Archmage

Revision as of 19:45, 4 April 2014

Costume by [Mandala Studios] for £30 kit challenge

Archmage is an Imperial title bestowed upon a magician by the members of the Conclave. There are six archmagi in the Conclave; one for each of the magical realms. They serve as a focal point for ritualists of that realm, as well as helping to guide the use of the Conclave's resources.

The six archmagi match the six realms into which magic is divided. Where the influence of a grandmaster is primarily political, the archmagi are responsible for attending to the magical business of the Conclave. They are assumed by the Senate, the Military Council, foreign dignitaries and Eternals alike to be well-versed in the capabilities and lore of their Realm. The archmagi are often seen as the public faces of the Conclave; they are the individuals most likely to be consulted by other Imperial bodies when they wish to know what magical possibilities exist.

Each archmage is addressed by their title and the name of the Realm of magic they stand for - Tavistock, Archmage of Spring or Archmage Reyon d'Esange of Summer. The title archmage comes originally from Urizen, a development of the title mage.

Powers of an Archmage

Each archmage position is an Imperial title in the Conclave.

Addressing the Conclave

Once per summit, an archmage can raise an address to the agenda of a Conclave session for free. This power is intended to be used to let an archmage appraise the Conclave of a magical problem or development related to their realm of mastery, but the archmage is free to address the Conclave however they wish.

Ambassador to the Eternals

Each archmage is expected to represent the Empire to the Eternals of their Realm, and vice versa. Most Eternals understand that the archmage is a representative of the Empire and look to them for assistance. The majority of Eternals will meet with the appropriate archmage before meeting with other magicians, or ask the archmage to be present at a meeting. They also instruct their Heralds to look to the archmage for support and protection should it be neccessary.

Presentation of Gambits

Each archmage can present a single gambit during each Conclave session. A gambit is a request for magical resources to be provided by the Conclave. Each Conclave order decides how much support to offer the gambit from their Conclave vault. If collectively the Conclave agrees to provide all the resources requested then the materials are given to the archmage by the civil service at the end of the session. The Principle of Presence means that an Archmage can appoint a proxy to raise a gambit on their behalf - but the proxy cannot present it.

Master of Magic

In situations where it is unclear if a specific act of magic breaches a Declaration of interdiction or association with a herald or eternal breaches a Declaration of Emnity an Imperial Magistrate may issue a formal request for the appropriate archmage to provide a ruling. Control of the judicial process remains with the Magistrate, but the Archmage's ruling on whether the act is a breach of the relevant declaration is binding.

An archmage is legally obligated to provide a ruling when requested by a magistrate or else to direct the magistrate to another archmage better able to clarify the situation.

Regalia of the Archmage

Each archmage receives a staff, a chain and a belt when they take the title. Together these are referred to as the regalia of the archmage. These items are re-enchanted each year. If an archmage loses their position, then the items must be given to the new archmage. If part of the regalia is lost or stolen it may be replaced depending on the resources available to the Conclave; otherwise it remains lost until the next Winter solstice when a replacement is made. Theft of part of an archmage's regalia is a very serious business. Archmagi are encouraged to take all appropriate precautions to keep these items safe (such as arranging for someone with access to the Reading the Weave ritual to bond the item to them).

The regalia is created by a reclusive order of Dawnish artisans in Weirwater who pledged themselves to this task in the first years of the Conclave.

Staff of the Archmage

The archmage takes custody of the ceremonial staff of the archmage. Each of the staffs of the archmagi is a ritual staff, appropriate to the realm of the archmage, which grants two additional ranks of the appropriate realm lore skill.

Chain of Aesch

The chains are magical items that can be used to empower ritual magic, and are bound to the archmage in the same manner as other magical jewellry. Once per event the archmage can evoke the power of their chain before a ritual from their Realm is performed to reduce the effective magnitude of that ritual by 10. The archmage does not need to be a participant or contributor to the ritual, they only need to be present; likewise, they do not need to be of the same nation as the coven they are using the chain to assist.

