The Arcanum

The Arcanum is the great college of magic of Eletheria. Whilst not as prestigious as the legendary Blue Tower, or boasting as many tomes as the Great Library of Hwat-Ka-Ptah, outside of the lands of the High Elves, the Pax Arcanum is counted as one of the great centres of arcane learning in the world. Like most of Pax, the Arcanum is founded atop Elven ruins, and a great many of the magical artifacts and scrolls found within it are those which were taken from Elven hands as the High Elves retreated from the lands of the east.
The college itself is a cosmopolitan place, and unlike the rest of Eletheria, it is not a place where humans are in the majority. Whilst there are many powerful human magicians, the Gnomish and Elven races have a greater natural aptitude for sorcery and so they outnumber Humans by some margin. Although the Elves in the Arcanum are largely Blue Elves, and therefore are the descendants of Elves who first emancipated the other races (indeed, some of the very old Elves were actually involved in this emancipation), widespread suspicion of Elves (and wizards more generally) has ensured that the Arcanum has never been a place which has been fully trusted by most Eletherians. Nonetheless, the power of the mages in the Arcanum is undeniable, as is their usefulness to the kingdom and its purposes.
Whilst the majority of mages in the Arcanum are not scholars of magic with direct battlefield applications, other schools of magic find their purposes within the kingdom. Of particular value are the insights the divination school can provide to the schemes of noble and ignoble alike. It is for this reason that mages can be found in the court of the king, halls of nobles, guildhalls of merchants, as well as less reputable locations. Most reputable mages in the kingdom maintain a membership with the Arcanum which allows them access to study from its vast archives as well as helping link mages with a steady stream of arcane work. The Arcanum gives magicians largely free rein in studies, though the practice of the dark arts is forbidden. Nonetheless, mages are notoriously secretive, and the College of the Divines is frequently outraged by fresh assaults to the natural order – real, or suspected.
Not just anybody can become a magician – they must possess a particular gift which often manifests at a very young age, sometimes with spectacular consequences. The gift appears in those who are noble as well as common but the course fees are steep. The Arcanum offers scholarships to those who are unable to pay for their tuition, but for those who are trained in this way, there is an expectation of loyalty and service in return.
The college is governed by the Colloquium Arcana, a group of Archmages who represent the best in their respective fields. From amongst these Archmages is chosen the Chancellor of the Arcanum, who, in addition to governing the college, also sits on the Privy Council. Whilst other mages may sit in the Honourable House through virtue of their noble lineage, possibly because of widespread distrust of wizards, aside from the Chancellor of the Colloquium, no other Archmage has any particular civic titles.