Matrix:
“Master of the Balance”
Matrix is without doubt
the Mage with the greatest general knowledge of the Magical Arts.
He has made it his life time goal to accumulate as much knowledge as
possible and his Academy, The University, is a memorial to this ambition.
The University is a vast,
sprawling complex with hundreds of buildings and towers, all of which are full
of students or tutors. The nearby
village of Gladsheim is completely dedicated to catering for the needs of the
University and the Academy is more like a small town than anything else.
Mages who have had their training in the
University have had the ideas of teamwork and co-operation drilled into them
from the day that they enter the Academy. Matrix
believes that Magical knowledge should be shared amongst all Mages and he tries
to ensure that his pupils follow the same ideals.
He likes the Mages to return to the University often so that they can
share their knowledge and he ensures that the tutors and Masters provide the
trainee Mage with as much help as possible in their early career.
When a pupil from the University has
completed their basic training, usually after about 8 years of intensive work,
they enter what is known as The Journeyman Stage.
For the next year they are expected to leave the University and journey
around Shardar, or even further abroad, and expand their knowledge and skills.
The Journeyman is welcome back at the Academy whenever they wish, but if
the young Mage spends too much time at home they will never advance to the next
stage of their learning.
When the Mage has finished the Journeyman
Stage and has been judged ready, they will be shown the vast libraries of Spells
that deal with the Planes and Demons. Matrix
restricts these Spells until he feels that the Mage is ready to use them and
there are certain Mages who never reach that level of development.
Many Mages from the University return home
after they have explored the world and flexed their Magical muscles, and teach
the new students who are constantly entering the Academy.
Matrix smiles upon this sharing of knowledge and does everything he can
to continue this trend. Matrix will
also pay for any new Spell or information that is brought back to the
University. He will gladly share Spells for a small fee to cover costs
and some Mages make a comfortable living through exploring and returning to the
Academy with their new found knowledge.
Most Mages who enter the
Journeyman Stage have a strong belief in Law and Order.
Many join up with other travellers on their journeys and strong bonds can
be formed in this way. It is most often Mages from the University who go on to
become advisors to the local Lords and Barons and High Lord Calloway is
constantly looking for Mages from the University to join him on his quests.
Organisation and order are watch words for
most of the Mages who graduate from the University.
Matrix is always on the look out for new students and he does his best to
ensure that his Journeymen are safeguarded during their time out and about.
It should be noted that there is a strong ‘rivalry’
between the Journeymen of The University and the Mages who leave Storm’s
Academy. Storm and Matrix strongly
disapprove of the other’s methods and this has passed over into conflict
between their pupils.
Any character who starts out of The
University will be at the Journeyman Stage of their training and will be
expected to leave the Academy before too long.
Storm:
“Lord of the Elements”
Of all the Mages of
Shardar, there can be no doubt that Storm is the most dangerous by far.
As wild and unpredictable as the force that he took his name from, Storm
is a firm believer in “Might Makes Right”.
His Academy, The Citadel as it is known,
is a vast, floating castle that wanders across Shardar apparently at random, and
his pupils have two choices during their training – succeed or die!
The apprentices that do finish their training have to leave the Academy
and are not allowed to return until they have found something of value to their
tyrannical Master. Whether this
thing is knowledge, Spells, gold or some other rare or powerful item matters not
at all, but they have to repay their teachings or the pupils will never be
welcomed back to The Citadel.
Those Mages who have graduated from The
Citadel tend to be self reliant and self obsessed.
They have been taught that Magic is the ultimate power in the Multiverse
and that Mages are the supreme wielders of this power.
Few of Storm’s apprentices have any concept of co-operation or teamwork
and most of them leave the Academy with no intention to ever return.
Many of them have extremely chaotic outlooks on life and believe that
they have the right to do anything that they please.
Laws and rules are for other, lesser people and Mages are due respect, if
not fear, from everyone that they meet.
This attitude can cause the
budding Mage many problems when they first encounter life outside the Academy
and the life expectancy of a Mage that has graduated from Storm’s Citadel is
not particularly long. For those
that do survive, however, life can bring many rewards and pleasure as power and
corruption can make for a very enjoyable social life.
Mages that leave the Academy have to pay a
high price if they wish to return and learn any new Spells.
They will receive no aid from their old Masters and tutors and are
considered to be on their own until they bring something of value back to the
Academy. Once they have repaid
Storm for their education, they may find that the Academy has more to offer them
than they previously thought and the once closed libraries and studies will now
be unlocked for the Mage.
Of all the Academies on Shardar, the
floating Citadel that Storm has claimed as his own probably holds the most
powerful and offensive Spells. But,
and many Mages find this to be a large stumbling block, Storm is selfish with
his Magic and it is an expensive business to learn any of these potent Spells.
Mages who come from The Citadel will have to be more independent than
those who come from any other Academy and they will have to fend for themselves
until they manage to prove themselves to be efficient and competent Magic
wielders.
Storm tells all of his apprentices to
beware of Matrix and his pupils and to destroy them whenever possible.
Of course, he also reminds them of the agreement to never act ‘DIRECTLY’
against another Mage.
Characters who choose to come from
Storm’s Academy will have just finished their training and will have only a
couple of days to leave the Citadel before they are thrown out.
They will not be allowed to return until they have something of value for
Storm and can expect no aid of any kind until the debt of education has been
repaid.