Belt of Stars

The belt allows an archmage to help different covens work together. Once each summit, they can invoke it to allow multiple covens from the same nation to co-operate on a single ritual from the archmage's realm of magic. This counts as a daily ritual use by each coven involved in the ritual, and while the covens may perform a ritual together, they are still treated as separate covens for all other purposes (for example, a ritual that affects an entire coven will only affect one target coven). Each coven can use their own paraphenalia while performing a joint ritual. The target covens must all be from the same nation but that does not have to be the same nation as the archmage invoking the belt.

Any ritual performed with the power of the belt of stars takes an extra minute to perform for each additional coven involved.

Selection of an Archmage

The appointment, replacement or removal of an archmage is made by the declaration of candidacy as part of the agenda of a Conclave session. A candidate can be presented for the post of Archmage only once a season.

Removing an Archmage

An archmage serves until they are replaced by another magician using the Declaration of Candidacy. An Archmage cannot be revoked by any assembly of the Imperial Synod.

The realms of magic

Day, Winter, Spring; Night, Summer, Autumn

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 {{CaptionedImage|file=MandalaMagicians.jpg|title=Archmagi|caption=Costume by [Mandala Studios] for £30 kit challenge|align=left|width=243|height=320}}
-Archmage is an Imperial title bestowed upon a [[Magical skills#Magician|magician]]. There are six archmagi in the Conclave; one for each of the Magical Realms. They are appointed by the [[Imperial Conclave]], and serve as representatives of that august body, as well as helping to control the use of the Conclave's resources.
+Archmage is an Imperial title bestowed upon a [[Magical skills#Magician|magician]] by the members of the Conclave. There are six archmagi in the Conclave; one for each of the magical realms. They serve as a focal point for ritualists of that realm, as well as helping to guide the use of the Conclave's resources.
-There are six archmagi to match the six realms into which magic is divided. The titles are not purely ceremonial; Imperial citizens, the [[Imperial Senate|Senate]], the [[Military Council]], foreign dignitaries and [[Eternals]] assume that a given archmage is well-versed in the capabilities and lore of their Realm. While these are political positions, there have been unpleasent incidents in the past when (for example) a Summer Archmage with no real understanding of the Summer realm has been asked to address the Senate or to meet with a Summer Eternal.
+The six archmagi match the six realms into which magic is divided. Where the influence of a [[grandmaster]] is primarily political, the archmagi are responsible for attending to the magical business of the Conclave. They are assumed by the [[Imperial Senate|Senate]], the [[Military Council]], foreign dignitaries and [[Eternals]] alike to be well-versed in the capabilities and lore of their Realm. The archmagi are often seen as the public faces of the Conclave; they are the individuals most likely to be consulted by other Imperial bodies when they wish to know what magical possibilities exist.
-Each archmage is addressed by their title and the name of the Realm of magic they stand for - ''Tavistock, Archmage of Spring'' or ''Archmage Reyon d'Esange of Summer''. The title archmage comes originally from [[Urizen]], a development of the title [[Urizen magical traditions#Magi|mage]] which is used in that nation to represent a political magician.
+Each archmage is addressed by their title and the name of the Realm of magic they stand for - ''Tavistock, Archmage of Spring'' or ''Archmage Reyon d'Esange of Summer''. The title archmage comes originally from [[Urizen]], a development of the title [[Urizen magical traditions#Magi|mage]].
 ==Powers of an  Archmage==
-There are six Archmagi, one for each Realm of magic (Autumn, Day, Night, Spring, Summer and Winter). Each archmage is a separate Imperial title; as with all other Imperial titles it prevents the holder from holding any other Imperial title (including that of a different archmage).
+Each archmage position is an [[Imperial title]] in the [[Imperial Conclave|Conclave]].
-===Guiding the Conclave===
+===Addressing the Conclave===
-Each archmage may add a single item to the [[Conclave session|agenda]] for free before each session of the Conclave. They have the option to make their agenda item a secret, which is referred to as the veil of night. It is then recorded only as "The archmage of (''Realm'') proposes a motion."
+Once per summit, an archmage can raise an [[address]] to the [[Conclave_session#Setting_the_Agenda|agenda]] of a [[Conclave session]] for free. This power is ''intended'' to be used to let an archmage appraise the Conclave of a magical problem or development related to their realm of mastery, but the archmage is free to address the Conclave however they wish.
