A History of Arcane Magic

[Sagwort 833]

A well worn and thick volume rests on a desk in some passable library.

 

A History of Arcane Magic

 

Preface

 

It is said that the Void transcends that of space and time, therefore, no cohesive account of its origin and story can be scribed by any mortal, or otherwise, being.  I write this knowing I am by no means an unbiased or omnipotent source for this ancient and perpetual tale.  I am here to provide only a one sided account of a many faced coin which spins eternally, with no beginning and no end.

 

I beg of you, reader, to provide information I am ignorant of so that I might provide a more complete and accurate history of our great science.

-Ambros

 

The Dawn Age

 

Little is known, and nearly anything is recorded, of this time.  The Dawn Age can best be defined as the time before the first recorded year, when the Creator’s first children wandered the realm as simple and naive creatures.  Whether or not these ‘clay men’ had the ability to utilize the Void is unknown, though it is for certain the Aenguls and Daemons of this era had divine and mystical powers.  Perhaps the clay men knew this and appropriated these powers.  Even if this rings true, these are not the magicks we are interested in, the age of Arcane Magic would not come about until the birth of the four brothers and even then, many years would have to pass for this ancient science to develop.

 

The Age of Descendents

1 - ca. ???

 

Many historians and scholars believe that what we now call Arcane Magic was first seen during the earliest recorded years after the Dawn Age. the Descendent Age (the era of the four brothers and their earliest children.  The Creator, or some other divine occurrence, gave the four races the ability to access the Void supposedly as a test of greed.  Granted, this early form of Arcanism must have been primordial and elementary to say the least.  Still, there are those who would have us believe that some lost and powerful ancient magic was used during these initial decades, lost to time and ignorance.

 

According to a historical account scribed by the Arcane Mage magic not only served as a test of will power four the mortal races but also as a link which connected the realm of the divine and the realm of the mundane.  Granted, such an account would also have you believe that the various races had magic unique to themselves.  We know in today’s day and age that this is a false statement.  Of course, the revered Arcane Magic may have been referring more loosely to the other magics of Druidism and Shamanism.  

 

However, during this time magic was in chaos.  The magic given to these early people began corrupting their weak souls.  For a time, the world was a storm of Arcane potential, with great nations rising and falling at the hands of greedy and powerful sorcerers, wizards, and the likes.  We know this dreadful time to have been plausible due to multiple accounts: one by the writings of the Arcane Mage and another from an ancient Druidic legend known as the Great War.  Unfortunately, these two narratives tell two very different tales.  One ending with the nations of magi being turned into snakes and other ground dwelling creatures at the hands of the benevolent Druids (rubbish, really), and the other more likely outcome resulting in the founding of the Mages Guild.

 

For the sake of scholarly reliability we shall further analyse the latter of these two explanations.  According to the writings of the Arcane Mage, magic left the realm when the shadowy Daemon Iblees was imprisoned in the Voidial realms thus blocking the connection the descendent races had with magic, Arcane at least.  Several years passed where magic was all but lost and forgotten until Iblees began unraveling his nixian prison, magic seeping out with it.

 

Mage Roland, supposedly the first mage, saw the corruption and strife brought about by this divine gift before Iblees was banished to the Void and thought to put an end to it once and for all. Mage Roland gathered a powerful order of wise and just mages from across the realm to cease this another nightmarish period from occurring.  That being said, it is entirely possible that Mage Roland never existed, but rather, ‘Roland’ is simply used as a collective name for the earliest Mages Guild and its founders, for as we see so often, it takes more than one man to alter history.  Hence forth ‘Arcane Magic’ would be overseen by this order, known today as the Mages Guild.  It would be the Guild’s duty to keep the use and teachings of Arcane Magic in check to avoid another violent age from resurfacing, or at least what little knowledge remained of the forgotten art.  Granted, the druids would have you believe otherwise.

 

Do note that this history is not but woven together by myths and legends and its accuracy should remain in question.  The four great kingdoms were said to have been founded during these same years which would conflict with the history stated above.  Perhaps, though, they tie perfectly together?  Is it not possible that the four great kingdoms of elf, dwarf, orc, and man could have been born from this age of animosity and arcane turbulence?  Perchance these great nations were once nothing more than small dynasties ruled by sorcerer kings struggling to continue breathing, and from this time of war the four kingdoms remained, showing the true strength and resilience of our forefathers.  

 

The First Guild

The Golden Age

ca. 1200 - ca. 1330

 

During the Golden Age of Arcane magic up until the end of the Second Guild Era, Arcane Magic’s history is best followed through the eyes of the revered Mages Guild as, until then, they had the most influence over Arcane Magic and all of its functions.

 

For unknown or undocumented reasons, the Mages Guild passed into the hands of the esoteric Arcane Mage.  Or perhaps Mage Roland, who could possibly be the Arcane Mage, transcended.  Little is known of this elusive figure, and few remain alive who have had direct contact with him.  Many believe the Arcane Mage to be some sort of divine entity, an Aenguls perhaps similar to the Wandering Wizard.  Regardless, the Arcane Mage along with the first recorded Arch-Mage, Hwalder, continued administering the Mages Guild for several decades.  Properly archived events do not start appearing until around the late 1200s to early 1300s.

