Cerberus Assembly
Ever concerned with the historic threat of magocracy, the Dwendalian Empire has taken pains to monitor and sanction its most powerful spellcasters, channeling their efforts into a circle of archmagi known as the Cerberus Assembly.
Thusly, the Empire seeks to benefit from the arcane research, sage counsel, divination, weapons production, and other fruits of wizarding, while keeping an eye on those who may view their magical power as a pathway to political power.
The Assembly's loyalty to the Empire is unquestioned. And yet, in some circles, it is said that there are Assembly members who pursue their own, perhaps contrary agendas. Further, while theoretically on the same side, the Assembly often finds itself at loggerheads with The Library of the Cobalt Soul, who it views as irrationally opposed to avenues of research that would truly make the Empire among Exandria's greatest nations.
Structure
There are eight ruling positions within the assembly, and the families of each member are appointed as lesser members without responsibility, called "annexes." Members are elevated into one of the eight major offices on the death of a member that leaves an office vacant, or when a standing member abdicates their position. The remaining members then recommend replacements and vote on the mage to fill the newly open office.
Below the eight ruling archmagi there are countless apprentices, retainers, scholars, and other attendants.
The Assembly runs a major magic school in Rexxentrum, the Soltryce acadamy, and a smaller one called the Hall of Erudition, in Zadash.
Figures of Interest
The mysterious minds of the Cerberus Assembly often quarrel over goals and methods, but ultimately these eight mages are united by their heritage and a shared thirst for knowledge.Mistress Astrid Becke, Archmage of Civic Influence
female human Astrid is respected as the acclaimed Propagandist of the empire and successor to her former master, Trent Ikithon. Once a gifted student at the Soltryce Academy, she then joined the Volstrucker, an elite group of arcane thugs commonly known as Scourgers, who perform the assembly's dirtiest work. During the trials of Master Ikithon for his role in causing the War of Ash and Light, Astrid testified against her former teachers, asisting in his downfall. Now she has taken his place on the assembly's council.Martinet Ludinus Da'leth, Archmage of Domestic Protections
male elf Ludinus is the oldest and only original member of the assembly, as well as the master of warfare and conflict. Charged with overhauling the military structure of the Dwendalian Empire, Ludinus directed the construction of the garrisons on the Xhorhasian border and often oversees their maintenance. He was one of the mages who survived the destruction of Molaesmyr and fled to Bysaes Tyl, but he saw the opportunity to achieve greatness within the empire and left his culture behind to continue his arcane pursuits. Wise, if emotionless, he bears a deep hatred for the Kryn Dynasty and spares no effort gathering information on their weaknesses and secrets. Ludinus spends most of his time developing arcane weapons of war and shoring up the military might of the empire, while subtly challenging the leadership of Crown Marshal Damurag.Baroness Jenna Iresor, Archmage of Industry
female human One of the younger members of the assembly, Jenna is a Clovis Concord expatriate. She helps oversee central guild business in Rexxentrum under Guildmaster Kai Arness, and helps Exchequer Aethia Drooze organize the collection of tithes through starostas across the empire.Mistress Doolan Tversky, Archmage of Dysology
female gnome The second-oldest member of the assembly, Doolan is in charge of the study and understanding of abnormal creatures and deviants of arcane creation that might threaten the empire's way of life. She is an absentminded yet brilliant gnome who is obsessed with all beasts, aberrations, and creatures of legend. Doolan imports creatures from around the world to study, disassemble, and use in her attempts to revolutionize magical practices. She resents the Library of the Cobalt Soul, as her reputation has caused them to bar her from their facilities. She wishes to catalog the unstudied horrors of Xhorhas and has covertly obtained the services of the Myriad to retrieve new specimens.Lord Athesias Uludan, Archmage of Diplomatic Union
male human Athesias's charm and bombastic personality serve him well as a diplomat. His duty is to foster a positive relationship with people of power both within and beyond the borders of the empire. He was originally one of the most effective instructors at the Soltryce Academy, but his penchant for spectacle and his rampant narcissism made him a difficult ally to trust with state secrets. When the office of Diplomatic Union opened, he was quickly and quietly reassigned. Athesias finds great pleasure in ruining or usurping the plans of his counterpart in the Crown's employ, Emissary Lord Zeddan Graf.Lady Vess de Rogna, Archmage of Antiquity
female half-elf A public recluse for most of her life, Vess is both a brilliant mage and dedicated historian. She assumed this post after replacing her criminal predecessor, Lady Delilah Briarwood. As an instructor at the Soltryce Academy for over two decades, Vess has studied and unraveled a number of historical mysteries and pre-Calamity riddles—and hoarded some of the spoils for herself. Always eager to pursue forgotten lore and artifacts of eons past, Vess has been known to quietly vanish to Xhorhas for weeks at a time, returning with fewer guards and more uncovered secrets.Headmaster Zivan Margolin, Archmage of Conscription
