The Star Mages' Guild

The Star Mages Guild is the principal organization sponsoring wizardly magic in New Elenna. It licenses members who are qualified to provide instruction in the arcane arts, and its members support one another through research and study.

Membership Requirements:

• Class: Wizard
• Level: 5th. Students may study with the guild earlier, but true guild membership is not given until a mage is capable of casting 3rd level spells.
• Race: Any. Most members are humans or half elves, but the guild accepts any member who demonstrates magical ability.
• Alignment: The guild does not condone evil magic or acts, but neither does it pry into members' personal affairs.
• Deity: Any. The guild does not concern itself with religious affairs other than theoretical differences in arcane and divine forms of magic.
• Deed: For initial membership, no deed is required.
• Oath: None
• Fee: Yearly dues are 150 gold, but a lifetime membership may be obtained for 1500 gold. Past yearly dues paid are not taken into consideration when someone wishes to purchase lifetime membership. In other words, members do not automatically become life members after 10 years. To be considered official, dues must be paid at Star Tower or one of the official Chapter Houses.

Background:

• Sphere of Influence: Global- The Star Mage's Guild operates principally in New Elenna, but it is constantly seeking to expand its membership, and it has Chapter Houses in a number of cities and countries.
• Ethos: To promote the study and common acceptance of arcane magic. The Star Mages study all forms of magic, but their emphasis is on the practical application of magic and not on combat.

History:

In the first days of the Kingdom of New Elenna, when Yatimur the Great was king, the Star Mages Guild was formed. In those early days the dispossessed Elennians had just moved onto the magical plateaus of the Elennian Peninsula, and they discovered the magical wonders of the Teucri and the Living Dead. Jhemesh Krenl became fascinated with their works and set off on a path of discovery to learn how the Elennian people, now the nation of New Elenna could make practical use of magic in their lives. He studied voraciously and taught anyone who was of a mind to listen and learn. Boasting that they would one day understand the mysteries of the heavens, he formed the Star Mages Guild, and he became the first Archmage of the Star. Yatimur showed little interest in the Star Mages, but his son Taintamur saw the benefits that magic offered New Elenna. He sponsored the aging Jhemesh and funded the construction of Star Tower. During his rule, the Star Mages grew into the great organization that it is today.

Jhemesh is now long dead, of course, but his guild lives on. Over the centuries its mages have filled its library, established chapter houses throughout the Wold, and taught scores of students the fundamentals of magic.

Organization:

The ranks of the guild are organized as follows:

• Students: Wizards associated with the tower are considered students until they are able to cast 3rd level spells from memory. In order to be officially recognized as a guild student, a student must have a guild Master directing their course of study. Students may study independently with a Master, or they may study at Plateau City's University of Magic, which is associated with the Tower.

• Journeymen Mages: The lowest level of guild membership, journeymen mages must demonstrate that they can cast spells of at least 3rd level.

• Star Mages: To be considered a Star Mage, wizards must be able to cast 5th level spells, and they must have written an approved article on the nature of magic or a related issue.

• Master Mages: To be considered a Master Mage, a wizard must have been a Star Mage for at least one year. They must also be able to cast 7th level spells, and they must have created a magic item with a value in excess of 2000 gold pieces.

• Archmages: In addition to the requirements for Master Mages, Archmages are able to cast 9th level spells. To be considered an archmage, a wizard must have also created a unique spell of 3rd level or higher.

• College of the Archmages: A group of 8 mages that each represent one of the 8 arcane disciplines. The council of Archmages advises the Archmage of the Star on all aspects of guild policy. The Archmage of the Star may make policy without College approval, but political realities dictate that the Star must generally follow the advice of the College. When a vacancy in the college opens up, all Archmages and Master Mages vote to determine who will fill the vacancy. Only Archmages who have had at least one student rise to the level of Master Mage are eligible to become members of the College. Members need not be a specialist in the school they represent, but they typically are. Appointments to the College are for life long terms. The current members of the College are:

• Archmage of Abjuration: Milet Waan - an aging human male who was once a priest of Alemi and still has close ties to the church.

• Archmage of Conjuration: Bodeen Halisthan - a chubby halfling with a penchant for conjuring up pies. Bodeen is the only halfling to ever sit in the College. It's a fact that he's aware of but doesn't care too much about.

• Archmage of Divination: Kielli Cardua - a middle aged human woman. She's the youngest member of the College and often feels that she has something to prove. She obtained her chair when Ahora Levinatra d'Mohi became Archmage of the Star.

• Archmage of Enchantment: Sareetha Loradolsa - an old female elf. She's the oldest member of the College and has maintained her chair for a quarter of a century. She is happy in her position and has declined to serve as Star on two separate occasions.

