Magen

This article discussed the Magen as a profession within Altan'ruhl. For details on playing a Magen in the Splinter-Reach campaign setting for the Cypher system, please click here.
Whether in the frozen hills of Stonerang or the scorched shores of the Saldragon Princedom, everybody has heard of the Magen. And the perception of Magen is as wildly varied as the regions they might be found. Likewise, perception across social class can also greatly influence the view of Magen.


Magen are the wielders of magic, individuals who have learned to manipulate The Pael and gained powerful talents as result. Most institutionally trained Magen are also heavily educated in mathmatics, the sciences, and social/political details that make them indispensible for any court. As a result, those who choose to become Magen are often employed as royal advisors to monarchs or as overseers to major trading operations.

Career

Qualifications

Most Magen begin as students in one of The Illustrious Four, schools that emphasize education in the magical arts. However, this is not the sole path to becoming a Magen. A Magen is typically qualified as anybody with the ability to touch the Pael.

Payment & Reimbursement

Ironically, despite the incredible power commanded by Magen, almost all Magen work without payment beyond their room and board. All of the Illustrious Four have rules for how those who Ascend are to be handled, and although these rules vary from Academy to Academy, they all basically result in appointing the Magen to some task with the proceeds of said appointment going back to the Institute where the Magen was trained.

Some Magen ultimately attain their freedom, but most serve in this capacity for decades under the same monarch or power structure.

Perception

Social Status

How Magen are viewed often depends on what region you are in.

Within Aeolassar

Magen are a thing to be feared, and those pockets of mortals still surviving use stories of Magen as tales to frighten their children. The Magen were responsible for the Leeching a hundred years ago, and more recently, the Splintering, as an effort to come back and finish what they started. Magen command terrible powers that bend the rules governing life, and are almost universally monsters.

Within Stonerang

For the people of Stonerang (which also houses one of The Illustrious Four), Magen are a boon to the people. The gifts Magen possess enable them to fulfill the goals and needs of society. They keep the city warm in the terrible, cold winters, and help defend against the Orcs of Iron Hill. Without Magen, Stonerang could not function.

Within the Revulon

Before the Splintering, Magen served as little more than glorified chancellors, bean counters and learned advisors whose magics were only dimly acknowledged, much less leveraged. The common people of this region would say in hushed whispers that the Magen are the secret powers behind all of the Lords, and that Magen played political games with the lives of all people. The Lords might dispute this, but there is no doubt that even they have a healthy respect for the power commanded by their Magen.

Within the Citadel

Magen are a threat to a stable Altan'ruhl and must be eliminated with all haste. The Coalition of the Ascended is only the latest in so many examples over history of these warpers of nature.

Within Oceangarde

For the people of Oceangarde, noble and common alike, the Magen are a weapon... and it is considered an incredible honor to number among them. They are trained and honed and exist solely to keep Oceangarde safe and pure. Even after the Splintering, the Magen are still viewed favorably.

Within the Saldragon Princedom

The Saldragon Princedom is probably the least charged of all kingdoms regarding Magen. Having no Institute of their own, and given their mostly isolated posture based on the Endless Wall, the Magen don't factor much into the lives of the people present. That said, Magen are still known and heavily recognized.
The opinion of the Salds depends heavily on socio-economic class. Common and low-class Salds have nothing but disdain for the foreign Magen. They see these foreign wielders of magic as charlatans at best, and at worst, Magen are men who have reached too far for powers they don't need. After all, the Salds have been facing dragons and undead and elven pirates and worse... All without the benefit of Magen to defend them. Nobles and wealty merchants are a bit more liberal in their view. Magen are, for the most part, and untapped resource. Could Magen be introduced to bring profit or potency? It is a heavily debated topic.

Demographics

People from all walks of life choose to become Magen, although it tends to attract those with an interest in powers beyond what mere mortals can command, whether that craving comes from ambition or from a more academic interest. Most who seek never find any success. Manipulating the Pael is not as simple as just wishing and getting what you want, so many would-be Magen become frustrated with the process and seek other ways of obtaining power or notoriety.

Type

Arcane