Mage Law

Mage Law is a legal tradition dating back to the earliest days of The Eternal Empire that grants a degree of sovereignty to lands controlled by practitioners of magic.

History

Since many of the resources that the empire coveted during its early expansion lay to the south, the neighboring region Vraj Azil presented an obstacle to imperial plans. Then, as now, the Vrajites were renowned for their mastery of the arcane arts, and it was believed that the Vrajites' magical firepower would equal or outweigh the empire's numerical advantages. Since attacking Vraj Azil threatened to embroil the empire in a costly war that it might not win, the emperor chose diplomacy. In return for standing down and ceding control of the region as a whole to the empire, the wizards of Vraj Azil would be granted near-total sovereignty over their own territory. The Vrajites accepted the agreement, but only on the condition that the same offer be extended practitioners of magic throughout the empire.
As the empire has grown and expanded into new territories, it's often been necessary to refine, enumerate, or interpret the specifics of mage law. One of the earliest ambiguities, for example, concerned the size of an arcanum (the area controlled by a wizard under Mage Law). The Vrajites held no political power and laid no claim to lands surrounding their own estates, so the first arcanums were easy to define. The Witch Queen of Igweyamba, on the other hand, ruled over a small kingdom that far exceeded the expected size for an arcanum in both acreage and population. When questions regarding the implementation of Mage Law arose, the empire consulted with the Order of the Sphinx to arrive at a solution. While such consultation began as a courtesy, it has become an expectation and most wizards will resist modifications to mage law that are not endorsed by the Order.

Execution

A wizard may establish an arcanum on any land that they own outright, hold a lifetime or generational grant to occupy, or can lay claim to under imperial homestead laws, provided that the wizard maintains a residence (called a sanctum) there. Only lands under the mage's direct control are considered part of the arcanum. Land whose ownership the wizard shares with other individuals, groups, or entities is not eligible. The land contained in an arcanum must generally be contiguous, though limited exceptions are made for lands that are divided by roads, rivers, and other features that are held in common or are under the dominion of the empire. Under current law, an arcanum can extend no more than 23 miles from the wizard's sanctum in any direction. Land owned by the wizard that falls outside of this area is not subject to Mage Law.

Components and tools

In order to claim the rights and privileges granted by Mage Law, the wizard must file a request to establish an arcanum with the imperial records office with jurisdiction over the area where the arcanum is located. Once the officials there have confirmed the wizard's residence and property rights and eligibility to establish an arcanum--the wizard must be a citizen or foreign subject in good standing with no record of major crimes against or outstanding debts to the empire--they submit the petition to an Imperial Magistrate for approval. If the request to establish an arcanum is granted, imperial surveyors draw up a deed that defines the boundaries the arcanum that includes requirements and recommendations for where boundary markers should be located. Boundary markers must include the Mage Law sigil (an eye and a tower within a circle) and those placed at gates, roads, and similarly clear routes of entry must identify the wizard by name or personal device.

Participants

The definition of "wizard" is slippery, but typically understood to include anyone who channels and directs magical energy through spellcasting. Therefore, people like potion-makers and other dweomercrafters who merely take advantage of ambient magical energy do not qualify. Membership in--or particular ranks or positions within--certain guilds, orders, and religious organizations automatically entitle a mage to establish an arcanum. Absent such status, the wizard will have to prove their credentials as part of the process of getting the arcanum approved by imperial bureaucrats.

Observance

Mage Law grants the wizard the following rights and protections:

• Imperial officials may not enter an arcanum without the wizard's permission except in cases where the wizard is guilty of high crimes against the empire or a reliable witness claims that the wizard is hiding people or objects of extreme imperial interest: political prisoners, criminals guilty of serious crimes against the empire, stolen imperial goods, etc. If the imperials trespass on an arcanum and come up empty-handed, they must pay the wizard an amount equal to the total yearly salary of all imperial personnel who stepped foot inside the wizard's domain.
• Imperial Magistrates will refuse to hear claims brought against the wizard for events that occur within the arcanum.
• Residents of the arcanum are exempt from imperial property taxes, but the wizard may levee taxes on them as they see fit.
• Activities that occur within the boundaries of an arcanum are exempt from all imperial taxes and fees. However, the wizard and other arcanum residents are subject to normal imperial fees and taxes for activities that occur outside of the mage's domain.
• An arcanum can be passed to an heir upon the wizard's death, but only retains the protections of Mage Law if the heir also qualifies as a wizard.
• As a general rule, changes to Mage Law do not affect existing arcanums, which are governed by the understanding of Mage Law in place at the time of their founding. As a result, a few ancient arcanums that have remained in the hands of wizards for generations enjoy larger domains and stronger protections than those established more recently.
• A wizard may maintain a personal guard of up to 99 soldiers to protect their arcanum. 

Although wizards are only permitted control of a single arcanum, some wizards with multiple arcanums that are sufficiently distant from one another apply for mage law protections for all of them under the assumption that officials from one corner of the empire are unlikely to learn about an arcanum in another region. Another common but technically illegal practice is for wizards to grant property to an apprentice or other subordinate on which the junior wizard can establish an arcanum that they control in name only.

Mage Law Sigil

Mage Law Misconceptions

Because it's such a niche topic, mages and non-mages alike have many misconceptions about the vagaries of Mage Law. A few of the most frequently cited (and completely inaccurate) strictures of Mage Law include:

• A wizard may invoke mage law to treat any ship on which they are travelling as an arcanum provided that the ship is renamed after the wizard.
• A mage who controls an arcanum cannot be detained by imperial officials outside of their arcanum unless the imperials can guess the wizard's true name.
• A person claiming that a wizard is involved in activities that would merit imperial intrusion into an arcanum can only be considered credible if the defeat the wizard in a rhyming competition.
• Wizards do not have to pay gate taxes on goods brought into imperial cities if the containers or vehicles that the goods are transported in are marked with the mage law sigil.
• Mages can invoke mage law to appeal the decision of any imperial official to the Order of the Sphinx.
• Wizards are entitled to levee a toll on anyone using a waterway or imperial road that passes through their arcanum.
• If a wizard leaves a chess piece at a specific tomb in The Necropolis, The Lord of Bones will appear at the wizard's Arcanum to return the game piece and challenge the wizard to a game. If the wizard wins, their life is extended by ten years. If they lose, they must give The Lord of Bones a new set of violin strings. 
• If a mage states "According to the ancient traditions of Vraj Azil, I demand an audience with [imperial offficial's name or title]" and tosses a pinch of salt into the air, imperial soldiers must lead them directly to the official they've asked to see, who must grant them an immediate audience.
• If a wizard manages to steal an imperial official's Mask of Office, the official is allowed to grant them one wish in exchange for the mask's return.
• A wizard who visits an imperial garrison and gives the senior officer 23 pounds of flax may request a squad of imperial soldiers to act as their personal bodyguard for a year and a day. 

Primary Related Location

Vraj Azil

Important Locations

• Old Town

Related Organizations

• The Eternal Empire

Related Ethnicities

• Vrajites