• Archmage of Evocation: Davik Stonefoot - a powerful old gnome. Davik is a rare breed of gnome who craves power.

• Archmage of Illusion: Thov Yellis - an aging human male. Thov has served in the College for 20 years, and his health is poor. It's expected that his chair will be the next vacancy in the College. He's not ready to give up his chair yet though, and his mind is still sharp.

• Archmage of Necromancy: Georg Bolis - a big, hearty human male. Despite the typical image of necromancers, Georg is a happy-go-lucky wizard with a heart of gold, and he loves to hoist a mug of ale be it with a student or a fellow archmage. His demeanor has convinced more than 1 young wizard to pursue necromancy as a field.

• Archmage of Transmutation: Jaret Jamusen - a stern half elf. Jaret is respected by his colleagues but is widely feared by the students in Star Tower. He's turned more than one student into a jackass for failing a lesson. The changes are temporary, of course, but they are humiliating just the same. Despite this tendency, he always has a number of students because those who earn his respect have a tendency to become great wizards.

• Archmage of the Star: The Archmage of the Star is the leader of the Star Mages Guild and determines all policies and procedures. The Star also represents the Universal in the College. The Archmage of the Star is elected to a lifelong term by a vote of the College of Archmages whenever there is a need to elect a new leader. Only Archmages who have had at least one student rise to the level of Archmage are eligible to become the Archmage of the Star. The Archmage of the Star need not have been a member of the College of Archmages. The Archmage Shaffbaffum served in this position for a number of years, but after his abduction by the vile Sahaguin, a new Archmage of the Star was selected, Ahora Levinatra d'Mohi. She's a wise old half elf who has trained up a number of competent wizards.

==Headquarters:== Star Tower in Plateau City serves as the guild's headquarters. There are also chapter houses in the following known locations: South Harbor, Amberlund, Dourscale, Tumblevoid, & Wellogy in New Elenna; Fokos in Fargunia; Isumbre in Zarthmoor; and the City State of Osto. Each of the Chapter Houses has a teleportation circle that connects to Star Tower. The Star Mages are also rumored to have agents and representatives in such locations as Skyhook City of the Southern Continent, somewhere in Aisildur, and the Taur Islands. However these rumors cannot be confirmed.

==Politics:== Star Tower is closely tied to the government of Plateau City, and the Star Mages frequently advise the High Lord Mayor. While Shafbaffum served as Archmage of the Star this relationship was especially close, and as a result, the Star Mages Guild has had difficulty expanding its membership beyond the borders of New Elenna. Chapter houses in other nations are regarded as suspect and as possibly dangerous. Thus the guild has only a minor presence in states that are more or less friendly with New Elenna such as Zarthmoor, Fargunia, and Osto, and it has no official presence at all in less friendly areas, notably Aisildur and the Emerald Kingdom. As a result, Ahora Lveinatra d'Mohi is seeking to de-emphasize Star Tower's relationship with the office of the High Lord Mayor while remaining cordial at the same time. She wants to expand the guild and has already sent agents to meet with Parnoth in the Emerald Kingdom.

Benefits:

• Prestige:
  • Students and Journey members find that they garner little respect due to their position.
  • Star Mages are regarded as having a respectable position in society and have a social standing similar to that of merchants.
  • Master mages have a considerably higher social standing and have a status similar to that of other guild masters and master craftsmen.
  • Archmages have the same social status as nobles.
  • The Archmage of the Star is nearly an equal to the High Lord Mayor of Plateau City.
• Information:
  • All members of the Star Mages Guild have access to a wide body of arcane literature. They may use the guild library to study any standard spell found in its archives (those in the PHB), and they may scribe these spells into their own spellbooks without any fee.
  • Guild members also receive an extra 2 skill points per level for wizard class skills. To obtain this bonus, players must spend some time at Star Tower for each level.
• Financial:
  • All guild members may utilize the laboratories of Star Tower for their experiments and creations. All standard equipment is available. Guild members also have access to their fellows for help and consultation while crafting items. Thus any items crafted at Star Tower earn a +2 circumstance bonus on crafting checks.
  • Each Chapter House has a teleportation circle that connects to Star Tower. Guild members may use these to travel between their local Chapter and Star Tower without a fee. They may even use Star Tower as a hub to travel to other Chapter Houses. This service is provided as a convenience for study and the exchange of information. Use by nonguild members is strongly discouraged. However, there have been occasions when outsiders have been granted use of the circles for a fee or in the service of the Guild.
  • Masters have the authority to charge students for instruction. Students may only use the laboratories and libraries of Star Tower or the Chapter Houses if their masters grant permission.
  • Archmages may reside within Star Tower if they so choose.