"A master of the Colleges of Magic, the Emperor's current advisor on all things magical when the Supreme Patriarch is unavailable."
- —Description of the Patriarch Office.[4a]
The Wheel of Magic, depicting the eight Winds of Magic; clockwise from top: Ghyran, Azyr, Ulgu, Shyish, Aqshy, Ghur, Hysh, and Chamon.
A Magister Patriarch (fem. Magister Matriarch) are the leaders of their Orders of Magic. At any given time, there is just one Magister Patriarch per order. These wizards are drawn from the best wizard lords of their order.[1c] As the lead wizard lord, the Patriarch governs their order and acts as its liaison with the emperor. As such, the Patriarch wields more political clout than their fellows, but still relies upon the same mastery of lore as they did as a wizard lord.[2a]
The Patriarch is the most powerful and respected wizard lord of their College of Magic. Sometimes the Patriarch is elected by the wizard lords of the college, and sometimes they are chosen by a ritual magical duel. The purpose of the wizard duel is to find the most powerful magical mind, while not endangering the participants unduly -- although, several aspiring Patriarchs over the years have been left shadows of their former selves after suffering an emphatic defeat. The Supreme Patriarch, the overall head of all the Imperial Orders of Magic, is determined in a similar way.[3a]
Current Patriarchs[]
- Balthasar Gelt, Magister Patriarch of the Golden Order – Balthasar made his first appearance in the busy port of Marienburg some fifteen years ago, having bought passage on a merchant ship coming from his native land in the Black Gulf. Because he paid for the journey with gold he had transmuted, Balthasar quickly left for Altdorf before the effects wore off. The Golden Order was his destination...[1f]
- Raphael Julevno, Magister Patriarch of the Celestial College – Magister Julevno was born in Nuln, the son of an actress and (or so his mother thinks) a Mercenary from somewhere in Ostland. Julevno never once saw his father as he was growing up, nor, for that matter, did his mother. Julevno was twelve years old when he started to have visions, flashes of things that would then happen hours, days, and even weeks later. By his fifteenth year these visions came to him constantly in such a blur that his mother thought him mad. It is a testament to the boy’s strength of mind that he was not...[1j]
- Reiner Starke, Magister Patriarch of the Order of Shadows – very little is known about Magister Patriarch Starke and it is uncertain as to whether what is known is in any way accurate. He is said to be a serious man and is reputed to be quite tall, gaunt, and grey-haired with a short well-trimmed silver beard. His age is hard to put a fix on, as he sometimes seems of a great and venerable age, and yet other times he seems to be a fit looking man in his late thirties. His eyes, however, are always piercing and grey as a storm cloud. A stare from him is enough to make all but the strongest-willed look away first. It is said that when he wishes, he has an engaging smile and a twinkle in his eye. Yet despite his generally imposing presence, Starke is reputed to be a fine teacher of magic and his apprentices have all respected him as no other...[1i]
- Setanta Lobas, Magister Patriarch of the Amber Brotherhood – Setanta Lobas is the Wild Father of his shamanic Order. He lives in a cave in the Amber Hills with three wolves, travelling into Altdorf only when he is summoned for Convocation or for some other equally important matter. He became the Wild Father eight years ago when the previous Father was slain by the shaman of a particularly large and successful Beastmen herd he had been stalking.[1m] He seems to have been replaced by Gregor Martak soon before the End Times.[5a]
- Thyrus Gormann, Magister Patriarch of the Bright Order – Thyrus Gormann often attends the Imperial court in Altdorf and is one of Karl Franz’s oldest and most trusted advisors. He has wielded considerable political influence during his term in office (and since) because of it...[1l]
- Tochter Grunfeld, Matriarch of the Jade College – the current Matriarch Magister of the Jade College is Tochter Grunfeld, also known as the Jade Mother. Unlike most of the other Orders of Magic, it is just as likely for the prime position of the Order of Life to be a Matriarch as a Patriarch. Grunfeld was elected to the position of Matriarch of her Order after the death of the previous Matriarch, Magister Arburg, who was killed in the early days of the recent war against Archaon's hordes...[1h]
