Bondsmage

Bondsmage is the title given to the practitioners of the sorcerous arts. Where once in history there had been various different groups with magic abilities, the Bondsmages of Karthain have eliminated their competition. During the late Therin Throne era, a war between the king and the Bondsmages resulted in the capital being razed; the Bondsmages - a total of four hundred conjuring at once - called fire from the sky and torched the city. The only object spared was the throne it's self, left as a reminder of the power of the Bondsmages to all that would oppose them.

The seat of rule is known as the Sky Chamber. It is guarded by what is described as a plain door, and appears to be opened by casting one's sigil upon it. The chamber is fifty yards in diameter and has a domed glass ceiling that resides twenty feet underground. The glass dome takes on an enchanted image of the sky. As one makes their case before the council and Archemagi, the sky changes, becoming sunny and bright if the collective is in favor of the speaker, and growing dark and cloudy if they are not presenting a good case. There is a large circular pool of Dream Steel in the center, with four chairs arranged around it for the Archmagi to sit. The Dream Steel - like other examples of it - can be manipulated with the mind, and is shown to take on the skyline of Camorr at one point in a 'flashback' of Patience's memories.

The Bondsmages have a set of laws they follow, including a code that states that one who murders a Bondsmage must be hunted down and murdered as well. Other laws include not being able to tamper with the elections of Karthain directly, as well as not using magic on the citizens of Karthain.

The Bondsmages offer services to the rest of the world at a price, following their creed of "incipa veila armatos de" - "we become instruments". Black Contracts are issued much the same as any other Bondsmage contract : A panel of Archmagi hears out the contract and discusses the risks and details of the contract. Speakers can bring up points, either for or against the contract. The four Archmagi then rule, needing a majority vote for the contract to be deemed acceptable. At least one mage must be willing to carry out the contract for it to be accepted.

There are four Archmagi at any given time. All are 5-ring ranked, and their ages vary, with the youngest being forty, and the oldest mentioned by age being seventy. Their names are purely traditional and ceremonial, and do not reflect their personalities. Female archmagi are known as 'Archedama', while the males are 'Archedon'

• Archedama Patience
• Archedon Providence (patience age)
• Archedama Foresight (Forty years old)
• Archedon Temperance (Seventy years old)

Bondsmages are ranked on a scale of one to five, with rings of tattoos on their forearm denoting which rank they belong to. One ring would be a novice, while five is the mark of a master.

Named Bondsmages include The Falconer (two rings), Navigator (three rings) , and Coldmarrow (four rings)

Each Bondsmage has their own sigil; a mental representation of themselves, which they can project to others in the same way one would give their name as identification. Examples of these are

• Falconer's sigil ; wide bright sky, sensation of soaring, wind against face, freedom of high flight
• Patience's sigil : Folds of pale silk with needles punching in and out of delicate lace, a rough edge of cloth unraveling in to threads

The powers of Bondsmages are numerous and may in fact be near unlimited in nature. Known examples of these powers are as follows :

- Paralyze opponent - Cause bodily pain (Targeted locations and full body) - Create convincing illusions - Control minds/bodies - Cause localized weather - Steer ships mentally - Create alchemical/Magical hybrid creatures - Bind themselves to a familiar - Levitate objects (implied) - Vanish from a room - Rain fire from the sky - Purge poison from a body - Incite hostility in animals - Share visions of memories - Instantly Speak telepathically over vast distances - Control targets minds/bodies over vast distances