[center][sub]art by [url=http://ullbors.deviantart.com/art/Wizard-Tower-685390585]Ullbors[/url][/sub]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/CvxsH9E.jpg[/img]
[h2]The Magician's Guilds[/h2][/center]

[i]Magic[/i], unlike science and medicine, cannot be learned in a university setting -- not that this fact hasn't prevented said universities from offering courses and degrees in enchantment and divination. A structured magical curriculum, in the words of renowned magician Ezora Oovakey, "is just fine for the casual layperson or researcher, but no one may call themselves a [i]magician[/i] if school is their only experience." True magicians, in professional opinion, hail from the Magician's Guilds.

[h3]Basic Structure of Magician's Guilds[/h3][indent]In almost any Magician's Guild you'll find a simple hierarchy of members, which reflects that of guilds of any other trade:

APPRENTICE
A new recruit -- usually a youth -- will join a guild as an apprentice. Apprentices are each assigned a mentor (or are adopted directly by a ranked guild member) and are given trivial tasks and mundane responsibilities to perform as compensation for the privilege of accompanying the magician.

JOURNEYMAN
When an apprentice is deemed ready, the mentor will recommend the apprentice for full membership into the guild. A ceremony is held in which the recruit is officially bestowed the status of [i]magician[/i]. As a journeyman, the new magician is qualified to conduct business in their own name, respond to public commissions, and train apprentices of their own. A journeyman's ultimate goal is to contribute an original masterpiece -- a new application of magic or an exceptional and defining feat -- to the field of magic.

MASTER
The council of masters operates and oversees the guild. A journeyman with a high reputation who has completed their masterpiece may be considered by the council to join the rank of Master. The masters of Mages' Guilds are highly sought after for their experience and intellect, and their names are famous (and sometimes infamous) among the general public.

GRANDMASTER
Each guild may only have one grandmaster at any time. The grandmaster is considered to possess the highest knowledge and experience, and acts as the final authority on guild decisions. The council of masters, by popular vote, has the authority to appoint one of their own as grandmaster, and to demote a sitting grandmaster.

CHAPTER
The guild is divided into multiple Chapters, each of which has its own guild hall presided by a single Master. One guild may have numerous chapters that extend to the farthest reaches of the world.

FULCRUM
The meeting place of the guild masters -- and the place of authority of the Grandmaster -- is the Fulcrum. If the guild keeps artifacts or knowledge of importance, they are usually located within the fulcrum.[/indent]

[h3]A List of Guilds in Operation[/h3][indent]The following list is by no means comprehensive -- guilds are founded and disbanded every day -- but it may serve as an example of the most popular and widespread guilds.

[list][*]ENCHANTER'S GUILD - artifacts and the infusion of magical properties into objects.
[*]SORCERER'S GUILD - magic as offensive and defensive strategy in war and peacekeeping.
[*]DIVINER'S GUILD - specializing in clairvoyant insight and foretelling the future.
[*]PHYSICIAN'S GUILD - uniquely teaches scientific and magical methods of healing.
[*]NECROMANCER'S GUILD - communicate with the dead and manipulate the state of living things.
[*]MECHANIKER'S GUILD - magic as a power source for machines.
[*]ARCHITECT'S GUILD - creation and control of Ruse, golems, and magically manufactured life.[/list][/indent]

[h3]Alternative Magical Organizations[/h3][indent]Outside the guilds, there are a great many independent organizations which practice magic in all its forms. Their members, however, rarely call themselves "magicians."

[list][*]WITCH COVENS - the use of magic to affect fate, luck and nature in a variety of concentrations.
[*]RELIGIOUS SECTS - worship one or more deities which answer prayers with magical effects.
[*]SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES - research into the way magic works.[/list][/indent]