The League of Arcane Study

"The understanding of magical principals is paramount. Its fibers intertwine and connect every piece of matter in the known multiverse. One day we may hope to understand magic as the Ascora did who could manipulate it on a level as instinctual as breathing is to a newborn."

Pr. Tarvin Aurelia

A Treatise on Magic

Core

They maintain a presence across Galea as each one is, by their patron lord or lady, given a tithe of sorts of magical children who they then take in, care for, educate, license, and find employment for. The families of these children take this as a great gift for the most part, though there are others who would rather their child’s gift go unnoticed or prefer them to stay away from the strictures and conditioning that is connoted with college life. However this means that they are never short of members, and almost all of them possess magical ability. What the kingdom they reside in earn from this agreement is no shortage of loyal, magical individuals with control over their power ready to join the workforce or military. This has made them collectively a formidable force ever since they were formed several decades ago by a cabal of influential wizards from across Galea.

The Old Masters

These individuals themselves are not well known, their writings however live on as some of the most fundamental texts on the arcane though they are without author or signature. Each of them were a master in their school (or even schools) of magic, and shaped the world during the Primordial Age. One of them is known to be the current Archmagus, Cairn’s, old master, however his identity is not known. Another one of these old masters delivered the teachings to the practitioners of Latria, who contributed his own knowledge of the arcane and the entities that lay beyond the planes which turned into a very different type of college, but the first and the largest in the world. The old Latrian master is said to have since denounced the League and still travels today.

Influence

They are one of the most influential groups in the world in many regards thanks to their ranks being made up of specialists whose skills are in high demand. They standardized the licensing of magical individuals as well as the tiers of magical capability, and keep the records of all magic spells, recipes, etc. As well, they are the foremost group in identifying and repurposing Eternum artifacts and structures for modern use. This is the source of many of their breakthroughs, namely the technology that lead to the creation of the first airship, and for that and many other reasons, their knowledge and specialized field agents are highly sought after. These agents are called “expeditionaries” and love to wave their credentials and documentation around.

In Matlunn

In places like Matlunn, it is closely allied with the throne, and conducts the majority of their research for the crown to pursue technological and arcane advancements that maintain their position as the foremost power in Surrexit. Ordinarily they are independent, and may contract themselves to influential companies or groups for a specific purpose, whether it be to develop a certain tool, devise a new spell, or research old ruins.

Non-Wizard Practitioners

Sorcerers, warlocks, and druids are treated with suspicion amidst the ranks of the League. Their power is largely unquantifiable, and therefore annoying to the analytical magocrats of the colleges. However, their ability to harness and control different magic in different ways is invaluable for the purposes of research and development. The League does not discriminate in the nature of their gifted children, each are given an equal opportunity to learn, but more importantly, show their value. The regulations of teachers, the treatment of children, and the minutiae of the educational process is something that Cairn has always considered very important, with changes being made on a near semi-monthly basis in order to keep the League’s educational system as speedy and efficient as possible. Cairn has no children of his own, however.

