Sickle
Template:WIP The Sickle is the mage guild of the Realms, monopolising the use of magic and protecting its users (killing magic users who does not want to join their ranks). It sees itself as a force for good, but is primarily an interest group for people with extraordinary abilities and a means to stay safe from hoards of people with torches and pitchforks. Most Magi of the Sickle resides in the Octagon (the main base of operations for the organisation) in the western part of Capitoleum, but they can be found elsewhere in the city as well as in other cities or strongholds around in the Realm.
Originally, the Sickle just wanted to be left alone, but its members have over time become more and more interested in personal power. The main thing keeping the Sickle from trying to conquer the world is partly its memory of the Warlock Wars but primarily it is the fact that internal struggles for power has become the primary activity for many.
Much of this is still raw notes. Never mind if you can't understand it properly!
History
See more in: general History of Hökaland
The Sickle was started among mystics, many hundreds of years ago in order to combat the Warlocks of the Black Nettle during the Warlock Wars. They assisted the Mageslayer in ridding the lands of the Warlocks and then assisted in the building of the Old Empire and it's crown jewel: Capitoleum.
During the Prosperous Times, the Sickle improved their standing and reduced the hatred of mystics that had grown to enormous proportions during the Warlock Wars, but at the same time, the Church of Rahn propagated a strong anti-mystical rhetoric. Life improved for people able to control the forces of nature with their minds, but distrust remains high. They helped to move the river Wildrun into an impressive moat, move tonnes of soil to enable important buildings to be founded on bedrock and to irrigate the local fields as well as setting up a system of magic enhancement to improve the crops themselves, making the already massive city almost self-sufficient.
In the same time frame, the guild started to organise to specialise for different tasks. Together they started hiring their own force of militia to act as body guards and separately they divided into groups they called 'Circles'. Since then, though all members are interested in a strong Sickle, there has been an internal vying for power and political intrigue.
Both for protection and their own strength, the Sickle decided to try and incorporate all users of magic into its organisation. the trade routes of the Coins helped with this goal, but more importantly they god a public relations boost with the great fire of XXXX. It was found that it was started by an 11-year old daughter of a noble family, who had undetected magic powers which randomly manifested and burned not just the girl, but the whole estate and most of the family. The fire spread to an oil storage for street lamps and almost took on catastrophic consequences from there on.
The Sickle, which was central in putting out the fire, managed to raise awareness of the dangers of uncontrolled magic as well as creating a strong sense of urgency to report magic use in non-Wizards. When they pledged to cast a powerful detection spell, it was even welcomed.
Part of the agreement also included giving the Sickle the responsibility and authority to handle magic users. It's also common knowledge that the Sickle has enchanted Capitoleum and some other major cities to detect if anyone other than Sickle uses magic.
The Sickle also gave the King a hundred fire-free street lamps to avoid further fires and pledged to continue to deliver lamps to entirely replace the oil lamps (much to the outcry of oil salesmen and lamp lighters). The catch was that the city would have to pay for magic power at a cost similar to that of the oil lamps, a deal the King gratefully accepted. This agreement has since been honoured even after the fall of the Old Kingdom and many lamp lighters got to keep their jobs; only now they refill the lamps with magically infused marbles rather than oil.
Despite many a good deed, The Sickle has never completely gained public support even in the city, and some merchants even propagate banning 'MEP' - magically enhanced produce.
