Narenfel is a reflection of the use (and misuse) of magic and its aftermath, as the ravages of spell-based wars and conflicts have warped the landscape, eradicated civilizations, and created new races and creatures. Even if the average farmer is not familiar with the Tomes of Maagic or the specifics of the Tetramatrix, there are few across the land who do not find some aspect of their lives touched by the dual nature of magic: for every action, there is reaction. It is this belief that has laid the cornerstone of daily life, even for those who pursue mundane activities, rather than sling spells.
And for those who are so inclined, the ethics of magic are paramount — “There are two kinds of mages in the world: those who have graduated from a chapter of the Academy of Mystics, and those who wish that they had.”
ACADEMY WIZARDS
When it comes to understanding the magical makeup and reaction of spellcasting, The Academy of Mystics is the path to arcane learning. The Academy is a multinational organization, with members hailing from every nation to and learn, craft and practice spell magic, as well as debate the ethics of magic use and misuse. For the most part, Academy wizards regard each other with a mutual, fraternal respect.
Focus on Spell Ethics & Craft
The Academy is the premier institution of practical and ethical study for all things involving Tetramatrix magic and aftershadow knowledge. Even the Maugtheni Cahedra (which prides itself as being the grand accumulation of all scholarship) begrudgingly accepts that the Academy’s knowledge in this area is “equal”. The concepts (and responsibilities) of aftershadows, nodes and novas are given equal weight to the crafting and casting of the spells themselves — in many cases, moreso. Additionally, the Academy has declared itself as the governing body for cataloging and bestowing orhlodes, another key component in dampening aftershadows as much as possible.
Not So Nuetral
The Academy claims to be politically neutral, focusing instead on the ethical mastery of magecraft. However, anyone who has ever studied at any of the chapters of the Academy or who has shared any time with Academy mages knows precisely the opposite — that the Academy is highly political, habitually furthering the agenda of nations, organizations, and powerful people every day. It is especially entrenched in Callen Moor and Brammish politics, and the Crowns of both nations regularly make generous “donations” to its individual Chapters (as well as the archmages there).
Branches of Study
There are three branches to the Academy (and Academy towers are built with three “legs” that merge together into one large tower at the top to reflect this): Research/Development, Catalog/Recovery, and Academic Studies. Each branch has its own system of hierarchy and leadership (deans/jara/etc.), all of which reside on a Council Board presided over by the Grand Magus of the Academy, currently a fiery magistrate by the name of Sharbaraz Eff. (Also the root of many Academy jokes that involved being “effed” up).
Research/Development
This branch researches old spells, creates new spells, delves into the mysteries and differences between ancient magics (of Ennu, Orh-Kish or Wyntiri), and new magics (modern spellcraft, and alternate magics such as the bloodmagics of Jhora-Daema espoused by Warlocks). They also create items, enchantments, and work to unlock how ancient artifacts were first forged.
Catalog/Recovery
This branch catalogs magic items (both created and found), tracks orh-lodes and reports of misused magics, and sends out recovery teams and Sigil Lords to recover or restore magic balance.
Academic Studies
This branch educates future mages, researches the underlying nature of the tetramatrix and ripple theory, and discusses philosophical implications of spellcraft. Scholars in this branch tend to serve as the public arm of the institution, interacting with local magistrates, reeves, foreign governments and other organizations.
As you might imagine, each of these branches is full of secrets, knowledge and power, any one of which has the potential to topple governments, corrupt officials, or eradicate suffering for hundreds and thousands of common folk.
With each of these comes the responsibility of knowing that there will be ripple effects and unpredictable, but equal magic reactions. Human nature being what it is, there are plenty of mages who believe that they alone know how best to utilize magic; there are also plenty of mages who adamantly believe that structure and policing are the only ways to ensure that another Cataclysm does rip the world apart yet again. (There’s also plenty of grays inbetween those positions).
Chapter Locations
The Academy operates in all nations, except Regimantis, where the study of non-divine magic is outlawed entirely. The main campus of the Academy of Mystics is located in Pelios, the capital city of Callen Moor. All other nations have smaller chaters of the Academy.
• Callen Moor: Pelios
• Bramm: Tarshnash
• New Wyntiri: Moonsilver
• The Maugholdings: Port Rheema
• Thell: Preea Baba
ACADEMY GRADUATES
Wizards who have graduated from the Academy of Mystics — and as such have proven their knowledge and understanding of the nature of magic and its ethical considerations when being cast — are awarded a blank spell book and a personal orh-lode, which is worn on the wizard’s person, either as a ring, an amulet, or some similar accoutrement.
