Pact masters/mages/sorcerers
A pact master is any mage who successfully summons and retains control of a Nemia Artifice. A mage can become a pact master without going through the process of forging a shield and summoning if they encounter a pactless Nemia in the wilds.
Generally the stronger willed and magically proficient a mage is, the easier it is for that individual to create a Nemia to do their bidding. Pact masters can create and maintain more then one Nemia but this can be taxing on them physically, magically and mentally.
Mage classification is as follows:
Fledgling:
any untrained or newly awakened mage. Their ability and mastery of their elements are not strong enough to capture Nemia souls.
Hedge mage:
younger mages or those who learn their craft alone, particularly those who live as hermits in the great forests. They have ability but tend to lack patience or in depth knowledge of their elements. They can create Nemia to serve them but it is less successful and often times restricted to woodland creatures.
Mage:
trained by guilds enough to no longer be considered a fledgling or hedge mage. They are simply referred to as mages. Groups of them are employed by their respective guilds to create low-affinity or weak Nemia to be used as soldiers or cannon fodder in war. It's hard work for the mages but they reap the benefits of being in a guild and are well off.
Sorcerer:
any mage who has mastered their abilities and made a name for themselves with their exploits. These are the type who slay dragons and other mythical beings to harvest them for components and forge the strongest class of Nemia. Of course their headstrong personalities tend to get them into trouble and they often times bite off more then they can chew. Their Grand Nemia are notoriously hard to keep under control and tend to slip free of their binding pact. Sorcerers usually meet their end in this way, or on battlefields in search of more conquest and glory.(edited)
Nemia Artifice creation
The first step of binding any Nemia soul is to make it's retaining vessel. A shield or medallion can be made by anyone, but of course trained metal workers, smiths and artisans are desired to shape a shield.
These shields are constructed with the visage of the host body in mind and a relatively ambiguous human face. Pact bound Nemia usually alter this part to their own liking but this doesn't dissuade some artisans or mages to make the face reminiscent of a loved one or with features they find desirable or at the very least pleasant to look at.
A forged shield is further enchanted and bolstered by the mage seeking a pact. Imbuing this empty vessel with alchemical components or elemental material to influence the type of Nemia attracted. Those of like element or near neighbor are the most beneficial when it comes to Nemia familiars and aiding their pact master. A completed shield is then entered into a binding ritual. The exact details of this vary wildly from guild or group or individual, but it always involves the use of a mages magic and a sacrifice. Often times this is the host body to be used, but additional materials, precious metal and other assorted items are added. Partly out of superstition or the belief that large offerings attract the best souls to trap.
A Nemia will enter the vessel and be binded to it by the initiating mage, and over the course of a few days to a month, it will grow accustomed to it's pact and host body.
Particularly feisty Nemia will have additional protections and runic marks engraved in them during this time, as a means to prevent the Nemia from breaking it's pact and running wild. Thankfully for most mages, they don't summon Nemia that seek to do this.
taboo activities and illegal mage pacts:
Necromancer:
a mage who uses human components of any amount for their Nemia summoning are considered to be breaking mage guild law. It is taboo to perform and retain a pact with these illegal Nemia and any pact master caught with them risks execution. Because of this looming threat, necromancers remain secluded and hidden throughout the world. They are not always with evil intentions, as some hope to bring deceased loved ones back from the dead, or seek to help a grieving family by letting them say their goodbyes. Of course they do not dismiss these resurrected soldiers or otherwise as the cost of summoning is too great.
Chimeric Nemia:
While making mixed host bodies isn't necessarily illegal in mage society, it does draw some suspicion considering some chimeric Nemia are hard to ID and classify. They can be mistaken for other classes or possess illicit components in order to make the pact stick. Chimeric Nemia also tend to be wild and unpredictable much like Grand Nemia, but without the benefits of a strong mage holding them in check. -common mages within guilds are barred from attempting to create Grand Nemia, as this would be overstepping their position. They are also not allowed to research the process of creation, view notes from Sorcerers or directly inquire on this topic. Knowledge is power after all, but some of it comes from practice, and cutting those threads of opportunity keeps the guild hierarchy exclusive. -mages who view restricted texts, perform restricted magic or otherwise overstep theirs stations frequently go missing. It's a hush hush topic amongst guilds and many are too fearful to even whisper about what happens to people who do not follow guild law.