Amethyst Academy

"Bear Witness!"

The Amethyst Academy is a research institute, educational organization, and mage guild pursuing the arcane mysteries of Delerium. The faction is small and outwardly aloof, yet subtly influential and tremendously wealthy. They are led by a shadowy directorate of powerful archmages who dispatched Archwizard Eldrick Runeweaver to oversee their operations in Drakkenheim. Most of its members are potent arcane spellcasters with access to rare magical resources, but only a handful of agents are active in Drakkenheim.

Background

The Amethyst Academy began as a secret school for young sorcerers during a time when arcane magic faced extreme persecution from the clergy of the Sacred Flame. The mages located children who manifested magical talents, rescued them from their fearful and paranoid communities, and educated them in hidden strongholds and far-away castles so they might wield their abilities with trained and refined control. The secret school gradually grew into a secret society in its own right.
Sequestered in unseen universities to hide from the mage-slaying The Knights Of The Silver Order, the mages pooled their knowledge. They conducted research into arcane and cosmological phenomena, and developed the modern practice of wizardry. Over time, the Amethyst Academy secured allies amongst the nobility by providing them clandestine magical services and occult counsel, crafting enchanted heirlooms, protecting their castles with arcane wards, and teaching their heirs magic.
When these schemes were discovered by the Faith of The Sacred Flame, a renewed series of brutal inquisitions and vengeful witch-hunts began. What had been a shadow conflict between paladins and sorcerers for centuries spilled into outright war between noble houses who championed the Faith, and those that supported the Amethyst Academy. These conflicts ended with the Edicts Of Lumen. Enacted three hundred years ago, this landmark treaty stopped the murderous suppression of arcane magic by the religious ministry and established a new balance of power between mages, the Faith, and the nobility throughout the continent.
The Edicts Of Lumen bestow extensive protections, full autonomy, and economic advantages to the Amethyst Academy, but also require the Academy to observe strict standards of mercantile neutrality and political non-intervention. Most importantly, it grants the Amethyst Academy guardianship of any child who demonstrates magical aptitude until they come of age and master their abilities. In exchange, the agreement stipulates that all arcane spellcasters are disinherited from any land, rank, or titles, including the scions of noble and royal families. Since the Edicts, Academy mages may work magic without fear of oppression from church or state, though the organization remains withdrawn as it increasingly turns its attention to global affairs and extraplanar happenings. However, the direction and focus of the Amethyst Academy dramatically shifted following the destruction of Drakkenheim, when their greatest stronghold was cut off from them.
While the Amethyst Academy outwardly upholds the Edicts Of Lumen, in recent years some have claimed the mages furtively flaunt its restrictions and disregard the terms that forbid dark magical practices. Others suspect the mages are weaving an arcane conspiracy to control commerce and influence politics while shielding themselves from the wrath of the Sacred Flame.

They teach you magic, then you get expelled for using magic too much. Relationships are... complicated
-Sebastian Crowe

Objectives

Collect and Study Delerium

Far away from Drakkenheim in secret laboratories, Amethyst Academy wizard relentlessly research delerium samples recovered from the ruins. Their brilliant minds have crafted potent arcane artifacts and invented mighty new spells powered by the vast energies contained within the crystals. Though the true origin of delerium remains unknown to them, many Academy assets are now dedicated to the study and refinement of delerium. They procure enormous quantities to fuel their esoteric experiments and eldritch industries. Rather than risk their own members’ lives in the ruins of Drakkenheim, the Academy usually obtains Delerium through various grey market sources, typically by hiring adventurers. The mages do not disregard the dangers presented by delerium's contaminating properties. In fact, it is precisely because of these hazards that the mages believe only they can use the crystals responsibly. Thus, the Academy seeks complete control over this critical resource both to protect the wider world and to secure its magical hegemony for the foreseeable future. However, other factions are now moving to reclaim Drakkenheim and potentially install a new ruling dynasty. Such political upheavals could affect the Academy’s ability to research and harvest delerium. The Academy does not want a ruler who will destroy delerium, force the Academy to pay exorbitant sums to obtain it, or impose conditions on how the Academy may use the crystals. Ultimately, the Academy has zero interest in seeing Drakkenheim restored and rebuilt, and views this as a folly doomed to fail. Rather, they have an ambitious plan to transform the city ruins into a quarry for their research and industry. Once they fulfill their other goals, the Amethyst Academy wants the other factions to totally abandon Drakkenheim so they can have sole control over the ruins.

