Wizards: the Fraternity of the Comet

Third wizardly order of Belswick, written while on a Jack Vance binge (warning: TV Tropes).

Even the most inbred of nobles recognize the value of a well-healed peasant who can throw around fire on the battlefield. An army might hire a member of the Order of the Circle for versatility, a mage of the Lodge for insight. An honourless sort might even employ the Violet Cloud for assassination. But in a full scale battle, the Fraternity of the Comet has no peers.

Not the best of omens, no.
Woodcut showing destructive influence of a fourth century comet from Stanilaus Lubienietski's Theatrum Cometicum (Amsterdam, 1668).

THE FRATERNITY OF THE COMET

("the Comet, elementalists, doom bringers, fire hurlers")

The Comet is an ancient symbol of change and ill omen, quite immediately so when it falls* to the earth and hits you. The same goes for the Fraternity of the Comet (open to both genders). The Fraternity started as a guild of alchemists with a fetish for smoke powder. It received formal approval to study evocation magic and opened as a college for war magic 197 years ago. Graduates are employed by nobles, mercenary companies and sometimes even the Church. They are only very rarely allowed to settle somewhere as a hedge wizard.

* Yes, you science pedants, comets aren't falling stars. Now be still.

And frankly, who'd want you as a neighbour?
A medieval painting dated 1456 AD, depicting a pass of Halley's Comet.

The Fraternity has no formal ties with the Church, but it is well aware that knowledge of the higher spell circles is verboten. A sub-order called the Company of the Excellent Prismatic Spray still dares to search old tombs and towers for legendary evocations such as the Effulgent Meteor Swarm. Members live in dread of what would happen when the Church should learn about their quest. The Church Order of the Gustavinians in turn knows about the Company and less bothered than you'd think. High level evocations only kill. It's wizardly access to the planes that worries the First Estate, and so the Company of the Excellent Prismatic Spray is monitored to see if their search unearths more dangerous magics.

Relations and views

• Ancient and Orthodox Order of the Unbroken Circle: doddering old men with heads so full of letters that they forgot how magic should feel.
• Exquisite Lodge of Augurs and Diviners: all talking and planning, never getting anything done. But good for tips on where to strike.
• Enlightened Order of the Silver Rose: handy for brewing potions, I guess.
• Brotherhood of the Violet Cloud: ...and their dirty ambush tactics.
• Hollow Tree: vile warlocks and heretics, but no match for our fire.

What you thought you'd be doing. From the Svilland kickstarter

Typical gear
After graduation an Elementalist wears sturdy traveling clothes with a black cloak trimmed red; formal wear is a robe of darkest blue with an amulet of a comet done in blue, green, red or brown (for elemental specialisations of air, water, fire and earth). Their arcane implement is an oak rod, preferably from a tree struck by lighting. Bands of meteoric iron complete the look.

What your Liege will be demanding of you. From

Benefits: specialties, spell access and lore

• exclusively Evocation specialists.
• Students start with an explorer's pack and can use the Arcana skill to find weak spots in fortifications. Taught the recipe for Alchemist's Fire. More advanced recipes exist for higher initiates.
• A member in good standing (and not behind on their payments) receives access to one evocation spell they can cast per level. In addition to levels 1-6 of Evocation, the Fraternity library also contains spells from the schools of Abjuration (levels 1-3), Conjuration (levels 1-2), Divination (levels 1-2) and Transmutation (levels 1-3).

What you're actually doing. From

Favors for the Comet

The Fraternity can teach wizards how to cast Cantrip spells without expending magical energy, and can provide training as a Divination specialist. In return, the Fraternity requires a service from you.

Learn to cast Cantrips without spending spell slots at level 3:
Take out a vile monster without using spells.

Learn Evocation school features

• level 2: the Garden Challenge
  Use your spells to eradicate a pest of summoned beasts but do not harm the delicate statues and plants in the Dean's Garden.
• level 6: the Marksman Challenge
  Using only Cantrips, take out a dextrous opponent that dances away from your bolts.
• level 10:  the Furnace Challenge
  Take out a fortified position using your spells as efficiently as you can.
• level 14:  the Heart Lesson
  A great beast is loosed - slay it for the Comet.

How your squad mates see you.

d4 Vile Monsters

1. a ghoul
2. an orc
3. a basilisk
4. an owlbear

d3 Summoned Beasts

1. fire mephits
2. skeletons and zombies
3. a water weird

d4 Dextrous Opponents

1. an air elemental
2. a harpy
3. a manticore
4. three will-o-wisps

d6 Fortified Positions

1. a guard tower overtaken by bandits
2. a wind mill is the lair of a necromancer
3. the graveyard houses a wight and its wraith guard
4. the old standing stones have weakened and let through a pack of Orcs
5. a church in the forest is the home of a Warlock cult
6. an cave-riddled island in a swift river, home to three trolls

d8 Greater Beasts

1. a giant lured onto the moor
2. a treant corrupted by darkness
3. a hydra changed to breathe fire
4. a beholder set free from the depths
5. a golem broken free of its commands
6. a wyvern maddened by purple flowers
7. a foul demon summoned to plague the meek
8. a dragon woken from sleep