Education

These children advance in their studies and eventually choose a school of magic to specialize in, in which there are experienced practitioners who will guide their craft. Eventually a rigorous test is conducted academically, magically, and alchemically, that the student must pass before he can become a fully licensed practitioner, able to practice wherever the League’s seal is accepted. They are however expected to conduct themselves with humility and restraint despite their lack of contact up until this point with mundane individuals, so as not to cause panic and sow distrust. The integrity of the image of the magical community is an important aspect in indoctrination.
This does not stop students from forming groups outside of the college that act with impunity, subject only to their own rules. These groups are given as much leniency by the expeditionairies as apostates.
Conflict with the Covenant Due to the clandestine nature of the League, often they find themselves in competition with the Covenant of Divine Purpose for claims of oddities, samples, and phenomena that are encountered in their work. When another race of underdark creatures is first contacted, the League make sure to keep the Covenant in the dark lest they catch wind of the situation and then the expeditionary arm of the League conducts their own first-response protocol. Strangely, the Archmagus of the League, Cairn Firstraked, and the First Enlightener of the Covenant, Gerard Fitzthislewits, are alleged to be very good friends despite their agent’s constant conflict with each other in the field.
League Expeditionaries Similar to the Covenant’s agents, the League of Arcane Study has a separate arm which they employ when field testing is required in dangerous circumstances. An ancient arm of the college, many of its traditions and rites have not been changed since they were first conceived during the Primordial Age. Men and women of any race or creed may join the League Expeditionaries as acolytes, though must pass the initial testing all children must pass. Those that ‘pass’ below a certain margin are not accepted into the collegiate arm of the League, but the Expeditionary arm instead. This is still a great honor, though it is recognized as something wholly more dangerous. It is, however, more exciting, the magocrats tell the parents of the expeditionary-to-be. Almost cult-like in their dealings, the expeditionaries are subject only to their high seekers and the venture lord himself, and any mage ranked a greater magocrat and above, though few of even the highest ranking magi would openly oppose the venture lord’s ruling save the archmagus himself. The high seekers employ a network of agents who alert them to new ventures. These fearsome seekers then will decide if it is worthy to send a field master with a team of expeditionaries to investigate. Seekers and expeditionaries are trained to face monsters and bandits, even use an array of enchanted weapons if necessary, though will often hire adventurers from reputable (or not) adventuring guilds if they face considerable danger or unique opposition.
*Note* The venture lord of the expeditionary arm of the League has considerable sway, and is known to employ one of the most vast networks of spies in the known world. He is almost always a prominent political player where he dwells. One of his little known responsibilities is the rooting out of cells of apostate and unlicensed practitioners. To be a venture lord necessitates one to be a master manipulator and magician. Lastly, when a venture lord inevitably is killed (none in history have died of natural causes), they will have previously selected someone to take their place. The ancient doctrine of the expeditionaries states none can refute the claim of this new venture lord save the archmagus himself. The dead venture lord’s candidate need not be a licensed practitioner, or even someone who has ever been in a college.
Regulations Due to the inherent danger of magical individuals and the unpredictable nature of their origins, imposing strict regulations was an important part in the early years of the League’s arcane colleges that now span Galea. These regulations were quickly recognised by major governments and kingdoms to the point that a practitioner must be licensed before they are able to obtain a job in a city that recognizes the League as a governing body. The rules, tests, and examinations that condition a practitioner into a functioning member of society is considered by the League as imperative and thus follow a student all their college life. Any child who does not pass these rigorous arcane, physical, and psychological tests is not permitted to advance to the next level of teaching, though the League is not exempt from accusations of favoritism and bribery. Many experts recognize some of the League’s ‘teachings' as mnemonic conditioning, using psychological manipulation to enforce care of using one’s power and potentially making them more susceptible to certain forms of communication secret only to the high ranking mages. Pains are taken to dissuade the ‘superiority complex’ that can develop in magical individuals outside and sometimes inside League institutions that can make a practitioner think of themselves as something other than just another of their race. During the educational period, experienced initiates are often sent on field missions to accompany graduated agents.
Once an individual has advanced through the ranks, they must submit a thesis statement to the council on the subject of their personal research. The council and then finally the vicemagus of the college stamps their license with the signature of the archmagus, thus certifying them as legal practitioners.
Bards Those who harness their arcane ability through song and tune train at lodges around Galea that house the many arms of the Bard Society. It is a much more personal type of learning, akin to a fraternity, that encourages fellowship, rivalry, and growth through experience. The society has masters that train students hand picked from the stock of fledgling bards considering experience, personal accolades, skill with instruments, magic, or even blades, and more. What goes on in these lodges is kept largely secretive, and many rumors about what initiation rituals take place inside vary from wild speculation to grim fantasy. In truth these secrets are kept due in no small part to the masterminds, spies, and minstrels that make up certain arms of the college that specialize in dark deeds and espionage.

Structure

Collegiate Arm	Expeditionary Arm	Circumstances of Advancement
Acolyte (of specific college)	Junior Cadet	Child is tested and accepted
Senior Acolyte	Cadet	Basic conditioning completed
Apprentice (evoker, enchanter, etc.)	Junior Expeditionary	J. expeditionary passes field tests, collegiates choose school of study
Licensed Practitioner (evoker, druid, sorcerer, etc.)	Expeditionary	Apprentice receives magical license
Journeyman	Field Master	25 expeditionaries pledge themselves to a field master
Master	Seeker	Greater magocrat accepts Journeyman’s master thesis
Lesser Magocrat	High Seeker	Collegiates no longer include school in title
Greater Magocrat	Venture Lord	Lesser magocrat’s request is accepted by at least 3 vicemagi, Venture Lord’s candidate is elected upon his/her death
Vicemagus		Greater magocrat is elected by archmagus to preside over a college
Archmagus		A magocrat or vicemagus is endorsed by a majority of the council to be master of all colleges and mage to the King of Matlunn

Public Agenda

The League's primary goal is to maintain the safety of the populations of the world from rampant magical misuse. Mostly this is done by the training and licensing practitioners of all kinds to prevent calamity, but it also includes the safeguarding of the peoples of Galea from dangerous and uncatalogued magical phenomena, flora, fauna, etc.

Assets

Multiple colleges and halls across the globe. Supplies manpower in the form of practitioners and alchemical goods to the rest of the world in exchange for a tithe of magical children. The families of these children are modestly rewarded and understand that their child will still remain theirs with the League and its professors as his guardians and mentors.

History

First created during the end of the Primordial Age by a conclave of wizards called the "Old Masters." They came together, the most powerful practitioners of the world, and established an organization that transcended political borders in order to train the next generation of wizards, sorcerers, warlocks, and druids who understood the sanctity of life and the necessity of restraint.

Education, understanding, protection

Founding Date

2601

Type

Education, Magic

Alternative Names

The League

Leader

Archmagus Cairn Firstraked

Location

Latria