When a mage joins the Esoteric Order of Aureon, he must take a vow to only make use of the mystic arts within the confi nes of the law and for the purposes of preserving civilization and society.
Aureon is the Sovereign of both Law and Lore, and the founders of the order believed that magical knowledge should always be used in the service of the law.
The Esoteric Order is the oldest wizards circle in Breland, and it helped King Galifar I spread the rule of law across the nation. The arcanists of the Order fought along side the Church of the Silver Flame during the lycanthropic purge and led the battle against the twisted wizards of the Closed Circle. But over the past two centuries, much of the zeal has gone out of the Order. Most members are still lawful, but more and more are lawful evil or lawful neutral. These wizards abide by the rules and traditions of the Order, but many are more interested in the acquisition of gold or power than the preservation of society, and the wizards of the Order demanded a fortune in exchange for their services during the Last War.
Despite the tarnishing of the Order, the wizards and sorcerers still respect the traditions of the past. One of the most important traditions is the requirement that the wizard know the precise purpose of every spell that he casts, to ensure that his actions do not spread chaos and discord across the world. As a result, the “no questions asked” option is not available when dealing with the Esoteric Order, and a mage may refuse to perform a spell if it serves an ignoble purpose. Because of this reputation, the wizards of the Esoteric Order are widely respected in Breland, and the King’s Citadel and other forces of the crown are more likely to deal with wizards from the Esoteric Order than those associated with the Guild of Starlight and Shadow.
The Esoteric Order of Aureon currently has 179 members spread across Breland. Most are wizards of 1st to 4th level, with a smaller number of sorcerers and artificers mixed in. The Esoteric Order also includes 25 5th-level characters, 12 6th-level characters, 6 7th-level characters, 3 8th-level characters, and 2 9th-level characters. At any given time there are usually 30 to 40 members of the Order in Sharn; it is rare for there to be more than one 8th- or 9th-level character in the city at the same time. Humans and dwarves make up the majority of the order, though most races are represented; one of the most recent additions to the ranks of the Order is a warforged artificer named Stone (LN male personality warforged artificer 6).
While wizards and sorcerers associated with the Esoteric Order can study all schools of magic, the Order focuses on the abjuration, divination, evocation, transmutation, and universal schools. Specialist wizards who wish to join the Esoteric Order must follow one of these schools.
Members of the larger of the two societies, the Esoteric Order of Aureon, take a vow to use their talents to preserve and advance civilization and to operate within the confines of the law. The Esoteric Order helped Galifar I maintain the rule of law, and many of its members served Breland during the Last War. Although its members aren’t prohibited from studying any form of magic, the specialties of the order are abjuration, divination, and evocation magic. Wizards and artificers are almost always welcome in the guild. Sorcerers must prove their grasp of arcane theory to earn a place, and warlocks are rarely accepted as members. The hall of the Esoteric Order of Aureon is in the district of Clifftop in Upper Dura.