The Conclave
Originating on the island of Emling, the Conclave are a group of wizards, witches, and sorcerers who find, train, and create future magic users. Over time the Conclave eventually gained enough power to where their influence has allowed them make it a requirement for all magic users to register with them. For wizards this is simple since they learn their magic through years of study. For sorcerers on the other hand who are born with an innate ability, it is detrimental for them to register or else they're labeled as "heretics." Otherwise known as rogue mages. They're hunted down and brought to the Conclave so they can "properly" learn their magical abilities. The Conclave sees it as their duty to do this so they can protect the world from dangerous magical abilities and retain a good name for all magic users. Along with their influence to find and register all magic users, many a mage from the Conclave have wound up being court advisors to knights, lords, kings, and a number of members within the nobility.
Structure
- Initiate: A brand new member within the Conclave that must go through basic magical training and studies to assess their power.
- Apprentice: An initiate that is now fully part of the order. An apprentice is given a master to study and learn under.
- Mage: When an apprentice has mastered their magical abilities they become a mage. Mages are still sometimes under the tutelage of a master, but they are considered fully adept and capable magic users.
- Enchanter: Mages of adept knowledge and skill who are powerful within certain schools of magic. Enchanters are often teachers, taking on an apprentice to pass on their abilities and learning.
- Sage: Sages are the heads of certain schools of magic. They are the most adept and powerful magic user within their skill.
- Archmage: Magic users of great power who serve upon the High Council, the ruling body of the Conclave. Archmages are not just chosen for their powerful abilities, but for their wisdom as well.
- High Enchanter: Leader of the High Council and overall leader of the Conclave.
Public Agenda
Ever since the Orcus Crisis, the goal of the Conclave has been to properly maintain magic. Everyone remembers the disaster that unchecked magic had wrought, with their ultimate agenda being to reel it in, control, and maintain it. The Conclave's mission is to educate magic users in the proper use of magic, teaching wizards to harness their abilities, and sorcerors to tap into their potential. The Mage's Circle also wishes to bring druids and warlocks into their ranks by teaching them "proper" magic.
Assets
- Gold
- Mage's Tower with castle and fortifications
- Ships
- Horses
- Farms
- The Inquisition
- The Chosen Dead
History
Founded towards the end of the Second Era in the conclusion of the Orcus Crisis, the Conclave was founded by the sorceress Gresha Rohkemi. Gresha was originally part of the Warriors of the Red Branch, a band of heroes who came together and were instrumental in the banishment of Orcus and his forces back into the Abyss and his realm of Thanatos. Gresha was horrified by the actions of Kresevan Horak, a powerful necromancer within the Cult of Orcus who triggered the Orcus Crisis by summoning the demon lord to the Material Plane. Gresha created an order of like-minded magic users to preserve the teachings of magic in its entirety. This would be the foundation of the Conclave.
Originally, the Conclave was located in the Cragmaw Heights in the mountains above Untersellen. From here, Gresha was able to recruit more wizards and sorcerers, training them in the art of magic. Hearing how the great hero from the Warriors of the Red Branch was training new magic users, many flocked to her modest stronghold. Followers of Orcus who had been defeated during the Orcus crisis began to mobilize and attacked Gresha at her fortress in Untersellen. Gresha being the powerful sorceress that she was, was able to defeat this army that set out against her. After doing so, Gresha set out to find a new location for her new organiztion. She came upon the Isle of Emling, enlisting stone masons and her magic pupils to help create a great magical tower that could be the base of their new order and home. Henceforth, the Conclave was officially born.
After the attack at Untersellen, Gresha took steps and precautions to make sure that would never happen again. One of the warlocks who had joined the Conclave became a close confidant to Gresha. His name was Thedogar ap Murtagh, and he is considered the founder of the Inquisition. Thedogar became the military arm of the Conclave, recruiting other warlocks, clerics, and battle mages into the order's service. Their task was to originally defend the Conclave and Mage's Tower upon Emling, but that purpose swiflty changed over time. Gresha quickly saw all necromancers upon the Continent as a threat, ordering Thedogar to purge them from the earth, or to bring them to Emling so that they may see an other alternative. Necromancy was already a taboo practice upon the Continent, but ever since the Orcus Crisis, necromancers were now feared throughout the world and shunned.
