@The Mage Guild is the sanctioned authority governing rune-based magic within the Kingdom of Thalossa. From their ancient seat in the @Tower of Dusk , the Guild oversees education, licensing, and enforcement of arcane law, ensuring that mortal magic serves mankind rather than destroys it. Though often perceived as bureaucrats and regulators, the Guild also stands at the frontier of magical knowledge, researching lost runes, Veil phenomena, and demon-core stabilization to safeguard the realm.
Magic is power, and power without restraint once nearly ended the kingdom. The Mage Guild exists to ensure that lesson is never forgotten.
In the early centuries of Thalossa, unregulated rune magic spread faster than understanding. Rogue casters, unstable glyphs, and early demon-core experiments tore cities apart and thinned the Veil between worlds. When these disasters culminated in near-collapse, the Crown intervened.
By royal decree, the Mage Guild was granted absolute authority over rune magic. Their charge was clear: control access, enforce accountability, and contain what cannot be destroyed. The Tower of Dusk, raised upon an ancient leyline far from the capital, became their central bastion—its isolation a deliberate safeguard should knowledge turn catastrophic.
Magic in Thalossa is not taught in isolation, but through Guildhalls.
Guildhalls are spread throughout the kingdom—in major cities, frontier settlements, and arcane regions where magic is necessary for survival. Each hall serves as a place of training, lodging, research, and community. Some guildhalls are large institutions with dozens of members; others are small, close-knit circles led by a single master.
Each guildhall develops its own customs, rivalries, and internal culture. So long as a Guildmaster maintains arcane law and answers to the Tower of Dusk, the Archmage rarely intervenes. This autonomy allows guilds to flourish while remaining bound to a single legal framework.
Apprentice – Novices studying rune theory, discipline, and safety. No public magic permitted.
Adept – Fully licensed spellcasters permitted to practice magic publicly.
Master – Veteran mages trusted to teach, lead expeditions, and oversee apprentices.
Guildmaster – Head of an individual Guildhall; responsible for discipline and compliance.
Circle of Embers – A secret inner cabal charged with forbidden study, including demon-core research and Veil anomalies.
Archmage of Dusk – Supreme authority of the Guild and keeper of its deepest secrets.
Magic within Thalossa is governed through capability, permission, and accountability.
The Mage Guild does not determine how magic is learned—only who may wield it openly, and who bears responsibility when it is used.
To the law, magic must always have an owner.
All mortal magic begins with the Rune of Access.
This rune is a universal sigil, identical across all Guildhalls and recognized orders, inscribed through a controlled ritual. Without it, a mortal is magically inert—incapable of casting spells, activating magic items, or meaningfully interacting with enchanted artifacts. To such a person, even a relic capable of leveling a city is nothing more than inert matter.
The Rune of Access does not grant permission or knowledge. It merely opens the soul to arcane flow. Possession of the rune alone is not illegal, but it places the bearer under scrutiny.
The Guild Mark serves as both license and identification.
Each Guildhall bears a unique mark, ritually etched into the flesh of its members upon initiation. When magic is invoked, the mark glows faintly, identifying the caster as sanctioned—and revealing which Guildhall claims responsibility for them.
Public use of magic requires a valid Guild Mark or a recognized organizational charter. To wield magic openly without such sanction is considered unsupervised practice, a criminal offense under Crown law.
Codified in the Treatise of Veiled Fire, arcane practice is divided into three tiers:
Bear a Rune of Access
Possess a valid Guild Mark or operate under a Crown-recognized charter
Permitted to cast standard spells, activate magic items, and inscribe approved runes
(Require authorization from the Tower of Dusk)
Advanced ritual arrays
Long-range teleportation
Golem forging
Alteration of the Rune of Access
Unauthorized creation of demon-cores
Use of chaotic, or Veil-scarred runes
Punishments include rune-severance (the destruction of one’s Rune of Access, often fatal), exile, or execution, depending on severity.
Certain organizations regulate their own magic internally under Crown charter. Their members do not bear Guild Marks, but still require the Rune of Access:
Order of the Last Light – Consecration, funerary rites, plague purification
Ashen Vigil – Purge magic and Veil-tainted practices
Order of the Dragon Knights – Demon-core infusion rituals unique to their order
These charters are recognized by law, though all remain subject to investigation should abuses arise.
Tower of Dusk – Central authority, rune vaults, forbidden archives, and the Chamber of Embers
Guildhalls – Embedded throughout Thalossa and the frontier
Frontier Adepts – Assigned to Crimson Standard campaigns to ward forts, roads, and supply lines
Crown of Thalossa – Mutual reliance and oversight
Order of Dawn – Cooperative; wards protect settlements
Crimson Standard – Essential partners in expansion
Order of the Last Light – Respected, though bound by faith
Ashen Vigil – Uneasy collaboration over dangerous knowledge
Dragon Knights – Powerful creations the Guild both perfected—and fears