The Infrastructural Mage Corps

The Coldlands is notable for having low levels of background magic. Few mages are born into the Coldlands and wizards have less magic on which to draw upon. Those that did emerge lacked the training to make the most of their talents. Historically small number of them became warlords, but most of them became a specialized type of warrior or fulfilled a role akin to artisans if their abilities could not be put to direct combat purposes: assets that were valuable but not seen as essential. Infrastructure was built with mundane technology, even so the Central Committee has seen some utility in magic and it's potential applications. As such it has created the Mage Corps.

Mages in Infrastructure are screened from the general population and tested for power, with their abilities being screened and cataloged. Many mages have marginal abilities and many of them find other more mundane fields to be better career choices, though in times of need they may be required to supply what magical services they can. Those who desire to study magic in a more formal setting can elect to join the Mage Corps and study in the Infrastructural Academy of Magic, founded in 14 IA and situated 25 km South of Dalatyr. Said Academy has a fair amount of resources as well as a number of foreign instructors in various fields. While it is not reckoned as a great magical school, but it is a considerable improvement to having no formalized school of magic. In so doing, however, they are required to provide twenty years of service to the Infrastructural Government on their graduation. The Mage Corps exists under the aegis of the Ministry of Science, though Mages are often transferred to agencies beyond it (for example, those mages assigned to support the Military). Like Engineers and Bureuacrats, members of the Mage Corps have their own uniform.

There are several different departments of the mage corps which deal with specific areas. The largest and generally reconed to be the most effective of these are healers. Among the other prominent departments are potion creation, curse breaking and dispelation, general magic, analysis, magical craftsmanship, supernatural defense (the creation of Runestones to disrupt passive spells in urban centers and experimental magic. So far the Mage Corps has about 1,300 members, not including some 50 foreign teachers. A number of Drow Prisoners of War are employed doing various comparatively simple jobs, but as of yet these have not been inducted into the mage Corps.