Organisation
| Upper Circle | ||
|---|---|---|
| Macharned (Grnd Adm) | 20 | The Hunter |
| Linda (f) | 18 | The Shield |
| Hermondend | 19 | The Cloud |
| Tomasi | 16 | The Hammer |
| Aripolis | 17 | The Green |
| Monicka (f) | 19 | The Tiger |
| Full Circle | ||
| Tamah (f) | 17 | The Hunter |
| Delantro | 16 | The Green |
| Torini | 16 | The Tiger |
| Leonerdie | 15 | The Shield |
| Minda (f) | 15 | The Cloud |
| Rogdynettro | 15 | The Hammer |
| The numbers represent DnD levels. | ||
The Sickle is internally seen as an "upper circle" of humanity and they call peers "members of the Circle" and a person can have the title "Name, of the Circle". Its members are divided into five more specific Circles, each with its own responsibilities and authority within the Sickle. The Circles are:
- The Circle of the Cloud - Magical research
- The Circle of the Green - Education within and without
- The Circle of the Hammer - Production of needed items and for income
- The Circle of the Hunter - Seeks and destroys demon and changeling invasions
- The Circle of the Shield - Protecting the Sickle and magic users, forcefully
- The Circle of the Tiger - Newest circle; public relations
In charge of each Circle are two Administrators. Administrators ensure that the voices of all the members of her circle are considered in the organisation, and is also endowed with the authority to solve personal disputes among Magi. The Administrators of the six circles has a council called the Full Circle. As such, being appointed an Administrator also gives the Magus the title "of the Full Circle".
The title of Administrator is the same as that of officials in the Family Register, which can cause some confusion and a topic the Sickle doesn't really care about. They would prefer if people didn't even know what a Sickle Administrator even was.
Out of the two representatives from each Circle, one is senior and one is junior. The Senior Administrator receives the title "of the full Circle" and sits in the Full Circle; a smaller council that supports the Grand Administrator in her decisions for the organisation. The Grand Administrator, in turn, is the utmost responsible person for all decisions in the entire organisation.
The Grand Administrator, as well as the Senior Administrators and Administrators are elected from within the council of the Full Circle, but magical prowess is one of the main attributes considered when making the election.
The Cloud
Mage fanatics. All about magic power. Ignoring politics and even food, sometimes. Sometimes overly ambitious. Quite corruptive. The Hunter dislike most of their work. Shields feel this is what matters. Disrespects the Hammer and the Tiger.
The Green
Lots of University backgrounds. Knowledge and pursuit of it is the focus of the Green. Not always very pedagogical. Low on wisdom. Lots of cooperation and competition within.
The Hammer
Production. Economy. Arsenal. Likes crafting, hands-on. Practical. Both feet on the ground. Knows they are the least "popular", don't care much because they know they are essential. All the power of the Sickle comes from the accumulation of wealth/power/production. Close to the Tiger, also the Green.
The Hunter
Sort of Secretive. Has lots of racism against anything unnatural. Lots of knowledge of demonic magic and planes. Doesn't like dragons, but more realistic about them than the Shield. Several cases of "turners", so the circle is very vigilant about it.
The Shield
Extremely xenophobic. Worried about other Wizard guilds or ones forming. Some cooperation with the Hunter. Somewhat political. Looks where to put money for long-term investment in PR and power. Duelists and spoiled more than warriors.
The Tiger
Young. Open-minded, understanding of people. Lots of sorcerers. Newest Circle. Dislikes the Shield. Most in common with Greens. Friendly with the Hammer.
Allies
The Harbour Master is an allly, likely because of a lot of international trafic, a lot of open-mindedness and a counterweight to the Chamber of Commerce. The Sickle took the side of the HM when the Chamber tried to incorporate the HM into the guild system.
Artipellin is another ally. Generally open-minded. Also many sailors.
Becoming a Diplomed Magus
The official term for a fully trained Wizard, Sorcerer or whatever term is used by people is to be a Diplomed Magus and is the rough equivalence of a Degree in modern terms. It includes a large amount of schooling from a young age in various topics besides the Arcane, more specific training during the person's teens as well as original research in mid-late teens. The process works as follows:
| Normal age | Schooling | To Become | Title | Achieved Diploma | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | None | N/A | Diplomed Magus | Diploma of the Magus | Life |
| 18 | Research | Diplomed Magus | Hypernatural Controller | Hypernatural Controlling Diploma | 3 |
| 16 | College | Hypernatural Controller | Hypernatural Manipulator | Hypernatural Manipulation Diploma | 2 |
| 10 | School | Hypernatural Manipulator | Neophyte | Ring Training School Final School Grades | 6 |
| 4-7 | Ring Training | Neophyte | Mentee | N/A | 3-6 |
- Age 4-10: Is initated into the Sickle
- Octagon
- languages: Common language as well as some Elven, Dwarwish and the magical language of the dragons: Draconic
- Much else was taught at school such as mathematics, basic alchemy, religion and history, but one of the main mottos of the guild is that "idle hands are evil hands", and for most of the time that you didn't either study or sleep you spent on your knees scrubbing massive cauldrons or cleaning rooms that had not been used in decades.
