History of the Guild Pre-Split:
Sia founded the Order using the pull of her reputation and her uncanny grasp on Magical Talent. With the aid of Queen Mercy, she was able to excavate the remains of what had once been a Church Tower and stronghold within Nuege and turn it into a 'college', as she referred to it, a place for all with the Talent to come and study, to learn magik under her. Several years after the founding, many of the Nuege Castle staff who had the talent were trained, and those with natural inclinations such as Elves and Azuha quickly began to outnumber the humans in the school.
It was at this time that she began to select the most skilled and proficient of her students and give them the rank of Wizard, to serve under her as the self proclaimed First Wizard. By this time her second child was born and both Catmew children showed an inclination towards magik, and it was through their development that she was able to discover an expected time in any child's growing maturity when they would begin to show signs of magical talent. Developing a test and teaching it to her teachers, she was able to send them out, into Nuege's changing lands, Navarro, and overseas to other nations to begin to search for other students of talent, and teach children and adults who had been denied proper education such things as reading and writing.
This approach, one of free education, opened many doors, though in some nations the travelling mages were turned out. As the years went by and the central campus of the Guild was finished, Sia began to map out these favors and disfavors, establishing guilds in other nations, and as many cities as she could. Those that were the most receptive, she trained stronger mages with good heads on their shoulders to seek positions in royal courts as advisors. When Sia finally retired during the ending of the Era of Change's first half, she handed on leadership by appointing someone she trusted and allowed the Guild's High Wizards to vote on whether or not to accept the child. Setting two precidents, the High Wizard would be selected young, and the Council would vote on them.
When the virus that attacked humanity began to wreck havoc all over Tareh, the Mages worked hard to attempt to counter it, allowing Neer to survive much of the torment it caused by strengthening the humans there against infection, though several notable healers who were humans ended up dying with the rest as time went by. The shift in the Guild's population was not, unlike many other areas, one of note, as the Guild encouranged a species blindness amongst it's people. They rose to the defense of the nations the Guild had campuses on in the ensuing Demon attacks. However, it is possible the reason the guild did not decline in strength at this time is due to their actions, attracting new recruits for their efforts.
When the UNF struck out against humans, the Guild aided Gelus initially with healing, going so far as to use suppression magik techniques to defend them as well. While committing non-lethal acts, the mages were also trained and dedicated to lay down their lives for innoncet people, and some of those that were brave did. When the civil war broke out, the Guild offered a release of vows to any elf in the Guild who wished to go into the conflict, provided they also relinquish the right to use their spells for any other act then healing. Those that went against this agreement were summarily punished over the ensuing years, the crime for breaking such a vow in the Guild is being cut off from magik itself.
When the Coalition left Neer in 2635 AJ, the Guild sent Azuha members of the guild to join them and help them, in the full knowledge that they could choose to join the coalition and never return, however, it's biggest hope was for a Campus to be set up in the Coalitions lands and a new branch of the Guild to started there, even if it wound up an exclusive campus to Azuha.
The Guild moved to establish a presence in the Empire when it came into power in 2645 AJ, which would later become something else, however, it continued it's usual stance of healing the injured and sick and protecting the weak at the time, aiding in the war effort by having it's members acting as War Medics.
The Split:
In 2789 AJ, during the era that the Empire of Alrhyl kept the Demon Realm at bay while the other races were recovering from various things, the Guild of Wizards stationed there, as well as other Guilds, aided them in this endeavor. However, the Demons unleashed something that poisoned male Wizards, targetting the genome that hit males across all races. It spread through touch, so one male touching another could corrupt them. The sickness affected their magik so that it would go out of control - the stages would begin with the magik getting stronger and more powerful, then it would it grow out of control and begin to destroy everything around them, and then finally the wizard would become insane and destroy himself, leveling the area and taking out anyone near him.
The Male Wizards began to feel prosecuted as it was debated what to do; demons were targetting them specifically to touch them and poison them, and other male wizards could pass it on by touch. Some females could also sometimes be carriers without going insane. Since more and more were in danger, one group of the Guild felt that male wizards needed to be rounded up and isolated and no longer taught magik period, so that the danger was brought down, while others felt the needed to be treated and kept in the Guild, lest you had wild Male Wizards running around as ticking time bombs.
The Guild split, with the Mason Guild, based on Sia's original ideas, having their HQ in Neer still, and the HQ of the other Guild being formed in the Empire, with their goal to hunt the Male Wizards who kept practicing magik and could be threats. Kingdoms around the world now had the problem of deciding which Guild to accept, or accepting both.
History of the New Age Guild of Wizards Post-Split:
After the split, the New Age Guild had to establish itself separately from the Mason Guild. Finding the gold flow from backers in the nobility in the Empire, they set themselves up there - though they now had ties to the nobility, they were given large complexes in which to set up, funding, and they had the Empire's resources in the capital to work from. The Empire had long since developed a lot of resources in dealing with demons and other threats, which gave the NAG a leg up - and all they had to deal with was the religion. After making it clear they would remain independent of the religion, which was agreed on, they began to set up fully in 2792 AJ.
Unlike the tower of the Mason Guild, their complex was only three stories and stretched out across a longer distance of a block, with high walls to protect them, and the various schools each having their own quarters of the block, which the initiates rising up higher the higher their rank became. Focusing their attentions on holding back the demon problem, as well as recruiting, they began to recruit in the capital, while the Mason Guild was no longer welcomed in the capital at that point after some friction. But their main goal was to hunt down male wizards and kill them using a technique that took their power and added it to their own power. This stopped the spread of the plague they claimed. They also insisted no more students be taught and if a boy had the spark, he was immediately imprisoned by male guards they hired so the female wizards could not get in touch. If he still got sick, they would kill him and take his power.
