Human

Mage Orders are sort of like video game classes. They each specialize in different things, although they do learn other areas. There are currently five official Orders, although there are small groupings of rogue mages here and there who are trying to form their own. The Orders are split into ranks. From highest to lowest, these are:

•Head of the Order- Runs their respected Order, holds the title of High Lord or Lady. Their staves are tethered to the Motherland itself, which is the source of all Cendaean magic. This rank is passed down to the son or daughter of the Head after their death/retirement. If the mage has no offspring or children unfit to run the Order, a Tethered Mage takes their place. They are highly skilled in magic, able to perform complex spells with little strain. Heads are allowed to be a bit more lax with the Mage's Template, but most follow it rigidly anyway.

•Tethered Mage- Highest rank a normal mage can achieve, but by far the most difficult to achieve. Hold the title of Lord or Lady. Tethered mages are considered role models, and must adhere to the Mage's Template at all times. There are usually only five to ten tethered mages at a time within an Order, since a lot of mages wish to stay out of the public eye as much as they possibly can. For others, the unlimited magic is worth the constant surveillance. Their name comes from the fact that their artifacts are tethered to certain fairy Scholars, who have made vows to replenish the magic of their artifacts forever. (And who certainly regret those vows!)

•Mage- Normal mages make up the bulk of the Order. They have limited magic, and don't have to follow certain parts of the Mage's Template. Again, most do anyway, because they were ( )ought up to live by it. Some mages stop their learning here, but a few others will go into higher learning so they can take a shot at becoming a Tethered Mage. Unlike the tethered mage and Head, they don't hold a title, but are addressed as Sir or Miss.

•Apprentice Mage- Apprentices are youths between the ages of 14-17 who are finished with basic classes at their Order's Academy, but still have the more advanced classes to complete.

•Junior Mage- A Junior is between the ages of 7-13, and is completing basic classes at their Order's Academy.

The Mage's Template

The Template is a set of rules that dictate how mages should live their lives. It's like the magic version of the Ten Commandments...no, scratch that, Leviticus and Numbers. There are a lot of rules, but only tethered mages and Heads of the Orders have to follow all of them all the time. The ones that all mages are expected to follow are:

•Do not waste magic.

•Do not use magic for frivolities like appearance changing or for lazy purposes like tidying your quarters.

•Do not teleport simply because it is convenient. Only use teleportation spells when the matter is urgent.

•Do not use offensive magic against someone unable to defend themself.

•Do not use fire magic in large crowds or forests.

•Do not use wind magic to fly if you are only doing so because you want to have fun.

•Do not use magic, under any circumstances, as a party trick.

•Be courteous at all times.

•Be swift to rebuke any magic user ( )eaking the Template, but do so honorably. Screaming and yelling is not honorably.

•Do not snap at a normal person for asking you about magic. Be polite, and if you do not feel like answering their questions, tell them that the information is classified.

•Ceremonial robes must be worn for any formal event, excluding dances.

•When at the Academy, dressing in the colors of your Order is required. When in battle, the armband bearing your colours must be sported.

Punishment for ( )eaking these rules varies, but most often mages are monitored closely until they can be trusted to follow the Template. For more severe offences, like killing an innocent person on purpose, their magic may be taken away. The Head and tethered mages decide which punishment is suitable, and whether the offender is guilty or not.

The Order of the Rose

Current Head: High Lady Samenthe, Herald of Rebirth

Colors: Pale yellow, pale pink, and rose gold.

Main Academy: Was located in the southwest, but was destroyed by Shemtir during the Great War. The Rose mages are now trying to recover their lives' work.

•Rose mages are experts at stealth and disguising magic. They have a natural affinity for beauty, and their tethered mages perform appearance-changing spells often. Some people seek them out for magical makeovers, although these people are normally refused unless they're having legitimate trouble because of their appearance. (Wanting a new hair color is one thing, wanting to correct a cleft lip or similar deformity is another.) Sometimes the Rose mages give pep talks to people who come to them unhappy with their appearance, and give tips on how to look and feel more beautiful...inside and out.

The Order of the Violet

Current Head: High Lady Dietra, Creator of Luck( )ew

Colors: Dark purple and gold.

Main Academy: Stationed a short distance away from Varton. It's close enough to Vaerys that the mages will spend time making sure there aren't any fairies outside the reservation.

•Violet mages are known as scholars and masters of magic. It's true, these mages spend most of their lives studying, but they're also expert alchemists and potionmakers. A lot of older Violet mages like to mix up new alchoholic drinks, creating things like ales that increase charm and beer that prevents hangovers. Dietra's luck( )ew is incredibly strong, and contains 95% alchohol. If you can get it down, it will increase your luck for three days.

