Arcane Order

Greyhawk Organization

Arcane Order
Alignment:	Nuetral
Leader:	Japheth Arcane
Members:	Wizards
Headquarters:	Mathghamhna

The Arcane Order of Enchantment and Exposition is an organization of wizards who draw from a common repository of magical energy.

Description

{quote|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."}}

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.

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."

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.

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" 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 of the Elders and the summoning of the Dragon of Shades and the following cataclysm.

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!"

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.

Membership dues are only 30gp p/month, 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."

Mathghamhna is ancient and survived the Invoked Devastation. "Mathghamhna was somewhere in the [former] Baklunish Empire (for example, the northwesternmost spur of the Yatil Mountains"

Organization

Structure

• Chancellor
• Regents

Master Collegian—

Master Librarian—

Master of the Spellpool—

Master Diviner—

Master Warder—

• Guild Wizards (Guild Mages)

Associates—typical itinerant member of the Order

Collegians—instructors at the College

Scholars—researchers and lorekeepers at the College

• Initiates
• Apprentices

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. The organization itself became the "Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors" 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: {quote|"...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)}}

References

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