Now that the 5th
Edition Players Hand Book (PHB) is with us it seems fitting to look at how
these rules directly translates to The World of Porth and its denizens. It seemed logical to start with something
which came up a couple of weeks ago, that being the different schools/orders of
magic and their effects on those who practice the arcane arts.
However, before I do that I
need to point a few things out to avoid confusion and comparison with other
Dungeons and Dragons campaign settings.
Not all magic users belong to an established school or order and there
is no law which states that they must do so. Having said that it is common
custom for affiliated mages to destroy any wild magicians who are considered to
be a threat. Therefore affiliation to
one of the established orders will give you some protection from your colleagues
on a day to day basis.
Affiliated mages do not all
fit the stereotype that their order is known for, e.g. not all of Draegor’s
Order of Shadows dress in black robes and have binding infernal pacts with demons
etc. (although a high number of them do).
Unlike Krynn where you can tell a wizard solely by the colour of his
robes Porth is less stringent and more diversified.
The other thing to keep in
mind is that there has already been a Wizard War which lasted decades and
caused unbelievable suffering and misery for everyone on Porth. No one wants to see that again and this has
led to a strong feeling of Détente between the various factions. It also led to the creation of the Wizard
high council who tend to be very swift and merciless when it comes to those who
do not operate to maintain the situation for the greater good.
Order of Gothgarin
Leader: Thalmanicus the Pure
Official dress: Robes of
White, Pastel Blue or light Green.
The order of Gothgarin is
the “good guys” of the Wizard world.
Named after their founder Gothgarin who was lost in time for centuries
until appearing and then being one of the main reasons for the Wizard War
kicking off in the first place! After
the death of Gothgarin the order got its act together and stopped persecuting
other Wizards. They do not allow Warlocks
to join the order unless the pact is with a known Arch Fey.
Thalmanicus has a second
tier seat on the Wizard High Council as Gothgarin’s place as part of “The Three”
went to Ramalin Delgarto following Gothgarin’s death.
Coven of Fire
Leader: Ramalin Delgarto
Official dress: Plain Red Robes.
To understand the nature of
the Coven of Fire and its members one must look to the mythical background of
its leader; Ramalin Delgarto. The story
goes that Ramalin was an average wizard of no particular note but following a
drastic shift in the magic weave of the planet he found himself an Abjurer; and
was consequently locked off from other types of magic, most notably that of
Evocation. Incensed by this twist of
fate Ramalin set out on a quest to regain his lost powers. The details of this quest remain shrouded in
mystery and are referenced by others as “The Abjuration Agenda”. Ramalin and those in his party would emerge centuries
later with Ramalin as the first ever sorcerer.
The Coven of Fire remains to
this day the premier order of sorcerers and Ramalin continues to lead it as he
does not age and is sustained by the power of the magic within him. There are no Wizards in the coven but there
are a number of Warlocks. Coven members
always dress in plain red robes so are generally easy to spot.
The Porthian School
Leader: Cortan
Official dress: Highly
colourful robes and outfits.
The Porthian School is the term
used for the various institutions who declare allegiance to Cortan the Master
Mage of Porth and leader of the Wizard Council. Some of these are actual schools but many
others are lone mages who may only have the odd apprentice as far as teaching
is concerned. The Porthian mage is sworn
to uphold the balance of magic power and to further the boundaries of magical
development and invention.
On his ascension to the post
of Master Mage Cortan began a reformation of magic and its practical use and
ushered in an age of learning and understanding which was sadly brought down by
the Wizard Wars and the change in attitude that brought about in the general
populace.
Cortan has been Master Mage
for over 4 millennia. It has not gone unnoticed
by many that a human should not live that long.
Order of Shadows
Leader: Unknown (formerly
Draegor).
Official dress: Black
leather armour, black hooded cloaks/robes.
The Order of Shadows sounds
ominous and that’s because it is. Its
ranks are filled with Tiefling Warlocks, Arcane Tricksters, Dark Sorcerers and
Evil Wizards. The Order of Shadows are
specialists at the darker side of the arcane arts especially conjuration, necromancy
and foul enchantments.
The Order tends to work in
the background and don’t like those flashy lightning bolts and fireballs, preferring
the less obvious Power Word Stun and Kill.
Subtlety is their means of getting what they want from who they want. If they are involved in more clandestine
operations they will wear anything to blend in and remain unseen.
With the death of Draegor it
is unknown who is in charge of the Order and their seat at the Wizard Council
is filled by an “ambassador” known as Zoran Warstar.
Truth Seekers
Leader: Madrack the Mage
Official robes: Midnight
Blue robes with silver braid.
There is an old adage that
history is written by the victors and it is nowhere more true than in respect
to Madrack the Mage. Having been
vanquished and imprisoned by the Dark Cleric following the Monster Wars it
would take over a thousand years for the truth to become known and Madrack to
become vindicated. Cursed with eternal
life by Hela herself Madrack was at one point the Master Mage of Porth until
Cortan ascended to the post during Madrack’s apparent death at the hands of
Lendorian Cord.
The Truth Seekers are the
most tolerant of all the various conclaves and welcome anyone who has magical
talent into their order. Madrack now
resides in his citadel in the South of Thane.
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