•They have the fewest members, because of their studious stereotype and their being located so close to Vaerys.

The Order of the Cactus

Current Head: High Lord Anatoli the Silver-Tongued (as well as Reuben's father. ;) )

Colors: Light green, light yellow, flamingo pink, and gold.

Main Academy: Located in Íaddích Fánná. It doesn't matter much, though, since most Cactus mages are also minstrels.

•Cactus mages love music. They also love elemental magic. And they're darn good at both. These mages are all bilingual, learning Old Cendaean at an early age so they can compose songs and poems in the language. They are among the few who know the true origin of the language. Cactus mages are by far the most lenient with the Template: a lot of them use their magic for special effects during their shows. Like I mentioned, most Cactus mages are minstrels, and they travel a whole lot. Often they'll find an aspiring Cactus mage along the way, and take them on as an apprentice.

The Order of the Birch

Current Head: High Lord Ga( )iel, Performer of Miracles

Colors: White, gold, and light and dark green.

Main Academy: Stationed at Chóṁheich. Like Cactus mages, Birch mages like to wander.

•Birch mages are master healers, and have been known to cure the incurable. However, they are a last resort. If an herbalist or aromatherapist can't heal you, then and only then can you seek out a Birch mage. They have too many people approach them with things like the common cold, claiming that the other two methods failed them. They can tell when a person's lying. Most Birch mages have training in surgical procedures, healing magic, and basic nutrition.

The Order of the Elm

Current Head: High Lord Elias the Bone( )eaker

Colors: Gunmetal grey, black, and forest green.

Main Academy: Located in Dimse Bírádh, although they have smaller academies in other locations.

•Elm mages are amazing spellswords. They're big, strong, and know how to use magic as the best offense while still utilizing conventional weaponry. Oh, and they love food. Birch mages know about nutrition, but Elm mages can tell you how healthy a food is by smelling it. They have...unusual cooking methods, as well. Ever see a bodybuilder punching ( )ead dough repeatedly? Yeah, that's how these guys knead. They're hardcore, and the Order who can down the most potions. (You don't want to know how that was found out...just trust me.)

Other Magical Groups (Human)

The Hunters' Guild

Current Leader: Lady Sotiria Blackhand

Colors: Royal blue and gunmetal grey.

Main Academy: Oáthú eó Íchdál, but it doesn't matter. They have people everywhere.

•The Hunters don't require magical ability to join, but there's still a fairly high percentage of mages in their numbers. Their members have already wide variety of skills, but a lot of them are skilled with poison and disguise. They are responsible for supplying artifact dealers with fairy artifacts and occasionally killing (outed) banished fae or kidnapping a fairy for the purpose of making them a Scholar. They frequent Tyrus's Market, the infamous black market where all manner of illegal things are bought, sold, and traded. Higher up Hunters will guard the entrances to the Market, and have the job of teleporting people in and out. All without getting caught, of course.

Order of the Clover

Current Leader: Lady Ferryn the Gilded

Colors: Fuschia, gold, and grass green

Main Academy: None

•An unofficial Order trying to become official, Clover mages are students of alchemy. Specifically, Gold alchemy. Even the most skilled Violet mages have been unsuccessful in turning the ordinary into gold. These mages have devoted their lives to it, trying every formula they can think of. Most think they will never be a real Order, since their focus is so narrow. But that doesn't stop them from trying.

Order of the Bird

Current Leader: High Lady Belveola the Hawk

Colors: Midnight blue, royal blue, and gold.

Main Academy: They meet in a small building in Íaddích Fánná, but nobody but them knows it.

•The Order of the Bird is the most exclusive club in Cendaea. Only the best of the best can get in, and there's a genetic factor as well. Your hair must be as black as the night sky, and your eyes the purest gold. Their members are scouted from the other Orders, and don't know what's happening until they're safely in HQ. There they can choose to be initiated into the Order or reject the offer.

Order of the Red Thorn

Current Leader: High Lord Nair the Quick-Wristed

Colours: Red, copper, and burgundy.

Main Academy: Chóṁheich, but no one really knows exactly where. Only the Head and the three tethered mages are in the know.

· Red Thorn mages are chosen from a selection of promising Rose mages. They have to be able to keep a secret from even their closest loved ones, and have to have a cool, calm attitude under extreme pressure. Above all, they have to be willing to learn the illusionary arts: deception, misdirection, sleight of hand...the likes. Though they can use magic well, they prefer to trick people into thinking they have. They're almost feared by the general populace, and there are many rumours surrounding the Order. Unlike most Orders, they don't wear their colours casually.