The Collective

"The Risen people were never meant to possess Magick - especially that of the Arcane variety. To alter our reality or create matter within it is the power of the gods, not of men or len. It is something to be feared, certainly, as it could become the end of us all. Or yet it could become our greatest tool for evolution. The goal of my Collective is to study it, learn it, and most of all control it. We will become both it's masters and it's greatest wardens." - Larael Shimmerweave, First Grand Archmagi of The Collective

The Founding

The Collective is the oldest faction on the surface of Nora that was not directly formed underneath one of the gods. Larael Shimmerweave, founder of the collective, was among the first wave of Ehlen brought into the world by the goddess Elanaah. He was alive at the very beginning of Risen creation and saw rise to the others across the world as they were made to fill it's lands with life. This also meant he bore witness to the rise of Sturn and his Dahlen, and his two great treacheries to Artur. Having gifted the Dahlen with Magick in an effort to protect them, Sturn damned himself further and opened up the conversation for the gods to allow the remaining Risen to obtain it as well. Naturally they did, and Larael was designated among the original progenitors of Magick for the Ehlen, and was gifted mastery over the arcane.
Originally, Larael was overwhelmed by the power that Elanaah had granted him. To become a master of the Arcane was to reach powers only limited by his imagination. He spent weeks in a manic episode as he wracked his brain and prayers to figure out what he was supposed supposed to do with his newfound abilities. Eventually the goddess acknowledged him with the message, 'Seek peace - for yourself and for the future.' With that he collected himself. Larael spent the next two centuries travelling the world in search of answers for his and future peace. While he found many other Risen developing their many different forms of Magick for the benefit of their people and countries, he also found many who were using their powers for malign causes. At first he simply observed these individuals from afar as he theorized on the reason behind their evil behaviors. After this vain pursuit, he began to intervene.
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With his resolution for peace, he settled on an island in Jerun's Strait and begin building what would become the Grand Tower of The Collective. Larael reached out to many of the powerful arcane practitioners and their initiates that he had met on his travels around the world and invited them to join him in his mission. Exactly twenty four answered his call, but that was more than enough to please him for a start. He chose five of the most prominent individuals to become the first Council of Archmagi. Thus, Collective was formed.

Magi of The Collective

The Collective is divided into a brief yet distinct hierarchy. There is one Grand Archmagi who is the absolute leader of all members. They are supported by five Archmagi who are the now symbolic right hand of the Grand Archmagi, acting as the direct instruments of his will. Beneath them is the High Magi who act as Field Officers and Lead Instructors, never to number more than two dozen in reverence to the founding members. Next are the Magi, standard and proven members with varying roles and responsibilities. Below these are the Initiates, those who have been accepted into The Collective for training. Magi and Initiates are not bound by number, although roles within the varying ranks of Magi are limited. To advance from an Initiate to a Magi, the individual must have been deemed to have either completed their studies or to have shown ample aptitude in their arcane gifts upon joining. Becoming a High Magi is to challenge one of the existing members to a competition of skill, either through a grand show of spells or, begrudgingly more popular, Arcane Death Duels. An Archmagi can only be elected by the existing Grand Archmagi, who will often shuffle the members of the Council of Archmagi and High Magi upon ascending to the role. The Grand Archmagi is only succeeded in death or having failed to uphold The Creed of the Magi.
The role of an Initiate is to study and learn from their superiors. Their programs are as varied as the aptitudes of the arcane, as many of them will specialize in a certain field. The length of said programs is completely dependent upon the individual. An Initiate will be promoted to a Magi as soon as they can prove their skill to be sufficient; talented individuals that learn quickly can clear the requirements within a year, those will less innate talent or skill or are enrolled into the more difficult field of the arcane can take the better part of a decade before reaching the necessary level. Having become a Magi, a world of possibilities lie open to them, so long as they fulfill any tasks or responsibilities their superiors lay upon them. Many Magi choose to continue their studies in earnest, browsing the seemingly never ending Library of Arcane Studies or becoming an assistant to a High Magi to learn from them directly. The Grand Tower has a multitude of roles to be fulfilled within it ranging anywhere from a Keeper of The Tower to a Tower Alchemist. The tower is almost always in short supply for workers, and maintaining stock, storage, and movement of the supplies within are vital roles to ensure proper function inside it's walls.
Outside in the open world there are two functional roles - Field Officers and Agents. Field Officers are High Magi that are either out on what they deem an important personal endeavor for The Collective, or more likely to observe and lead Agents on their ventures. The direct involvement of Field Officers depends completely on their manner of teaching. Some will guide new Agents step by step to ensure a firm hand and strict adherence to The Creed, others will let their Agents completely free to their devices, if only to step in for swift punishment upon any failure. The Agents will field a variety of roles depending on skills and experience. Most often they are 'fetching', which is their term for gathering alchemical reagents or hunting for Magickal Apparatuses. On a rare occasion Agents and Field Officers will be dispatched from The Grand Tower for the purpose of neutralizing gifted Magick users who pose a great threat to themselves or the area around them. Being what Larael believed to be the most important mission of The Collective, when an individual is proven to be using the arcane for malign purposes they are treated with extreme prejudice and sought after immediately.