male human Zivan Margolin inherited the position of headmaster from his father, the late Jorma Margolin. Zivan has been the headmaster of the Soltryce Academy in Rexxentrum for nearly twenty years. Calm, patient, and quietly imposing, Zivan walks the halls of the Academy with a keen eye for talent. He is in charge of the curriculum and also watches for any latent powers that may be worth grooming as future allies of the assembly, dangers to be monitored, or prospective minds for Astrid to conscribe into the Volstrucker. Zivan has rarely had the opportunity to demonstrate his full power, for he is typically busied with keeping the peace between the feuding members of the assembly. Those who have witnessed his true might, however, now know that his words are backed by some of the most powerful magics within the Cerberus Assembly.Headmaster Oremid Hass, Archmage of Cultivation
male earth genasi The current headmaster of the Hall of Erudition in Zadash, Oremid is tasked with watching and grooming the next generation of mages and arcane specialists outside Rexxentrum. While he himself is a gentle soul who adores animals, he puts on the façade of a strict man with no sense of humor, which is further enhanced by the elemental influence of his earth genasi blood. He teaches students that failure is not an option, and that emotion is a barrier to one's true ability. Equally feared, respected, and privately loathed by the students (and some instructors), Oremid personally dismisses those who break under his school's curriculum and heaps joyous praise on those who endure their training.Public Agenda
The assembly plays the long game, working to subtly increase its power across the empire and beyond. Popular decisions are often publicly presented as the will of the assembly, while conflicted issues are tailored to seem purely the "will of the Crown," driving a wedge between the two bodies. The assembly seeks to write history to favor its members as the architects of modern law and culture, with the eventual goal of subverting the power of the king, turning him into yet another puppet of the assembly's goals. Assembly mages believe that only they have the knowledge and talents to truly guide the empire into greatness.
Aside from political matters, the assembly is focused on locating and excavating powerful relics and magic lost to the Age of Arcanum. Its members believe that their original namesake was the apex of society across all history, and they seek to reclaim their place as paragons of mortal rule. Thus, all salvaged texts and artifacts of power from that era are to be recovered at all costs.
The curious discovery of the power behind the Kryn Dynasty has recently drawn much of the assembly's attention. The mysterious, primal force known as dunamis could change the world's understanding of magic itself—and could even be the key to placing the assembly above all other rulers and nations.
History
The Cerberus Assembly was established nearly three hundred years ago, when strife and competition between warring mage lords threatened to unravel the social order of the Dwendalian Empire. The house leaders of this conflict nearly destroyed one another in what was called the Eve of Crimson Midnight, an arcane battle within the capital of Rexxentrum that leveled two wards of the city, killing hundreds of civilians. At the peak of the violence, a parlay was called, and the mage lords decided to put aside their differences and avoid mutually assured destruction, instead joining as a unified conclave. When brought before the king for judgment of their crimes, they offered an accord to instead officially instate the conclave and submit entirely to king's rule. Taking the name the Cerberus Assembly, a reference to a powerful, historical union of mages during the Age of Arcanum, the mages took the empire to new heights of power and expansion.
In the centuries since, the Cerberus Assembly has subtly ingrained itself within most facets of the empire's government, becoming a force of political and military power that many say could rival the king himself. This reality is not lost on the royal council, and tensions often simmer between the assembly and the Crown. The mages of the assembly are known for their extravagant lifestyles and intimidating history of political and economic control, and much of the populace mistrusts them, though no one dares to cross them or the king. Mages of the assembly wander throughout the empire with little fear of argument or resistance.
Founding Date
~546
Type
Guild, Mages
Alternative Names
The Assembly
Ruling Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Controlled Territories
Rivals
Officially, both the Library and the Assembly are organs of the Dwendalian State and thus allies in furthering the Empire's interests. The truth is more complicated.
Allies
Historically, the Cerberus Assembly has been responsible for much of the empire's acquisition and retention of power, but the royal bloodline has always harbored a paranoid dislike of the council of mages. Handshakes and smiles hide distrust, and the king assumes that the assembly is merely biding their time to attempt to challenge his power.
The assembly has worked directly with the king and his chamber for so long that the two factions have become deeply intertwined, frustrating both of them. Though they rely heavily on each other, every smile and agreement barely conceals an undercurrent of venomous loathing. Some members of the assembly feel that it is far too soon to overtly challenge the Crown, while others believe it would be foolish to miss the opportunity before them.
