Mages Guild

The Mages Guild is a professional organization, located throughout Tamriel, that is dedicated to the study and application of magicka and alchemy. Its charter from the Emperor specifes that the guild must provide magic services to the general public. Anyone can purchase potions, potion ingredients, magical items, and a selection of standard spells from the guild. However, training, goods, and services are cheaper for members, and the Guild Stewards may be able to provide members with work. Furthermore, exclusive services such as spellmaking and enchanting, deemed potentially dangerous to the public at large, are only made available to higher-ranked guild members in good standing.

The Mages Guild is led by an Arch-Mage, and guided by the Council of Mages, made up of five archmagisters (including the Arch-Mage). The Arch-Mage and the Council of Mages are headquartered at the guild's Arcane University in the Imperial City. The Council decides important Guild policies, such as its policy on the use of Necromancy and also administers recruitment, sale of spells in each local guild hall, and the enforcement of Guild law. In addition, guild halls exist in most cities in Tamriel, each of which is run by a local Guildmagister.

The Mages Guild was founded by Vanus Galerion in the early years of the Second Era as a way of centralizing magic and thus moving away from the many separate groups (like the Psijic Order of which Galerion was a member) that had dominated the study of magic up until that time (see Origin of the Mages Guild for more information).

Arena
The Mages Guild in Arena cannot be joined, but provides useful services: buying and making spells, trading and identifying magic items, trading potions. All cities have a Mages Guild.

Daggerfall
The Mages Guild in Daggerfall is one of the many factions you can join in that game. Its services are restricted by rank: any member has access to the Spellmaker, but one has to be promoted to the rank of Conjurer to trade magic items. The Item Maker requires a rank of at least Enchanter, and the Guild's Summoners will only agree to summon a Daedra Prince for a guildmate of at least Warlock rank. Finally, once you are promoted to Master Wizard, the penultimate rank, you can join the Travelers' League and use the Guild's teleporters, who can teleport you anywhere instantly and free of charge (in-game, this uses the same interface as fast travel). The Mages Guild is protected by the knights from the Order of the Lamp, an unjoinable faction.

Morrowind
The Mages Guild in Morrowind, often referred to in-game as the Guild of Mages, is far more open than the guild in Cyrodiil, offering enchanting, spellmaking and a teleportation service to anyone. The guild is in some competition with House Telvanni over the monopoly that the Mages Guild has on magic. The player may still join both factions, however. The regional head of the guild is Trebonius Artorius.

Oblivion
In 3E431 (two years before the start of Oblivion), the Council of Mages selected a new Arch-Mage, the controversial figure Hannibal Traven. He was selected by a narrow margin, but nevertheless chose to introduce strict restrictions against Necromancy (following a discussion documented in The Black Arts On Trial). These strict new policies were divisive; although strongly supported by some members, others opposed them equally strongly. Half of the council resigned in protest. Traven also implemented new regulations governing guild membership (see the Mages Guild Charter), which made it more difficult to join the guild.

In early 3E433, the Council of Mages was composed of Caranya, Irlav Jarol, and Raminus Polus (the Council's steward), in addition to Hannibal Traven. Conflict between the Mages Guild and a nebulous cult of Necromancers increased through the course of the year. An unlikey ally, Count Janus Hassildor of Skingrad, identified the cult for the Mages Guild: the Order of the Black Worm, led by the powerful necromancer Mannimarco, also known as the King of Worms. Following this news, the Council decided to send a trusted mage, Mucianus Alias, to infiltrate the cult. When Alias' reports ceased, the Council feared treachery and sent a group of Battlemages to Alias' last known location, Nenyond Twyll. Traven, however, regretted this council decision (on the grounds that he did not suspect treachery), and instead sent a new guild member to discover what happened, and hopefully rescue Alias. Unfortunately, it was already too late: Alias had been changed into a Worm Thrall zombie by the necromancer cult.

Following the events at Nenyond Twyll, Mannimarco intensified his attack on the Mages Guild. Mannimarco's destruction of the Bruma Guild Hall caused the Council to panic and split. Irlav Jarol and a group of mages took the Bloodworm Helm to Fort Teleman, in attempt to hide the powerful artifact from the Necromancers. However, Jarol was pursued and killed. Caranya and her mages took another artifact, the Necromancer's Amulet, to Fort Ontus, but she too was killed after revealing her true identity as a necromancer.

Facing these setbacks, Traven decided that extreme measures were necessary to defeat Mannimarco. Traven sacrificed himself and placed his soul in a Colossal Black Soul Gem; thus, his successor as Arch-Mage was given the power to finally defeat Mannimarco.