The Hands of Mundus
Summary
The Hands of Mundus, also known simply as "The Hands" were present before Sundren was a city state. When the great wizard Mundus strolled into the valley, he brought with him his two closest friends who he would commonly refer to as his left and right hands, in recognition of their worth to him. They together, with his blessings, formed the Hands. Following a nasty falling out after the death of Mundus and their differing view on how things should be run, the order was forever separated into two halves with members following one of the two leaders. The two hands struggle ceaselessly to assume full control of the order of elite magi, and to prove their interpretation of Mundus' will is correct.
The organization is lead by the Right and Left Hands who do not speak with each other and to few beyond their direct reports. They are followed by a council of the five most talented archmagi from each Hand, ten total (symbolizing fingers), that deliberate on issues involving magic, Mundus, and the defense of the nation. Eight of the seats are designated to masters of a given school of magic, two for the Hands themselves, who to the surprise of many, are both generalists.
Judicial Powers
The Hands are powerful arcanists, and that power is fully supported by the government in practically any endeavor. The Hands use this governmental pass differently, depending on which type of Hand they may be. A Left hand will use this to defy laws in the name of the government for instance, by summoning an undead when the situation is critical. The Right Hand may use this pass to enforce restrictions harsher than normal. In either case, the Hands have the ability to do what is in the best interests of Sundren.
The Hands also have the ability to outrank almost any member of the governmental forces, be it Red Blade or Legion. A Hand can and will take control of a situation if the need calls for it, and has no qualms about doing so. This being said, there are some limitations on what Hands can do. For instance, an Initiate cannot simply walk up to a Defender Red Blade and demand that he do as the Hand says. With a higher rank comes more responsibility in the Hands, and it is usually Magi or above who are able to order around the higher ranking officers in the Blades or Legion. An Initiate can usually order non officer soldiers without too much difficulty, unless in extreme circumstances.
The Right and the Left
Alignment with one faction or the other controls much of the everyday life of a typical Hand of Mundus. A wizard's affiliation is more than a simple association, rather it announces his ideological place within the organization, immediately making him or her allies and foes all at once.
The Left Hand believes that magic is to be manipulated and studied for the sake of the gain to one's self and their country. They will sacrifice anything to pursue power and commit any atrocity to further their studies. Many are self-serving and loathe the idea of regulating magic to any extent unnecessary to safeguarding the public which funds their research. In accordance with this idea, left handed wizards do not mingle with the populace often and prefer to attend to research or studies. Rarely, some of their ilk will stray from the tower to investigate particularly powerful citizens, but alomst always with some insidious motive.
The Right Hand asserts that magic is too dangerous to be left unwatched. They believe that because of their vigilance and foresight, Sundren remains mostly untouched by magical deviance. In their eyes, the study of magic is imperative but should be closely controlled, so it cannot be used for devious ends. Right handed wizards advocate daily intervention in the lives of the people and above all, promoting self-control when using magic. Typically, they are embittered, but well meaning people.
Despite the stark contrasts, most Hands of Mundus can agree on a few issues.
It has been said that the only time two wizards of opposite houses can work together is when something threatens them both. This seems to be near to the truth. Most historical examples show that the Left and Right can put aside their differences when Sundren is threatened. However, it also highlights that once such events pass, the bickering continues.
Foremost, both sides look upon sorcerers and warlocks unfavorably. These "naturalists", as they often refer to them, do not earn their power and as such are believed to be unworthy of membership. Often, these individuals are forced to subdue their own magical talents, in order to pursue magical studies with either tower. Rarely, even after such a sacrifice, is a self-chastising sorcerer or warlock accepted into the ranks. Each side has their own personal beliefs about those who are unwilling to limit their natural abilities, but none of them are positive.
Organizational Structure
| Left Hand | Right Hand | ||
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Council of Ten
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Archmagi |
Archmagi |
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Ranks
True Hand (Non player)
Archmagi (20000 rep)
Elite Magi (10000 rep)
Magi (5000 rep)
Initiate (1000 rep)
Origin/History
After Mundus' death of old age in 1230 both the Right and Left Hands were close friends and colleagues. Unfortunately this was not to last. Mundus left behind a large tome to his advisers and the Right and Left Hand on how Sundren should be run. Disagreements occurred over the interpretation of this text, and each Hand had their own personal philosophies they believed to be right.