-===Gatekeepers of the Vault===
+===Ambassador to the Eternals===
-The archmagi are responsible for [[Conclave session#Hearing the Gambits|hearing the gambits]] proposed by the [[Conclave order|orders]] of the Conclave and deciding which should be approved. Each position has their own store of resources and materials which is maintained by the civil service. It should be noted that the archmage can ''only'' access these resources in the context of resourcing a gambit - they are not for the personal use of the archmage.
+Each archmage is expected to represent the Empire to the Eternals of their Realm, and vice versa. Most Eternals understand that the archmage is a representative of the Empire and look to them for assistance. The majority of Eternals will meet with the appropriate archmage before meeting with other magicians, or ask the archmage to be present at a meeting. They also instruct their Heralds to look to the archmage for support and protection should it be neccessary.
-===Staff of the Archmage===
+===Presentation of Gambits===
-The archmage takes custody of the ceremonial staff of the archmage. This staff is enchanted anew each year. If the archmage loses their position, the staff must be given to the new archmage. If the archmage's staff is lost or stolen it may be replaced depending on the resources available to the Conclave; otherwise it remains lost until the next Winter solstice when the civil service arranges a replacement. Theft of an archmage's staff is a very serious business. Archmagi are encouraged to take all appropriate precautions to keep the staff safe (such as arranging for someone with access to the [[Reading the Weave]] ritual to bond the staff to them).
+Each archmage can present a single [[gambit]] during each [[Conclave session]]. A gambit is a request for magical resources to be provided by the Conclave. Each [[Conclave order]] decides how much support to offer the gambit from their [[Conclave vault]]. If collectively the Conclave agrees to provide all the resources requested then the materials are given to the archmage by the civil service at the end of the session. The [[Principle of Presence]] means that an Archmage can appoint a proxy to raise a gambit on their behalf - but the proxy cannot present it.
-Each of the staffs of the archmagi is a ritual staff, appropriate to the Realm of the archmage. This has lead to complaints in the past, but the rules are quite clear; the staff of the archmage is enchanted as a ritual staff.
+===Master of Magic===
+In situations where it is unclear if a specific act of magic breaches a [[Declaration#Declaration of interdiction|Declaration of interdiction]] or association with a herald or eternal breaches a [[Declaration#Declaration of Emnity|Declaration of Emnity]] an Imperial Magistrate may issue a formal request for the appropriate archmage to provide a ruling. Control of the judicial process remains with the Magistrate, but the Archmage's ruling on whether the act is a breach of the relevant declaration is binding.
-==Selection of an Archmage==
+An archmage is legally obligated to provide a ruling when requested by a magistrate or else to direct the magistrate to another archmage better able to clarify the situation.
-The appointment, replacement or removal of an Archmage is made by the [[Conclave session#Declaration of Candidacy|declaration of candidacy]] as part of the [[Conclave session|agenda of a Conclave session]]. A candidate can be presented for the post of archmage only once a season.
-==Removing an Archmage==
+===Regalia of the Archmage===
-An archmage cannot be [[General Assembly#Revocation of office|revoked]] by the [[Imperial Synod]]. The archmage serves until another magician takes the title, or another archmage is appointed in the Conclave. When an archmage loses their title, they must give the archmage's staff to the new holder of the position.
+Each archmage receives a [[#Staff of the Archmage|staff]], a [[#Chain of Aesch|chain]] and a [[#Belt of Stars|belt]] when they take the title. Together these are referred to as the regalia of the archmage. These items are re-enchanted each year. If an archmage loses their position, then the items must be given to the new archmage. If part of the regalia is lost or stolen it may be replaced depending on the resources available to the Conclave; otherwise it remains lost until the next Winter solstice when a replacement is made. Theft of part of an archmage's regalia is a very serious business. Archmagi are encouraged to take all appropriate precautions to keep these items safe (such as arranging for someone with access to the [[Reading the Weave]] ritual to bond the item to them).
-==Vault of the Archmagi==
+The regalia is created by a reclusive order of [[Dawn|Dawnish]] [[Crafting skills#Artisan|artisans]] in [[Weirwater]] who pledged themselves to this task in the first years of the Conclave.
