Category:The Tribunal of Arcane Law
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Part political action group, part university, part secret society, part public service agency, the Tribunal of Arcane Law is the overarching organization responsible for directing policies about the proper use of magical power throughout Devro. Originally a department of the Tulairan Empire, it is one of the only organizations that remains mostly unchanged from its purpose that can claim such age, unlike the kingdoms of Callandor, Drakenmoore, and Cauldor, which have changed considerably since the fall of the Empire five millenia ago.
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Major Tribunal Divisions
There are three major divisons of the Tribunal:
- The Practitioners Guild, headquartered in the capital city of Drakenmoore
- The Arcanists League, with chantries in the cities of Cauldor and Neth
- The Arcane Society, headquartered at the Pax Arcana in Callandor
Four Tribunal universities exist, and they are managed at the divsional level. Two of these universities, the one in Cauldor and a smaller one in Neth, are managed by the Arcanists League. The university in Drakenmoore is operated by the Practitioners Guild, and the largest university, located at the Pax Arcana in Callandor, is operated by the Arcane Society.
Each division of the Tribunal has adopted a standard color for their robes:
- The Arcanists League wear red robes
- The Arcane Society wear white robes
- The Practitioners Guild wears black robes
- Non-guild apprentices wear grey robes. [Non-guild apprentices are spellcasters who have not yet taken levels of MoAO].
Tribunal bylaws state that guild wizards are expected to display their allegiance and standing properly while in public at all times. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor offense that is punishable by fine or temporary suspension of Spellpool privileges.
The Tribunal as a whole has also adopted a style of trim to denote standing within the Tribunal:
- Non-guild wizards grey robes are forbidden to have trim of any sort.
- Guild wizards have bronze trim on the cuffs of their sleeves and brim of their cowl.
- Guild wizards who have attained the rank of Master [MoAO5] receive robes with bronze and silver trim at the sleeves and cowl.
- Guild wizards who have attained the rank of Regent [MoAO10] receive robes with platinium and gold trim at the sleeves and cowl.
The meaning of divisional allegiance
Division allegiance carries with it several stereotypes:
- The Arcanists League is known for graduating large numbers of conjurers, illusionists, and diviners, most of whom are from the Cauldorian city-states.
- The Arcane Society is known for graduating large numbers of mages, diviners, and transmuters.
- The Practitioners Guild is known for graduating large numbers of necromancers and enchanters, most of whom are Drakish.
Thus, if one wears the robes of the Guild, it is assumed that one is a Drakish necromancer or enchanter. These stereotypes have no in-game effect, however - each division of the Tribunal teaches magic in all its forms, but each possess greater numbers of specialists as above - new specialists are often apprenticed to wizards who already share their specialty, which may mean that a young apprentice conjurer born in Drakenmoore might be be assigned to a Cauldorian master and thus become a member of the Arcanists League. In the days of the Empire such appointments would have been quite common, but today it would be exceedingly rare however, due to the political tensions such an appointment would cause.
Changing Division Allegiance
While it is rare, a wizard occasionally decides he wishes to change his affiliation with a division. Who must approve the change of allegiance depends on the standing of the transferee.
- In the case of a guild wizard, a Master of the new guild must accept the transferee as an apprentice, just as when a non-guild apprentice is assigned to a Tribunal Master for training and indoctrination prior to acceptance into the Tribunal.
- In the case of a Master, the change must be approved by Head Regent of the new division.
- In the case of a Regent, the change must be approved by the Head Regents of both division. A Regent who has a seat on the Council must also immediately vacate that seat.
The Council of Regents
All registered practitioners of the Art belong to one of the three major divisions; the eldest and most esteemed members of each make up the Council of Regents. The Council sets policy for the Tribunal.
For each division of the Tribunal there are 12 regents who sit on the Council of Regents, thus a grand total of 36 regents. From these regents, one is selected to serve as Grand Regent. The position of Grand Regent is a life-long appointment, and by a clause in the charter of the Tribunal may not be held by an undead spellcaster of any sort; those wishing to make the transition to undeath (as many members of the Practitioners Guild are wont to do) must step down as Grand Regent before making such a transition; they may retain a place on the Council itself, but may not lead it as Grand Regent.
There are others who have attained the rank of regent, but do not sit on the Council itself. In the case of the League and the Society, a regent sits on the Council for a term of three years, then must step down to allow another non-seated regent to sit on the Council for a term; thus, everyone who wishes a chance to sit on the Council receives their chance in time. In the case of the Drakish Guild, the regents who sit on the Council are determined by the Head Guild Regent and can change at any time.
Politics within the major divisions
Politics between the major divisions
Other Tribunal Divisions
- The Magistratum -- an enforcement agency which hunts down and prosecutes rogue practitioners.
- The Mystic Education Department -- a collection of primary, secondary, and collegiate schools for the study of the Art. This department manages records for all three divisions, allowing for ease of tracking a wizard's credentials. Almost all, but not all wizards begin their lives as children living at one of the primary schools of the Tribunal; full-fledged wizards have completed courses at a Tribunal university or with a registered Master or Mistress before being given all rights and privileges afforded to wizards. Once they have attained the knowledge and control necessary to become recognized as a wizard, they can then apply for membership into the Tribunal as guild wizards.
- The Bardic Colllege -- a college specifically for the study of musical mysticism.
- The Forge-and-Vial -- a chain store associated with chantry-houses that accepts commissions from the public.
