Arcanist
Structure & Affiliations
Members
Arcanists came from every ethnicity, country, class, and social standing, providing a vast diversity in the community. While the grand majority of Arcanists were magic users, many Visctherians without the use of magic still devote their lives to study of the mysterious force. These non-magic Arcanists often team up with other Arcanists who can use magic in order to complete their studies and achieve the rank of Master.
Mission
Each Chapter of Arcanists had their own unique missions and goals, but the Council of Arcane Elders published a few set tenets that each Chapter was required to follow and include in any held manifest. These tenets were revisited whenever a new Council Elder was selected, and republished as a new manifest. There were several major Chapters that distributed their own manifests, and some managed to create many micro-Chapters that operate under them.
Arcane Tenets
- Devotion to the study of knowledge is required even above the teachings of your Gods.
- Any funds not used for the study of knowledge are to be sent to your local Embassy for equal distribution.
- Making the effort to steal another's work is worse than not making any effort at all. The pursuit of knowledge is respected in any situation.
- If there is nothing to study, you have not looked closely enough. Find what is needed and provide it.
- Record what you know and observe; leave the accounts of others to themselves.
Council of Arcane Elders
While the Council of Arcane Elders did have a significant impact on how the Arcanists of Visctheria operated, their direct interaction with the rest of the world was very limited. The Council Elders themselves were almost entirely undercover, acting as a faceless, indifferent governer for how the academic world ran. Members regularly joined and left the Council, devoting only a small portion of their lives to the gargantuan task of ruling academia.
The Council often changed location as well as members, devoting their allotted time to a vast field of study in different areas around the world. They were still Arcanists, after all, and worked hard on their own studies and projects in between dictation of rules and government-like actions. Many past Council Elders joined the Council in order to complete a study, and stepped down from their position once it was complete.
The Council of Arcane Elders disbanded after the Impact of the Strutheo Star. They were replaced by the much larger, more democratic Interworld Arcanist Society.
Last Members of the Council
Renestrae Sarna
Renestrae Sarna was young for a Grand Elder, but fulfilled her duties well. Hailing from Fryit Shal, she attended Zareya's Academy, and headed research into flight and air travel with the People of the Gentle Stars in Croyla. She held several degrees in both theoretical and practical metaphysics, and taught when she stepped down.
Khilseith Yingella
A former medic for the Salmanian Hollowguard, Khilseith Yingella assisted in the first upload of a Visctherian memory to a concentrated pool of Dimensional Magic. Named after her, the Yingella Pools were used to preserve knowledge of everything in the cultural zeitgeist of Visctheria, including memories of the planet's surface once it was destroyed.
Almer Wysaxisys
Almer Wysaxisys was elected from his position as Grandmaster of the People of the Gentle Stars. Born in Salman, he taught at the Masquerade for many years, and built a reputation as a phenomenal navigator. He was one of the few successful explorers of Xathar's Gate, and survived a trip in the late Heroic Age.
Shalia Shakrana
Shalia Shakrana was a poet of some renown across Visctheria. Her book of poems detailing the events of the Enchirydion from the point of view of the Veil itself gained traction in the religious and academic community, and she was elected to the Council of Arcane Elders only a year before their disbanding. After her election, she founded three charity grants that funded attendance to Zareya's Academy for poor countries.
Rathiain Glynnelis
The strong philosophies developed by Rathiain Glynnelis and his think tank of academics revolutionized the field of philosophy, pulling new minds to think about the implications of their findings. Their new way of thinking accepted the Spark not as a possiblity, but as a fact of life, and invited us to consider the opportunities that come from that piece of magic resting inside of us.
If we all have magic in our souls, what could we be capable of?
Orist Qinlen
Orist Qinlen was a member of the late-Heroic Age Xathar's Gate mission as their cartographer, and like Wysaxisys, was vital in the survival and success of the mission. The maps that the team returned with provided vital knowledge about the physical structure of the island as well as the protected routes through the danger zone of water that surrounds it. Orist planned to go on several more expeditions, and hoped to map more of the Garlin Deep.