Reclaim the Inscrutable Tower

Drakkenheim was home to one of the Amethyst Academy’s most important strongholds: the Inscrutable Tower. This immense structure houses vast repositories of magical lore, incomplete magical experiments, hidden vaults containing unspeakable extraplanar entities, and powerful magic items sheltered from the world at large — all rendered completely inaccessible to the Academy since the meteor fell. The Deep Haze has settled within the tower, scrambling the Academy’s own arcane wards and foiling every attempt to enter or observe the Tower using teleportation or divination magic. The mages have already expended considerable effort attempting to retake the Tower on their own. These attempts catastrophically failed. The pragmatic wizards cannot afford to exhaust the Academy’s resources in such a fruitless manner any longer, so now they turn to research and patient methods to advance their goals in Drakkenheim . They seek a suitably talented, trustworthy, and expendable adventuring party to conduct survey and recovery missions into the Inscrutable Tower. If the Tower were to be secured and repaired, the Amethyst Academy would have the ideal staging ground to begin the mass industrial exploitation of delerium, and would be able to bring its full resources to bear in Drakkenheim.

Obtain the Inscrutable Staff

Many talented mages were lost or killed by the meteor strike — including the former Archwizard of Drakkenheim, Adriana Modiera. Her position on Archwizard's Directorate the has remained vacant ever since. The Academy desperately wishes to discover her ultimate fate, recover her research, and obtain the Inscrutable Staff, the symbol of office for the Archwizard of Drakkenheim, which is also one of the Seals of Drakkenheim. Traditionally, the Archwizard of Drakkenheim acts as an advisor on the royal council, so possessing this Inscrutable Staff ensures the Amethyst Academy maintains their influence in the political destiny of Westemär.

Strongholds

The Amethyst Academy does not currently have a dedicated base of operations in Drakkenheim. Indeed, one of their most important objectives is reclaiming the Inscrutable Tower, so it can be used for such purposes!

Emberwood Accommodations

For the time being, most Academy members simply make use of local accommodations: Eldrick and River have booked a permanent suite in the Red Lion Hotel.

Distant Fortresses

Far away from Drakkenheim, the Amethyst Academy has many great fortresses, libraries, and universities. Most notable are the Enigma Ziggurat in the city of Liberio, and Paradox Castle in the distant Eastern Vale. Both have well-guarded teleportation circles, and Academy agents working in Drakkenheim usually teleport back and forth between these strongholds.

Observe, learn, harness and teach.

Suffice to say, the Amethyst Academy has developed the means to harness the incredible arcane energies contained within Delerium. We shall use it to create unfathomable magical wonders on a scale hitherto undreamt of, for the betterment and protection of all people. Only the Amethyst Academy has the knowledge to accomplish such a feat, and the wisdom to temper the wild and destructive potential of this volatile resource
-Eldrick Runeweaver

Appearance and Equipment

Agents typically wear purple robes, cloaks, or hoods. Members each wear a set of rings made from exotic arcane metals. The number of rings worn corresponds to the highest level spell they can cast. Known as academy rings, these are magic items that identify them as a graduate, and often permit access to Academy strongholds. A set of five or more functions as a ring of spell storing, and some allow control over a Shield Guardian. However, each set is made for a specific individual, and only that person may attune that set of academy rings.

Type

Guild, Mages

Leader

Eldrick Runeweaver

Leader Title

Archwizard

Leader

Eldrick Runeweaver

Lieutenant

River

The Academy proves to be mysterious and secretive at every turn, but I know not to ask too many questions if I want to bring home the bacon. I’d be a fool to bite the hand that feeds me.
-Veo Sjena