The Right Hand believed Mundus' words should be followed to the letter, and that magic should be rigorously controlled and watched to protect against misuse.
The Left Hand believed that the spirit of the tome should be followed, since not every topic was well documented and time had changed things; he also insisted that magi should have the freedom to research and explore magic without limits in order to improve themselves and Sundren.
The arguments continued and intensified over more than a decade, with disagreements occurring over how Mundus would want them to govern Sundren and magic. Then, 15 years after the death of Mundus, something transpired between the Hands that forever tore them apart. The conflict between the two grew violent, and an all out war occurred between the men and their followers. Hundreds from each side lost their lives during one very bloody day, and the tower that once served as a testament to Mundus was destroyed in the bedlam.
The original tower was later rebuilt as two, with the Tomb of Mundus residing between them. Each Hand resides at the top of their tower. They are rarely seen outside their chambers, and permit few visitors.
Recently, during the restructuring of the Sundarian Military, the Hands of Mundus were given official authority of the standing legions. Each "Master" is capable of enlisting the compulsory aid of any military personnel short of the highest ranking officers.
Base(s) of Operations
- Decstrum, The White Tower of the Right
- The Tomb of Mundus
- Sinistrum, The Black Tower of the Left
Leadership/People of Note
- Right Hand (Leader of the Right Hand organization)
- Left Hand (Leader of the Left Hand organization)
- Mizrahi (Main representative of the Right Hand)
- Graf (Main representative of the Left Hand)
Objectives
- Uphold Mundus' will
- Ensure the survival of Sundren
- Promote magic use
- Regulate magic use
- Explore the schools of magic, in order to further practices
Famous Members
Name: Eovina Mysterwrit
Title(s): Justice of Equity
Location: Tomb of Mundus
Birthplace: TBD
Age: 340
Race: Elven
Gender: Female
Deity: Mystra
Alignment: LN
Classes: Wizard
Summary:
Eovina Mysterwrit is a confident, strong willed, intelligent, thorough, and patient woman. Few see her as the beautiful woman she is, as she is constantly forced to make difficult decisions and put business above all else. Mysterwrit is the last name of her human husband, who has been dead for over 150 years. It was her marriage to him that caused her to leave her homeland, and his death that caused her to find Mundus' followers and begin anew.
Due to her position as the Justice of Equity she has been forced to grow a thick spine; she constantly receives criticism from one side due to ruling for the other. When she is not being criticized for ruling against the houses, she is considered powerless because her vote is only needed/allowed during an impasse.
The Hands of Mundus are known for their famous division between Right and Left. When the Council of the Hands, the five highest ranking arch magi of the Left and Right, reach an impasse, the eleventh council member, the Justice of Equity, will cast his or her vote to break the tie. The Justice of Equity is expected to be completely unbiased, and serves for a lifetime. It is an appointment few are worthy of, and even fewer can represent with honor. The Justice of Equity is only permitted a vote when there is a deadlock, leading some to believe they are the most powerful and powerless of all magi simultaneously. They are also responsible for reviewing all initiates and determining what side they should belong to.
Some outsiders believe that Eovina should begin her own neutral house within the order, but the Left and Right Hand would never allow it. She has never expressed interest in doing so. She serves alone, using the Tomb of Mundus as her location of operations, between the mighty towers of Decstrum and Sinistrum.
Outside council meetings, Eovina typically keeps herself busy, as neither house pays her much attention. She is purposely kept out of matters to avoid biasing her, and because she is rather disliked by the majority of the archmagi in both houses due to her ruling against them--something she doesn't make personal, though they often do. It is fair to say Eovina's appointment is a hard one, and she is loved by no one, and kept out of affairs unless needed. Yet she does her duty unwaveringly, does not yield to the pressures of her position, and serves in a way that would have made Mundus proud. Much of her day to day work is administrative and related to new initiates.
In truth, without Eovina's fair and impartial tie-breaking vote, the Hands might very well never get anything done.