Gong Li ANOVA

[Andreas the Wise]

Background: In far distant Gralus, mages struggled with the very nature of what was magic, as they explored their recently rediscovered powers. To avoid overtly powerful magic risking the destruction of non-magical armies; and to free magical creativity from the First Charter Binding, which had allowed only certain spells, they rebound under the Second Charter of Magic, but this time, they made sure their binding applied to the whole world. No other nation practiced magic actively anymore, and so they thought it wisest to limit powers on the whole of Micras, lest a rogue Gralan mage use his powers elsewhere, unbound, to destroy nations. The only consolation to older magic was that anything created by older magic, and anyone knowing older magic, would continue in that knowledge - but its power would be sorely diminished, and they would not be able to pass their knowledge on to further generations. The few, distant magical figures left would learn SCM, or finish fading entirely.

Little did Andreas the Wise, one of the Lord's at the binding, know, but in his very own Barony in Kildare, there were some of those "older magics" left. Faded from their former glory, yes. Hiding often from the more popular non-magical civilisation, often. But still there, and still alive. And suddenly finding their magic diminished. Realising the arrogance of what he had done, and also realising that it had occurred because Kildare (and Shireroth as a whole) had gone far, far too long without a Lord of Magic, he proposed to establish outposts of his own Novatainian Academy in the Barony of Atterock, to train those interested in the new ways of SCM. The outposts were named ANOVA - Atterockian-Novatainian Outpost for the Variously Arcane. The goal was to use as few Novatainian Archmages as necessary - so that, soon enough, the native Atterockians would become proficient in the new magic and be able to manage the outposts themselves. For the transistion period, they exist as this:

In Gong Li, the role of ANOVA was clear. Andreas had agreed to be personal tutor to the Djinn that served the Hau'Oli (or Sultan), and instruct them in the ways of SCM. That meant the outpost operated from several offices within the palace - though these were luxurious rooms indeed. Andreas brought half a dozen 'support staff' with him - all of whom were accomplished Archmages who could assist him if need be. They would also spend time researching the Djinn, who were fascinating creatures not found elsewhere, and apparently had some connection with the Volcano on the island.