Magisteriate

The Magisteriate was the governing body of the Rasian Academy from 50 BME to 236 ME. It replaced the former collegiate system of masters, headed by a Grand Master, following the downfall of the Grand Master Belikast. Its stated aimed was to promote, oversee and control the use of magic throughout Anrel, but it also used its influence to shape political and social progress of the region. By the 3rd century MEplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigModern Epoch (ME)

The Modern Calendar is a dating system acknowledged throughout the Civilised World. It numbers years from the Modern Epoch, abbreviated ME and BME (Before Modern Epoch). It is also called the Modern Era.

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This is in a series of articles about calendars and dating systems.OrorrHartheraHMOrorrHartheraOrorrOrorrHMHartheraHMHartheraOrorr the Magisteriate was the clandestine ruling body of the Rasian Collegium, a confederation of states allied with Rasia.

The Magisteriate evolved from the former College of Magisters. Historically, all students who proved able to summon and imprint elementals became part of the college. The college was tasked with regulating the actions of its membership, ensuring magicplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigMagic

In common terms, magic is the art of producing a desired outcome through occult means. Various arts are described as magical, from common street illusionists, village herbalists, and rituals for the intercession of deities. However, true magic is the art and science of elemental mastery, harnessing elemental creatures and instructing them to perform simple or complex tasks. was only used proportionately and appropriately. It had powers to sanction its members, and even strip them of their power if they proved guilty of abuse, as famously happened in the case of the rogue Grand Master Belikast, his followers and supporters.

After the abuses of Belikast were uncovered, the Academy underwent a widespread reform to centralise contol. The Magisteriate was first constituted in 50 ME, to replace the former system of multiple colleges each with their own governor, overseen by a single Grand Master. After the perceived abuses of the infamous Grand Master, Belikast, the position was abolished, and an interim council convened, led by the magisters, the scholars and examiners whose sole duty had previously been to assess the abilities and rectitude of students wishing to become full scholars of the Academy.

Rather than having a single powerful leader, the Magisteriate was a committee consisting of magisters, the chief of proctors, and other important academic officials. Civic officials and members of the aristocracy were also requested to join, in order to give a semblance of civic oversight. The committee had a Superior, who chaired meetings and was chief of administration. The Superior was not technically a leader, having first-amongst-equals status, but in practice wielded authority which increased over time. Initially the Superior was merely head of the committee, with the Magisters having a separate head, but the two roles quickly merged.

Despite being created as a means of ensuring magic was used only for benign purposes, the involvement of non-academic political interests turned the Magisteriate into a byzantine and shadowy institution, notorious for clandestine spying, blackmail and assassination. It's degeneracy and insidious control over society was cited by the Anretians as a prime motivation for the Long War.

The institution collapsed following the razing of the city of Rasia, when infighting and cowardice amongst the Magisters failed to protect civilians against massacres by the southern armies. Since that time, the Academy has become a shadow of its former self, and returned to its ancient structure of governorship by masters of each discipline.