P A R A G O N
The College of Entropy
The College of Entropy and subsequent Tower of Entropy is the bastion for the Order of the Black Robes. These mages are taught that magic is the only thing of value in the world of Ransera and through it, all things are possible. Only those worthy of its wonders should be allowed to practice it and only those worthy of safeguarding its secrets are deserving of receiving them. To a Black Robe, magic is the ultimate path to power, purpose and prestige. It is the highest of Arts practiced by mortals and is thus often referred to as the Art. They do not bother with lingering on the morality of the use of magic, people are all ultimately selfish and pursue any means of power only for their own interests anyways. The College of Entropy consistently yields the smallest number of graduates but among them, they tend to boast some of the most powerful practitioners of magic in the world. Black Robes are taught that they are worthy of only that which they have the will to conquer and claim as their own. You either survive of your own volition or you do not. Failure means you were unworthy of that which you sought to begin with.
Common disciplines wielded by Black Robes are: Affliction, Elementalism (Wind Arche, Lightning Blend), Mesmer, Summoning
Common schools practiced by Black Robes are: Necromancy, Alchemy, Scrivening
Every student of the College of Entropy 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 Entropy is an amulet with a black jewel at the center. Additionally, students are given a pouch of black sorcerer’s sand to further assist them in their pursuits.
The Order of the Black Robes
Fiora
Race: Siltori
Order: Black Robes
Bio: The Head of the Order of the Black Robes, Sage Fiora Briathos is a name invoked carefully by those who know of her. She rose to power after the mysterious disappearance of her predecessor and following an incident where two rival Black Sages were lost to a tragic accident. She is a woman with little tolerance for those who do not grasp the enormity of the majesty of magic. She is one of the foremost Summoners that the Circle of Spells has and is rumored to have brought into her service a Kahl demon. As Mistress of the Black Robes she prides herself on ensuring that only the most worthy and capable candidates get accepted into the College of Entropy. She is the eldest daughter of Daizoku Briathor IV and takes immense pride in occupying a position that solidifies the legacy of her family as one of the greatest authorities on magic in all of Karnor. She is known to carefully scrutinize things brought to her attention with a level of awareness that shocks most. Few things escape her notice and even fewer things surprise her. She is a woman who seems meticulously prepared for any and all eventualities, having proven her cunning many times over the course of her life.
Inirith
Race: Lysanrin
Order: Black Robes
Bio: A leader in occult studies at the College of Entropy, Inirith possesses no runes of magic but is one of the most adept practitioners of Necromancy and Scrivening that they have seen. She has proven repeatedly that her lack of ability to personally possess a rune of magic is inconsequential. Her level of mastery over the powers of Aether Siphoning have few equals and she has dedicated her life to exploring its secrets. She is a noted advocate for Lysanrin and has repeatedly gone out of her way to usher Lysanrin students under her wing. As a teacher at the College of Entropy, she is thorough in her periods of instruction. She will give students all of the information they need to succeed and then she will test them with the expectation that they grasp the material entirely. She never tests beyond what is expected of a student at their given tier of mastery but all the same, she is brutally efficient at weeding out those who are ill-suited to a life dedicated to wielding arcane powers.
Malerakas
Race: Human
Order: Black Robes
Bio: Malerakas is known to both envy and bitterly hate the current Head of the Black Robes. The son of a late Black Sage, his father was a contender for Head of the Order following the previous Head’s untimely demise. When the selection of the new Head of the Order came up, he was very vocal about his suspicions of foul play. The Council of Sages investigated the matter but nothing ever came of the investigation. Despite being cleared of accusations, Malerakas still harbors anger toward Fiora and has quietly vowed to uncover the truth and vengeance for the humiliation he received in the aftermath. Nevertheless, he is a powerful mage in and of his own right. He is a known master of Affliction magic and more than once, his skill in the use of curses has been called upon to deal with threats to both the Circle and the city of Kalzasi. As a teacher, he is unforgiving. Succeed or be crushed under the weight of your failures is something that he lives by, ironic, given his lot in life. Still, he is a capable instructor and takes immense pride in the Order of the Black Robes. He has little tolerance for those whom he believes to be unworthy of the pursuit of magic.
Curriculum
The studies of a student of Entropy are focused on the power and majesty of magic. This is reflected in the harsh teaching practices of its instructors. Magic is a treasure that separates those who are utterly mundane and those who hold the keys to unlocking the secrets of the universe. Students of the College of Entropy will be pushed, they will be tested. They will be forced to either succeed or be left behind and to be left behind, often means being destroyed by the powers that one sought to unlock.
Students of the College of Entropy receive an initiation into their prospective rune of magic within the first week of joining the college. Either one survives or they do not. Failure to do so means that one was marked for death to begin with. The bodies of these students are often then turned over to the necromancers to be utilized in magical research. Often times these bodies are in turn used by students of necromancy for practice. Regardless, following their survival in their initiation, students are given a week long break and then the rigors of their life truly begin.
Black Robed students are pushed to become absolutely knowledgeable in the techniques and practices of their first rune of magic. They are expected to be able to display utter competency in all of its aspects for their given tier of mastery and are regularly tested. During the course of their instruction they will be introduced to various magical theories tied to their rune of magic and upon being given these periods of instruction, they will then be expected to display some manner of understanding of their application. Additionally, students of this college are given instruction on their first World Magic alongside their first rune magic. They are taught that magic builds upon itself and will be expected to display the ability to weave both their World Magic and their Rune of Magic together seamlessly at their given tiers of mastery. Failure to do so means one does not adequately understand how to navigate the flow of aether and thus one is not competent enough to progress further. Only once the individual has displayed adequately that they can blend together their two magics and put them to use, will they be offered their second rune of magic.
You either survive or you do not. Those who do not, are discarded in a similar fashion as the first round of deaths. No pity or remorse is shown for them and those surviving students will be expected to continue their studies within a week’s time.
Upon successfully reaching Journeyman in all three of their magics, the student will then be allowed to enter their capstone.
Capstone
The College of Entropy engineers their capstone projects to force the student to showcase complete and total competency of the magics at their disposal in excruciating detail. Anything less is unacceptable. This means that the project must incorporate the highest levels of what that student is capable of across all of their magics on top of frequently delving into lost or forbidden places to uncover secrets of magic from ages past. While the latter part is not always a requirement, it can certainly add to the levels of prestige afforded to an individual’s capstone. Regardless, each proposition will be sent to a Sage of the Black Robes for review. Upon receiving their critique, the student will then be free to pursue it. Once they are ready, they will present the results of their project to the same Sage who reviewed it and upon being judged adequate, they will be scheduled for their Trial of Judgement.