Ehlark Keymyar
Ehlark Keymyar spent decades studying the patterns of behavoir around the time of the Strutheo Star's coming, and waited his whole life for what would be the final visit of the comet. The ancient rituals performed around the world to herald and celebrate the comet's arrival fascinated him, and he wrote multiple studies on rituals that were no longer performed, carefully preserving the dying knowledge. While there were still a few more years to wait, he planned to help host a massive international festival celebrating different cultures' interpretations of the Star.
Embassies & Chapters
Each Chapter in a country - for several larger countries, such as Estrana and Uspatan, had multiple Chapters within their borders - reported to an Embassy, a singular building that housed the Grandmaster of the Chapter. These Embassies reported to the Council of Arcane Elders, who created and instated the rules and tenets that Arcanists were sworn to abide by.
Famous Chapters
- People of the Gentle Stars - Croyla
- Zareya's Academy - Estrana
- Shiverfists - Everia
- Hallowed Glade - Striyuna
- Talinesh - Fosmia
Heirarchy
Each Arcanist was the member of a Chapter of Arcanists, joining the group as an Initiate. They underwent enormous academic - and often physical - trainings, and eventually completed a dissertation on a chosen topic to earn the rank of Master. There was one Grandmaster per Chapter that handled the individual financials and community projects for the Chapter.
The overall structure of the Arcanists was very loose, having plenty of both lateral and vertical movement within the ranks. So many Initiates graduate to Master on a regular basis that they often held only one graduation celebration a month, and honored everyone that had earned or would be earning the rank that month.
Funding
Many Chapters obtained financial support from their local government; however, some Chapters were privatized and funded by the Grandmaster of the Chapter. These Chapters sometimes fell apart due to loss of funding when a Grandmaster passed or retired. If a new Grandmaster took over the funding, the goals and mission of the Chapter could change drastically. The larger Chapters also often operated large museums that not only protected their archeological findings, but also provided additional funding. A few Chapters abhored these museums, fighting for artifacts to be returned to their cultures of origin.
History & Legacy
Interworld Arcanist Society
The Interworld Arcanist Society achieved what the Arcanists on Visctheria never could - a collection of the universe's knowledge. Creator and maintainer of the Visctherian Analogs, the IAS is universally recognized as a peaceful organization, meant to study and understand rather than conquer.
Founding
The creation of the Arcanists was in the very early Heroic Age, when magic use became less religious and more academic. Started in Estrana by the creators of Zareya's Academy - fifty years after the school was founded - the small group of teachers and historians became a vast faction of academics that not only recorded history, but changed and directed the future. The Arcanists at Zareya's also built an ethics sytstem along with their educational system.
Historical Figures
Icauria Soldenmarch
One of the most prominent Arcanists in Visctherian history was also arguably the most controversial of the group; Icauria Soldenmarch, author of the Enchirydion. Her membership as an Arcanist was hotly debated, with many later Arcanists saying that her impact on the religious field of Visctheria should discount her status as an academic. Her lack of more secular work only fueled this debate. Despite this, many still celebrated her as one of, if not the most, important documentor of Visctherian history in the Deific Age.
Icauria Alkasyr
More widely accepted in the Arcanist community than her namesake, Icauria Alkasyr wrote the famous study The Rising of Everia, as well as several journals that were used to study the happenings of the later Heroic Age. Her primary perspective on the events of Everia's Rising allowed the community to not only know what happened during that confusing time, but study and understand it. Several fields of study were created just to incorporate the actions of the Rising into the Visctherian timeline.
Khrom Thalanil
Khrom Thalanil, a member of a small faction known as the Argent, was responsible for publishing the journals of various members of the organization. This small perspective into Everia's Rising from the inside of the Everian revolution - rather than Icauria's outsider perspective - was a huge boon to the academic community, describing much of the missing or convoluted Everian timeline. A large portion of Salmanian culture was also preserved thanks to Thalanil in his study, Salman: A World of Angels, which documented a number of Grailae traditions that were swiftly dying out. His genuine respect and interest alongside his careful, delicate representation of the ancient Salmanian rituals saved the old culture, torn by violence and war. Thalanil went on to teach classes on ancient Grailae culture at Zareya's.
