"You all know why you're here," I say as I pace slowly in front of them, making eye contact with each student. "You've broken the law and removed your restraining collars. You've used your magical talents without registering yourselves with the Bureau of Magic Registration. These laws have a purpose, not the least of which is preventing some overambitious group of youngsters from unleashing a second Curse upon the city. However, since none of you have any previous criminal convictions, and since in the last several months you've all shown at least some willingness to work with the system instead of against it, you've been sent to me. My name is Artax, but for the next year you will simply be addressing me as Teacher."
— Make Believe
Background
Magic is carefully regulated, for obvious reasons of safety. Magically adept children are identified at an early age and fitted with restraining bands (called leashes on the Street) that keep their talents from manifesting. Once they are old enough, they can join any of numerous mages' guilds and begin learning to use their abilities, or they can choose to keep the restraint and not develop their magic.
A restrained Talent, as those with magical aptitude are called, may choose to join a guild at any time in his life, and thus be free of the restraint. Enforcement of the magic codes is conducted by the Imperial Bureau of Magic Regulation (BMR). The BMR works with the local police Magic Affairs section in much the same way that the Bureau of Illicit Substances works hand-in-hand with local Narcotics officers. A Magic Affairs section is required to remand suspects to the BMR for prosecution if a BMR agent requests it.
While the idea of the restraining bands makes some folk uncomfortable, it is generally viewed as a necessary sacrifice of freedom in order to protect everyone. Just as you have to be trained in the use of a handgun before you are allowed to own it, mages must be trained in the use of their power before they can be allowed to wield it.
Organization
unknown
Known Agents of the BMR
none
Breaking the Law
However, there are those who try to get arount the law.
Some people manage to get their restraints removed — illegally — without joining a guild. These rogues are called wolves on the Street, to distinguish from dogs who are still "on the leash". Rogue mages are generally very powerful but very undisciplined; those that are not captured find their way into one of the numerous mage-gangs that live in the inner cities of the Empire. In these surrogate families they can receive some training in the use of the powers and become less of a danger to themselves and their friends, though the criminal nature of these gangs generally means that they end up causing a lot of damage to other people and property. Gang wars are commonplace, with members of different magical alignments staging feuds with each other — the Pyros may have a vendetta against the Mentalists, for example. The Vampire Syndicate tries to keep these conflicts minimized and contained to Street level, but there are limits to even their influence — and since 1999 CR the violence has been growing in severity and intensity, as a result of The White feeding weapons into these conflicts to destabilize the Syndicate's hold on the criminal underworld.
Consequences
Outreach Program
Artax works with the BMR and MCPD to provide basic training to young mages who have removed their restraining bands and got caught (and otherwise have clean records).
Author's Notes
Sources: Magic, Make Believe
