Traditions

Hedge Wizards

Though they make up a majority of who wield magic, hedge wizards are not members of any great tradition. They typically learn a handful of practical spells, passed down from a mentor or discarded grimoire. They serve many communities as sages and healers, though occasionally a mage will rise to true greatness from this humble origin.

Though their familiar spells are limited, hedge wizards have a knack for practical spells and skills. The most experienced hedge wizards are very versatile, able to learn almost any spell.

The Untiring

The school of Hurax the White was abandoned not long after after his death five centuries ago. Today, his potent blend of martial and arcane arts is kept alive by a scant few. They hunt for their founder's legendary lost sword, honing their skills in an endless quest. This tradition is passed from seeker to apprentice; their is little contact between those few who still seek to claim for themselves the title of Icereaver.

The untiring seek to test their skills at every turn. In battle, they wield blades of conjured ice.

The Blue Wizards

The Blue Wizards are famous throughout the north as sages; their dark blue robes mark them as men of dignity. The greatest of them act as viziers and seneschals to the kings of Serulai, Arsek, and Norim. Their library is the greatest in the north, and their arcane skills are versatile and potent.

With this great magical power comes responsibility---the Oath of Arnis binds all blue wizards to the code of their order. 

Blooded Mages

On rare occasions, a child is born with innate magical power. Such children are often thought to possess some trace of royal blood, since their powers are remarkably similar to those of the imperial bloodline (if somewhat less powerful). But the gift of these “bastards of the blood” carries with it a curse: there is madness in the blood. 

Surpassingly powerful, bastards are feared and hated wherever they are recognized, and actively hunted by the church. Even as they draw on their power to wield more magic, their magic gains more power over them.

Runescribes

The dwarves possess their own magic, subtle and powerful. When the clan is at peace, runescribes have an honored place as masters of a rare and difficult craft; at war, they are deadly warriors, wielding rune-marked weapons and hurling devastating blast-runes. 

The Windsingers of Alhalus

Long before the rise of empire, the temple of the windsingers held the mage-wives of the god Hura. They mastered the winds, so that the ships of Alhalus sailed quickly and safely wherever they went (so long as they made the proper offerings). Of still greater value was their mastery of whispers, which the wind bore all across the world, faster than the passage of the sun. 

Too powerful and useful to destroy, the servants of the Authority rebuilt their city around them. Today, they are an anomaly: valuable servants of the emperor, hated by the church and a total mystery to the common people. Their tradition is ancient and insular; yet they consider their secrets more powerful than any techniques devised in the last millennium.

(limited spell list with lots of custom spells (long range communication, weather control). More powerful in groups, and have greater range (the temple is super powerful together). Must sing to cast, which takes time and makes noise. Those without training from infancy (outsiders who somehow stole secrets) must roll perform checks or suffer mishaps.