College of Magi

The College of Magi is a council of First Enchanters from each Circle of Magi in Thedas. The College routinely convenes in the city of Cumberland, in Nevarra, to discuss Circle policy and to elect a new Grand Enchanter.

Structure

The College of Magi is made up of fraternities, groups of enchanters who hold the same viewpoints, and band together to make their voices heard. A fraternity counts enchanters from different Circles among their number, and the various fraternities vie for power in the College. The College, they say, allows mages of the south to gather in peace and seek no solutions to age-old problems. There are five known fraternities. They are:

Aequitarians | The dominant faction in the College of Magi in general, and Ferelden's Circle in particular. They promote a moderate and popular viewpoint that mages must use their abilities in a responsible and ethical manner, regardless of the laws of The Chantry. Aequitarians believe that all mages should help people and follow a set of rules and ideals. In practice, this usually means operating within the more reasonable tenets of Chantry law. Their current representative in the College of Magi is Rhys.
Isolationists | A small group of mages who wish to separate themselves from the templars, the Chantry, and even civilization altogether, both in order ot practice magic without scrutiny, and to ensure their powers do not negatively affect "ordinary" folk.
Libertarians | Desire the Circle to become an autonomous, self-regulating order without Chantry involvement at any level. While many Libertarians advocate the use of peaceful means to ensure their independence, such as a bill of secession they proposed to the College of Magi in 9:31 Dragon, at least one subgroup - the Resolutionists - are willing to pursue violent means to their ends. Their current representative in the College of Magi is Adrian.
Loyalists | Follow the Chantry's word as it is written. They are often called "Chantry apologists" for accepting and enforcing the Chantry's and the Templars' ever-present supervision.
Lucrosians | Prioritize the accumulation of wealth, with the gaining of political influence a close second. They are few in number.

History

The College of Magi in Cumberland is a palace, gifted to the Chantry by a Nevarran Duchess. This was rumored to be because her daughter was a mage, and the Duchess wanted her to have the opulence to which she was accustomed. The College is sheer display of wealth, with sandstone busts of every Grand Enchanter who held the office in the last six hundred years. Eight years before the Fifth Blight, Aequitarians of The White Spire in Orlais extended their reach outside the tower. They managed a network of mages who controlled moves of apostates and reported the potentially dangerous ones to the Seekers of Truth. By the beginning of the Fifth Blight, the Aequitarians were the largest fraternity in the College, and they allied with the Loyalists, who worked alongside the Templars. By 9:38 Dragon, one year after the Kirkwall Gallows rebellion, out of fear of another similar incident in the other Circles, the Chantry disbanded the meetings of the College of Enchanters, as well as any and all mage gatherings without their supervision. After word was sent to the Divine and to the Circles regarding the Tranquil Pharamond's findings on the Rite of Tranquility, the fraternities were allowed to convene at the White Spire to discuss his research. However, with the turmoil in Orlais, the conclave - led by Grand Enchanter Fiona - derailed from its primary objective to the possibility of separating the Circle of Magi from the Chantry, a motion which had long been pushed by the Libertarians. Before the vote could take place, templars and seekers marched into the great hall and proceeded to imprison the attending mages after Pharamond was found dead in his chambers. Those who were imprisoned were able to escape and kill the templars who watched them. They fled the White Spire and took refuge in Andoral's Reach, where many hundreds of mages - now apostates - arrived within the wweeks. Another conclave on the mages' independence was held. The options were to either submit to the Chantry as advocated by the Loyalists, or to declare the Circle's secession from the Chantry as advocated by the Libertarians. Finally, Rhys - as representative for the Aequitarians - cast the decisive vote to fight, siding with the Libertarians. With that motion, the mages officially cut their ties to the Chantry and refused to acknowledge the authority of the Templar Order. By 9:40 Dragon, the templars also left the Chantry, and both sides were preparing for war.

The Mage-Templar War

The Venatori, led by Gereon Alexius, took over Redcliffe Castle in Redcliffe. Using time traveling magic, Alexius was able to conscript the rebel mages before The Inquisition arrived and ousted him from power, allying the rebel mages with the Inquisition. Following the Exalted Council, the end of the Inquisition as it had been sent shock waves through the autonomous College of Enchanters. Madame Vivienne de Fer ably played on the mages' fear. Her followers united to build a new Circle - with Vivienne as its Grand Enchanter - in direct competition with the College. What the Circle lacked in numbers, they made up for in political connections; soon, they were a force to be reckoned with.

Type

Guild, Mages

Related Ranks & Titles