


The Tower is a global organisation based on a simple belief that the powerful should rule. More precisely they believe the only authentic power is arcane magic. They consider this to be fair because any sentient being with enough study and effort, can harness arcane magic. Yes, some are more naturally gifted than others, but study and practice of this most logical, reasoned and rational of magical arts are the largest factors. They consider that if you are a more powerful mage, you have the power to enforce your authority if necessary. Such control eliminates much cause of dispute in any form of governance.
They are in a sense quite egalitarian, birthright, race, creed, age, gender, wealth, none of these things matter to the Tower, only magical skill. There is a straightforward ranking of least magically adapt to most, and in any debate, the most adept get the final say on the course of action to take. They believe this is an efficient form of governance and apply it rigorously to their hierarchy. They frequently hold competitions that test many kinds of magical skill. From specific challenges measuring particular aspects of ability to good old all out spell duel between two mages, usually fought until first blood.
It might seem like a terribly violent and dictatorial environment, but the Tower do advocate that using magical power to enforce your authority should be a last resort. Discussion, consideration, reasoned debate and logical thinking should all be exhausted first. If mages spent all their time killing each other, there would be no- one left to actually do anything. Also when using magical force, it is simply efficient to use the minimum amount of energy to achieve your goal. Again, if you have to resort to using power, don’t kill if you don’t need to.
Still many fear the growth of the Tower because they don’t actively require members to follow a particular ethical code, or limit advancement on anything other than magical competency. They do have rules (including a requirement that all members follow the laws of the sovereign nation they are located within), and breach of those rules can lead to expulsion from the organisation. However all mages have the right to challenge any mage ranked above them, that agreed with the decision to expel them. If they win a spell duel (to first blood) against that mage, then they remain a member of the tower. This rule means that generally, it’s the magically incapable rule breakers that get expelled. Many dare not try and expel someone who shows great skill for fear of losing face or rank if they end up losing a duel against them.

It is also this rule that worries those who criticise the Tower's methods, as if an absolutely psychotic, murderous, mage of supreme power, were ever to enter their ranks, they might just rise to the top. While the Tower is not formally part of any government, they are most closely aligned with (and have most influence) within the Kingdom of La’Certa, where many members of the royal family have been prominent members of the Tower, including the current crown prince.
In this video I go over the history of the Tower, how they came to be, what they are up to today and a little on their involvement in the conflict that is happening in Deneb today. If you want to check out more about the locations I mention in this video, take a look at the map
To learn more about the faction check out their page here
To watch the second part of this video that covers the gameplay of the Tower, check out the Beasts of War project entry here