Archmages' Council

A council set up to rule the city-state of Armakania after the conclusion of the terrible Clash of the Cabals.

It contained eight of the most skilled archmages of the nation. A new mage could be raised to the council but only if they could prove themselves more skilled (in a non-combative manner). It had to be demonstrated to the council formally and at least a majority had to agree to its level of expertise.

## History

371-364BE: The clash. A terrible conflict between the different apprentices of the archmage Arkadius Secondsight after his death. The key consequences of the Clash of the Cabals was the founding of the Archmages' Council.

363BE: The Council was set up to ensure that Armakania would not experience another Clash of the Cabals.This council ended cabals and the role of Armakania as an expansionist battle power and instead reforged the nation into a united, elitist educational society. The council would be run by those of magical superiority (The idea was so ingrained they couldn't quite move beyond it), but they would do so with common consent and only allow policy changes with majorities. As the council ran to the number eight it made it easy to deadlock decisions. The state now felt that no movement was better than the fatal mistakes of the last 7 years.

55BE: The Council vote 6 to 2 to enter an alliance with the expansionist neighbouring Aurian city-state based at Tor Honarik.

4BE: The Archmages' Council noting Auria's success in the First Commerce Wars against warlike Kanlan one of their closeest rival powers they pressure the city to follow their lead in agreeing to join the Aurian Monetary Union. This was tantamount to joining the Aurian nation.

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0BE: The Archmage's Council became the Archmages' Council to the Emperor. Jomark cleverly honoured the council and placed them in charge of training all hopeful arcanists. The council continued to opperate as it had only now it no longer held any civil poitical authority but unlike Tor Kalash, Tor Armakan thrived on being rid of the open leadership and working instead as an influencing faction.

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4PE: This was the first time the Emperor clearly overuled the Council in a matter within their remit. The council did not want wizards assigned to the military but Jomark overuled them and insisted that Tor Armakan provided wizards and engineers to Auria's Tor Kalash trained armies. With these, the new empire conquerd additional territories. The wizards were particularly useful in the taking of Leyroch as a powerful wizard, the Viperlord Enerest, lived there and resisted the occupation.

20-22PE The Mountain Campaign to take the dwarvern state of High Grange required intense magical support. For the first time one of the council, the archmage Infernal Blade agreed to leave Tor Armakan and personally support an army in the field. This became important as he established that wizards of a certain level have to be beyond regular military officer's control. When he was told to level the town of Cullstone he simply refused. Unfortunately for the officer in charge he was then threatened. His reply, "If you think I can destroy that town with a wave of my hand, what do you think I could do to your army?"

Jomark personally negotiated the incident with the council and set down rules that wizards above the rank of Sarrif (the title now used to show a Tor Armakan qualified wizard) could not be ordered to do anything by his generals as they knew best how to use their magic. At the same time, he got the Archmages Council to agree that their wizards would not use magic in the field without informing the generals and seeking their agreement as they had to respect the generals' expertise in their own field. This agreement is called the Cullstone Policy. It is seen by some historians as the true starting point for the Kalash/Armakan rivalry.

34PE: End of the War of Thorns the many wizards involved in that extensive and bloody combat returned to Tor Armakan. There was an upheaval in the city and among the wizards as these 'Red Wizards' had a new outlook that respected combat power and drive for power above research and pure knowledge skills. One Red Wizard, Solix, challenged for a position on the council and when he was told his display had only garnered four votes he hinted that if he chose to demonstrate his true power (Ie combat magic) to the council there would be more than one of them replaced. It was then agreed that combat magic could be used to demonstrate power but not in duels as that would be barbaric and too close to the Clash of the Cabals style of leadership that the council was to end. Solix agreed, possibly because if he had made good on his threat he would likely have roused the ire of an overly tired Emperor Jomark. He was installed in place after demonstrating his destructive capabilities beyond the council's ability to deny.

43-48PE: By the Second Commerce Wars the council had established a system for the use of their Sarrifs in the military. All apprentices must serve for a season in the military and all Sarrifs can be called upon once in each five year cycle.

137PE: Emperor Solemnus created the position of Imperial Vizier. The vast majority of all Imperial Viziers are either Sarrifs or Cellen priests.

147-159PE: The reign of Cartazian, sometimes called the 'Blue Emperor', however this title is unofficial as in Tor Armakan it is considered disparaging as it implied he favoured the Sarrifs. His reign is a golden season for the Archmages' Council.

147PE: Cartazian selected one of the **Archmages' Council**, Whitefire as his Imperial Vizier. This was the first time leaving the council was clearly a promotion rather than a retirement or demotion.

155PE: After a lot of preparation Cartazian and Whitefire formalised the Sarrifs into a single guild: the Sapphire Wizards' Guild. Having created the guild they also created a single leader for the guild called the Saffier. The Archmages' Council was retained but only as administrative body for the guild and as a council to support the Saffier. This denoted the end of the Council as the rulers of Tor Armakan in any real sense. This individual has official political and military rank as well as being the leader of the only recognised wizards' guild in Auria. From this date all wizards on Aurian soil must register with the guild and if they want to be a part of any group of wizards such as colleges, research teams, the military units or guilds they have to be members of the guild. Whitefire is the first Saffier.

255PE: Whitefire the Saffier finally died. This provokes a succession struggle between various archmages to take his place. Eventually three rise to prominence. One takes the role of Saffier, another the position of Imperial Vizier and the third, Crimsonsky, assigns himself to the military permanently. This set some important precedents in Tor Armakan some of the most important being that if Archmages take other roles such as Saffier and Imperial Vizier they typically no longer represent a position on the archmages council of eight. Crimsonsky also established that an archmage could choose to withdraw from active teaching and power struggles within the guild if he/she was strong enough.

600PE: At the completion of the Blue Crystal Palace for the guild the Archmages' Council was officially renamed the Conclave. It was seen as a rebirth and established that the role of the council was very different than in the past. No longer were the eight the only archmages (It had not been like that since the days of Whitefire). The Conclave became increasingly the leaders of the educational side of the guild, each representing specialities rather than necessarily the most powerful. The Conclave recommend new members to the Saffier and he ratifies them rather than the council's archaic system of determining if a new mage was more powerful than a seated member. Having a season on the Conclave does still confer the title archmage for life and without taking a season on the council one can only be given the title by the Conclave unitedly agreeing that the individual was of an equivalent level to have been on the Conclave. This did officially end the Archmage's Council.