Anarch of Shyr

The anarchs of Shyr are one of the oldest orders of swordmages on either Abeir or Toril, having originated long ago amongst genasi arcane spellcasters on the continent of Shyr. In contrast to some of the more esoteric or abjuration based swordmages, anarchs of Shyr concentrate on focusing the arcane magic that flows through the Elemental Chaos into powerful blasts of energy. This has served the anarchs of Shyr well for centuries, making them ideal enemies of the dragons of Abeir and Laerakond.

Culture
The original anarchs of Shyr, who still exist, were members of an arcane order located on the continent of Shyr, who served to protect the local genasi kingdoms against the aggression of Abeir's powerful dragon lords. Although bound to defend the kingdom, anarchs of Shyr were not necessarily loyal, and often saw themselves not merely as protectors of the state but of the people within it, leading them to rebel against local lords and kings if they felt the establishment leaned too far towards tyranny. It is in this way that most anarchs of Shyr still serve on Abeir.

Although most anarchs of Shyr hail from Abeir, there is a well-established offshoot of the order on Toril, established originally by the few scattered members of the order who were transplanted from Abeir to Toril during the Spellplague. Concentrating in the lands of Aglarond, Akanûl, Calimshan, and the trading states of the Dragon Coast, these anarchs reestablished the order, changing its purpose from one of organized defense against the aggression of dragons to a more loosely organized set of arcane traditions and principles. Not all anarchs of Shyr who dwell within Faerûn's borders reflect the spirit of the old anarchs and few feel a sense of brotherhood, but there are yet some who still carry on in the ways of their Abeiran comrades.

Abilities
Anarchs of Shyr put a higher emphasis on aggressive stances than many swordmages and many of the techniques they learn relate to this. Early on, anarchs of Shyr learn to quicken their strikes, enabling them to bury their enemy in a flurry of blades. At the same time, anarchs of Shyr focus themselves on improving the accuracy of their attacks. With additional training, anarchs of Shyr increase the effective range of their aegis of assault spell.

The spells learned by anarchs of Shyr, on the other hand, tend to focus more on unleashing elemental power through powerful blasts. Lightning clutch is one of the earliest such abilities learned, causing a bolt of electricity to spring from the anarch of Shyr towards their target. Shyran cataclysm is another such spell, creating a maelstrom of elemental energy around a target.