Royal Weather Trust

Royal Weather Trust

"Precision, Power, Peace. These are the tenets of the Royal Weather Trust, which has long kept our kingdom safe and ensured peace and order were maintained across our land. They accomplish this not through military might or magical combat, but through the arcane process of weather manipulation to grow and harvest the sacred grain and the source of all magic, rell. Our control of rell fuels our economy, empowers our mages, and most importantly, ensures we control who in this world uses magic and who does not..."
The kingdom of Curtil has long been known for its economic prowess and immense wealth, allowing it to support large armies and successful expeditions into the frontier lands. This wealth comes not from gemstones, jewels, gold or silver, but instead from Curtil's highly acclaimed harvests of rell. Rell, known as the "lifeblood of the land", is the grain that enables mages and sorcerers to perform their incredible feats. Thanks to the Royal Weather Trust, Curtil has not only survived its infancy as a colony, but has grown to become the predominant power on the continent of Korsythe, as other kingdoms and countries come from far and wide to trade in rell.
While smaller farms throughout the land may take on a few mages here and there to ensure proper wheat and rice growth, the Royal Weather Trust is strictly tasked with the growing and harvesting of rell, and is therefore composed of the best mages the land has to offer. These highly-trained magic users are commonly recruited from the Mage's Guild and, less frequently, form the Sorcerer's Guild. In troubled times, conscription has been used to bolster the ranks of the Trust, although these have been rare indeed, as many mages would jump at the opportunity to be a part of such a prestigious organization (and to take from its coffers). The Royal Weather Trust does not accept apprentice mages; only journeyman and above may join these illustrious ranks. Even then, many months of study, practice, and physical labor await a prospective Weather mage, where they can expect a rigorous syllabus learning about soil, air currents, precipitation, droughts, heat waves, storms, and more.

Structure

The Royal Weather Trust is the most well-known organization of magic-users in Curtil. Royal accounts are not public knowledge, but their numbers are estimated at around 2,500. While the layman may believe each individual mage to be a master of weather and able to summon a thunderstorm at will, this is simply not the case. The mages of the Royal Weather Trust function exactly as mages elsewhere do, albeit with more knowledge and teamwork. These aren't a special breed of supremely powerful mages; each mage may still only control one of the four elements (fire, water, earth, or air) that is predetermined at birth.
The Royal Weather Trust is broken down into three corps: Harvesters, Ceruleites, and Tempestarii. The crown appoints the leader of the Trust, known as the First Warden, and the First Warden appoints the leaders of each of the three corps, known as Sub-wardens. The First Warden oversees all operations of the Royal Weather Trust, and works closely with the crown to accomplish these goals. The Trust is based in Curtil's capital, Ulster, and utilizes the flat fields and plains surrounding the crownlands.

Harvesters

The Harvesters are where new recruits are placed upon joining the Royal Weather Trust. Alongside a dedicated cadre of non-magic farmers, the Harvesters are responsible for cutting down the stalks of the rell with a scythe or a sickle when it comes time to gather the crop. As the rell is cut, it is collected and stacked into bundles to allow for ideal drying. After the drying is complete, the Harvesters will separate the rell kernels from the flower in a process known as threshing, which is typically accomplished using a wooden flail. Finally, the chaff must be removed form the kernels of the rell in a process known as winnowing. The kernels are then sent to a mill for flour production. New recruits to the Trust will start as a Harvester and will remain in this corps for several months, all while studying and preparing to take the test to advance to the next corps.

Ceruleites

The Ceruleites make up the bulk of the Trust, and is what comes to mind for most people when they think of the Royal Weather Trust. This corps specializes in the arcane manipulation of the weather to provide optimal growing conditions for rell. Various tiers in the Ceruleites differentiate the senior mages from the junior. Mages who have made it to this tier have displayed a deep understanding of how to properly grow and care for rell. Ceruleites are most often found out in the fields, working together in four-person teams to achieve perfect conditions for rell growth.
It is important to note that weather manipulation cannot be done by a single mage of any elemental affiliation. It requires a team of at least four, one of each element, to properly tend to and manage a plot of land. Through intensive study and practice, each mage develops the technical skills required to grow rell under any conditions. Earth mages subtly manipulate the soil to draw out the best and most optimal nutrients required for rell to grow, as well as arranging the soil in proper formations. Water mages transport water from nearby sources to properly irrigate the land, in addition to ensuring each plant has the appropriate amount of hydration. Fire mages heat up the air, water, and soil to optimal temperatures for growth depending on the seasons. Air mages manipulate the air currents to allow heat and water access to the plants as needed. Working together and with intense focus, a team of four can perform the complex process of summoning a rainstorm. This is an exceedingly difficult task, and requires a strong bond with teammates.

Tempestarii

The Tempestarii are the special interest corps of the Royal Weather Trust. A very small number of mages come from the Ceruleite corps to the mysterious Tempestarii. Once a mage achieves the rank of Tempestarii, they are no longer expected to provide farming services in the fields. This elite unit of mages initiates investigations, goes on field missions for research, and studies the more obscure forms of magic, while suffering the ire of the Mages' Guild who believe arcane research to be their specialty. The magical expertise and skills of mages in this corps are nearly unmatched, and only masters may be accepted. The Tempestarii are responsible for deploying to various regions to help quell all kind of adverse weather events, such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes. Some even believe the Tempestarii to be the right hand of the First Warden, accusing them of various acts of subterfuge, misdirection, and even assassination.

History

As crucial to the safety and security of the land as the Royal Weather Trust is, it has not been present for all of Curtil's almost 400-year history. Before the Trust was officially implemented by King Reynfred some 290 years ago, there existed a ragtag band of mages called the Tempest. These mages were not paid and managed by the crown, but they filled the same essential function: managing the growth of rell (these mages also grew other grains for food, but this practice was stopped later on in the Trust's history). To this day, some commonfolk throughout the land still refer to any mage in the Royal Weather Trust as a "Tempest", which is of course utter nonsense. One mage cannot control the weather by themselves, therefore it is incorrect and misguided to refer to one as such.