Grand Order of Magi

"Magnus Ordo Magicae"

### Territories

Europe, The Middle East, North Africa, Australia, Parts of Asia, Parts of the Americas, Parts of South Africa

**The** **Grand Order of Magi**, also known as the Arcane Society, The Arcane Order, or known colloquially as the Order, is a coalition of magi founded by different magi from Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East during 1222 CE, setting aside their differences and solidifying an alliance in order to combat the Decay. Their organization is divided in to "Covenants" that watch over and serve as magical authorities in specific regions of the Order's territory. By the 19th century, the Order has expanded their influence into the Americas, deeper into Africa, Australia, and Asia. However, their expansion and not-so-friendly encounters with other organizations in these regions has resulted in their influence there being weaker compared to their presence in Europe. The Order declares itself as the international preserver and regulator of Magic, deploying their **Veil** in order to dispatch of rogue magi who could potentially reveal magic to the non-magi world and risk the acceleration of the Decay, subdue feral and or rampaging magical beasts, and other potential threats to the organization's existence and goals. They also strive to educate future generations of magi, continue research and development of magic, and archive several millennia worth of arcane knowledge. The Order is the mage organization with the widest spanning territory and the most diverse in terms of different magical traditions, but also one of the more commonly disliked or vilified by other organizations due to their involvement with colonialism, and the widespread Euro-centric/Western-centric sense of superiority within its ranks, an aspect of the organization that the Order's non-European Covenants constantly try to challenge.

## History

The Order was founded during 1222 CE, two centuries after the Collapse, with the primary goal of preventing the Decay from spreading and uniting the magi of Europe and the rest of the "known world" in order to prevent unnecessary wars between mage clans and groups and risk the exposure of magic to the *Impure* non-magi. They clashed frequently with the Martyrdom in the next centuries, while also subtly influencing important figures within Europe as long as it did not risk exposure to the public. By the time the Age of Exploration dawned, Order Magi accompanied explorers, colonists, and conquerors, discovering the New World, the Americas, as well as interacting with the rest of Africa and Asia. This inventively resulted in the Order coming into contact with the magi groups of other parts of the world. While coexistence and cooperation were part of the Order's policy with other organizations, conflict was inevitable due to language and cultural barriers, incompatible beliefs and philosophies, isolated incidents, and instances of racism from one or both sides. The Order's involvement with Europe's colonial ambitions, their own personal ambitions for extracting magical resources from the Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and them unknowingly becoming agents of Decay themselves by aiding the strengthening of the connection between the continents, ultimately resulted in many organizations openly treating them with hostility. Conflict with the Martyrdom also continued, and it was not uncommon to see Order magi and magi from groups like the Xiānshān temporarily declaring truces if it meant dealing with the Martyrs, who are seen as a common enemy by many organizations. Assassinations, Betrayals, Skirmishes, and the destruction of magi property plagued the centuries.

By the end of World War 2, however, when specifically when the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, organizations including the Order of Magi signed a neutrality pact as they now saw how the Impure acquired destructive capability that could potentially plunge the world into an era of annihilation. A majority of Earth's magical factions, even the Martyrdom, ceased open hostilities, and cooperation became more common. This did not totally eliminate isolated incidents, however. Old grudges, hidden motives and goals, and misunderstandings still result in the occasional conflict. However, large-scale atrocities and crime committed against other organizations were avoided by the Order and its counterparts in order to prevent diplomatic incidents that could jeopardize the already unstable peace. Many see the present climate between organizations as the Cold War Era for Magi and the Church.

Their current territories include Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, parts of Asia, Parts of South Africa, Parts of the Americas, and Australia.

## Organizational Structure

The Order is primarily an aristocratic organization, with nobility dating back to its foundation serving as the primary members of its Grand Council. The territories of the Order are divided into a **Covenants**, in which a region's affairs, security, and members are fall under the jurisdiction of an **Archmagister** leading the Covenant. Members typically join the Covenant corresponding to their cultures, nationalities, or magical traditions, however this is not enforced. A mage born into an Egyptian magical tradition can join the Covenant of Australian magi.

The overall leader of the Grand Council known as the **Magnus**, who is elected by the Grand Council populated by the Archmagisters of each Covenant. Most the major decisions are decided by the Grand Council, while the regional and local affairs of each covenant are settled by their respective **Covenant Court**, a collection of the most influential and powerful members of a Covenant.

