The Axioms Magocratic

To be a Magocrat requires more than skill as an uneducated hedge mage, who is prone to capricious and ornery behaviour. It requires mastery of body, magic and mind. Only by adhering to these three Axioms can a Magocrat of quality exist.

Hariximus Goldfeather, Founder of the Goldfeather Institute

Magocrats are more than just Mages; they are the masters of martial prowess, magical ability, scholarship, and political leadership. They are the Spell, the Sword, and the Accord - all as one. As the preeminent Keydessan academy for Magocrats, the Goldfeather Institute holds its Alumni to three core Axioms:

The Spell

The Truest Leader is One that Controls Change

The most obvious and famed Axiom: Every Magocrat must be at heart a Mage. This Axiom is the simplest, but also the least forgiving, demanding a demonstration of at least basic mastery of the school of Magery. This requirement dates back to the earliest traditions of Magocratic rule in Franconia. A basic mastery of this Axiom is a mastery of the lesser Magecraft. True mastery comes from mastering the greater elemental sphere.

The benefits of Magery within a ruler are twofold. Firstly and most obviously, no school of magic is more suited to combat on a battlefield than the multitudinous arts of the Mage. A greater Mage at their best can single handedly disable the heaviest troops, blunt an enemy charge, or crack shield walls by utilising their arcane powers.

The second benefit of the mastery of the elemental sphere is that it represents a mastery of change. A true leader must be able to embrace change, but also be able to guide and shape it. Without this firm hand, a nation will fall to the chaos of unguided change and tear itself apart, or else with no change at all will stagnate to its ruin.

While Magocrats respect the other spheres - and many even have skill or even mastery in the other spheres - it is only ability as a Mage that meets the requirements for the Axiom. Corporealism is a noble power that can save many lives, but the unchanging mindset of stasis is unsuitable for a leader of Franconia. A shamanist’s command over the will and spirits is a potent force both on the battlefield and at court, but such power over the will of others is not to be trusted in a leader. Indeed, many Magocrats tend to downplay any abilities they have in the spiritual field, lest they earn the distrust of their peers or the citizenry.

The Sword

When Words Fail, The Sword Must Prevail

The Second Axiom is what separates Magocrats from common Mages in the eyes of the ignorant. Magocrats are famed not only for skill with spells, but for their martial prowess. No true Magocrat can claim to be such without significant skill in arms. Most famously Magocrats tend to fight with one handed blades, but mastery of any type of weapon is enough to meet the basic requirements of this Axiom. A true master of the sword will likely be skilled in multiple types of weapon, including the use of light or possibly even medium armour, and will be a keen scholar of war and its tactics. More unusual examples of the Axiom include Magocrats who serve as Arcane archers, Magocrats who have learned the arts of scouting, or even more pacifistic Magocrats serving as leaders of surgery teams on the battlefield.

Enemies from without and within have always threatened Franconia, and the ability to fight with a weapon in hand and lead armies on the battlefield has always been a requirement of Franconia’s ruling class (much as it often is for the nobility of other nations of the warhost). While not all Magocrats focus heavily on martial skills, there is not a single True Magocrat who is not skilled with at least one weapon.

Franconian duels are famed in particular for spectacular displays of skill where Magocrats would sling spells at each other, whilst simultaneously engaging in intricate displays of swordplay. The tradition is so ingrained that even Franconians without magical ability are known to take part in duels where they are expected to not only clash blades, but also sing, recite poetry, or trade insults at the same time.

The Accord

That Which is Gained in War Must be Held in Peace

The third Axiom is the least well known to the uneducated, but often the most important for a ruling Magocrat. A Magocrat must be more than just a battlemage; they must continuously educate themselves to better know the laws of nature and those of civilisation. Meeting this Axiom in its most basic form requires a reasonable amount of education. Being able to read or write or having educated knowledge in a field of study might earn you basic attainment of this principle, but masters of the Accord will be well versed in the lore and law of the world. They may be masters of herblore, experts in the detection of forgery, or else masters of a craft. Many masters of the Accord are political animals or master lawmakers, able to keenly bargain and manipulate other leaders or else ensure justice is done with a thorough understanding of the laws that govern Franconia and its neighbours. Others are keen religious scholars with in depth knowledge of the Goddess, Hunter, or more recently the Forgeborn.

Without a leading class that constantly strives to educate itself, a nation is little more than rabble ruled by warlords. Magocrats are keen scholars, and each imperium had great libraries of knowledge where you would find Magocrats studying and learning at all hours of the day and night. The desire to learn and to educate also leads to increased innovation within the nation, the light of learning ever burning to hold back the darkness of superstition and prejudice.

The requirement for educated ability is important in maintaining Magocracy as a meritocratic system: By requiring that Franconia’s leadership be highly educated, it helped prevent decadence and unworthy leadership. Whilst many hereditary nobility systems suffered from decadent nobles that were unworthy or incapable of leading, requiring a high degree of education meant that even the most nepotistic of Magocrats had a base level of mental skill and ability to rule.

In particular, Keydessan tradition places a great deal of emphasis on impassioned debate, and a proper Goldfeather is expected to have the ability to take part in such debates. Goldfeather Alumni are expected to champion their values with a passion befitting Keydessa and hold to them with their hearts as well as their minds.