LostKnightsRPG.org

I originally thought of this when i was thinking about a wyld hunt for steven, but when i started making the characters, i felt this was too rich an idea to just toss out for a one shot, so i made a few more characters. Then i started thinking about a structure to support the characters and fleshing out my ideas...

and then i just decided to write it all out. this exists in my game now. and i'm still giving some of these characters to use in his game.

The College of Sagacious Elemental Masters

The CSEM began as merely an informal social club amongst lore enthusiasts and those who took an academic approach to their understanding of the immaculate dragons. As time went by, and the membership grew larger, the most respected among them decided to formalize rules of apprenticeship, rank, and behavior.

Now, over 200 years since its formal founding, the CSEM is a small but respected staple of Realm society. Technically the CSEM is not a secondary school, but instead is more like a post graduate degree. Yearly it takes on several of the most promising applicants and begins a long process of training, along with field study. These students maintain their own lives for the most part, and seldom live on the grounds full time, though families generally make allowances for the time spent on training missions. And while some of the more warlike amongst the realm claim that the CSEM is a waste of resources and good dragonblooded, few who have seen them in the midst of their “field training” on various wyld hunts would ever claim them to be ineffective combatants.

Students of the CSEM are trained first in Lore. All who wish to rise in the CSEM master the lore skill, and all of its associated charms, as soon as they possibly can. After lore is mastered, students are encouraged to branch out into one of the favored skills of the CSEM: War, Occult, Investigation, Medicine, and Dodge; first they master the skill and then the charm tree associated with it. After they have passed this step they are recognized as full members of the college, and may assume a mentorship position for less experienced students. They are also responsible for researching new charms, elementaly aspected spells, techniques, skill uses, essence purification techniques, instance of elementals within nature, etc., and are required to publish at least one academic article every 5 years. At this point, to rise within the college requires some combination of charm creation, beneficial research, and mastery of the college’s preferred skills. After the member has mastered at least 3 skills/charm trees on the preferred list, and assuming good standing regarding research, the member is awarded elder status, and is given a place in the decisions that affect the college as a whole; they have tenure. Few rise past the rank of Elder Elementalist, as to do so requires mastery of all of the preferred skills of the college, as well as a great deal of research on the subject and a refined essence that allows broadening of the exalts mind to an extent that allows true comprehension of the lore skill (lore 6+), but those that do rise the rank of Arch-Master of the Elements are feared and respected by those with any wisdom, while fools believe them to be but doddering old scholars.

Prospective students must meet stringent requirements. All must be well educated, and thus must possess a minimum of lore 3, and at least one elemental specialty in the lore skill. Each candidate must be an accomplished individual in their own right, having graduated from another secondary school such as the Heptagram or have spent at least a decade in a professional capacity of some sort. Candidates must display mastery in several charms: Elemental Blast, Elemental Concentration Trance, and Elemental Burst Technique, or a minimum of 3 elemental spirit charms. All candidates must also display great proficiency (rank 3) in at least one of the above preferred skills from their own element, and one from another element. Candidates must also present a written request for entrance, and pass an interview. Finally, while it is a given that only those with enlightened essence may enter, it is not required that candidates be dragon blooded. The CSEM cares far more about a students potential to enrich the college than for their lineage. Assuming they possess the appropriate skills and charms, god-blooded may be allowed in, and rumor has it that a few spirits and elementals are amongst the high-ranking of the college, despite the many rules this would violate.

Character Creation
Members of the CSEM almost invariably have mental as a primary category, and lore as a favored ability. Social skills tend to be fairly high during the first few stages of their training, as the college is a hotbed of politics and the students tend to come from circles of society where battles are won with choice words rather than swords. As they age, members tend to begin focusing on the application of their power, and applying elemental energies to their own bodies. They use essence purification techniques not unlike the immaculate order, and do a great deal of dangerous field work, ensuring that by the time they reach elder or archmaster status, members have excellent physical abilities and a high essence score.

A Note on Charms
College members are especially well known for the different approach they take to elemental charms. Members are encouraged to take two approaches regarding charm usage, both of which vary dramatically from standard educational practices. First, students are expected to be able to fully replace their element in the use of any charm, no matter the element. A Fire aspect with investigation charms is expected to feel the heat and its fluctuation in the world around him in order to accomplish the same ends as a water aspect pouring his watery essence over everything to investigate it. Second, students are encouraged to bring balance to elemental charms, seeing all five elements in all aspects of the charms they use. To continue with the above example, one specialized in investigation would not only flood his essence outward, but would also feel the air, the vibrations in the earth, the heat around him, and the all living things near him.

Because of this intensive training, a new lore charm is available, that when purchased, permanently eliminates the out of aspect mote surcharge on all uses of Lore, War, Dodge, Occult, Investigation, and Medicine charms, as well as all charms with the Elemental keyword.

Sagacious Elemental Mastery
Cost: -; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 4; Type: Permanent; Keywords: None; Duration: Permanent; Prerequisites: Any Lore Excellency, All Lore charms

This College continues to exist into the time my game is set in.

I like it... makes me think of those turn of the century (19th) clubs and lodges of "Adventurers" that went and explored the world and had dangerous trips into the "dark heart of Africa"...

kind of a combination of that, and old school colleges, where not only were profesors teachers, they also did stuff in the world, such as being lawyers, doctors, etc.

and unless you destroy it or or the internet eats it, i see no reason why it wouldn't still exist. unless a smiley face beats it to death with a hammer.