Many members of the organization, typically those disinterested in politics, believe that because of the aristocratic culture and a subculture of loyalty to one’s Covenant first, are the primary reasons why internal politics and personal grudges continue to hinder the Order's stability and prevent it from fully projecting its influence into the world.

Every Covenant follows a Descending Numerical system of ranking. In layman’s terms, 11 is the lowest, 1 is the highest. Each number corresponds to a specific title. While each covenant has their own names for the ranks based on the languages of their respective regions, the following is the general names for the ranks.

1. **Magnus**
2. **Archmagister**
3. **Magister** - Magi of a Covenant that are worthy of membership within A Covenant’s court, where the important affairs and decisions are discussed.
4. **Peritum** - Magi considered experts of their respective magical fields and capable of teaching full classes of students, as well as the de facto representatives of each Covenant’s specializations of magic in the Order.
5. **Adeptus** - Magi that have successfully written an approved and archived thesis, and are skilled and influential enough to dedicate their time for research to several fields of magic and take on apprentices, but not qualified enough to teach entire classes of students.
6. **Initiate Exemptus** - Magi who graduated from classes and must now write a Thesis for the Order’s Arcaneum/Archive.
7. **Initiate** - Magi with potential of gaining further mastery in a specific branch of magic and potential. An Initiate must have gained enough credits from classes and training in a Covenant.
8. **Practicus** - Magi that have passed the trials of apprenticeship and are free to conduct individual studies, but are now permanently part of a single Covenant.
9. **Apprentice** - Magi that passed their entrance test. They are still considered as fledglings, and must undergo proper education and pass further tests for advancement in rank. During the Apprentice phase, a member is allowed to transfer to a different Covenant, assuming their capabilities would fit more in a different Covenant.
10. **Neophyte** - The lowest rank a person with magical capability could acquire in the Order. Neophytes are candidates for membership that must pass a test of their capabilities and knowledge of magic. Those who do not pass are barred from joining until they eventually succeed in their trial, or they could simply become an associate if a higher-ranking member of the Order is willing to take them in.
11. **Associate** - The lowest rank of the Order, and are only given to members who do not possess enough magical capability, but are trustworthy and useful enough to be affiliated with the organization, such as non-magi civilians that could serve as informants, laborers, and the most common sight, house servants like maids, butlers, and valets.

### The Veil

The Veil is a division of the Order who specialize in combat and hunting down threats to the secrecy of magic in the world, as well as threats to the existence and goals of the Order. They are commonly seen hunting down traitors or rogue magi and bringing them back to the Order for judgement. Members are known as *Brothers* and *Sisters of the Veil*, or simply *Veil-keepers*. The agents, assassins, and enforcers of the Order make up the majority of the Veil. Members of the Veil are trained in utilizing Illusion magic, primarily as a method of tricking non-magi and obscuring incidents that could occur in public. Membership in the Veil transcends Covenants, but this does not prevent its members being influenced by the political intrigue of the organization.

## Covenants

Every Covenant, save for a single exception, watches over a specific region in the Order’s territory, and focuses on the preservation and regulation of magic in their respective territories. There are currently 22 Covenants in the present time. Many Covenants have risen and fallen throughout the centuries, while some remained since the foundation of the Order. The headquarters of each Covenants are either located in remote areas where multiple leylines converge, or hidden underneath or within cities through the usage of several advanced Bounded Fields that cut off their territories from the "outside world".

**Covenant of Aeaea**

Consists of the magi from Ancient Greek traditions. Their headquarters are located in in the island of Aeaea, hidden in the Aegean Sea with Bounded Fields.

**Covenant of Carpathia**

Consists of magi from Central European traditions such as the Polish, the Czech, Hungarians, etc. Their headquarters is hidden in the Carpathian Mountains.

**Covenant of the Capes**

Consists of magi from South African magical traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in the Cape Town.

**Covenant of Dagda**

Consists of magi of Irish traditions. Their headquarters is located in the Hill of Tara with the entrance of the Bounded Fields located in the Stone of Destiny.

