The Magocracy

Structure

The Magocracy is a highly bureaucratic organization that touches nearly every corner of the Empire. It is essentially a government within a government, and its citizens are the approximately one million users of magic in the Empire.
The Grand Archmage is a permanent position held by an individual selected from the Archmages by the Emperor with a recommendation from the previous Grand Archmage. The Grand Archmage's responsibility is to set goals and moderate debates and votes on the Council of Archmages, as well as report on the Magocracy's needs and doings to the Emperor and communicate and enforce the Emperor's dictums to the Magocracy. He is also the contact for the Yeomanry when its members discover problems involving an Archmage.
Each region has its own Archmage and there are about 150 regions altogether in the empire. From these Archmages, 50 are selected randomly to serve on the Council of Archmages at any given time, with the election to ensure that there is a fair spread of represented regions. The council term is normally two years. The positions are randomly selected because Archmages are generally loathe to hold these positions, usually preferring their own research or practice to the bureaucracy.
Below the Archmages are the Administrative Mages. These are Mages whose job it is to distribute the region's Magicite and record the activities of local mages. Regions can have different ranks of administrative mages but usually there are two levels of Administrative Mages: Junior and Senior. Generally there are four junior and one senior administrative mages for every hundred mages. Each one can recommend the demotion or magicite suspension of a mage ranked below them or above them. Archmages have the power to do this unilaterally.
Below the Administrative mages are the rank and file arcane magic users of the Empire. The Magocracy has three main branches each corresponding to the practice and function of a mage within the Magocracy: War, Service, and Research. Research mages are charged with creating new spells, researching other planes in the multiverse, and retrieving, cataloguing, and securing Magical items and artifacts. Service mages are involved in refining and charging magicite and using magic to assist the general populace and elevate its security and standards of living. War mages are expected to assist the military in conquest and security operations. When recieving a new allocation of Magicite, Magocracy members must provite a verbal and written summary of activities performed using the last batch of magicite and relate it to their branch of service. Mages who consistently provide bad accountings can have their rank reduced or have their Magicite allowance suspended. Mages can change their branch of service with the approval of a higher ranking Magocracy member. During a draft, if more mages are required for military services, the Administrative mages randomly choose mages to be reassigned to the War branch. Each branch also has their own journal, with the Research branch's journal published biweekly and the Service and War branches' journals published monthly. Mages are expected to publish in the journals at least once every two years.
External to the Magocracy but very important to its smooth running are the Yeomanry, agents of the crown who are empowered to enforce the Magocracy's rulings and edicts. There is also a special branch of the Yeomanry devoted to investigating the internal workings of the Magocracy and ensuring its honesty and loyalty to the Empire.
It is also worth it to note that some members of the Union have their own versions of the Magocracy, with the exception of the Free Cities who have accepted the Magocracy. The Sharptooth have the Inquisitors, and the Mountainhomes have their Wizards' Guild. There is strong information sharing between each of these groups.

Public Agenda

The Magocracy is intended to control and regulate magic, and it does this very well. The researchers of the Magocracy intend to uncover the secrets of Elven power and remove the last stumbling bocks to the Empire's complete dominion over Granmor. Its Service mages use magic for the betterment of society and stockpile, refine, and distribute Magicite. Its War mages serve the Army and fight the Empire's enemies.
Licensed exclusively by the Empire to manage magical items and artifacts, Magoc is a combination of a trade guild, a regulatory agency, and a monopolistic business. Alchemists, wizards, and artificers must be licensed by Magoc and may only procure their goods through Magoc. Magoc agents are charged by the King with ensuring that all magic users are properly licensed and abiding by the Empire's restrictions. Necromancy is banned, as is transmutation of any material into precious metals or gemstones, and also traffic with demons and other lesser non-divine magical beings. This last rule means that all warlocks are technically lawbreakers and must keep the nature of their magical connection secret. They often legitimize themselves by posing as Sorcerers, who are required to register in order to practice their powers. Even foreign mages traveling in the Union must register with Magoc. The magocracy is disliked by most commoners, many of whom have been forced to give up prized heirlooms by the agency. Many nobles join Magoc and rise within its ranks, so Magoc is frequently seen as a tool of the nobility.

History

In 682, The Pit (a volcano rumored to be the prison of the evil god Taron) exploded in a cataclysm of magma and ash. A group of wizards used their spells to shield the city from the damage which devastated the countryside. The Empire was awed and also shuddered at the power displayed by these beings. The wizards were convinced to stay and set up a society to preserve and protect magic in Verdon and ensure that it does not fall into the wrong hands. Thus the Magocracy was born.
The reforms of 309 did not much touch the Magocracy but did give the Yeomanry the power to police them and enforce their rules. The sacrifice of autonomy in exchange for no longer having the inconvenience of enforcing its own rules was a no brainer for the mages.
When the Empire was being stuctured in PE 0, the Magocracy became a model for similar societies in several other countries and even gained a new jurisdiction over the Free Cities. They now work closely with the other countries' magical leadership and share research.

Founding Date

10/31/683 PE

Type

Governmental, Ministry

Alternative Names

Magoc, Imperial Wizards Guild, the Organization

Demonym

Mage (this word specifically refers to card-carrying members of the Magocracy and not a specific kind of spellcaster)

Parent Organization

The Empire of Verdon