Cithrean Consortium for Magic
The Cithrean Consortium for Magic is an alliance between all nine schools of magic with the goal of increasing knowledge about phenomena that transcend any single school of magic. Operating from their home town Cithrea, the consortium tries to achieve their goal through research and education.
Structure
Most students are registered at one of the magical schools and typically study about five years. Students have the option to choose a minor where they visit one of the different schools for the period of a month to gain some insight into their methods. The only students that are directly enrolled with the consortium are those that follow a one year program that is meant for aspiring politicians and rulers and essentially consists of all minors from the individual schools. The consortium provides many general services to the students such as scheduling, housing, basic courses and issuing degrees.
There are four degrees that can be obtained:
- familiar degree: after a one year study that consists of all the minors from each of the schools.
- associate degree: after a two year study in a specific school, with one minor each year.
- master's degree: after a three year study in a specific school, with one minor each year. Only available for holders of an associate degree in the specific school. A master is considered to have a solid understanding of almost all of the currently available magic in the specific school.
- title of professor: after a four year period of research into new material. The title of professor may be carried even if the holder of the title does not teach a class, though it is encouraged to pass on ones fresh knowledge.
Culture
The consortium and its students are a diverse and constantly mutating crowd of highly educated expats living in a city with a population that largely consists of long living and slowly changing elves. The peninsula in the middle of the city is almost fully inhabited by students and staff whereas the outer edges of the city are populated by the Cithreans. Some long-term professors prefer to live in the suburbian environment amongst the elves, but most students can go days without meeting anyone that is not directly connected to the consortium or the magical schools.
While the architecture is mostly elven based throughout the entire city, the scholarly neighbourhoods are known for their melting pot of foods, festivals and religions. Religions play an important part in the community surrounding the consortium as divine connections are often a source of magical abilities. The determination of magic users to uphold their divine connections result in an abundance of various churches and communities of worship.
Public Agenda
The consortium’s goal is to increase knowledge of phenomena that transcend magic through connecting the different schools and promote collaborations. Aspiring public figures such as court members, non-magical scholars or high-ranking members of the royal guard may receive training in Cithrea. These figures will later function as ambassadors for the school and often contribute research proposals to the consortium based on real-life mysterious phenomena.
The consortium is in charge of upholding magical patenting regulations which are based on the premise that all magic that can be used to better lives must be made available o all. Magic that is condemned as unsafe is hidden in the heavily guarded libraries of the city. Patenting law dictates that users of safe magic are obliged to contribute a fee for each use until the research costs have been paid off. After this period, the fee decreases to a minimal amount and superfluous funds are put towards grands for new research.
Assets
The consortium consists eight schools: Abjuration, Conjuration, Enchantment, Eldritch, Divination, Transmutation, Necromancy, Evocation and Illusion. Each school operates from their own tower located on the outer sea walls of Cithrea. The consortium itself operates from several buildings in the peninsula in the middle of the city.
Student finances can be arranged in two ways. Most students opt for the apprentice program, where students take on missions with experienced mages that relate to their field. The gains of these missions are paid to the respective school and students are offered housing, food and theoretical lessons in return. Alternatively, students may choose to pay tuition fees and forego apprenticeships. This option is generally inaccessible for the lower class. In addition, alumni who find a job are encouraged to pay a percentage of their income towards the consortium. Entry is solely based on performance in the annual aptitude tests (which contains tests from each school).
History
The consortium was founded in the third tred by Yelsandorel's daugter. Her belief that nature as a whole is larger than the sum of the parts led her to connect exper magic users and force some scholarly breakthroughs. This led others to see the added value of collaboration between magic schools and join the consortium. It was late into the fourth tred before all schools were physically located in the city of Cithrea, but the founding alliances were formed during the third tred.
Wisdom is knowing where to find knowledge
Founding Date
Tred 3
Type
Educational, Scientific Institute
Alternative Names
The consortium
Location
Comments