The Grand Tower

"A tower large enough to hold my ambitions can not be created by mundane methods. My landmark will extend past the bounds of space and reality and will be a testament to the power that we can achieve. So long as I draw breath shall I not reach the end of it's halls." - Larael Shimmerweave, on presenting The Grand Tower to the first Initiates

The Grand Tower is the hallmark and headquarters of The Collective and is what Larael deemed to be his second greatest creation after the faction itself. No building on the surface of Nora can claim half as many enchantments to be laid inside, save perhaps for The Silver Tower of Sicerrone. The tower itself is built out of black granite, extending twenty stories from the outside and stretching half a kilometer in width. This presumably great size is purely superficial, however. Inside, the floors have stacked to a number beyond a reasonable count, and the first welcoming floor stretches five kilometers at best estimate. Space is convoluted within the tower to levels unheard of outside. Some theorize that the tower is actually infinite, and that there will forever be another section of the tower to discover. Many Magi that have been born in the tower have spent their entire lives inside of it without ever seeing an end.
Certain floors have been declared as the most prominent and remain the most well-mapped and easiest to access. The first floor of the tower acts both as an entrance to welcome newcomers as well as an entertainment facility for visitors and the occasional Magi needing a relief from their studies. A multitude of community areas, pillowed loveseats, hookah lounges, and hot springs are available and encouraged for open use. It is a custom for most Magi to relax on the first floor with a soak or a smoke after a round of intense study - many Magi have made their greatest breakthroughs partaking in such methods of relaxation. The second floor of the tower is the highly sought after Library of Arcane Studies. The Library holds the collected works of all Collective Magi throughout history along with many tomes and journals collected in the field and deemed valuable for study. This area is only available to Magi. Though Initiates can seemingly benefit from the wealth of knowledge within more than those with greater skill, such knowledge can be extremely dangerous to those who are unable to control their gifts properly.

The Creed of the Magi

I am a Magi.  I am an instrument of The Collective. I am a brother of my fellows, an aspirant for those above me, and a model for those below.  I believe in the potential of the arcane.  I believe in the benefits it can bestow, and am wary of the dangers it proposes. I will remain vigilant for malpractice.  I will remain an enemy of malignant forces.  Through mastery of the arcane, I will control it, and not let it control me.  Shall my brothers trespass, I will denounce and deny them.  Should I trespass, my brothers shall deny me. Magick was gifted for the benefit of all, and from it all shall benefit.

A Magi is denoted by a metal sigil of The Collective's iconography, a stone tower with half of a boney jaw wrapping around the base. This is crafted with a unique enchantment to resonate near quartz held secret by the High Magi. Most guards or militia of civilized settlements will have a small crystal to check the legitimacy of the sigil. Once highly respected and awarded great privileges upon having proven their station, in recent years Magi have been regarded in disdain and denied their previous privilege due to the tarnishing of the fourth Grand Archmagi.

Type

Guild, Mages