College of Mages

The structure of the College of Mages was codified by its founding Statutes which have been modified since a number of times. The Statutes of the College are signed by every member, indicated their commitment to follow the rules laid out therein. The Statutes are also given the force of law by concordats with many of the surrounding nations including Tosek, Okdredek, Bairek, and Mirjiin. In accordance with these treaties, the College operates much like an independent city state, albeit a very dependent one with only small territorial holdings.   The College is closed to non-members. At its founding, anyone who could demonstrate magical ability would be admitted. That changed when the Order of Sages of Vekirai was founded; in order to prevent the Sages sneaking into the College to steal secrets, anyone who has any connection to the Sages is forbidden from membership.    When it was founded the College had 17 members; in recent years the membership has varied between 100 and 150. The membership of the College likely accounts for almost all the population of sorcerers in all North-East M'dia save Nangkap. Sorcerers are rightly feared and authorities prefer to send them away to the College rather than try to keep the under wraps. In return, the College trains magical advisers for the powerful of the land.   Initiates to the College start their journey as Neophytes of the order. After a period of basic magical training and general education, they are deemed Acolytes. An accomplished member might earn the addition title Adept. The mages are generally affiliated primarily with a single School of which there are 17 to represent the 17 original members of the college. Each school is head by a Magister.    The College is run by the Magisterium, the council of Magisters. Changes to the Statutes are enacted by votes of the Synod, the gathering of all members of the College. The Synod meets rarely, usually only once a decade.   The ceremonial head of the College is the Archmage who is almost always one of the Magisters.

The College primarily uses Baireki as its operating language. It's members speak many other languages also. Some of the mages argue that Vekirati or 'Tng'e operate as effective secondary operating languages.   The College colours are light grey and sea blue. The mages wear a uniform most of the time and especially when on missions out of the college. The neophytes wear plain light grey tunics and trousers. The acolytes where a dark grey shirt and trousers with a light grey academic gown over it. The gown has sea blue embroidery around the sleeves and on the shoulders. An adept wears a long coat rather than a gown with much more intricate embroidery. Magisters where a floor-length robe under their coat with silver shoulder plates all in light grey with intricate, geometric, sea blue designs emblazoned around the neckline, the sleeves and the hem.   The Archmage wears a silver diadem as a sign of his rank.

The principle mandate of the College is to protect people from Magic. The College is somewhere between a university and a prison for sorcerers, although it is almost entirely self-regulating. The members of the College are not generally allowed to leave it's grounds apart from when they are sent to advise governments as Court Wizards and few other rare exemptions.

The College is based in the remarkably intact Amalorian fortress Valnasteron. The Valnasteron was built to be manned by a force of 500 soldiers but the 100 or so mages and their few servants are able to get by.    The College owns one of the largest libraries in the world containing rare tomes including Ancient Amalorian texts. The college at least has copies of The Sanguine Tome and The Osteal Tome if not the original versions.

The College was founded by after the fall of the Amalorian Empire  in the year 992BU. The first 17 members were fleeing the chaos of the slave rebellion in Amalor. They had been members of the Cult of Marelamia, the Silver Goddess who was associated with the Moon. A group of moderate sorcerers, who had opposed what they saw as the abuse of magic by the priestly class of the Empire, they had initially supported the uprising. However, shortly after the fall of the capital, the mob turned on them as years of fear and suspicion of sorcerers was finally vented. The sorcerers fled to the west where they found the fortress Valnasteron abandoned. They settled there and elected Imarion, nicknamed 'Silver-Scaled', the first Archmage.    In 853BU, under Archmage Silvan the Blind, the College's legitimacy was cemented when they signed the Concordat of the Glistening Blade with King Marnador of Bairek. Marnador agreed to recognise their right to freely study on the conditions that they protected the people of his kingdom from the dangers of magic and that they offered their aid in his effort to conquer the Iasra Peninsula. The mages agreed. They were not trained for combat so instead they enchanted the King's sword, the Glistening Blade, which was thenceforth so sharp that it was said to easily cleave metal. Only the King's scabbard resisted its edge.

As well as the fortress Valnasteron, the College has a small holding of forest, river and farmland. The college collects rent of tenant farmers on much of this land who produce some of the College's food. The College's holdings are demarcated by warning signs carved into stone pillars.

It would be an understatement to say that the College has a complicated relationship with various religious groups. The mages have coped with this conflict by keeping their cosmological studies fairly secretive and vague.   Most Polyarchist sects specifically forbid magic and some important religious figures have spoken out against the College with some even suggesting that the mages should be executed. The Glory of the Faith, High Priestess of the Ancient Voyage in Bi'tsng'ot Delta has argued that the mages should be guarded by a holy order of knights, however, because the College is governed by multilateral treaties, no intergovernmental treaties to establish such an order have been secured.   The cosmological framework within which the Synod rationalises magic, is outlined in the article on magic.

The sovereignty of the College is recognised in treaties with the following nations:

• Bairek
• Okredek
• Tosek
• The Confederation of Mirjiin
• The Free City of Bi'tsng'ot Delta
• Tirania
• The Kingdom of A'ot
• The City of Vekirai under the The Irao Dynasty

Even nations which don't have formal relations with the college tend to treat it as a sovereign nation.   The treaties of the college give the weight of law to the duty of the College to work protect all people from the dangers of magic. They also support the status of the College's statutes and the College's right to study freely.