The Orders of Wizardry
PDFThe Orders began as loose cabals of practitioners who exchanged ideas and aided each other. They had three founding laws, given by the gods:
Origins
The Orders began as loose cabals of practitioners who exchanged ideas and aided each other. They had three founding laws, given by the gods:
First Law: All wizards are brothers in their order. All orders are brothers in the power.
Second Law: The places of High Wizardry are held in common among all orders and no sorcery is to be used there in anger against fellow wizards.
Third Law: The world beyond the walls of the towers may bring brother against brother and order against order, but such is the way of the universe.
These three laws required little additional organization. When the Spirit Dragons made war upon Kyrell during the fall of Venn, the Orders acted: they held a meeting, decided on a course of action, and produced the legendary Spirit Dragon Whistles that helped turn the tide. Overnight, a loose collection of mages became a world power.
The formal unification of the White, Grey, and Black Robed Orders into a single hierarchy under the Conclave followed. With that organization came the first formal Renegade policy.
The Three Orders
The Orders are divided by moral alignment. Each wears a specific color:
The White Robed Order (Good) -- Governed by election of its Conclave representatives. When a Renegade refuses licensing requirements, White Robes capture them and place them under supervised training. Persistent, dangerous refusals may result in exile to other worlds or planes; Oerth and Toril are traditionally noted destinations.
The Grey Robed Order (Neutral) -- Governed by lots. When a Renegade refuses to comply, Grey Robes capture them and bring them before a licensing board to determine an appropriate training or regulatory arrangement.
The Black Robed Order (Evil) -- The Master of Black Robes must defeat all other candidates in combat. When a Renegade refuses to comply, Black Robes impose heavy sanctions and mark them for ongoing monitoring. Repeat offenders who pose active danger may be subject to magical binding or suppression.
The Conclave
Each of the three orders is led by a group of seven wizards who act as that order's representatives to the Conclave. One Conclave member per order is chosen as that order's Master (by the method above). Of the three Masters, the Head of the Conclave is chosen by a unique spell called Consensus, which obtains the opinions of all Order members simultaneously.
Traditional weapons: The staff (in commemoration of the staves the gods of magic gave students at the Lost Citadel) and the dagger (in commemoration of Magnus, the Grey-Robed companion of Weohstan -- a symbol of the scholarly dedication and personal conviction he embodied). Members carry only staves and ceremonial daggers in an official capacity.
The Renegade Policy
Every Order member must report any non-Order magic-user. If reporting isn't possible, the wizard must attempt to bring the Renegade into licensing compliance. If that outreach fails, the appropriate regulatory response is initiated per each Order's policy.
Response by relative power: Equal-or-lesser Renegades are assigned to the reporting wizard for initial outreach. More powerful Renegades are escalated to senior Order officials. Refusal is handled per each Order's policy.
Who counts as a Renegade: Anyone practicing arcane magic outside Order oversight -- villagers who stumbled into it, former members, sorcerers. Sorcerers with draconic origins receive particular scrutiny, as their abilities are associated with the unresolved theoretical questions of the Maygus legacy.
The Test: Initiates must pass the Test before full acceptance. No untested mage is permitted to operate without supervision.
The Towers
Nine Towers of Wizardry stand across Dracomere, protected by mystical forest groves. These are neutral ground per the Second Law -- members of opposing orders may meet inside, compare notes freely, and resume their outside hostilities upon leaving.
The Triumvirate of Magic
Three gods govern spiritual oversight of the Orders: Serevain (good), Valdris (neutral), and Sythren (evil). Their clerics serve as moral guides, neutral arbiters, and amoral protectors respectively.
The Blue Knights (Vembryl)
A martial-arcane order created by Arcanthos to police the Orders and hunt rogue casters. Members blend swordsmanship with arcane magic and always use a shield as their arcane focus. They control the Blue Vale -- the only major pass through the Drakespire Mountains -- giving them significant strategic leverage.
5e Class: Blue Knights are Fighters who take the Eldritch Knight archetype (PHB p.74). This archetype is available only to members of the Order of Vembryl -- it cannot be chosen by characters outside that Order without GM approval and in-world induction into the Blue Knights. Blue Knights always use a shield as their spellcasting focus.
Arcane Casters Outside the Orders
- Bards: Generally not hunted unless abusing their powers. The Orders watch them warily.
- Arcane Tricksters: Must have received Order training and are at least nominally Order members.
- Sorcerers (draconic origin): Subject to heightened scrutiny and mandatory licensing review. Their abilities are associated with the Maygus legacy in ways the Orders have not fully resolved.
- Warlocks (Great Old One): Have tapped into OA (the benevolent creative force of the multiverse) or Pah (the Endless Darkness). The Orders are uncertain how to classify them; this uncertainty does not make warlocks safer.
Sacred Magi
The language of magic on Kyrell. Required to read any wizard spellbook or Order document. Grants no casting ability on its own. Full rules in the Magic and Languages document.