- Verspasian Kant, Magister Patriarch of the White Order – Verspasian Kant is a tall man of Tilean descent. Born in Miragliano, his Merchant parents moved to Marienburg while Verspasian was still a young boy. Originally intending to follow in his fathers footsteps as a trader in antiquities, Verspasian showed more interest in the origin and history of the items his father sold rather than their monetary value...[1d]
- Viggo Hexensohn, Magister Patriarch of the Order of Shyish – there is a story whispered about Magister Patriarch Viggo Hexensohn and his past before joining the Brethren of Shyish, although no one seems to know how true it is. It says Hexensohn is a traitor Priest of Morr from Waldenhof in the eastern reaches of Stirland...[1k]
Notable Former Patriarchs[]
- Arburg, previous Magister Matriarch of the Jade Order – Arburg was the predecessor to Tochter Grunfeld, the Matriarch killed in the early days of the recent war against the thirteenth Everchosen Archaon's hordes.[1h]
- Egrimm van Horstmann, brief Magister Patriarch of the Light Order – Van Horstmann was the most infamous, and perhaps most dangerous, of the Imperial Colleges of Magic's few known traitors, and is the Light Order's greatest shame. There was a time when Horstmann was counted amongst the brightest and most talented Magisters of the Order. He was Patriarch of the Order of Light immediately preceding Verspasian Kant, and it was Kant's work in exposing him, resisting his corruption, and cleansing the taint he had spread into the rest of the Order which made the order name Kant as his replacement on the Patriarch's Throne.[1e]
- Friedrich von Tarnus, first Magister Patriarch of the Bright College – excelling beyond all of Teclis' many proteges save Volans, Freidrich was there when the Colleges of Magic were formed. Before ascending to his position, the hot-headed wizard served as commander of the Carroburg Greatswords, but was cast out in shame when his magical talent came to light.[1a]
- Gotthilf Puchta, one-time Magister Patriarch of the Gold College – famous in nearly every College of Magic, as it was he who penned the influential (and enormous) book on magical theory known somewhat misleadingly as A Modest Treatise on the Nature of Magic, over one hundred years ago. Copies of this massive tome can be found in most of the Colleges of Magic and even in a few private libraries of Magisters and wealthy nobles. It is not a book of spells but of solid and complex theory, analysing the nature of magic, the Chaos Realm, and other such esoteric and occult matters.[1g]
- Stern Glanzend, previous Magister Patriarch of the Celestial College – predecessor to Raphael Julevno who saw a vision of the Patriarch's death which he himself already knew.[1j]
- Theodor Habermas, third Magister Patriarch of the Gold College – first succeeded in devising a way to fold a strand of Yellow Magic in upon itself again and again, somehow imposing physical laws upon it, until eventually it became like a glistening yellow mist, then a sparkling yellow liquid, then eventually a kind of semi-translucent golden stone that shone with an inner light. The properties of this stone were marvellous, for it could be used in different quantities as a reagent for any alchemical experiment, and could also be used to power certain devices and magical implements used by the Magister Alchemists of the Golden Order.[1b]
- Volans, first Magister Patriarch of the Light Order – little is known about the enigmatic and powerful Magister Volans. When Teclis called together all renegade magic users in the Empire, Volans was by far the most educated, skilled, and powerful to answer that call. It is said he hailed originally from the lawless area known as the Border Princes, and when he presented himself to Teclis he was already in his fifties. To Teclis’s surprise there was not a shadow of taint in Volans despite his admitted decades of practice and experimentation with magic. In fact, his exposure to magic seemed to have kept him young and vibrant, as he looked only about thirty years old...[1e]
- Gregor Martak, last Magister Patriarch of the Amber Order – Nothing is known of his rise to power before the End Times. As they began, he sighted Malagor amidst the ruins of a small village near Middenheim.[5a] He would go on to replace Balthasar Gelt as Supreme Patriarch after he fell in disgrace for his use of Necromancy at Alderfen.[5b] He died at Archaon's hands at the Fall of Middenheim.[6a]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Realms of Sorcery
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition: Winds of Magic
- 2a: pg. 15
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition: Tome of Mysteries
- 3a: pg. 13
- 4: Total War: Warhammer (Video Game)
- 4a: The Empire, Offices
- 5: The End Times I: Nagash
- 6: The End Times IV: Thanquol
- 6a: pp. 206-207