The Chapter, often called the Chapter of the Gift and Art, is the ruling body of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers. It is a small circle of the most senior and respected mages, and its word is law in the world of magic: it sets the rules, settles disputes between mages and decides what is forbidden. In practice it is the closest thing magic has to a government, and like every government it has its share of ambition, grudges and backroom deals.
Members
At the time of the Thanedd conclave, the Chapter includes Tissaia de Vries, the strict but fair rectoress of Aretuza, and Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, the youngest and most admired of them all. Francesca Findabair, the elven sorceress known as Enid an Gleanna, and Artaud Terranova also sit on it.
The Thanedd coup
The Chapter is torn apart on Thanedd Island. Vilgefortz has secretly allied himself with Nilfgaard, and his plan is to use the conclave to take control of the North’s mages and capture Ciri. Tissaia, trying to keep the Chapter’s neutrality, ends up making a choice she cannot live with. When the night is over, the Chapter is gone, its members dead, captured or scattered, and the old order of magic dies with it.
The Chapter only exists in the books. For what came after, see the Lodge of Sorceresses.