The Mages Collective of Warden's Vigil

The Mages Collective will be an important piece to an upcoming plot on the boards. If you want your Mage to be further involved in the Collective, then please read the information below.
==Structure==
The Collective has, for some time, been considered a loosely-tied network of mages throughout Thedas. Recently, with the brewing turmoil between the Chantry and the Circles, there has been word that the Collective's structure is becoming more organized.
Small groups of mages have come together in an attempt to define what the core philosophy and platform of the Collective. These cells are mostly focused on the country in which they reside, though sometimes there is more than one cell working within a region.
There is no true hierarchy at this time, and all positions are seen as important. Most members occupy two or three of these roles at once. The currently defined roles are as follows.
* Organizers - Organizers move about the region, keeping other members of the Collective abreast of current events. They find new members and arrange meetings when necessary. They are often distribute messages as well, but when otherwise occupied they employ Message Runners to distribute important information.
* Message Runners - These members have the task of maintaining and delivering messages to and from Collective members. They are entrusted with coded missives and are expected to safeguard the secrets those missives carry at all costs.
* Safehouse Operators - These members own businesses or homes that act as waypoints for apostates on the run. Maps with vague and coded language exist to give members of the Collective an idea as to where these locations can be found. This is one of the riskier positions a member can take, as they risk losing their home and their livelihood.
* Enforcers - These are the members who specialize in taking definitive action when their fellow mages have gone too far. They directly enforce the self-policing rules followed by all members of the Collective and hunt down mages who have used their magic to hurt innocents, or who have become abominations.
* Strategists - These members develop exit strategies and work on plans to help free captured apostates before they are taken into the Circle Towers or Mage Prisons. Strategists have become increasingly more common as tensions rise. If a war breaks out, these members will likely become leaders.
* Suppliers - These mages dip into the dirtier work of smuggling necessary goods for their brethren. Though they mainly engage in lyrium smuggling, this occasionally includes specific rare herbs that are highly taxed, or a stolen magical item of exceptional quality. Many times, these members also deal with sympathetic templars, offering the warriors a cut of lyrium so that they may continue their work unnoticed.
==Purpose==
The purpose of the Mage's Collective has evolved over time. Once a loosely knit group of apostates trying to keep each other safe, it is now a more organized front against the oncoming conflict between the Chantry and the Mages of Thedas. As rumors of separation spread, so too does the strength of the Collective as an entity for change. Most member of the Collective agree on these core tenets:
* Mages should be as free as non-Mages, with the ability to live their lives as they see fit.
* Mages should take no part in any magic that would harm another, unless it is for self-preservation.
* Mages should not, under any circumstances, expose other members of the Collective.
* Circles should be institutions of learning--not the prisons they have become.
* Mages should be free to self-police other mages when they break laws or fall to demonic influence, without fear of the Chantry's involvement.
There are, however, disagreements among the Collective about certain forms of magic. Blood Magic is an especially huge point of contention within the group. Some believe that those who practice it are already being influenced by demons and should be stopped. But there are a faction within the Collective that believe Blood Magic has its uses and is not always a door to demonic possession. For now, Blood Mages are counted among the Collective, but they are regarded with suspicion by many of their peers.
==Interactions==
The Collective could be considered the second largest ring of lyrium smugglers in Thedas. The dust is used not only for potions to help fuel last-ditch magical efforts, but as a bargaining tool with sympathetic templars. It also connects members of the Collective with the Tevinter Imperium, who have a vested interest in seeing the Chantry lose control of the Circles in Thedas.
It is rumored that powerful political figures inside the Imperium are helping the Collective where they can, providing funding and perhaps even a subtle push towards freedom with tales of power. While some members of the Collective don't believe this, others are very aware of the influence of Tevinter on their ranks. Those that recognize it either embrace the assistance wholeheartedly, or accept it cautiously.
Some members of the Collective are former Circle Enchanters, and as such they do their best to keep in touch with colleagues. Many employ coded missives that are either delivered through normal post to secure locations, or by sympathetic templars. Through these missives, enchanters trapped under Chantry control can keep the outside informed of the conditions within the Circles.
There are members of the Chantry who are sympathetic to the cause, and not all of them are templars. They interpret the Chant in different ways, and find themselves working against the very institution to which they belong. These Sisters and Brothers are sent to the actual Mage Prisons, like Aeonar, if they are discovered for their betrayal.
Category:WV-Specific History
Category:Lore
Category:Mage