Spellfilcher

Spellfilchers were a special kind of elven mage-thief who specialized in stealing from other mages.

Culture
Spellfilchers were always part of a so-called spellfilcher guild. These guilds operated for the good of the elven race. Members were tested by the guildmasters for their magical sensitivity as infants. Talented infants were taken from their parents for training.

A spellfilcher's loyalty was first to the guild. The spellfilcher guilds demanded total subordination to the guild's rules from their members. A member's private desires had to take second place to their service to the elven race and insubordination could lead to punishment, if they didn't have a suitable excuse for their behavior.

Given their profession as thieves with non-elven mages as specialized targets, non-elven mages distrusted them. Spellfilchers disguised themselves to avert vengeance from mages. Elven mages on the other hand trusted them for the spellfilchers' targets were non-elven mages.

Abilities
A spellfilcher had the abilities of a mage and a thief. In addition, the spellfilcher guild knew secrets to awaken additional talents. They could better identify and even temporarily shut off the function of magical traps more reliably, accurately, and for longer than others.

Traditions
The drow sported a tradition of spellfilchers and with it spellfilcher guilds for the necessary training. Vhaeraun, their god of thievery, was also the divine patron of spellfilchers. They and their deity fought for the freedom of their people, so they did work for the benefit of the race, at least in their own minds, but the intra-racial nature of their battle made the idea of them not stealing from other drow unlikely at best.

Spellfilchers were considered relatively rare on Evermeet, their generally lawless nature at odds with the peaceful elven settlement.