Mages Guild

The Mages Guild, officially the Guild of Mages, is an organisation dedicated to the study and application of magic.

Overview
According to its own charter, the Mages Guild "provides benefits to scholars of magic and established laws regarding the proper use of magic. The Guild is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and distribution of magical knowledge with an emphasis on ensuring that all citizens of Tamriel benefit from this knowledge."

The Guild Act of 2E 231 granted the Mages Guild a monopoly over the study of magic in the Empire. It provides the environment, resources and connections for mages of any ability and background to learn and to teach. Pedigree and wealth are immaterial to the guild, allowing those without patronage or wealth access to arcane knowledge. This accessibility has resulted in a plethora of unremarkable mages, yet the Mages Guild has produced some of history's greatest wizards.

The guild regulates high standards in the study and application of magic, adhering to the law of the Empire. Detractors of the Mages Guild argue that such restrictions prevent guild-mages from achieving their full potential.

Organisation
The Mages Guild is fundamentally organised into local chapters, within a guildhall owned or leased by the guild. Almost every major town and city in the Third Empire accommodates a chapter of the Mages Guild, who offer magical goods, services and education to the local population.

Each chapter is led by a Guildmagister, with Masters of Incunabula and Arms as deputies. The Master of Incunabula is supported by a Master of Academia and a Master of the Scrye, whilst the Master at Arms is supported by a Master of Initiates and a Palatinus. In some guild chapters, this elaborate hierarchy exceeds the number of its members.

All chapters are subject to the supreme Council of Archmagisters, a body of six archmagisters who lead the Mages Guild.

History
The Mages Guild was founded in the Summerset Isles by Vanus Galerion in the third century of the Second Era. Whereas the study and application of magic had hitherto been reserved for the elite, such as the esoteric Psijic Order, Galerion pioneered a consortium of mages committed to the common good. The guild's first charter was approved by Rilis XII, King of Firsthold, in 2E 230. Thereafter the Mages Guild began to grow throughout the Summerset Isles and, cautiously, continental Tamriel.

The proliferation of the Mages Guild was initially checked by the anxieties of Tamriel's rulers, and it would take a century until the organisation received sanction in the Guild Act signed by the Akaviri Potentate Versidue-Shaie in 2E 321. Armed with its imperial charter the Mages Guild rapidly spread across the Second Empire, establishing chapters in every major town and city.

Providing magical goods and services to the population of Tamriel, at a cost, caused the guild to become inordinately wealthy and influential. Corruption within the Mages Guild was recognised even in its earliest years, causing Galerion himself to abdicate from his foundation. The guild officially remains aloof from local politics, although its chapters have occasionally, and decisively, intervened in worldly conflict and intrigue.

Notable Chapters
The Mages Guild boasts a chapter in almost every major town and city in the Empire. The roster of many chapters can be counted on one hand, whilst the guildhalls of Tamriel's great cities accommodate hundreds of mages. Here follows a list of the greater chapters of the Mages Guild:

Cyrodiil

 * Imperial City (Arcane University): The Arcane University is the most prestigious centre of magical education in the Empire, administered by the Mages Guild. Its archives, chironasium and lustratorium are unparalleled in Tamriel. Study at the university is widely regarded as a rite de passage for an aspiring mage. Located at the heart of the Empire, the Imperial City chapter is the de facto heart of the Mages Guild. It is the seat of the Council of Archmagisters – the guild's supreme council.

Hammerfell

 * Sentinel: The Mages Guild has a limited presence in Hammerfell; its chapters are almost exclusively confined to Forebear cities. Only the guildhall of Sentinel – a hub of Imperial and Breton influence – is comparable to the great foundations of other provinces.

High Rock

 * Wayrest: The Wayrest chapter is richly endowed by the city's Septim rulers and wealthy bourgeoisie. The size of its guildhall is only eclipsed by the Arcane University in the Imperial City.

Morrowind

 * Narsis: The Narsis chapter enjoys the patronage of the Great House Hlaalu, whose sympathy and accommodation for Imperial institutions is well-documented. It is through the Narsis chapter that Morrowind's exotic alchemical ingredients are channelled to the guildhalls of Tamriel.

Summerset Isles

 * Firsthold: The first city of the Summerset Isles to be settled by the Aldmer is home to the first chapter of the Mages Guild, established by Vanus Galerion himself. The guildhall still preserves the original charter of the Mages Guild, issued in 2E 230. Pilgrimages to Firsthold are frequently undertaken by mages seeking to immerse themselves in the birthplace of their guild.