The Mage Guild
“Magic is not your right. It is your burden, your gift, and your responsibility.”
The Mage Guild is Ashara’s premier institution for arcane understanding, magical regulation, and collaborative research. While its central headquarters is located in Mechanis, the Guild maintains local chapters across multiple nations, each responsible for coordinating research access, enforcing magical standards, and reporting restricted magical incidents to their host country.
It is not a government body, but its influence on modern magical practices, magical education, and arcane research is undeniable.
Structure
The Mage Guild is highly organized, operating with a tiered ranking and licensing system. Membership is open to any proven spellcaster who passes the Guild’s arcane aptitude and ethical knowledge tests. Members may pursue various licenses, such as:
- Researcher Certification
- Combat Specialist License
- Restricted Magic Access Clearance
- Innovation & Publication Recognition
Higher-ranking members gain access to more obscure, potent, or restricted magical knowledge—although their behavior is closely monitored, especially when dealing with necromancy, enchantment, and planar experimentation.
Core Purpose
- Collect and document all known forms of magic
- Research its potential and limitations
- Innovate new spells, forms, and combinations
- Teach the dangers and responsibilities of using magic
One of the Mage Guild’s highest values is magical accountability. If restricted magic is used, the Guild reports the incident to the local nation, gathers evidence, and supports investigation efforts—but it remains neutral until guilt is proven.
Magical Law & Ethics
The Guild outlines the "Arcane Compendium of Ethical Practice", a living document updated regularly with discoveries, magical risks, and societal impacts. Each country retains sovereignty over what is legal within their borders, but Guild guidelines serve as an international reference point.
Some restricted disciplines include:
- Experimental Necromancy
- Reality Transmutation
- Spellforging without stabilization models
- Demonology
Relationship with Nations
Though housed in Mechanis, the Mage Guild is not a Mechanis-controlled organization. Its central position there reflects the country’s melting-pot culture and freedom of thought. The Guild remains politically neutral, though its influence is undeniable.
It provides nations with magical oversight, personnel consultation, and research materials—while protecting the sanctity of free magical study.
Relationship with Academies
The Mage Guild does not run magic academies, but many institutions defer to its rulings and research documentation. Some academies are sponsored by the Guild when they demonstrate exceptional safety, innovation, or alignment with Guild values.
Religion & Science
The Mage Guild takes no official stance on divine magic. It regards divine spells as valid forms of energy manipulation, but does not explore theology. However, it works with scientists to study the mechanics and biological consequences of both arcane and divine casting.
Reputation
Among the general public, the Mage Guild is:
- Respected for its innovation and magical regulation
- Feared in places where magic is not fully trusted
- Occasionally controversial due to its stance on giving powerful mages second chances
High-profile mages like Laura Green—brilliant but criminal—remain under close watch, with their continued freedom often owed to political connections and internal advocates, such as Wayland, another prominent Guild member.
Source of Arcane Order, Innovation, and Magical Ethics
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