Magic Users' Institute - The MUI tag & Violation of Code

The MUI tag is itself enchanted against tampering, melting, and most other forms of physical or magical destruction. In fact, to date, the only MUI member tag to have suffered enough damage to make it unreadable was one of the first ten ever issued. Its wearer was not popular with the other members, and was set upon by two high level magic users - one Holy and one Unholy. Their spells, aimed at him connected with each other at the exact moment he fired off a high level Spirit spell of his own energy. Normally Holy and Unholy spells merely cancel each other, but the addition of so much extra, human-based energy changed everything.

The resulting blast threw his two assailants a considerable distance into the surrounding walls, nearly kiling them. The victim survived the blast, but died within 48 hours from what seemed to be a strange disease. An autopsy revealed he had no internal organs. MUI scholars have theorized that some Unholy energy bonded with his Spirit energy and when his own energy hit him, as he reabsorbed it (as is usual for Spirit users - their own energies cannot hurt them), he absorbed the Unholy energy as well, which, mutated by the spells' collisions, ate him away from the inside. As for his membership tag, the front still clearly displayed the MUI crest, but the whole tag had been somehow merged into his skin, thus making it impossible to read the backside. During autopsy, it was removed, and although the back of the tag was now blank, an imprint of the man's signature and the Spirit Star was clearly visible - on the inside of his skin. It's precisely because of this incident that the articles against attacking other members were added to the Code.

While wearing a MUI membership tag, no Code articles can be violated, whether they're noted here as "Minor" or "Major". If you're not wearing the tag, the "Minor" articles can be adhered to or violated as you see fit, but you are still bound by the blood contract to uphold the "Major" ones. Any magical attempt at harming another member or a known loved one of a member, or to attempt to raise a member in good standing from the dead will result in spell interruption and backlash, when applicable.

For example: Mari is a human Elemental magician and a MUI member. She's aiming a spell at a brick building. Franco is another MUI member, resting in the shade of that same building. Mari bears Franco no ill will, but doesn't think things through: if she fires the blast, the building will collapse, and Franco will be harmed, possibly killed, as a result. When she attempts to fire the spell off, instead of succeeding, it backlashes (as any non-Spirit spell cast by a human does when interrupted). The GM decides that her hair has turned purple as a result of the backlash, and the game continues with the building still intact and Franco unharmed. Despite the fact that Mari didn't intend to harm Franco, her actions would have allowed harm to come to him, and thus the membership contract stepped in and interrupted her spell at the last possible moment.
Alternatively, if Mari warns Franco before she fires the spell off, and he moves out of danger, the spell will succeed. If Franco weren't a MUI member but were the loved one of a member, the same thing happens, with one change: if Mari doesn't KNOW that he's beloved of a MUI member, the spell will still succeed, and he'll be buried in the blast. The spell will only interrupt if Mari knows his relationship to another MUI member.

This has proven true when the MUI member is under a spell's effects. Even under magical Influence, a MUI member knows who else is a member and will remember any loved ones they've met or been told of. And the MUI tag always knows other members. Regardless of the fact that one's will is not one's own, the attempt to harm one protected by the Code will always result in the same consequence.

While wearing your tag, even Minor Code articles are inviolable. If asked to teach a class, for example, you will automatically agree unless you have a valid reason for being unable to do so. You will offer aid, protection and shelter to members in need, and you will always remember to pay your dues if you have the money at the time. There is no check to resist: you can't, no matter how much you may not want to. You can still say you don't want to, but you'll still do it, so long as the tag is on your person. Of course, there is no difficulty in removing the tag at any time.

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