Magic in the North

In much of the north, magic is often guild-based. In return for limited autonomy, mages are expected to locate, train and monitor those strongly attuned to the Skein. Most nations have one large college, the seat of the guild, and several guild houses that provide limited training as well as magical services. Mages must complete their studies with an approved guild to be awarded a certificate. This certificate must be renewed every set number of years, with the mage submitting to examination by the guild’s elders. Failure to renew a license will see the mage branded an outlaw, or ‘venificus.’ A list of all venificae must be submitted to the nearest temple of Ystarte, which will call on the church’s Owl Knights to hunt down and destroy the rogue mage. Guild houses must all keep a register of licensed mages, and these registers must be rendered to the local authorities if requested. Likewise, if a mage settles in a city, he must declare his status to the city’s aldermen or risk punishment. In the largest cities, there is often a walled ‘magicians quarter’ to contain and control magic-users, who are frequently blamed for any unfortunate happenings. It is in these quarters that guilds are usually located, and the guilds are largely responsible for the policing and maintenance of their district.
The northern guilds have loose affiliations, and will extend help to each other as well as provide lodging and training. Mages that are not inducted into the local guild are instead trained by the Ystartan cult, which presents magic in far more theological and mystical terms. Those mages who train under the tutelage of the Ystartans tend to be more circumspect in the use of their powers. These mages also register with whatever guild controls the territory and have their names added to the roll of mages, but their loyalty is generally owed to the church, and there can be some rather spectacular clashes over who exactly is responsible for a particular mage, particularly if that mage has been branded a venificus. Guild houses usually play host to courts that judge magical crimes. Guilds enforce their particular charters, and often have a group of spellswords responsible for dealing with trouble-makers, though technically it is the duty of the Ystartans to maintain the sanctity of the Skein and the Mender’s gifts. Clashes over guild autonomy and the extent that mages are subject to the church and the crown are common and have led to some quite destructive disputes in the past. This especially true in places where the Guild of Lictors have a presence, as these infamous 'monster slayers' are quite dedicated to protecting the populace from magical threats, including rogue sorcerers. 
The guild system is predominant in Heide, Praesia, most of Gallia and Avrasia. Outside of the north, other traditions hold. In Locia, for example, each city-state has its own ‘guild’ or academy, that are often in fierce competition with each other, mirroring the Locian political landscape. In Orestes, all mages are tools of the state and are rounded up for service. Mages are rarely permitted to leave their homeland, and when they are sent abroad, a carnifex attends to them to ensure they remain loyal. Some nations, such as Khanaan and Karkana, are outright ruled by mages, who naturally favor their own kind to the mass of ‘sleepers,’ those who are only dimly aware of the Skein’s power. And of course, in lands that lack central authority, such as Mozollan or Brax, mages are subject only to their clan or tribe’s laws, and even then, many mages wander alone, taking on occasional apprentices but forever set apart from a populace that fears and mistrusts them. In Helia, there are no ‘secular’ mages of note. All mages are expected to join the Orebite sect of the Black Hands, and use their talents in the construction of golems and the creation of ‘gear magic.’ These are just some of the methods societies have developed to control and monitor magic, a resource as useful as it is dangerous.
Category:Magic