The Establishment of the Arcane Congress and Arcanix

Founding

King Galifar I established the Arcane Congress in Aundair and specifically tasked it with the pursuit of research in arcane magic and the teaching of magic to new generations of mages, sorcerers, artificers, and magewrights who would produce magical innovations that would improve the lives of all the people of Galifar.

King Galifar I established the Arcane Congress in the village of Arcanix in Aundair. While Galifar I believed he had cemented the loyalty of the dragonmarked houses to his new kingdom through their acceptance of the Korth Edicts, he was aware that the greatest institution of magical learning and arcane research on Khorvaire, the Twelve, was entirely within the hands of the houses. The houses controlled the direction of the magical research conducted at the Twelve and also were entitled to the first use of all the possible inventions created by the wizards, sorcerers, and magewrights who called the Twelve home. Galifar I wanted to balance the power of the Twelve by creating his own state-backed arcane research institution. To this end, the king established the Arcane Congress in Aundair and specifically tasked it with the pursuit of research in arcane magic and the teaching of magic to new generations of mages, sorcerers, artificers, and magewrights who would produce magical innovations that would improve the lives of all the people of Galifar. The Arcane Congress consisted of a council of wizards, artificers, and sorcerers who explored the limits of the arcane arts of magic.   The village of Arcanix, located along the southeastern banks of Lake Galifar, is now known for the floating towers of wizardry that surround it. These towers serve as places of arcane learning, where the tower mentors help train the next generation of magewrights, artificers, sorcerers, and wizards. The village also housed the Arcane Congress itself. The members of the Congress oversaw the towers of wizardry, advised Galifar’s—and later Aundair’s monarch—on all things magical, and conferred with colleagues in the other nations—despite a rivalry with the wizards of the Twelve. Apprentices came from all over Khorvaire to Arcanix to train as magewrights, artificers, wizards, and sorcerers at the more advanced arcanists’ sides, and much of the village’s economy revolved around providing for the students. Fewest were the students selected for wizard training because the mentors held every candidate to the highest possible standards. While traders and the occasional visitor passed through Arcanix, most of the Aundairian common folk steered clear of the magically volatile village and the area around it.