**Covenant of Hermetica**

Consists of magi from Ancient Roman traditions. The Hermetica are the most hostile towards the Martyrdom, since Rome is still under the control of the Church, among other long-standing grudges. Their headquarters is hidden in the foot of Mount Etna, in Sicily, protected from both the volcano and prying eyes by several layers of Bounded Fields.

**Covenant of Iberia**

Consists of magi from Andalusian, Portuguese, and Spanish traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in the city of Cordoba.

**Covenant of Louhi**

Consists of magi of Ancient Finnish traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in the middle of Lake Saimaa, Finland.

**Covenant of Mergen**

Consists of magi from Anatolian and Turkic traditions, as well as a fusion of both Pontic and Hellenic, and Turkic magical traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in the Pontic Mountains.

**Covenant of Omnes Videntes**

The Covenant based on the Atlantean Fragment, the vanishing sea-borne fortress. Omnes Videntes is the only Covenant that those not have any members below Practicus. The Omnes Videntes magi are the ones in charge of sending spies in areas around the globe where the Order’s influence is weak, as well the majority of the Veil. Due to the more militaristic sub-culture in comparison with the rest of the Covenants, the Omnes Videntes are the most likely Covenant to come into hostile encounters with magi from other organizations. The mobile nature of their headquarters play a key role in being able to being able to project enforcement and regulation, although the fortress usually returns to the Atlantic Ocean after a major operation.

**Covenant of Qart-ḥadašt**

Consists of the magi of Ancient Carthaginian and Phoenician origins and magical traditions. Their headquarters is hidden under the ruins of Carthage, modern day Tunisia.

**Covenant of Senelis**

Consists of magi of old Baltic magical traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in the city of Riga.

**Covenant of Sheba**

Consists of magi from traditions hailing from Sudan and the region of and near Horn of Africa,. Their headquarters is hidden in the ancient capital Sheba, somewhere in the middle of the Sudanese western desert.

**Covenant of Stonehenge**

Consists of magi of English, Scottish, and Welsh origins and magical traditions. Their headquarters is hidden underneath Stonehenge, hidden by several layers of Bounded Fields.

**Covenant of Suleiman**

Consists of the magi originating from the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula, and Islamic-influenced magical traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in Baghdad.

**Covenant of Terra Australis**

Consists of magi originating from Australian, Melanesian, and Polynesian traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in Sydney.

**Covenant of Terra Nova**

Consists of magi originating from North American, Central American, and South American traditions. The Covenant has tenuous relationships with the other organizations in the Americas and is also constantly clashing with the highly influential Martyrdom in the Americas and other less friendly organizations in the region. Their headquarters is hidden in New York City.

**Covenant of the Alföðr**

Consists of magi from old Norse origins and magical traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in the city of Uppsala.

**Covenant of the Celts**

Consists of magi from ancient Celtic/Gaelic traditions in mainland Europe. Their headquarters is hidden at the Carnac Stones in Brittany, France.

**Covenant of La Couronne Astrale**

A breakaway faction from the Covenant of the Celts that became its own Covenant in France, consisting of the more aristocratic magi as opposed to the more druidic magi of the Celts. Their headquarters is hidden in Paris.

**Covenant of the Rhine**

Consists of magi from Germanic Traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in the German city of Cologne.

**Covenant of the Rus’**

Consists of magi of Slavic origin and magical traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in the city of Kiev.

**Covenant of Thoth**

Consists of magi from Ancient Egyptian origin and magical traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in the Library of Alexandria, hidden from non-magi via several layers of Bounded Fields accessible only through the hidden entrance at Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

**Covenant of Zarathustra**

Consists of the magi from old Persian and Zoroastrian magical traditions. Their headquarters is hidden in the city of Yazd, Iran.

## Known Members

* Gjerta Toksvig - Former member
* Katja Nikula - Former member
* Sofia Stahl - The Veil
* Tetra Greco - Covenant of Aeaea
* Cornelia Umbriana da Catania - Covenant of Hermetica (Magister)
* Cassidy Cait Cavanaugh - Covenant of Dagda
* Valarie Halifax - Covenant of Stonehenge
* Amélia d'Aubigny - Covenant of La Couronne Astrale
* Elise Descoteaux - Covenant of La Couronne Astrale