In a way, it actually makes sense. The Thieves Guild is fighting for survival since it's trying to muscle in on the Cammona Tong's territory on an island which has only been open to colonization for 20 years, and it's not like there is some Imperial charter in place to ensure its existence like there is with the Fighters and Mages Guild. The Mages Guild in particular is basically the ultimate joke branch, with Trebonius having been sent there to act as local Archmage basically so he wouldn't make a mess of things somewhere important. The truth is that if you're in the Vvardenfell Mages Guild and aren't a Dark Elf who has a bone to pick with the Telvanni (so Ranis, basically) then you've somehow managed to fuck up or piss off the wrong people. It's the equivalent of being transferred/promoted to a "better" position in Arkansas or Mississippi.It's downright hilarious how the most well maintained and decent group amongst the imperial guilds in Vvardenfell is the Thieves' Guild. Meanwhile the Fighters' Guild are cuckolds of the Cammona Tong and Mages' Guild are idiots who get their highest ranks infiltrated by a low-quality Telvanni spy.The point of the Mages Guild is that it's full of retarded, petty bureaucrats and narrow-minded scholars. This is why it all falls apart come Oblivion.
From the Mages' Guild, Ranis was basically the only one actively warring to keep the Mages' Guild from falling apart from all the sabotage that was going on. She was flawed as an overzealous traditionalist, but her points always proved to be right (accussing real necromancers, discovering real spies etc.)
Trebonius' promotion to Archmage.wav