Vyktyr Strutheo
The naming of the Strutheo Star by the Meskaovanian Arcanist Vyktyr Strutheo began a long career of discovery and educational advancement. The organization founded by Strutheo - which came to be known as the Voltiar - was eventually passed down to his son, who turned it into a monstrosity. While his son may have been a dictator, Vyktyr was an Arcanist to his core; his discovery only occurred when he took his new invention Deliah to a high cliff to map the stars for his Croylan friends.
Crankust Featherspoon
A member of the Bizgi Clan, Crankust Featherspoon introduced a system of writing to the country of Priquish in the early Heroic Age. For a culture with such a large and storied mythology - thousands upon thousands of great heroes walk the halls of Priquian mythology - the new way to record their tales and myths was groundbreaking. Some Arcanists debated that this system only entrenched the country's lock on their ancient culture, and subsequently their refusal to advance with modern society. Featherspoon himself became one of these great heroes, not only for his phenomenal invention and rescue of ancient Priquish history, but also for his grand death over one hundred and twenty years later at the hands of Manakel.
Discoveries & Inventions
Spark Twinning
The result of many generations of careful magic study, Spark Twinning was the process of binding the Sparks of two people together. Each Twin swore a magical Oath to be the other's protector in life and death, and they became something closer than siblings. They lived together, ate together, slept in the same or nearby rooms, and some Twins eventually married once they reached the proper age. The process of Spark Twinning allowed the Twin to tap into their Twin's senses and experiences, even able to detect illness, physical or mental. This close bond with another being created an interesting dynamic between sentient beings, and is the closest observed Visctherian-made alternative to that of a hivemind. Spark Twins were historically limited to being warriors of Agryae, but in the late Heroic Age, Spark Twinning was such common practice that there were few who did not have a Twin. These individuals were often stigmatized and represented as angry or antisocial by Agryaean society.
Zareya's Academy
Arguably the most important creation of the Arcanist community was the founding of Zareya's Academy for the Magically Inclined. Created by a small group of teachers and historians that later founded the Arcanists, the eager interest in the arcane arts that was widely shared by academics everywhere made the new education system take off like a wildfire. The system they built has lasted throughout the thousands of years the school existed, and spread to create other schools around Visctheria.
Godsent
While the original few Godsent species were discovered by several Arcanists, Ayda Northana was credited with documenting all twenty-three species, as well as discovering no less than seven types of the Godsent creatures. She also helped establish Aquavelle, a massive city that rested on top of the largest Ostrello on record. Both of these discoveries also found a flame in the academic community for having a significant impact on Visctherian religion, but are much less controversial than the Enchirydion.
Flight
Hilgor the High Flying's invention of the Everian Airships spearheaded a new branch of research into flight, and eventually into the beginnings of upper stratosphere travel at the beginning of the late Heroic Age. While the secret of flight is closely protected by the Everian government, Hilgor distributed the knowledge freely. He became a protected pirate of the Crescent Council after the Everian Council began to hunt him down for his blatant treason.
Aqueduct
The invention of the aqueduct traveled from the mysterious Xathar's Gate into the rest of Visctheria, but few know its true origin. The knowledge hit Salman first, pushing the society into an industrial revolution that lasted almost a hundred years. Many Arcanists delved into the academic enigma that is the small island of Xathar's Gate, but very few made any significant progress.
Anduari
Arcanists believe that the Anduari arrived on Visctheria shortly after the world was formed by Udis. They thrived on the new planet, holding power and technology many generations beyond what there is now, but were wiped out by Udis herself, who saw their potential and knew they were too strong for this young world. Half of the Visctherian Pantheon saw her strike the species down, and rebelled against their creator, becoming the Unfavorables. The Favorable Gods defended Udis, and the War of the Gods began.