Gresha would die twenty years after the Conclave's founding, having given the Conclave its foundation to build upon for future centuries. As new High Enchanters and Enchantresses led the mages in different directions, the purpose of the Inquisition changed as well. Under the Conclave's fourth High Enchanter, Ilten Hofstra, it was now the purpose of the Inquisition to seek out magic users not within the order and to bring them to Emling for "proper" training. Hofstra highlighted and emphasized Gresha's original purpose for the Conclave to be the safe conduction of magic, and how could that be done if all magic users were not part of the order? If magic users were not willing to come then they were met with extreme prejudice. This went on for about a decade from 66 3.E.-763.E. and was known as the Purge. This earned the Inquisition an ill-reputation throughout the Continent that still persists to this day.
Throughout the remainder of the Third Era and into the Fourth, the Conclave has earned itself a mixed reputation with it being celebrated by some, and feared by others. Mages from the order have inserted themselves as court advisors and politicians within royal courts, while others have helped spark crimes and attrocities against others. One example aside from the Purge, being the Night of 1,000 Fires. A persecution led by the Church of the Silver Flame against lycanthropes. A persecution the Conclave aided as they viewed lycanthropy as evil magic. For better or worse, the Conclave has given itself a strong place within the world order, strongly rooting itself within the politics of every day life. There are those within the order who wish to see it adopt more lenient policies for druids and warlocks, due to them having magical abilities different than that of what the order was originally focusing on. But there are others who wish to see the Conclave act as a beacon of power, culture, and learning; an uncompromising defense against the darkness of untamed magic.
Demography and Population
Most of the mages live within the Mage's Tower upon Emling. The tower's rooms, hallways, and corridors are vast, being able to accomodate hundreds if not thousands if possible. There are some mages who find the confines of the tower too cramped, obtaining special permission from the High Council to own or buy property either within or nearby the coastal town of Emling City. Emling City is small, numbering a population of nearly 3,000.
Territories
Being a fully autonomous organization, the Conclave was gifted the Isle of Emling by the Kingdom of Ostral. There is a coastal city upon the island that the mages control, but many of the denizens consider themselves of Ostral. It wasn't until late into the Third Era and into the early Fourth Era, that the Conclave was given full autonomy over the island.
Military
Being an organization of mages, the Conclave has no official military, but many consider the Inquisition to be the mage's military arm. Mostly due to the Inquisition hunting down heretics and rogue mages; they are comprised of clerics, war mages, eldritch knights, and warlocks who have beccome quite militant. The Inquistion takes its duties seriously, fearing that any rogue mage who slips through their fingers may throw the world into mayhem and destruction.
Education
The Conclave takes and incorporates students from all around the Continent. They pull their magical pupils from the highest noble families, all the way down to the lowliest peasants. Anyone who wishes to learn the arts of magic are welcome at the Conclave. Sorcerers (those born with innate magical abilities) are made to register quickly after they discover their magical abilities. The Conclave provides boarding, food, and necesities for all its members as they will be part of them for life. Druids and warlocks are hunted down and pressured into joining the Conclave to learn the "proper" use of their magic, and if not they are branded as magical outlaws and heretics that must be brought to justice.
When students enter the Conclave they bear the rank of "Initiate." Every initiate must learn the basic functions of magic before they are to progress to higher learning. Initiates focus on mastering and controlling their powers, creating a foundation for their skills. If initiates who intend to become wizards fail, they leave the island and are forbidden to return. It isn't known what the fate of sorcereros, druids, and warlocks are should they fail initiation training. During their time as an initiate, a mage may take up an interest in a certain school or type of magic. When they have mastered their basic skills, they become an apprentice. Apprentices have a teacher or master that takes them under their wing to teach them what they know and to guide them as a mentor. When these great masters feel like their students have succeeded in mastering the magical arts, they graduate to the rank of mage. A mage is a fully inducted member within the Conclave. Some mages still train under their master to acquire more skills, while others study, research, and apply their magic to the wide world.
If a mage is particularly skilled, they may rise to the rank of "Enchanter." Enchanters are the teachers and masters who train apprentices into mastering their art and skill within a particular type or school of magic. Each school of magic is run by a sage. The sages are the most skilled and adept members who practice a certain type of magic. They oversee their respective enchanters and mages. The whole of the Conclave is run by the High Council. The council is made up of archmages; magic users of great knowledge and skill who are deemed worthy enough to lead the order, not just due to their magical abilities, but also their knowledge, temprement, and leadership skills. The highest rank within the order is that of High Enchanter. The High Enchanter is the leader of the High Council, overseeing the every day decision making of the Conclave, and for what direction to take the order.
Duty, Dignity, Ambition
Founding Date
1300 2.E.
Type
Guild, Mages
Alternative Names
Mage's Circle
Founders
Legislative Body
High Council
Executive Body
High Enchanter
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Comments