Worldbuilding Sample

“The Thaumarchate”

Oversees and regulates the use of magic in Bee City (perhaps nationally and Bee City is their HQ). Not an official government body, but functions like one. People might even believe it is part of the government, but government has no oversight, and it is not funded by taxpayers.

Income comes from fines levied on magical violators, private donations, regulated sales of certain components and reagents, and sales of artifacts and other rare and precious items.

Because there is no official oversight except from within, the Thaumarchate is a black box. Its leadership is secretive and prefers to operate without notoriety. The Thaumarchate has no official “face” or visible leader, but it is led by a council of ancient wizards who have governed it for many years, called the Elder College. When one of them dies, his consciousness is often revived through necromancy until he can sufficiently onboard his replacement, then he is allowed to rest. The councilors are all very old and this process can take a long time, so there is almost always one undead member of the council.

Most issues that come to the notice of the Thaumarchate are managed by the various departments. Rarely do issues bubble up to the Elder College.

Departments

Department of Illusion. Oversees regulations and issues regarding anything illusory: creatures, mirror selves, objects, places, and all else that is defined by the statement “that which one can see but which does not actually exist.”

Department of Summoning. Regulates what can and cannot be summoned legally in the normal conduct of magical business. Particularly concerned about what constitutes a living being, which are highly illegal to summon.

Department of Nature. Oversees the magical relation to the natural world, including the communion between humanoids with plants and animals. Tends to deal with issues that arise between the citizens of the Tangle.

Department of Destruction. A very busy department that supervises the use of offensive magics for combat purposes. All spells crafted to do any kind of harm must be approved explicitly by this office. Unlawful usage of illegal spells has solemn ramifications, which might include suspension or removal of access to magical abilities or even a term in penitentiary.

Department of the Afterlife. Carefully supervises any magic or phenomenon related to phantoms, zombies, liches, other undead, and general death magic. Kind of a creepy place.

Department of Knowledge. Keepers of books, tomes, scrolls, records, histories, transcriptions, and recordings that date back centuries. Items in the DoK are the result of private donations, confiscations, retrieval missions, and archaeological digs. This floor of the Thaumarchate HQ is a beautiful, cathedral-esque library.

Department of Technology. Liaises between the worlds of magic and technology. Supervises the development of magic-infused technology to ensure appropriate steps are being taken in development. This floor of HQ most resembles an IT department.

Department of Reconstitution. Governs the development and support of healing and rebuilding magics. This magic is largely considered beneficial, and regulations are light, so this department is big on R&D. “Reconstitution” does not include resurrection magic, which is governed by the DotA.

Department of Enchanting. Regulates the legality of enchanting of matter: animal, vegetable, and mineral. In general, enchantment is strictly outlawed against any conscious being, but the line between conscious and not is often a matter of debate.

Department of Diversiform. Whatever issues come before the Thaumarchate that don’t fit neatly under the purview of the other departments are handled by this department. This is the department that gets the weird head-scratchers most of the time. An interesting department, but not a very glamorous one.