Arcane Order
| Arcane Order | |
|---|---|
| Alignment: | Nuetral |
| Leader: | Japheth Arcane |
| Members: | Wizards |
| Headquarters: | Mathghamhna |
The Arcane Order of Enchantment and Exposition[1] is an organization of wizards who draw from a common repository of magical energy.
Description
The Arcane Order is "a well-established college of wizardry. Students and masters alike engage in deep arcane studies, sharing with each other many of their own special insights into rare bits of arcana or spellcraft."[2][3]}}
The most unique and notable feature of the Arcane Order is their use of the "Spellpool" by accessing the Spellcrux, a magical artifact maintained by the Order which is a repository of arcane energy. Guild mages can use this repository of spells to draw any spell stored in the Spellcrux to themselves and cast as if it had been memorized. The member of the order uses a personal focus prepared with a specific ritual to do so.
Though intended to be placed in any setting, College of Wizardry describes the Arcane Order's inclusion in the World of Greyhawk (among others) and replaces portions of the history found in the supplement with elements from Greyhawk.[4]It further suggests that the Order might also be "a reclusive branch of the Wizard Guild in the Free City of Greyhawk or pacifistic refugees from Nyrond."[5]History
College of Wizardry gives a complete history of the organization and its headquarters. Much of the details are explicitly replaced or altered for use in Greyhawk.[4]In a previous Age, Mathghamhna was a fortress which stood in the Baklunish Empire. It was assaulted by Pholemus (known as the Warlock), a "renegade Baklunish sorcerer who defected to the Suloise Empire"[5] during the Baklunish-Suloise Wars. Despite the ravages of the wars, the citadel still stood after the Suel had tried to annihilate the Baklunish by using the Invoked Devastation. In retaliation, the Baklunish Empire's mage-priests brought the Rain of Colorless Fire upon the Suloise Empire, creating the Sea of Dust. This replaces the sourcebook's history[4] of the Elders and the summoning of the Dragon of Shades and the following cataclysm.[5]
The founder and Chancellor of the Order, Japheth Arcane, discovered catacombs beneath Mathghamhna while still a young apprentice. He returned nearly twenty years later with a group of followers and purchased the ancient citadel, and began refurbishment and revitalization of it. Japheth declared "the mighty doors of Mathghamhna were once again open, ... accepting wizardly applicants to the magical academy now named The Arcane Order of Enchantment & Exposition!"[1]
Members
Members of the Arcane Order are traditionally all wizards, although in the third edition versions, sorcerers, bards, and other spontaneous spellcasters are allowed to join.[6][7][8]
Membership dues are only 30gp p/month,[9][10] and members must be present at the college at least once every six months.
Student tuition is 200gp per year.
Headquarters
"The Arcane Order is based in the ancient stronghold of Mathghamhna, a castle-like collection of towers and vaults carved from the flanks of a long-dead volcano."[2]
Mathghamhna is ancient and survived the Invoked Devastation.[5] "Mathghamhna was somewhere in the [former] Baklunish Empire (for example, the northwesternmost spur of the Yatil Mountains"[5]
Organization
Alignment
Structure
- Chancellor
- Regents
- Guild Wizards (Guild Mages)
- Initiates
- Apprentices
Resources
Rumors and legends
Publishing History
The Arcane Order originated in second edition's College of Wizardry (1997) by Bruce Cordell. The sourcebook was entirely about the Order, and included five chapters about their history, members, structure, goals, et al.
The Order reappeared in Tome and Blood (July 2001) for third edition for the "Mage of the Arcane Order" prestige class.
Later, in August 2001, the prestige class would be customized as the "Guild Wizard of Waterdeep" in Magic of Faerûn.[7] The organization itself became the "Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors"[11] This version slightly raised the prerequisites for entry into the prestige class.
The prestige class was again revised in Complete Arcane for the 3.5 revision. Though the benefits of the class were somewhat updated to 3.5 rules and tweaked, the prerequisites for this version were the same as in Tome and Blood.
