Arcanus Academia

At a Glance

  • Haven: Mistwood Lake

  • Type: Cultural (Mages Guild)

  • Known Leader: Scholarch Uther Llwellyn

  • Demonyn: Arcanist

  • Reach: Local

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Description

The Arcanus Academia stands as a bastion of arcane knowledge and prudence. This venerable faction of magic users is dedicated to the dual purpose of disseminating magical wisdom and safeguarding dangerous magics from the unwary public. Yet, beyond its scholarly pursuits, the Academia serves a crucial role for the Silver Council and the kingdom at large: it acts as an informal regulatory body, ensuring that the use of magic remains in check amidst widespread distrust.

By meticulously cataloging spells and artifacts, educating new generations of magic users, and securing potent magics within their enchanted vaults, the Arcanus Academia strives to balance the proliferation of magical knowledge with the paramount need for security and order in a land where the power of the arcane is as feared as it is revered.

Public Information

Central Beliefs & Tenets

The Academia exists to protect and advance magical knowledge, ensuring it is studied with discipline and used responsibly. Magic is not a privilege or a weapon—it is a force that must be understood, preserved, and safeguarded from reckless hands.

  • Power without wisdom is ruin. Magic is neither good nor evil, but those who wield it without understanding risk catastrophe.

  • Magic demands order, not chaos. Unchecked magic leads to disaster. Regulation is necessary to prevent misuse and maintain balance.

  • Some knowledge must be protected. Dangerous spells and artifacts are preserved, not erased, until they can be studied responsibly.

  • Magic belongs to those who understand it. It is not a gift for the elite or a tool for the untrained. Those who seek it must do so with wisdom.

  • Knowledge must never outpace caution. Innovation is vital, but without restraint, the pursuit of power leads to destruction.

Organization

Rank

Description

Scholarch

The head of the Arcanus Academia who presides over its governance and ceremonies, and holds a seat in the Silver Council to advise the kingdom on all matters of the arcane.

Scholarchs are elected by the Hydrarchs, and hold that office for life or until retirement. They do not manage the individual magic schools, but rather make the final decisions in policy making proposed by the Hydrarchs.

Hydrarch

Hydrarchs are the principal executive and policy-making body of the Academia, and lead the eight schools of magic (abjuration, enchantment, illusion, etc).

Named after the many headed hydra as they are all individual minds part of the singular Academia body. Hydrarchs often are the heads of research of their respective schools.

Proctor

Elected annually on a rotating basis from any eight of the colleges, are the internal ombudsmen who make sure that the university and its members adhere to its statutes. This role incorporates discipline and complaints, as well as oversight of the Academia's proceedings.

Sophist

All remaining fellows in the Academia fall under one of the following sophists, and work in collectives under the leadership of their Hydrarch. They are also responsible for teaching apprentices within the Academia.

  • Meteorosophist: Theorists who study the esoteric and philosophical principles behind magic, exploring the fundamental forces and abstract concepts that define its existence.

  • Pragmasophist: Applied magic sophists who refine and experiment with spells, focusing on how magic can be used practically in everyday life, industry, and protection of Mistwood Lake.

  • Logosophist: Linguists and researchers of magical formulae, incantations, and the written word of magic, ensuring precision in spellcraft and arcane notation.

  • Mythosophist – Historians who study the cultural and mythological significance of magic, tracing its evolution through stories, traditions, and lost knowledge.

  • Miasmosophist – Researchers dedicated solely to understanding the miasma phenomena.

Principal Investigator

Not a formal ranking but a designated team leader for research groups.

Apprentice

New members who have been brought into the Academia. Apprentices study for four years under a sophist while they prepare a dissertation to present to the Hydrarchs at the end of their study. This dissertation and their contributions during their apprenticeship are judged by the Hydrarchs to decide whether the apprentice is admitted as a sophist.

Test: Validation

Every three years all members (sophists) of the Academia must undergo “Validation,” which is a test to determine the member’s knowledge and contribution to the Academia’s goals. Members who fail Validation often have not kept with their studies, failed to perform in their roles, or their beliefs have become divergent from the Academia’s tenets.

Ribbons are added to their stoles for how many validations they’ve successfully undergone. Fellows with more ribbons are generally more well-regarded and respected than those with fewer ribbons.

In notation of their roles, numerals are added to also indicate how many validations they’ve completed.

  • Example: Hydrarch VII, or Meteorosophist III

Recent Events

  • Received a mist infected dragon from The Mist Watch