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The Society of the Lumineferous Aether
The Society of the Lumineferous Aether (or “Lumen” as its members refer to it) is an elite gentelmen's club for arcane spellcasters in Sigil. It considers itself the upper crust of Sigilian magical society, and is interested in only two things; arcane power and wealth. Members who have both are quickly ushered into the ranks of the society. Those who lack one or the other need to compensate accordingly to get the Lumen's attention.
The Lumen keeps the best library of the arcane, the planes, and the gods in the City of Doors. Members can browse tomes of lore, or even spellbooks and scrolls, to their heart's content.
Regardless of arcane ability, membership is not open to those without deep pockets. Prospective members who meet the criteria to be a Probationary Member must fork out 10,000gp in membership fees. Once a member, they need to donate at least 1,000gp in gold, magic items, or knowledge per year to stay afloat. More generous members can accelerate through the ranks quickly.
Those who achieve the rank of Senior Fellow find the donation requirements become steeper, though the prestige of their position gives them benefits to balance out the costs.
The highest ranking members are High Council-members. There are only ever six Council members at a time. The positions are usually only ever vacated by death or retirement, so Senior Fellows of high standing often have to bide their time if they covet a seat. Council-members have access to the Society's vast stores of valuable magic items and can throw their weight around enough to gain audience with any Faction official short of a Factol. But their duties are just as severe; Council-members must make important decisions monthly about where and how to invest to the Society's time and resources. Poor judgement in this area has proven to be highly costly in the past.
(The following uses Affiliation rules found in the Player's Handbook 2, p.163)
The Society of the Lumineferous Aether
Type: College (social)
Scale: 6 (Sigil)
Capital: 10
Executive Powers: Craft, Gift, Research
Violence: +2
Espionage: +2
Negotiation: +3
| Affiliation Score Criteria | |
|---|---|
| Expertise and Power | +1/2 arcane spellcasting levels |
| Can cast 5th/6th lvl arcane spells | +2 |
| Can cast 8th or higher spells | +3 |
| Wealth | +1/20,000gp value |
| Recommendation from existing member | +2 |
| Donates gold/magic items | +1/1,000gp donated above minimum requirements |
| Loses/destroys property | -1/1,000gp lost |
| Fails to donate at least 1,000gp/year | -2 |
| Affiliation Score | Benefits and Duties |
|---|---|
| 3 or lower | No affiliation |
| 4 to 10 | Probationary Member -Access to Society library (+10 of Knowledge (the planes), (religion), and (arcana) |
| 11 to 20 | Certified Member -Purchase spells, scrolls, and wands at 3/4 price -Share spellbook with same level caster once/month -Can invite guests to access the library for 1,000gp/day. Lose 1 point of Affiliation for every 1,000gp of property damage caused by guests |
| 21 to 29 | Senior Fellow -10% discount on gold and XP when crafting -Purchase spells, scrolls, and wands for 2/3 price -Claim audience with Factotum rank official in non-hostile Faction within 1d6 days, once/month -Access to Summoning Chambers (pre-made Calling Diagram and permanent Dimensional Anchor effect) -Must donate additional 1,000gp per year in gold or items or lose an additional point of Affiliation |
| 30 | High Council-member -Borrow magic item worth up to 15,000gp for 2d4 days. If value is over 10,000gp, the Society's Capital is reduced by 1 until it's returned -Claim audience with Factor rank official in non-hostile Faction within 1d6 days once/month -Make DC 20 Knowledge (arcana) or Spellcraft check once/month of the Society loses 1 Capital |