According to gaming historian Shannon Applecline:
"...the academian Drake from [College of Wizardry] is also found in Return to the Tomb of Horrors (1998). That's not the only tie between the College and the Tomb: this book also mentions a Bleak Academy, which appears in Skull City in Return to the Tomb of Horrors. ... The Bleak Academy is just a sidenote; the real heart of College of Wizardry is the Arcane Order. They'd recur in numerous D&D 3e (2000-2007) books, beginning with Tome and Blood (2001)[12]}}
See Also
Gallery
External Links
References
Notes
Citations
- ↑ a b College of Wizardry (1997), p.14.
- ↑ a b Tome and Blood (2001), p.23.
- ↑ Complete Arcane (2004), p.181.
- ↑ a b c College of Wizardry (1997), p.8.
- ↑ a b c d e College of Wizardry (1997), p.9.
- ↑ Tome and Blood (2001), p.60.
- ↑ a b Magic of Faerun 2001 , p.26.
- ↑ Complete Arcane (2004), p.48.
- ↑ Tome and Blood (2001), p.23.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Complete Arcane (2004), p.182.
- ↑ Magic of Faerun 2001 , p.19.
- ↑ College of Wizardry (2e), Product History. DriveThruRPG.com. OneBookshelf. Retrieved on 4 June 2023.
Bibliography
- Baker, Richard. Complete Arcane. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004. Item code 17925.
- Cordell, Bruce R.. College of Wizardry. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998. Item code TSR9549.
- Cordell, Bruce R. and Skip William. Tome and Blood. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001. Item code 11845.
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image
Abendroth Non-player character Male, Human, [Mu12], College of Wizardry 31 Abendroth's Magical Accountant (LVL2) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 31 Adamant Grasp (LVL4) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 79-80 Baklunish Empire Kingdom College of Wizardry 9 Baklunish {Bakluni} People Group People, College of Wizardry 9 Blackmoor, kingdom of Kingdom (576 pop: 25000), (591 pop: 110000), College of Wizardry 9 Bloat (LVL8) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 84-85 Carroissa's Appalling Dash (LVL5) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 81 City of the Gods Settlement Arn (Blackmoor), Settlement, College of Wizardry 9 Conceal Features (LVL4) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 80 Confer Resistance (LVL9) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 86 (Strip Resistance) Continual Wind (LVL2) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 77-78 Dehydrate (LVL8) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 84-85 (Bloat) Descry (LVL7) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 83-84 ESP Barricade (LVL3) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 78-79 Estrange (LVL7) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 83 From the Ashes box set Publication Supplement, College of Wizardry 9 Gaslungs (LVL3) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 79 Greyhawk, City of {Gem of the Flanaess} Settlement Greyhawk, Capital, Free City, (576 pop: 53000), (591 pop: 69500), College of Wizardry 9 Invoked Devastation Adventure College of Wizardry 9 Iterative Mnemonic Negation (LVL8) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 84 Lucid Vista (LVL1) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 77 Melf's Minute Meteors (LVL3) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 81 Mnemonic Negation (LVL5) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 81 Nyrond, Kingdom of {Nehron} Kingdom (585 pop: 1375000), (591 pop: 2618200), College of Wizardry 9 Oerth {Oerthe, World of Greyhawk} Geographical feature Planet, College of Wizardry 9 One Question (LVL2) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 78 Rary's Mnemonic Enhancer (LVL4) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 81 Sea of Dust {Ashen Desert} Region (591 pop: Unknown), Wasteland, College of Wizardry 9 Shout of Ruin (LVL6) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 82 Slip (LVL1) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 77 Steadfast Perception (LVL3) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 79 Strip Resistance (LVL9) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 86 Suel Imperium {Suel Empire} Kingdom College of Wizardry 9 Suel {Suloise} language Verbal communication Language, College of Wizardry 9 Terminate Scrying (LVL9) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 85-86 Timejump (LVL6) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 82-83 Weapon of Words (LVL4) Spell Spell (Magic User), College of Wizardry 80-81 Wizards, Guild of {Wizardry} (City of Greyhawk) People Group Guild, College of Wizardry 9 Yatil Mountains {Yetil} Geographical feature Mountains, College of Wizardry 9