Irolian Steel
Created in the early Heroic Age in Priquish, Irolian Steel is a careful fusion of metals and magic that repels dust and resists damage. The key ingredient is ore from the depths of the Irolian Mountains, found only in the highlands and cliffs of Priquish. It only becomes the Steel once an ancient Priquian ritual is conducted using the metal. This ritual, preserved and performed by high-ranking members of the Bizgi Clan, blesses the Steel and bids the Gods to imbue it with their power. Many Arcanists studied Irolian Steel to discover if it really was the power of the Gods, or some primal form of Dimensional Magic.
The metal has a nasty habit of amplifying any spells or blessings placed upon it, which can be a boon - or a curse. Thousands of Priquish Clanmembers were killed in fights over weapons and armor made of Irolian Steel; but soon the warriors realized that their boosts to speed and agility also absorbed the enemy warriors' hexes and offensive magic.
Floating Cities
Building off of Hilgor the High Flying's airship technology, a team of Arcanists in Everia were able to lift a city out of the ground - the floating capitol of Edaghar hovered a mile above the Avon Gulf, only connected by a few sets of stairs. While this technology was fiercly protected by those who created it, Hilgor himself helped to distribute the knowledge of flight around Visctheria, and several other countries also developed the technology.
Dragon's Repose
Dragon's Repose was a plant whose leaves possessed a mild hallucinogenic, which made it a very popular harvest from the forests of the Living Lands. It was also highly explosive when improperly dried. The plant was historically used for medicinal purposes, as it was found to calm and raise the spirits of the user when smoked or cooked into foods. In fact, long term usage of the plant often led to longer life spans and healthier bodies.
Tinder Kit
Developed in Ieuthibar, Tinder Kits were small handheld lighters that operate by combining a flint and steel sparker with a small container of oil derived from whale blubber. These tiny firestarters eventually evolved with the invention of a fire accelerant several hundred years later. They were usually small enough to fit in your pocket, but still large enough that children struggle to operate them alone.
Medical Advancements
As medical knowledge expanded, the divergence between magical healing and medical treatment grew ever larger. Several different advancements from many Arcanists around the world drove the medical field forward on both sides, and these discoveries are not to be ignored.
To the southwest, a general anaesthetic was discovered using the paralytic venom of the Proathian Viper, which bites its victims to induce a sort of hypothermia as they freeze to death in the cold southern wastes. On the Eastern Continent, the last Raessae in Everia uncovered a cure to the Plague of the Xaagi Islands. And in Estrana on the Western Continent, recent studies have uncovered a type of magic that transforms memories into a piece of magical data, that can be stored and re-examined like any file or paper.
Sparks
The study of the hypothetical "Spark" mentioned throughout the Enchirydion was a highly debated field. While many Arcanists denied its validity as a line of study, many more of them devoted their lives to studying that tiny imagined flame that was gifted to all of us by Athos at the creation of the world. No one knows how many Sparks originally existed in the Tethered Realms.
Trees of Power
The Tree of Power were born from the Shards of Power, left behind after the Shattering. These Trees offer power to those who come across them, as they are able to restore the Shard to the God and redeem massive favor... or use the fragment of raw magical energy for their own means. Many of the Trees of Power remain undiscovered, but there are a few that are recognized, and even worshiped.
Democracy
Developed in Athos by the singular Arcanist chapter that occupies the country, the small faction also became the ruling government in the early Heroic Age after creating a new governmental system. This Democracy allowed the people of Athos to feel like they had a say in how their country was run, and representatives were chosen for each city of the country.
Prism Links
Invented in the early Heroic Age, Prism Links were made of special Prismatics only mined from the hills of Oshor. The people of the country quickly realized the magic potential stored inside the crystals, and unlocked a special form of Dimensional Magic: communication over long distances. The sudden ability to transmit words and images over great lengths of land changed how the cities of Oshor worked, and opened the country to communication with the rest of Visctheria. The communicators came to be known as Prism Links, and proved to be a significant advantage in times of war and peace across the world.
During the Uspatanian Occupation of Oshor, the communicators became useful tools not only for the revolutionary force, but for the occupying soldiers as well. While the military forces inhabited the tiny cities, the technology of Prism Links was widely distributed to Uspatan's political allies around Visctheria, leading to a jump forward in communications technologies and many inventions from Arcanists from many cultures.
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