Bright Order

The Pyromancers of the Bright Order are students of the Lore of Fire, and work with Aqshy, the Red Wind. Their magic is often spectacular and impressively violent, making the Bright Order one of the most visible of the Colleges in Imperial society. The Bright Order's College is located in Altdorf, in a region of burnt-out ruins.

Symbols & Appearances
The Key of Secrets, the Flame of Wrath, and the Torch of Wisdom are the symbols of the Bright Order.

The Pyromancers of the Bright Order tend to wear robes of red or orange as a kind of uniform in battle, cut so as to allow easy movement in combat. They are often ruddy of skin. The more the Pyromancer uses Aqshy and his mastery over it grows, the more the Red Wind will affect him physically. Senior Pyromancers tend to have coppery or red hair, which, along with their eyebrows and beards, seems to turn into pure flame as they cast their spells. Pyromancers also bear red tattoos across their faces and arms. These are said to sometimes writhe and change form as their bearer manipulates the Red Wind into spells.

Adorning their belts, all Pyromancers have a set of seven keys, each of different metals. These are the Keys of Secrets, to give them their ceremonial name, and they represent each of the Bright Order’s different stages of tutelage and advancement within the Order. Each key represents the unlocking of another aspect of the Lore of Pyromancy, and Magisters of the College carry the keys as a sign of their rank, learning, and authority.

Overview
Pyromantic Thaumaturgy is the least subtle of all the Lores of Magic in its effects. It involves the manipulation of heat and fire in every form. For this reason, Magisters are often referred to as Pyromancers, as they can control any flame, natural or otherwise. As such, the magic of the Bright Order tend to be the most spectacular and impressive to the ordinary folk of our Empire.

Duties & Contracts
While many pyromancers go on to become Battle Wizards, having the talents and knowledge to lend considerable assistance on the battlefield, Bright Wizards do more than just fight. In peacetime, Pyromancers are often employed to act as guardians for nobles, diplomats, and very wealthy merchants who are passing through very dangerous parts of the Empire.

Pyromancers frequently train with military detachments and, as a result, they are the most readily recognised of all Magisters. But they do not simply learn how to use their abilities to support troops as most other Magisters do, they also learn how to fight as frontline troops—such is their aggressive and passionate nature.

Views of the Public
Bright Wizards are often at the front line of battle, defending the Empire from the forces of Chaos and other threats with their fiery and destructive energies. Thus, some people consider these wizards to be heroes of the Empire.

However, the powers the Pyromancers wield is terrifying. Natural fires are bad enough, but people who can create fire at a whim? That's dangerous. Plus, the nature of Aqshy is tempestuous and aggressive; so are the men and women who can sense its power. Many people fear the Bright Wizards

Apprenticeship
Because Pyromancy is by its very nature violent and destructive, and because Pyromancers tend to be naturally aggressive (though not often cruel), Apprentices have to learn how control their own hearts and minds, strictly and absolutely, before they can learn anything else. Only then may they move on to learning how to grasp Aqshy. Because of their requirements of discipline, selection for the Bright Order is harsh and strict.

Apprentices are always given rooms within the College, where they must stay on pain of corporal punishment. Because of the destructive nature of Pyromancy, most instruction takes place in specially fortified rooms, lined heavily with magic-absorbing lead. Apprentices are expected to help each other with their duties, encouraging a sense of loyalty to each other and to the College. However, this does not get in the way of the College’s drive for combat excellence, and two Apprentices who have become close during their time in the College will still be expected to face each other in combat training and give the contest their all.

Too much academic study is discouraged in favour of practical experimentation for those that are deemed to have enough control and discipline. Bright Magisters will spend most of their days upon the battlefield and must learn how to fight, survive, and win. As a result, once an apprentice has learned the basics of the Order’s spellcraft, he or she will be expected to be able to fight with it. Mock combat is a frequent part of training, but then so is actual magical duelling for senior apprentices.

Consequently, only the most skilled, most powerful and quickest to think and react ever really get anywhere in the Bright Order. There are no drop-outs from the Bright Order. Apprentices either succeed in reaching the level of Magister or they die trying.

Famous Pyromancers

 * Thryus Gorman, Magister Patriarch of the Bright College