The Great Debate: Origins of the Synod (Part 2 of 4)

(Not too much traffic on the first part, but I've had the writing bug for the last few days :D Here is the link to the full text Enjoy!)

Part 2: The Champion of Cyrodiil

The end of the Third Era and the history of Cyrodiil’s institutes were forever changed by the Champion of Cyrodiil’s actions. Countless are the Champion’s deeds: rescuing the people of Kvatch, guiding Martin Septim to the Temple of the One, personally shutting several gates to Oblivion by themself, and assuming leadership of many organizations. Among these groups was the Mages Guild. The Champion helped defeat the King of Worms Mannimarco and put an end to the necromancers’ attacks against the guild. The War of Worms, as it came to be known as, left the Mages Guild in a state of internal conflict.

The Mages Guild was ideologically divided like never before. Although the previous Arch-Mage Hannibal Traven declared the Champion the new Arch-Mage upon his death, Mages Guild affairs were still mostly overseen by a Council that was elected in an emergency summit. This new Council of eight was in debate regarding the future direction of the guild. Arch-Mage Traven was right to ban necromancy in the guild, but there were still constituents that desired to revert back to the old ways. Likewise, the Oblivion Crisis further divided the Council, with some Mages Guild members continuing to support the school of Conjuration despite its disastrous effects to all of Tamriel. The Cheydinhal Riots that followed the Oblivion Crisis were the culmination of public opinion towards magicka: the commoners had lost so much confidence and trust in the Mages Guild that the Cheydinhal Chapter was looted and burned down. When the Mages Guild needed the Champion most, they vanished.

The very nature of the Champion of Cyrodiil is mysterious as an understatement. Testimonies from people who dealt with the Champion have different stories of what the they did or even what they looked like. Tamriel’s history is filled with Heroes of this enigmatic nature, and recent studies suggest that these Heroes are bodily manifestations of the Elder Scrolls themselves, having the ability to bend the fabric of time and destiny. These Heroes may be able to forever change the course of history, but they are not able to act as agents of stasis or structure. We as mortals are bound by these tenets and must be able to build our institutions around constancy. The Champion may have defeated Mannimarco and saved the guild, but they were not ready to lead a guild that was fragmented and in need of stability. The power that the Champion had was nearly intoxicating, and many members of the Council were ready to submit to the ideas of a Hero. Their pleas for help fell on deaf ears; in the brief tenure as Arch-Mage, the Champion issued no policy statements, no nominations to the Council, and no infrastructure plans. The Mages Guild had a leader that was ultimately inattentive to its needs. As months went by, it became more and more obvious that the Champion was gone, and the Mages Guild was without a leader in its darkest times.

The Founders of the Synod realized that we must forge our own path. The metaphysical nature of Heroes was not something that we as mortals could build our institutions around. Their presence at certain times in history is out of our control and we must create a legacy that can exist and thrive during times when the Heroes are gone. Their unpredictable power and influence enthralls many, and this false hope that many Council members had was the catalyst that lead to the Great Debate. Through those chaotic times, Master-Wizard Gaius Octavius led a coalition of members of the guild that would change the course of magicka study forever.