- Though there are wizard girls, they were kept in a different building, so you never saw any females other than Professors.
- little personal time
- kids get summer holiday times off but if they have basic training can work for the Sickle to earn money
- cohorts - members of learning group
- basic training - Hypernatural Manipulator (HM) wing (then it's 5 more years)
- additional Hypernatural Controlling diploma (2 years)
- after which you should conduct your own magical research to receive the actual Diploma of the Magus (3 years)
- hate Madam Amni, the Kitchen Mistress
- Especially in younger years there was a lot of memorisation like noble houses and historical events, but also practical exercises (more like karate kid than Harry Potter)
- Assisting Pendant
- many mages finish at 21, some later but no diplomas are given ahead of time regardless of aptitude; they don't want too young mages running about
- "The Sponge" (or "Radiation Sponge") stores the power in a Mana Cell
storing magic is quite crude and it hurts a bit to use the device (1 point of non-lethal damage), and the energy can't be used for very powerful things (higher spell slots). The energy is mainly used for powering lamps, cleaning water or helping with the enhanced farming systems outside the massive city. These in turn generates income to the guild, part of which pays your salary.
- Hypernormal Rating of 15 is the equivalence of a DnD lvl 2 Wizard.
Other notes
After a thorough basic training to become a Diplomed Magus and join the Circle
Sparks are higher entropy energy than higher spell levels. They are hard to use for powerful magic and better suited for low cost, long life spells or for powering particular items. The point here is that they are easy to accumulate and hard to use. The Assisting Pendant is relatively crude, but still quite advanced. Primarly they were made for education before people receive their powers properly, so their cost is already "paid".
The Sponge used by the Sickle on poor people. They get a copper (or something) for a little manual labour, involving sorting stones in a small room. The room's Sponge extracts one Sparks every 10 minutes and deals one point of nonlethal damage from it.
Another "service" they provide is to offer to clean people of magic residue they accumulate on a daily basis. For people with no magic ability, it deals 1 point of nonlethal damage per drain and creates 1 Spark. Pays people money for helping keeping the world free of magic pollution as part of PR campaign.
Each Diplomed Magus of the Circle is bound to donate 1/10 of his magic powers per day to the Sickle, and recieves handsome salary for it (apprentices are expected to donate all of their power on days without magic training, 1/2 for Hypernatural Manipulators and 1/5 for HN Controllers). Used with the above item. Can store up to 200 Sparks (standard). If destroyed (HP 15, hardness 10), creates an explosion that deals 1D6 damage per 5 sparks in a 15 ft radius, dealing 3 less D6 5 feet further out, an additional 3 D6 less another 5 feet out, etc.
Lights, water purification, personal magic detection and other items run on Sparks. There are items that just produce them (like a permanent item), but are complicated to make and expensive / takes time. "Producing" sparks from the population is a lot more cheap.
The detectors also see usage of magical weapons (when they hit the opponent), equivalent of a cantrip spell.
It's rude to use spells near other wizards, except for necessary things; it is seen as boastful. An undisciplined youth may be schooled by the use of a much more powerful spell as response.
Using spells silently is much more accepted, seen as cheeky.
living in the Octagon, the mage guild's (Sickle's) main base of operations, in the Hypernatural Manipulator (HM) wing; awaiting your graduation ceremony in about two months' time. This would conclude the basic training as a junior mage and is followed by two additional year for the Hypernatural Controlling diploma after which you should conduct your own magical research to receive the actual Diploma of the Magus; the official status of being a Mage.
Circle of the Spirit
Circle of the Spirit once existed. Infested with Scythe and did death magic. Still some happens, but limited funds and a lot of scrutiny.