Some arcanists abandon their academic studies before completion, forsaking their titles, duties, and the many commodities their education might have afforded them—not to mention evading repayment of their debts to the Grand Academy. Though many of these individuals are of noble birth and, by custom, should be treated with respect, they are often regarded as arrogant eccentrics—or worse, delinquents. Known for their rowdy behavior, defiance of laws, and disregard for scholarly protocol, some have turned to tomb raiding, extracting ancient relics and manuscripts from sacred sites—treasures meant for preservation and study—only to sell them on the black markets of Calad.
Yet not all who stray from the Academy’s halls do so with dishonor. Some wayward mages seek to retain a semblance of prestige by operating in partial service to the Grand Academy—repaying their debts, aiding research, or collaborating in shared ventures. Among them are the Faris, arcane wanderers tasked with locating and retrieving gifted youths from the hinterlands and forgotten corners of the realm. Acting as scouts and agents of the old order, they tread a liminal path between official envoy and freelance sorcerer.
Their hard-earned experience makes them well-suited for other duties as well. Faris are often commissioned to track down rogue mages with bounties on their heads or hired to escort caravans and high-ranking spellcasters across the treacherous desert trade routes. Along the way, they defend their charges from threats such as sand writhes* and other eldritch terrors that stir beneath the dunes.
Though they may lack the polished finesse of fully-trained Academy mages, the Faris compensate with practical knowledge, battlefield wit, and a variety of self-wrought enchantments that enhance both their physical and magical capabilities. What they lack in theory, they make up for in resilience and survival instinct—traits tempered by the relentless sun and shifting sands of the desert frontier.
*Sand writhe: A fearsome, serpentine creature that burrows beneath the dunes of the Great Desert. Often mistaken for a mirage until it strikes, it consumes its prey whole and vanishes beneath the sands.