Orh-Lode
Magic item bestowed upon graduation
Requires attunement
• The orh-lode is powerful enough to dampen Common Magic (cantrips and 1st-2nd level spells) cast by the wearer of the orh-lode. Such spells cast by wizard do not increase their personal aftershadow score, nor do they create a node or increase the magnitude of one already created.
• The orh-lode is less effective at dampening High Magic (3rd-6th level spells). Casting such spells will create a node (if one does not previously exist), but additional high magic spells cast by the wizard will only
increase the order of magnitude of the node by 1 (instead of 2).
• Personal orh-lodes are not large or powerful enough to dampen magic arcane spells.
(Level 7-9 spells).
• Orh-lodes also act as a spell focus and
allow a wizard to recover one additional spell level when they use Arcane Recovery.
An IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT ILLUSIONARY MAGIC
The school of illusion is neither taught nor studied at the Academy of Magic, and wizards cannot learn spells from that school. In the Narenfel setting, Illusion spells draw from the power of Realms of If and the shadowy Ibn-Or who reside there; as such, the language, codification and somatic requirements of Illusionary magic fall outside the scope of wizard, sorcerer and warlock knowledge, and are universally considered illegal in every nation
of the land. Only Shadari can learn spells from the school of Illusion, and taking but a single level in Shadari forever marks a character as an outlaw and anathema.
WIZARD SPELL LIST
Wizards in the lands of Narenfel have a slightly altered list of spells from those listed in the Players Handbook, since they do not practice spells from the school of Illusion (considered Shadari magic). The following spelllist supercedes that in the Player’s Handbook. If a spell is not listed here, it is not available to wizards.
COMMON MAGIC
Cantrips (0 level)
Acid Splash, Chill Touch, Dancing Lights,
Fire Bolt, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Poison Spray, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost,
Shocking Grasp, True Strike
1st Level
Alarm, Burning Hands, Charm Person, Color Spray, Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic,
Expeditious Retreat, False Life, Feather Fall, Find Familiar, Floating Disk, Fog Cloud, Grease,
Hideous Laughter, Identify, Illusory Script, Jump, Longstrider, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Protection from Evil and Good, Shield, Sleep, Thunderwave, Unseen Servant
2nd level
Acid Arrow, Alter Self, Arcane Lock, Arcanist’s Magic Aura, Blindness/Deafness, Continual Flame, Darkness, Darkvision, Detect Thoughts, Enlarge/Reduce, Flaming Sphere, Gentle Repose, Gust of Wind, Hold Person, Knock, Levitate, Locate
Object, Magic Mouth, Magic Weapon, Misty Step, Ray of Enfeeblement, Rope Trick, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility, Shatter, Spider Climb, Suggestion, Web
HIGH MAGIC
3rd level
Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Blink, Clairvoyance, Counterspell, Dispel Magic, Fireball, Fly, Gaseous Form, Glyph of Warding, Haste, Lightning Bolt, Magic Circle, Nondetection, Protection from
Energy, Remove Curse, Sending, Sleet Storm, Slow, Stinking Cloud, Tiny Hut, Tongues, Vampiric Touch, Water Breathing
4th level
Arcane Eye, Banishment, Black Tentacles, Blight, Confusion, Conjure Minor Elementalsm, Control Water, Dimension Door, Fabricate, Faithful Hound, Fire Shield, Ice Storm, Locate Creature,
Polymorph, Private Sanctum, Resilient Sphere, Secret Chest, Stone Shape, Stoneskin, Wall of Fire
5th level
Animate Objects, Arcane Hand, Cloudkill, Cone of Cold, Conjure Elemental, Contact Other Plane, Dominate Person, Geas, Hold Monster, Legend Lore, Modify Memory, Passwall, Planar Binding, Scrying, Telekinesis, Telepathic Bond, Teleportation Circle, Wall of Force, Wall of Stone
6th level
Chain Lightning, Circle of Death, Contingency,
Create Undead, Disintegrate, Eyebite, Flesh to Stone, Freezing Sphere, Globe of Invulnerability, Guards and Wards, Instant Summons, Irresistible Dance, Magic Jar, Mass Suggestion, Move Earth, Sunbeam, True Seeing, Wall of Ice
MAGIC ARCANE
7th level
Arcane Sword, Delayed Blast Fireball,
Etherealness, Finger of Death, Forcecage,
Magnificent Mansion, Plane Shift, Prismatic Spray, Reverse Gravity, Sequester, Symbol, Teleport
8th level
Antimagic Field, Antipathy/Sympathy, Clone, Control Weather, Dominate Monster, Feeblemind, Incendiary Cloud, Maze, Mind Blank, Power Word Stun, Sunburst
9th level
Astral Projection, Foresight, Gate, Imprisonment, Meteor Swarm, Power Word Kill, Prismatic Wall, Shapechange, Time Stop, True Polymorph,
Wish