic, political or social gain.
Factional Politics
Finally, all Mages must operate within the internal political landscape of the Arcanum itself. While the organization was initially set up to monopolize arcane magic and ensure that the world is never again shackled to the dangerous whims of so few, the ambitions of those within the Arcanum have meant the scope has drifted. There have emerged factions within the Arcanum based on where they believe the organization should be focusing their considerable attention and resources. The oldest of these factions are the Guilders, those who hold strictly to the founding principles of the Arcanum as a goods and services provider held at arms-length from mundane political concerns. The Guilders make up approximately one half of the Arcanum's current number, but their numbers are quickly shrinking in the face of very active opposition from their rivals. Despite their shrinking numbers, the Guilders hold most of the positions of leadership within the Arcanum -- they are most often the Tower Chiefs and Grand Masters throughout the world. In addition, they have many of the Makers on their side as well. The next faction are the Mercantilists, those Mages who believe that the scale and scope, the reach and grasp of the Arcanum has not only surpassed that of the mundane realms around it, but have completely eclipsed them. The Mercantilists believe that the mundane realms must be guided actively, through whatever means necessary, to ensure that the world is prepared for the future challenges and threats that often lurk around every corner. In this, they have been quite successful. These "interventionists," as the Guilders call them with disdain, are quickly increasing their numbers by actively pursuing apprentices in an organized and strategic manner. The Mercantilists are bolstered by a great degree of support from the battlemages, since they most often find themselves having a sense of loyalty and camaraderie with the people they fight alongside on the battlefields, patrol alongside in the wilderlands, and embark on adventure with to various ruins, tombs and barrows throughout the world. There are a small number of Moderates who have not yet made their choice in regards to the direction of the Arcanum as a whole, and they are most often the ones driven to the highest degree of achievement in the arcane arts. With so many wildcards active within a guild of wildcards, the great game of factional power struggles is one fraught with twists and turns, secrets and betrayals.
Public Agenda
First and Foremost
The Arcanum's primary purpose is to monopolize the practice of arcane magic. In the deeper past of nearly every realm the world over, there was a period of blood and fire where mages formed the dominant class. Mage-Kings, Sorceress-Queens, Eldritch Emperors, and numerous cabals of arcane practitioners had ruled large swathes of the world in an age of war, destruction and dire circumstances for mundane folk. This Age of Blood and Fire came to an end with the wars to end wars, all corresponding directly with the rise of superpowers: the Empires of Victor Magnus, Nymarga the Worm King, Gnaeus the Great, and so on. Some of these, like that of the Worm King, had to fall after a disastrous war, while the Dwarven Empire and the coming of the Divine King helped stamp out the would-be arcane rulers by their very existence. The Arcanum started off as a loose collection of wizards who formed a grey faction who saw the ills created by magical dominance. Regardless of location, these grey cloaks ended up working alongside chosen mundane power centers: the Dwarven Empire, the realms of the Divine King, and the halfling Gnaean Dynasties. They later came together with the cooperation of these realms, and they became the Arcanum. Charged with helping to maintain the new order, one of relative peace, where warfare and other threats are limited to those realms that partake, rather than threatening life itself. General Aims
In a more straightforward sense, the Arcanum primarily provides arcane services. Mages can provide advice, protection, communication or the means to achieve certain objectives within a certain, nebulous limitation (see above). Secondarily, the Arcanum also provides magical goods: enchanted items, potions, weapons and armour. Less forward-facing, however, are the financial and monetary services that the Arcanum provides as a service to the leaders of client-states and such realms. The Arcanum controls vast sums of money, land and other forms of wealth. They provide a more nimble set of services in comparison to the Dwarves of the Commonwealth or the Delve-Kings. This often ends up being the means by which the Arcanum locks various leaders of a realm into a long-term relationship. While the Arcanum does not (often) enter directly into political concerns, they do ensure that these realms understand the reach and grasp that their services can provide to them, for a price.
The Arcanum's primary purpose is to monopolize the practice of arcane magic. In the deeper past of nearly every realm the world over, there was a period of blood and fire where mages formed the dominant class. Mage-Kings, Sorceress-Queens, Eldritch Emperors, and numerous cabals of arcane practitioners had ruled large swathes of the world in an age of war, destruction and dire circumstances for mundane folk. This Age of Blood and Fire came to an end with the wars to end wars, all corresponding directly with the rise of superpowers: the Empires of Victor Magnus, Nymarga the Worm King, Gnaeus the Great, and so on. Some of these, like that of the Worm King, had to fall after a disastrous war, while the Dwarven Empire and the coming of the Divine King helped stamp out the would-be arcane rulers by their very existence. The Arcanum started off as a loose collection of wizards who formed a grey faction who saw the ills created by magical dominance. Regardless of location, these grey cloaks ended up working alongside chosen mundane power centers: the Dwarven Empire, the realms of the Divine King, and the halfling Gnaean Dynasties. They later came together with the cooperation of these realms, and they became the Arcanum. Charged with helping to maintain the new order, one of relative peace, where warfare and other threats are limited to those realms that partake, rather than threatening life itself. General Aims
In a more straightforward sense, the Arcanum primarily provides arcane services. Mages can provide advice, protection, communication or the means to achieve certain objectives within a certain, nebulous limitation (see above). Secondarily, the Arcanum also provides magical goods: enchanted items, potions, weapons and armour. Less forward-facing, however, are the financial and monetary services that the Arcanum provides as a service to the leaders of client-states and such realms. The Arcanum controls vast sums of money, land and other forms of wealth. They provide a more nimble set of services in comparison to the Dwarves of the Commonwealth or the Delve-Kings. This often ends up being the means by which the Arcanum locks various leaders of a realm into a long-term relationship. While the Arcanum does not (often) enter directly into political concerns, they do ensure that these realms understand the reach and grasp that their services can provide to them, for a price.
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