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I'm fairly new to using PBwiki... If you click "Edit" above any page, you should see "Request Access" there. Once that's processed it should work. It's not a very open wiki, it seems, even in "Public" mode.

And I took your advice with the linkage and the sig usage.

Ulden-Throatbane wrote:

Hm...I don't see an edit tab

I've put some tips on the wiki, as I've gotten some questions about this as well. Check the most recent update on the front page. Hope it works.

Shatter dreams? Gimme a break, dude. Your opinion isn't that important to any of us. And while I respect your right to hate the setting and to not like our ideas, your presence in this thread is ridiculous. Completely. If you don't like the setting, go to a thread that you do and leave us alone.

Hey guys, thought I would share some of the developments my group and I are making with the setting. This is an addition and my take on the excellent work of clark411. It describes the academic culture and governing of the Arcane Colleges and Orders. Replace all instances of Iridia with Solanthis. (I changed the Empire name for my setting)

The Arcane Colleges and Orders

Since the early days of Iridia, magic has played an important role. The wise and learned sages and wizards of the Kingdom wielded great power and prestige, force which helped protect society through the fledgling years. Arcane Orders emerged, circles of scholars who sought to explore the magical knowledge of past culture and expose future topics of research. The arcane orders began with the nobility, creating social circles of like minded wizards. Some of these first Orders persist today, while many more have faded into obsolescence with the passage of time. Arcane Orders are closely tied to both the Colleges and the Throne. Many sponsor research to augment their own, assist in the recruitment and screening process of bright young minds, fund scholarships to those deemed worthy, or assist in administration of the Colleges many activities. The Orders pay fealty to the emperor and are deeply embedded in the political games of Imperial society. Association or sponsorship of a particular order can be a tremendous boon or a great detriment.

The Arcane Colleges were a natural outgrowth of the first Orders. While some felt that the Art was a secret to be guarded and reserved for power, many Iridian mages recognized its intrinsic value and thought research alone was not enough: educating the next generation was the only way to evolve their practice. The Colleges fueled new research and development of rituals, astrology, and magic items while seeking to understand the complex nature of magic. Prior to the development of residuum extraction, research was fraught with moral and ethical quandaries. While apprentices still search the wild for alchemical reagents, the Arcane Colleges have come to depend upon residuum for their experiments, which have become more advanced and convoluted as the Empire has grown wider reaching. Formerly, a wizard would have to consider the consequences of their work which, regardless of the solution, would slow magical study or halt it entirely. “Should I send a third apprentice to find rare earths that only collect upon the bases of ropers in the underdark?” “Is this experiment truly worth the death of a young red dragon, and how plausible is such an objective?” “Do I really wish to disenchant this flying carpet for a possibly fruitless endeavor?” Such questions are largely forgotten now, or answered with the alternative: paying a considerable sum to a Noble House in exchange for a considerable sum’s worth of residuum.

Although the Arcane Colleges may seem to spend the much of their wealth on research into new rituals, they also use residuum to create potions and magical items which go to the Imperial Family, the Noble Houses, and a number of external, supernatural threats that a mortal Empire cannot effectively resist in any manner save appeasement through bribery. While the Colleges do outfit the nobility and their elite guard with impressive suits of magical armor that now can rival ancient finds found in the ruins of the fallen empires, more often secret deals are brokered with agents representing the powers of the Planes that have taken an interest in the lodestones of the Empire. Although most citizens are entirely ignorant of dealings with the drow, the githyanki, the neogi, and worse beings still, the Arcane Colleges act with the mandate of the Emperor, and keep him aware of threats that extend beyond the physical boundries of holdings of the Great Houses.

These Arcane organizations have bred a dark underbelly which counterpoints their achievements. Orders compete to curry favor with the Emperor, utilizing subtle manipulations, bribery, and other covert operations to gain political leverage. Due to the close ties, such attitudes often spill over into the academic culture of the Colleges, who have developed their own unique complications. Many a mage holds to the philosophy of "Innovate or Perish", with the research developments and output of their work determining their place is society. Some darkly joke it is more properly "Innovate and Perish" and tell grim tales of promising scholars whose research was usurped by an arrogant professor solely for career advancement and greater funding or, worse still, brilliant students who mysteriously disappear if their stars burned too bright.

Arcane Legislation

The nature and practice of magic in Iridian society was drastically altered with the discover of Residuum and the advent of contemporary collection techniques. The innovation of new and powerful rituals grew at an exponential pace, while magic items and weapons became available to a large segment of the population. Residuum revolutionized Imperial infrastructure by fueling development of large scale building projects, waterways, and even rudimentary electrical systems. As knowledge and application grew, Iridian leaders realized the power entering the hands of the people would need to be controlled.

Hoping to curtail this problem, Emperor ***** of the **** Dynasty (need name and dynsasty) enacted sweeping reforms to the governing of Arcane culture. Considered by contemporary historians to be the defining legislation of his reign, the Murus Sorcerous Edict further solidified the Imperial Throne's role in research and magic. A complicated piece of law, the Edicts are generally considered to consist of:

1. All Arcane Colleges exist by mandate of the Imperial Throne, thereby being directly accountable to the Emperor. The foundation of new Arcane Colleges must be considered and approved by the Emperor himself.

2. Each Arcane College or Order is bound to formulate Moral, Ethical, and Academic guidelines to inform its curriculum, patronage, and research.

3. The establishment of the only Imperial Arcane Order, Regulus Magrethium, which reports directly to the Emperor.

4. Each College or Order must appoint a Regent who reports to the Regulus Magrethium.

5. Each Regent must deliver the production and research documents of Colleges and Orders for record in Libram Iridia.

6. All practicioners of the Art in Iridia must be registered with Regulus Magrethium.

7. Codification of legal systems to deal with criminal magic users of both Arcane and Divine nature.

8. The establishment of Murus Sorcerous, an arcane prison of many purposes.