The Merlinine Council

While Merlin himself was the progenitor of all magic users in the world, as their numbers grew and expanded over the years he knew that he would not be able to watch over all of his children at all times. So, he founded The Merlinine Council, a group of powerful magic users who would use their influence to ensure that magic was not being abused and that anyone guilty of such abuse was found and brought to swift justice.

Structure
The Council is overseen by the Inner Circle of seven magic users representing different geographic areas, including the official leader of the group who is given the title of High Merlin. The members of the Inner Circle change every seven years to ensure no single magic user is granted too much influence over the group, and their job is to pass down the Seven Rules of Magic and judge anyone who breaks these rules.

They do this primarily through their large network of agents, known as Paladins. These Council members number in the thousands, and are usually assigned to their hometowns to guard and protect regular humans from magical threats and enforce the Seven Rules. Below the Paladins are Adepts, magic users in training who work with their superiors to become the next line of defence against the creatures that lurk in the darkness.

Rules
There are Seven Rules of Magic, listed in descending order of importance: Breaking any of these rules has serious consequences for any magic user, with anyone found to be breaking the first two rules risking an immediate death sentence.
 * 1) Magic brings life, not death - magic is a positive force, and using it to kill or use the dead for any purpose is the greatest perversion of this.
 * 2) Magic brings freedom, not enslavement - using magic to bind other sentient beings to your will is strictly forbidden.
 * 3) Magic is for the present - this rule forbids magic users from using magic to affect the timestream.
 * 4) Magic keeps the realms separate - magical barriers or ‘Veils’ separate each of the realms, and no magic user shall use their abilities to break these barriers.
 * 5) Magic is only for the magical - magic users are never to share their magic with mortal humans directly, only through imbued objects.
 * 6) Magic respects the physical form - magic used to change the physical form of another sentient being must only be used with strictest permission.
 * 7) Magic must be kept unseen - although this rule has softened in recent years, magic users must conceal their abilities from mortal human minds.