Wax Mystics

A mysterious and powerful order of magicians who mostly remain in seclusion in The Learned Canyons , but via the Bondcasters they extend a great deal of influence into the world. of The Giteri, the Nidari Reach, and beyond.
Bondcasters, also known as contract mages or contract adepts, are a class of mage trained in a subset of the magics of the Wax Mystics, who cast binding magical geas-like contracts upon people to restrict their behaviour - only with the bearer's initial consent, and usually for some short period of time. Fairly common for mercenaries and adventurers, although obviously restricted by access to bondcasters, who are expensively trained and highly valued. the contracts take the form of folded parchments, sealed with the magic mark of the bondcaster (carried in a ring or stamp), and bound by ribbon - typically to the throat or upper arm.
have to be very carefully worded as the bound individual is compelled to follow the letter of the contract, not the intent - a lot of "genie's wishes" situations.
the vast majority of Bondcasters are bound under contracts of their own to the Mystics - as well as assuring their inability to act against the Mystics, any contracts they make are necessarily subservient to the Mystics'. This give the Mystics a level of power that places limits on how much other organisations are willing to use these mages. there are a few rogues who have managed to destroy or suppress their contracts. Thaffter the Freebinder is once such example.
Bondcasters are a type of magician who learn how to create magical contracts, which are sealed with wax Actual lawyers tend to draft the contracts, however
The contract places a Bond on one party of the contract - if both members need mutual obligations, two matching contracts are produced.
The contract itself contains a spirit that can see the actions and the senses of the Bound person
They can either nullify the contract (if the terms are met) or can inflict burns upon the Bound person, or encase them or nearby objects/possessions in hard wax, as well as signalling (with a delay) the Wax mystics or other parties.
These can be minor, disfiguring, or fatal. If there's any ambiguity in the spirit's course of action, it can seek clarification by signalling one of the powerful mages known as wax mystics. This basic term is written into nearly every contract. (the spirit, I should say, is an emotionless being created by the caster when the seal is made) The reason almost all contracts contain this clause is because almost all Bondcasters are also Bound by the Wax Mystics, the singular organisation that trains them. The few that aren't have used powerful magic to suppress or remove the normally-inviolable contracts. The Wax mystics, who are dedicated to the honour of word and contract and are among the most powerful mages in the world, seek to destroy these individuals. Now I think about it, these might be more like oaths than contracts - though they're often entered into for calculated mutual benefit, they're more like oaths in that they bind the action of an individual to their promise to another. to do: expand scope of what spirits can do, and decide what restrictions the Wax mystics place in terms of what contracts can and can't be created?
Common uses for these contracts: temporary ones (easier to create) for adventurers or other labourers, debt contracts, binding on senior underlings (e.g. the Sokani Viceroys). Common forfeits: a burn on the forearm when a contract is reneged - acts as a track record of failures, possibly also tracks successes? Also, sealed financial forfeits that only unseal in the case of the contracts being reneged on. Possibly these can work in the reverse manner - in default, a seal on a house or object is activated, locking it away unless a specified individual or circumstance is given. Perhaps seals should be generalised so that many seals of equal value can be placed on different objects, each of which encodes a copy of the contract? Doesn't need to be so much about binding a person - but do don't want to go full programmable matter? How fast can seal-messages be sent? Faster than a galloping horse? Limitation - the magic can only respond to actions by named parties in the contract, who all have to sign up to it.
Some places (Sokani) use bindbearers fo to stop a bondholder (e.g. the king) from being festooned with bonds.
true wax mystics wear deep red robes to demarcate their status. Rarely seen in the wider world, their powers include:

• ability to create contracts in much the same
• ability to create other magical effects using wax seals
• ability to create wards and other magical effects using enchanted candles
• ability to create wax elementals and other objects of "living wax"
• ability to transform into molten forms
• various other abilities

the philosophy of the wax mystics is extremely rigid, being based entirely on the letter of agreement and contract and having no regard for mitigating circumstances or unforeseen consequences. they do not think of good and evil in traditional ways, and will work with anyone.
the Mystics live austere and serious lives, but have immense reserves of wealth to call on.
The Wax Mystics are one of the few organisations that elude the infiltration of The Whispers, but are too valuable to destroy. Through its allies, the Mercantile Board of Errezo, they accrue rogue Bondcasters, earning them the Mystics' ire.
Questions:

• remake as organisation?
• how are trainees selected, where are they trained, and so on? do they train as contract lawyers beforehand?
• how common are bondcasters?
• what is the organisation's internal structure?
• comparisons to Variflame (less disjointed/shamanistic) and calcomancy (more structured/threatening/mysterious, but similarly academic and broad-scoped powers).
• Carromancy or Ceromancy as an alternative name?

Alternative Names

Bondcasters, Contract Mages, Contract Adepts, Binders

Type

Arcane