P A R A G O N
The College of Sands
The College of Sands and subsequent Tower of Sands, is the bastion for the Order of the Red Robes. These mages who believe that the path of magic is one that must be walked in a balance between self and selflessness. To a Red Robe, magic is a tool. It is neither good nor evil. It is an extension of one’s perspective on the world and how they wish to engage with it. Of the three institutions of the Circle, the College of Sands is the most scholarly of the three. They are by far the most academic of the Robed Orders and have contributed greatly to many of the Circle’s greatest arcane accomplishments. This is balanced by the fact that often many of its members are some of the most expressive of the Robed Orders. Red Robes are taught to view magic as a tool of wonder that can build and reveal incredible things. On that same token however, often through this expression, the College of Sands sees the highest number of reassignments along the course of its curriculum as students realize they lean more toward the rigid ethics of the White Robes or the unrestrained quest for power that is a hallmark of the Black Robes.
Common disciplines wielded by the Red Robes are: Animus, Elementalism (Fire Arche, Volcanic Blending), Masquerade, Semblance, Traversion
Common schools practiced by the Red Robes are: Artificing, Runeforging, Scrivening
Every student of the College of Sands will be offered initiation in up to (2) Runes of Magic and instruction in (1) World Magic. No more and no less.
The Student Artifact of the College of Sands is a piece of jewelry that usually has red accents or has a red jewel as the centerpiece. Additionally, all students of this college are given a pouch of red sorcerer’s sand to assist them in their spellcraft.
Order of the Red Robes
Ardel
Race: Rathri (Mountain Lion)
Order: Red Robes
Bio: The Head of the Order of the Red Robes, Sage Ardel Vayn is young compared to most Sages of the Circle. A man only in his mid-thirties, he has distinguished himself as one of the most creative minds when it comes to applying theories of magic. An accomplished practitioner of Masquerade, the man weaves illusions as easily as breathing. He has a passion for history, archaeology and spends the vast majority of his time embarking upon expedition after expedition into the latest site of interest to the Circle. He is single-handedly responsible for retrieving and preserving some of the strangest artifacts in the Circle’s possession. As Master of the Red Robes he goes to great length to instill in the minds of those within his Order a vast appreciation for the history and academics of magic. On top of his mastery over illusions, he is one of the foremost authorities on Artificing in all of Karnor. He has a particular interest in studying relics of the Clockwork Empire, especially those that relate to Artificing. To interact with Ardel is to be put at ease. He is a charismatic and charming individual with a love of telling stories and hearing about the exploits of others.
Serenielle
Race: Hytori
Order: Red Robes
Bio: The resident Mistress of Doors, Serenielle is a Hytori elf of indeterminate age who has traveled across as many countries as she has planes of existence. She is the authority of teleportation magic at the College of Sands and by herself, has likely chronicled and served as cartographer for more places than most people can name. Hailing originally from Sol’Valen, she traveled to Kalzasi following stories of the Warrens and the secrets they hold. She has spent most of her life attempting to catalog and map out as much of the seemingly infinite expanse of caverns as she can. On top of portal magic, she is a noted Scrivener who has been responsible for expanding the use of interdimensional spatial magic by augmenting utilization of the Slipspace. There are rumors that she is attempting to develop an entirely new Rune of Magic but whether or not she has seen success on this front is unknown to any not involved in her research. As a teacher, she is patient. She will often teleport herself and her students to places where they can experience weird manifestations of the magic they seek to command, forcing them to adjust their view of how aether can be manipulated.
Ekem
Race: Half-Hobgoblin
Order: Red robes
Bio: A noted runesmith, Savant Ekem is a quiet man who would much rather spend his time at the forge than he would anywhere else. Nevertheless, he is a respected figure across the entirety of the Circle of Spells and is the wizard responsible for forging the Student Artifacts that all students of the Circle receive. He is diligent and patient in his crafting, displaying an uncanny ability to discern exactly what is needed to produce a well balanced artifact. As a teacher, he is a man who is akin to show a student how to do something as opposed to lecturing about it. His views are that magic is something that must be experienced firsthand in order to truly grasp what it is capable of. He is a man who was born and raised in Kalzasi, with his family having lived in the city-state for generations. He is one of only a few who have turned to the pursuit of the arcane arts.
Curriculum
The studies of a student of the College of Sands will be steeped in the scholastic worth of the pursuit of magic. They will be educated in a great deal of history surrounding the use of magic, some of the greatest known achievements in the field of magical study, and some of its most renowned practitioners. The students of this college are pushed to explore the lore of aetheric manipulation so that when it comes to utilizing the magic at their disposal, they approach it with the eyes of someone who can think outside the box. A hallmark of Red Robes is their sharp wit and knack for approaching magical solutions creatively. Frequently, these students will be faced with puzzles that require abstract thinking where the solution is neither easily reached nor is it the only option. These individuals are assessed for their ability to explore the most learned approach or in some cases, the one that is the most creative. The College of Sands prepares its students for their initiation by teaching them that the road to mastering the forces of magic is seldom the obvious one.
There is no set date at which the students will receive their initiation into their first rune of magic. The professors observe and guide each student, measuring their potential readiness for a rune. When it become clear that the majority of students are prepared to receive their rune of magic, the students will be put through their initiation. Those students who did not seem prepared, will be held back until such time as they either are deemed ready or they are disenrolled entirely. Those who do not survive are cremated and have their names added to a book that is kept by the college archives. Songs are composed to commemorate those who did not make it and stories of their tenure and accomplishments while at the college are shared over a banquet. Following this, the students are given a week before studies resume.
Following their first successful initiation, this is when students are pushed to truly begin exploring the nature of the powers at their disposal. Often, students are paired with seasoned Adepts within the Order of the Red Robes and tasked with assisting in important research or explorations that are relevant to the Circle of Spells as a whole. They receive tutelage and instruction from these mentors and are expected to assist with compiling reports on what they observe and learn. Once they have achieved the rank of Apprentice in their mastery of their first magic, they will then be offered an initiation into the second rune of magic. Because of the unique approach to exploring the dynamics of aether as a whole that these students receive, it is rare that they do not survive their second initiation. For those that do not however, they are given the same ceremony as before. At the conclusion of which, it will be another week before studies resume. During this time, the College of Sands will offer one school of World Magic to the student and as they work toward the Apprentice tier of mastery in their second rune, they are also instructed in their World Magic.
Once they achieve the rank of Journeyman in all of their magics, they will begin their Capstone.
Capstone
The College of Sands tends to engineer the capstone projects of its students toward academic exploration or arcane archaeology. The goal of these projects is often to uncover lost history or site relevant to the study and practice of magic in general. Additionally, these students are most commonly those who exhibit the ability to produce works of magical crafting as evidence of their competency over the forces of magic. Some students might even be offered the chance to help in an expedition to a new site of arcane power and be asked to compile research on what they learn or uncover there. Regardless, once their capstone has been proposed it will be reviewed by a Sage of the Red Robes and upon receiving their critique, they will then be free to pursue it. Upon successfully completing their capstone, the student will then be scheduled for their Trial of Judgement.