The College of Expanded Arcana was founded on the principle that magic is a force of nature like any other, to be studied and understood. Members are encouraged to work to uncover one secret of magic during their time at the college.
The college was founded 3011 AE in the city of Sydathria in Pervenire on the island of Verbera by Ahvain Ilphelkiir, a nonbinary nevaen diviner. The current leadership of the College is made up of all current archmagi - the heads of each school within the College - including Ahvain. Most members of the College, even the archmages, are called students to symbolize their continual pursuit of knowledge.
Admission to the College is open to all, as long as they show some aptitude for magic. Within the College, there are a number of ranks. Official members start as Students, while those who seek to earn a living assisting the college can attain the rank of Spellsword. Once a Student decides where they wish to focus their magic, they can become Declared, making a decision about what they want to do. From this point, a Declared can become a Scholar by partaking in experiments conducted by those of higher rank, starting to fine-tune what exactly they want to do within their field of study. It is at this same point that they can opt to become an instructor’s assistant, helping to teach classes. When they progress to conducting their own experiments they reach the rank of Inquirer and can become an Instructor themselves. The highest rank that most can hope to achieve is Archmage, gaining a position of prestige and excellent standing within the college. Above this rises the Archmagus, the head of a given school and the true leadership within the college as a whole. There are two ways to gain renown within the college: completing classes and partaking in field work. The main reward to a higher rank within the college is more access to knowledge and resources. These resources usually come in the form of other students with whom one can compare work with and help complete experiments.
There aren’t very many contacts purely for the sake of gaining new members. The closest thing would be the registration office workers, of whom there are at least three working at a time. Almost every member of the college that players would be interested in interacting with are instructors of some variety, whether they teach magical theory, discerning illusion from reality, or spell focus crafting.
Most college locations outside Verbera (outside Sydathria, even) are research sites maintained and moderated by an archmage who is looking for answers to their questions in new locations. Such a site would typically be a permanent Magnificent Mansion, Mighty Fortress, or Temple of the Gods.. This archmage is responsible for maintaining the research base, while the archmagi manage the more mechanical details, such as treating with other countries to ensure the college is welcome. In addition to the archmage who guides the overall goal of the research site are registration workers who can happily assist potential students in finding a place within the college, regardless of the specific goal of the research site.
