Academia Universalis Arcana
Known in colloquial English as "the Academy", this organization was founded in 1680 AD by Federico Barcello and others, with the express purpose of uniting all magical traditions and disciplines under a single code of morals and conduct, heavily influenced by Christian values.
The Academy is an overarching academic institution, not a particular school. It defines laws and regulations governing the instruction and use of magic, most particularly the Laws of Magic. Technically, the Academy's charter does not provide a means to execute these laws; that role is filled by a separate organization, the Order of the Eldritch Flame, though the two work closely on such matters.
Since its inception, particularly in the earliest years, the Academy has been sharply criticized by traditional practitioners for its insistence on draconian universal laws instead of careful, case-by-case consideration of the needs of each culture and individual. In the first half-century after the charter, literal witch-hunts were rampant in Europe, and non-aligned practitioners blamed the Academy in ways both applicable and not applicable. They have, in more recent times, been criticized for being too European-centric, and too tightly bound to Christianity, thus disenfranchising practitioners elsewhere in the world.
Still, the Academy is largely credited with saving many magical traditions--and their practitioners--from persecution and destruction, particularly during the witch-hunts of the 17th and 18th century. They are also credited with a dramatic reduction in the harmful use of magic throughout the developed world, attributed to their efforts to eradicate knowledge of said magic, to litter the world with misinformation to spoil the efforts of would-be warlocks, and of course the Eldritch Knights' persecution and execution of violators of the Laws of Magic.
Organization
The Academy was founded as a loose confederation of otherwise unrelated magical traditions; as such, the actual body is a small, central organization dedicated to establishing academic guidelines for the instruction of magic, the actual execution of which is conducted by member organizations.
Since its inception, the Academy has grown more cohesive; as its proscriptions have increased in scope and complexity, penetrating all member organizations, the Academy has gradually become more important and powerful than the organizations themselves. Still, they do exist, and the Academy remains technically a separate institution from each specific school of instruction.
Herein is a description of the actual, literal body of the Academy; descriptions of member organizations are to be found elsewhere.
High-Level Overview
The Academy is divided into several Offices:
| Body | Membership | Headquarters | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chancellery |
The Chancellor. |
Undisclosed location |
The Chancellor is chosen from among the Vice-Chancellory as a largely ceremonial position. He or she represents the will of the Vice-Chancellory to the greater Academy. |
| Vice-Chancellery |
The Vice-Chancellors, numbering 13. |
Undisclosed location |
The Vice-Chancellors originally represented the 13 constituent organizations who jointly founded the Academy; today, they symbolically represent the breadth of magical tradition, and form a sort of "security council" apart from the general body. |
| Rectorate |
The Rector and executive assistants | The Belltower, Office of the Rectorate |
The Rector is the Chief executive of the High Court of Magic and the Academic Senate. |
| High Court of Magic |
The 12 seniormost wizards of the general council, presided over by the Rector | The Belltower, the High Court of Magic |
To judge cases of violation of the Laws of Magic, and to arbitrate civil disputes at the highest level. |
| Academic Senate |
169 tenured wizards, appointed by the Vice-Chancellory and confirmed by the General Council. | The Belltower, the Great Circle |
To determine the academic guidelines--in short, which subjects are to be studied, and which are to be banned. Also, to confirm and confer honors and tenure to member wizards. |
| General Council |
All titled wizards, headed by an elected Speaker (the "voce"). | The Belltower, the Great Hall |
To debate and vote on all matters affecting the Academy and all its constituents. Informally, |
Executive Power
Supreme executive power exists in a seemingly-paradoxical state, where the Rector, the Senate, and the Vice-Chancellery all seem to wield it simultaneously. The reality is complex, and can be explained by the Academy's history.
In brief, the Vice-Chancellery was the original governing body, electing a Chancellor from their ranks, operating not unlike the Catholic Curia. As democracy swept the world in the 18th and 19th centuries, its ideas spread among wizards as well; many, especially the young, began demanding more representation. Thus, the Academic Senate was created, with the Rector as its