Aertistry
The Aertists were an avant-garde aesthetic and ideological movement in the Rasian Academy, in first centry BME. At first merely a student movement, many of its members became influential leading to tense confrontation between the Aertists, the Academy establishment, and the Magisters in particular. Violent conflict created a chain of events which eventually saw the rise of the Magisteriate.
Rasian Academyplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigRasian Academy
Topics related to the Grand Academy of Rasia.
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This is in a series of articles about the Rasian Academyplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigRasian Academy
The Rasian Academy is the common name for the Grand Academy of Rasia, the greatest institution of magic and learning in the Anrel Isles.
See also:
- Magicplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigMagic
Magic, also called thaumaturgy is the art and science of harnessing elementals, and instructing them to carry out simple or complex tasks.
Invoking more powerful spirits or gods is a related but much more dangerous art, called theurgy.
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topics sidebar beliefs - Schools of Thoughtplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigSchools of Thought (Category)
The Rasian Schools of Thought were various different approaches to academic philosophy and thaumaturgical practice which flourished during the golden age of the Grand Academy of Rasia. Of these various schools, only Magistry survives today, so that
Philosophy
The Aertists believed their magic should be dedicated to the enrichment of humanity, by creating great art, imagory, architecture, development of the natural sciences, and using spectacle and wonder to improve the human spirit. Aertistry was something of an anarchic philosophy, and soon came into conflict with Magistry, the conservative movement which advocated restraint, rules and order. The Magisters considered the Aertists at best ill-disciplined and foppish, at worst naive, ignorant and dangerous, whilst Aertists viewed the Magisters as dour, repressive and authoritarian.
History
The Aertist movement reached its peak prior to the time of the Grand Master Belikast, when the Academy was at the zenith of its power and prestige. The Aertists had many friends amongst the wealthy and powerful, who commissioned prominent Aertists to create spectacles of illusion and architectural splendour. With wealthy backers behind them, the Aertists, frustrated by the constant disapproval and harassment by the Magisters with the Academy, attempted to build their own alternative centre of power.
All elemental adepts went through a rite of initiation, summoning their prime source atop the Magisters' Tower. Being unwilling to submit to the rules of the College of Magisters, they began constructing their own Tower of Aer. The construction of a second tower threatening to split the Academy, and to break the Magisters' monopoly.
Through many machinations and scandals, the Tower of Aer was never completed. Belikast was wooed by the Magisters and other academics, who persuaded him that the only solution was compromise between the two warring camps. With the backing of both groups he was elected Grand Master. During his administration he attempted a synthesis of the two ideals, but he was soon declared a traitor by extreme factions amongst the Aertists. Denied their separate centre of power the movement withered, and became increasingly seen as petty and self-serving.
After the terrible disgrace and downfall of Belikast, Aertistry was completely discredited, and the old guard of Magistry dominated the Academy for ever after.