They began to try to open new schools around the various kingdoms, picking cities the Mason Guild was not located - though some would not have them at all, like Neer. They would also play rough with the Mason Guild, such as ambushing their Wizards, though they would not kill them - only delay them roughly if need be, such as an incident in 2810 AJ when they were getting close to stopping them from reaching a group of sick male wizards first that had been infected helping some people during a demon raid in an Empire city.
By 2830 AJ the attacks of the demons wore down and the Empire was no longer the number 1 source holding them back, and so other Kingdoms were able to reject their priests. By then, however, NAG had already used them to push their own placement into various cities, having used the Empire's help into getting established in some Kingdoms since the Empire was providing protection from demonic raids. By now, the the virus was still a major problem because it had become rooted in the magik community. Just when you thought it was done for, it would rear it's head, leading the NAG to decide that all male wizards needed to be done with, and so even though by 2830 AJ one could argue the virus was done, their stance was that all male wizards needed to be done with. Since they couldn't get away with killing them, they would find a male wizard with the talent and imprison him until he agreed to voluntarily give him his powers in a non-lethal way. It took longer than the fatal way that was previously, but since he didn't have the virus, they could do it this way. If he did have the virus, they had an excuse to do the lethal way. Win-win.
When the 5 year war with Badelf Kingdom broke out, they aided the Kingdoms in doing more than just non-lethal attacks, they actually aided in lethal attacks against them and helped turned the tide against Badelf's advance, blasting their forces back, and gained much acclaim and admiration in many Kingdoms and some agreed to allow them to open more schools in 2850 AJ when the Forced Check Era began. Some even felt the NAG might be good at enforcing the Forced Check Era....
Structure of the New Age Guild of Wizards:
The Mages operate on a set of ranks which help organize them. Situated in Alryhl Campus in Jeanole is the Headmistress, who oversees all of the Guild's affairs and is a sort of ruler. This person is called the One Wizard, and those who serve directly under her are the High Wizards. These High Wizards are often placed in Royal Courts or manage other campuses, reporting to the One Wizard.
Under them in each campus are Masters, these Masters are specialized Mages who have embraced their Elemental Affinity. The schools exist with a house system that follows these elements, there are Fire, Air, Earth, Water, Storm, Ice, Darkness and Light schools.
Students rise in the Guild of Initiate, Student Mage, Mage, Assistant Master, and finally Master. Master is a rank of Teaching. It is possible for a Non-Mage to earn Mastery, but only in specific fields such as Ruins Mastery and Science Mastery. These Masters, however, are not part of the council which makes decisions.
Specialized females and males are trained to become Aegis by NAG and this is the only place males have a role in the organization; Aegis have no magical abilities but a lot of physical prowness. They can be picked from Templar candidates that did not make the cut, or in other Kingdoms, other qualifications. They are often trained between a small Guild of specialized guardians known as Aegis. These then raised Aegis are often recruited by Mages or higher ranked as bodyguards. Aegis are of equal rank to Mages, but never higher, with the sole exception of the Aegis General, who leads them. Their time among the Mages makes them specially equipped to handle spellcasters, especially useful in taking down Male Spellcasters. Relations with the female Mages are common, and often produce exemplary young Mages and Aegis. Aegis may be male or female.
Rank Structure (Lowest to Highest)
Initiate
Student Mage
Mage - Aegis
Assistant Master
Master
High Wizard - Aegis General
One Wizard
The current One Wizard is Abigale Fritzgerald.
Goals of the New Age Guild of Wizards:
1. Demon Magik and Blood Magik are to only be practiced in extremey circumstances. Since they are too risky to be used normally, they are to be used with 3 Masters present. Any one who uses it unsupervised will be punished by being jailed and then flogged. If after the flogging they do it again, they will be stripped off their magik and banned from the NAG.
2. Magik is an ever evolving, ever living power, no one person can ever fully Master it, therefore, all Guild Mages will continue to learn and practice even long after their principle education.
3. Due to the ever growing threats of Tareh, only those with the spark of Magik are welcomed into the NAG. Those without the talent are not welcomed unless their parents donate a great deal of gold into the coffers. In which case, the students are given top rate education into the fine arts. This is the deal made with nobility.
4. No element is in itself evil, the elements are elements, it is the caster who does right and wrong.
5. Male Wizards are a threat due to the taint. They must be eliminated. If a male wizard is discovered with the talent before being properly taught, he will be jailed and given a chance to voluntarily give up his power to the NAG to stregthen the wizards mana flow and then released. If he resists, he will remain jailed by Templars so that no magik user can possiblely taint him.
If a male wizard is already tainted, he will be hunted and killed, and his power absorbed by the wizards who killed him to make them stronger.
6. Demons must be eliminated at all costs; we must find new ways of working with those who destory them to seek methods to destroy the Demon Realm.
7. Aggressors in wars must no longer be tolerated. If the council votes that a war is not benefital to Tareh's stability, we must take a stand and against the side we have decided must be defeated and stop them at all costs.
Locations of the New Age Guild of Wizards:
HQ - Empire of Alryl's Capital Jeanole
Regius - Empire of Alryl
Anora - Kingdom of Geer
Seacrest - Kingdom of Geer
Kerthal - Kingdom of Ama'dorei
Cyredarnith - Kingdom of Ama'dorei