The Enlightened Academy of Arcane Study is a rather secretive society that represents most magic users and provides teaching and enforcement of the Laws of Magic. It is lead by an enigmatic council of powerful wizards known as the Majestic Eleven. Their home is the Crystal City located on the artificial Isle of Tefhanna, which floats on Lake Passiondale.
All but one of the Majestic Eleven are wizards. Aerimus the Dragon’s Prophet (CN male human, sorcerer 20), is said to be a very powerful sorcerer who convinced the Mages Guild to admit him, after he out dueled the previous number eleven. A mysterious figure, he is said to spend very little time in the Crystal City and wanders the world in search of secret knowledge. Some rather contradictory reports describe him as a meddler in various incidents, and he has earned a reputation of acting on the slightest whim, whether that is seek a princess’ hand in marriage, defeat villainous necromancers single-handedly, or set the city of Dunshaven on fire repeatedly. Many acts by mysterious travelers are now attributed, baselessly I might add, to his exploits in the world.
The vast majority of wizards in the world must be certified by the Mages Guild in order to legally use their powers. Higher ranking members of the Guild are said to be able to draw immense power from the Crystal Chrysalis, a massive arcane energy artifact located beneath the Guild Halls at the centre of the Crystal City.
An interesting quirk of the Mages Guild is that it is divided by colour designations.
The White Mages specialize in Abjuration and Divination magic. The official doctrine of the White Mage is as strict as some religious creeds, and among other things, prohibit the use of magic for destructive purposes. Many of them also tend to be clerics, and this has led to some confusion among the general populace over the differences between a White Magic, and a Cleric of the Church.
Black Mages are specialized in Necromancy and Transmutation magic. Many of them are rumoured to be clerics of Darkness, though this is denied by the Guild. In any case, these Mages are to be feared.
Unfortunately, many people have an incorrect impression of the Red Mages, due to the antics of a famous, but nameless Bard, who once impersonated a Red Mage. The proper Red Mage of the Guild is usually an Evocation and Conjuration magic specialist, one capable of highly dramatic and destructive magic.
Blue Mages are highly skilled Illusionists and Enchanters who are often also masters of the counterspell and misdirection. The ability of some Blue Mages to redirect the spells of even powerful monsters has caused an unfortunate belief among less informed individuals that Blue Mages are actually able to learn new spells from having them cast upon them. Many Blue Mages enjoy perpetuating this myth.
A special subgroup of mages, informally known as Green Mages, or Summoners are masters of a unique subcategory of Conjuration magic known as Summoning magic. They specialize in the binding of elementals and monsters to magical contracts. Summoners are said to have established a rather loose association with several Druidic orders.
Not all mages of the Guild follow these conventions and many a Guild Mage is a member of more than one designation.
Additional Information:
The Mage's Guild holds a legal monopoly on the use of a sizable number of arcane spells that have been developed, according to what is known as the Spell Patent system. Essentially, any new magic spell developed by an accredited mage must be registered with the Mage's Guild, who will often purchase such spells for a considerable sum. The Guild will then judge whether or not the magic spell obeys the Laws of Magic, which prohibit certain spells based on their more dangerous effects. Assuming the spell is sanctioned by the guild, subsequently, the legal use of said spell is restricted to accredited mages who pay dues to the Mage's Guild. The system was originally designed to encourage the sharing of useful magic, and to prevent certain abuses from taking place. However, in practice it gives the Mage's Guild immense power to regulate and control the use of magic, such that few legal jurisdictions are powerful enough to challenge the Mage's Guild's monopolies. Mages who refuse to be accredited and wield arcane magic without permission are often hunted by the Knights of the Circle, who specialize in anti-magic fighting and arresting illegal mages.
Divine magic is considered the purview of the various Churches or Religions, and as such is not regulated by the Mage's Guild, in accordance with various treaties.