The Skeinwynd Institute
In the aftermath of the fall of Mordred Rannasland, the nations of Western Kordania were faced with one vital issue; the future of magical study and practice, and how they might guard against the corruption and negligence that led to Mordred's rise to begin with.
When the Skeinwynd, the brotherhood of rebels who had brought Mordred low, met with the new leadership of Langharad, it was agreed that drastic reform was needed in Rilga. For generations, the worth of every individual and noble house had been measured in magical skill, with those most skilled in the arcane arts rising to dominate the others. It was an environment that had allowed corruption and nepotism to run rampant, while the populace as a whole could do little to stop the abuses that inevitably followed.
The Skeinwynd rebels, now the leaders of the defeated and diminished Rilga, set about to reform the laws that governed the practice of magic, creating a strict new code that would be put into effect in both Rilga and Langharad. A new order arose, named the Skeinwynd Institute after those who had delivered Rilga's redemption. From that day forth, any person who wished to study magic must be an accepted member of the Institute, having been tested and evaluated by the Institutes provosts. Once part of the Institute, it is expected that a mage abide by the injunctions and codes set down by the Skeinwynd founders, designed to ensure the safety of the commonfolk and wider world alike from those who would abuse their knowledge and arcane gifts.
In the following centuries since its inception, the Skeinwyn Institute has fulfilled its purpose in ensuring no single mage could rise to unchallenged power. Under its decrees, no more than one member of every household may be any more than a novice in magic, while those who go on to become full fellows of the Institute are forbidden from holding public office or bear any title of nobility or inheritance.
The Skeinwynd Institute's members now conduct their scholarly pursuits in relative isolation, though they must open themselves and their studies to regular inspection and scrutiny from the Iron Hands. Skeinwynd masters are also expected to keep their eyes open for those who show promise and aptitude for magic. When this occurs, they are permitted to take a single student under their wing as an apprentice. These would-be mages spend years under the personal tutelage of the master who recruited them, or else they attend the Crystalwells College in Somiochr, the most famed repository of lore and magical knowledge on the continent.
Goals
The mages of the Institute swear upon their inception into the order to uphold the principles and laws laid down two-and-a-half centuries ago to ensure the safe and ethical study and practice of magic. One of the keenest lessons mortal-kind have all learned through the millennia is that magic can be a dangerous and terrible thing when wielded with impunity. This tempted to plumb the darker secrets of the weave of magic can find themselves on a terrible downward spiral that sees them abuse their talents to the detriment of the people and world at large. While different mages of the Institute might differ in opinion over the extent and rigidity of the laws governing their studies, they are unanimous in their agreement that the need for oversight and structure is well earned. Practically all of Kordania and beyond know of the terrible practices committed by Mordred and his acolytes when they were given free reign over their appetites and ambitions, and all Provosts of the Institute are committed to ensuring such a catastrophe does not reoccur. The mages of the Institute can be found attending to their private affairs throughout the towns and countryside of Langharad, Rilga, and even further afield in Blodhalle and Askenhart. Many of them hire themselves out as advisors to local rulers and monarchs, or else offer their magical expertise to those with the coin to bestir them from their studies. Some Institute members go on to found libraries, archives and conservatoires with which to store and make available the fruits of their labors. Regardless of how they spend their time, all members of the Institute must disclose their abodes and studies to the inquisitorial Iron Hands, and must always be ready for a surprise inspection, for where an Institute mage can be found, a detachment of Iron Hands is never far behind.Relationships
The Skeinwynd Institute, despite the deeply-ingrained ill-will many still hold for mages and sorcerers, are a well-regarded and admired organization, for in the centuries since Mordred’s fall, they have made good on their promise to make amends time after time. Many of the most respected and erudite individuals in Kordania are members of the Institute, and whichever land they find themselves in, they swiftly prove themselves valuable assets and allies. In Langharad, no fewer than three provosts attend the court of Queen Aethelsild and advise her court in matters magical, historic and diplomatic. In Rilga, the Institute is now the face of the future for the once preeminent magical nation. All of Rilga’s noble houses, despite the restrictions now placed upon them, fight tooth and nail to ensure one of its members belongs to the institute, for magical expertise is still the major token of a families prominence. It has become common practice for the noble elven houses of Askenhart to send their half-elf offspring to Rilga to study at the Crystalwells College, not so much out of altruism towards their bastard children, but rather under a principle of “out of sight, out of mind.” Despite this arrangement, the Skeinwynd has no jurisdiction in Askenhart, and the elves boast a proud magical tradition all their own, and a subtle yet intense rivalry exists between the mages of the two cities. The Skeinwynd and Iron Hands are intrinsically linked. The Iron Hands exist solely to watch and police the practitioners of magic in Western Kordania, keeping a stern vigil for any sign of misuse or dabbling in forbidden lore. While some mages of the Skeinwynd have misgivings over the zealotry and mistrust for mages that is instilled in Iron Hand soldiers, most still hold that the necessity of oversight outweighs the risks.Figures of Interest
ad arcanissima "Into the Deepest Mysteries
Symbol
8 runic symbols of arcane significance, connected by threads that conjoin in the middle, creating an hourglass shape
Type
Education, Magic
- Sorcerer - Any subclass
- Wizard - Any subclass except Bladesinging
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