-The resources available to each archmage when they are dealing with [[Conclave session#Hearing the Gambits|gambits]] are referred to as that archmage's vault. Archmagi are informed how much mana they have available at the start of each sequence of gambit hearings, and the information is as up-to-date as the Conclave can make it. Generally, the materials available to the archmagi to resource gambits include the following
-===Crystal Mana===
+====Staff of the Archmage====
-Every six crystal mana gained by the Conclave distributed evenly between the vaults of the six archmagi. This is without doubt the most numerous resource which the archmagi have access to. The Conclave acquires crystal mana through a range of mechanisms:
+The archmage takes custody of the ceremonial staff of the archmage. Each of the staffs of the archmagi is a ritual staff, appropriate to the realm of the archmage, which grants two additional ranks of the appropriate [[Magical skills#Realm Lore|realm lore]] skill.
-* all mana spent by members as part of membership and political processes,
-* all mana seized from enemy territories and mana sites by the Imperial armies.
-* mana generated by certain mana sites owned by the Empire and administered by the civil service on behalf of the Conclave
-* the Conclave as a whole charges crystal mana to provide tutoring in rituals and magic, and encourage all magicians to do the same when taking on their own students.
-* the Conclave also maintains extensive libraries, and charge crystal mana to access them.
-===Ilium===
+====Chain of Aesch====
-The Conclave has small reserves of [[Materials#Ilium|ilium]]; two rings of ilium are added to the vault of each archmage every season. They are predominantly requested by gambits that involve either permanent enchantments or the creation of artefacts to be used by magicians.
+The chains are magical items that can be used to empower ritual magic, and are bound to the archmage in the same manner as other magical [[jewellry]]. Once per event the archmage can evoke the power of their chain before a ritual from their Realm is performed to reduce the effective magnitude of that ritual by 10. The archmage does not need to be a participant or contributor to the ritual, they only need to be present; likewise, they do not need to be of the same nation as the coven they are using the chain to assist.
-===Raw materials===
+====Belt of Stars====
-Each archmage's vault receives a trickle of ingots and measures of each of the either [[Materials|special materials]] - [[Materials#Orichalcum|orichalum]], [[Materials#Green Iron|green iron]], [[Materials#Tempest Jade|tempest jade]], [[Materials#Weltsilver|weltsilver]], [[Materials#Dragonbone|dragonbone]], [[Materials#Iridescent Gloaming|iridescent gloaming]], [[Materials#Beggar's Lye|beggar's lye]] and [[Materials#Ambergelt|ambergelt]].
+The belt allows an archmage to help different covens work together. Once each summit, they can invoke it to allow multiple covens from the same nation to co-operate on a single ritual from the archmage's realm of magic. This counts as a daily ritual use by each coven involved in the ritual, and while the covens may perform a ritual together, they are still treated as separate covens for all other purposes (for example, a ritual that affects an entire coven will only affect one target coven). Each coven can use their own [[paraphenalia]] while performing a joint ritual. The target covens must all be from the same nation but that does not have to be the same nation as the archmage invoking the belt.
-Generally between 4 and 6 ingots or measures of additional materials are accumulated each season; it is impossible to predict which materials will go into which vault when.
+Any ritual performed with the power of the belt of stars takes an extra minute to perform for each additional coven involved.
-As with the ilium, these materials are generally used to resource gambits that involve crafting items for magicians, although some gambits intentionally substitute materials for crystal mana (for those rituals that allow materials to be substituted for crystal mana, or for those covens with access to covenstones that allow such substitution for a specific realm).
+==Selection of an Archmage==
+The appointment, replacement or removal of an archmage is made by the [[Conclave session#Declaration of Candidacy|declaration of candidacy]] as part of the [[Conclave session|agenda of a Conclave session]]. A candidate can be presented for the post of Archmage only once a season.
+==Removing an Archmage==
+An archmage serves until they are replaced by another magician using the Declaration of Candidacy. An Archmage cannot be [[Revocation|revoked]] by any assembly of the [[Imperial Synod]].
+{{CaptionedImage|file=Realmrunes.png |title=The realms of magic|caption=Day, Winter, Spring; Night, Summer, Autumn|align=center|width=858|height=242}}
 [[Category:Conclave]]
 [[Category:Imperial Titles]]