 

At an unknown date, and possibly much further back, the Mages Tower in the far north of Aegis was constructed, though some suggest that the Arcane Mage summoned it from the very stones it sat upon.  This served as perhaps one of the first unifying arcane structures in history, acting as a place of assembled learning, study and garrison for the Mages Guild.  The tower’s numerous secrets and expansive library, as was favored by the Arcane Mage, set a precedent for future Mage quarters.

 

During this time members within the Mages Guild were few in numbers, and the Guild had complete control of all Arcane Magics and its practitioners, punishing those who claimed to know the secrets of the arcane arts outside of the order.  Names such as Arch-Mage Bell, Arch-Mage, and Saint, Everard, Cataris, Ogland, Kilgrim and several others served as some of the ‘original’ members of the order.  Though the ever growing threat from the nearby Undead turned many in the Guild against it, Arch-Mage Hwalder was deemed a spy and traitor, and Guild Master Cataris and Everard would later become creatures of the nether themselves.  Fortunately, the Guild remained tenacious, spreading their Guild Halls across Aegis along with their influence.  At one point, the Guild even had patronage from all four great races, an unheard of things in more modern times.  In part, due to this, the Guild was highly involved with issues concerning Aegis.  The Guild played a large role in the war against the Undead and oftentimes served as wise advisors to the various princes, kings, and rulers throughout the realm.

 

Circa 1320 the Mages Guild goes dormant with the disappearance of the Arcane Mage.  It can be assumed, however, that during this time the Arcane Mage was making his journey to Asulon.  His findings can be found within his numerous journal entries on the topic and the possible ancient arcane beings who once presided there.

 

The Second Guild

The First Renaissance

ca. 1330 - ca. 1400

 

The Guild was later reformed and refounded by Arch-Mages Ogland and Ambros who expanded membership and activity within the Guild from preceding years.  I should note that I, Ambros, play a role within this epic tale and hope to keep my biography, as it seems, unbiased.

 

Mages such as Mithas, Rilath, Indelwehn, Lafthi, Salamandra, Laurina, Deltaro, Lorethos, Dio and numerous others became prominent during this time, most under the apprenticeship of Arch-Mage Ambros and Ogland, or under each other.  The refoundation of the Guild marked a new generation of Mages.  Here, as set down by the the Arcane Mage, Arcane Magic was focused heavily upon the four elements and the concept of light and darkness.  Training was often physically and mentally demanding, less scholarly as we see presently.

 

Under the control of Ogland and Ambros the Guild became more regulatory over Arcane Magic within the realm.  Any mages who practiced magic outside of the Guild were deemed ‘rogue’ and swiftly hunted down and disposed of.  The Guild kept a powerful monopoly over the teachings of Arcane Magic, making it a highly influential force in Aegis.

 

Oddly enough, many of the members of the Second Guild, perhaps in part due to Ambros’s recruitment techniques, resulted in the creation of some of the first ‘dark magi’ and the surfacing of grotesque and potentially ancient magicks.  Mages such as Salamandra and Rilath became some of the first known Shades, a mutated form of Arcane Magic which utilized corrupted auras and evil techniques.  Regardless, many of these warlocks and rogue mages were dutifully banished from the order as soon as their foul practices came to light.

 

With the ever growing threat of the Undead, the inhabitants of Aegis boarded their sea faring vessels and fled to Asulon from Aegis.

 

Due to the Arcane Mage’s previous expeditions to Asulon, the Guild had an island pre-surveyed and swiftly constructed a tower known as Bellus Turris, known for its unusual location, resting in the sea between the Princedom of Malinor and the Empire of Oren, as a result, very few knew of its location.

 

Since Aegis, however, the Guild had lost much of its influence.  The Orenian Empire, under the rule of Emperor Godfrey Horen and the Hanestian territories, had outlawed much of magic within human lands and the orcish and dwarven clans and kingdoms had become suspicious of such arts.  The Guild had lost much of its patronage.  The few remaining patrons of the arcane arts existed only within Haelun’or and the more liberal Princedom of Malinor and Kingdom of Salvus which was later absorbed by the Orenian Empire.

 

A more unusual phenomena occurred during the late 1300s, however.  A massive influx in the number of adept arcanists within the realm.  Mages outside of the domain of the Guild began to rise up for unknown reasons, forming their own independent organizations and fraternities without the Guild’s consent.  This event, I shall call it the Great Arcane Surge, led to even further degradation of the Guild’s influence and grip on the Arcane Arts within the realm.  We can only assume several causes of the Great Arcane Surge.  Possibly due to an increase in mana within the realm of Asulon, Bellus Turris of the Mages Guild even sat atop an incredibly potent magical Node.  Asulon in itself had an extensive and ancient history behind it, tomes of magic might have educated the masses without the Guild’s own teachings.  Granted, it might be for this reason that decades of arcane magic and its gradual departure from Aegisian methods ensued.

 

The Mages Guild was further addled by the retirement of Arch-Mage Ogland, leaving the Guild in Arch-Mage Ambros’s hands.  Due to his progressed age, perhaps, Arch-Mage Ambros’s ability to lead was persistently questioned by those within and outside the Guild.  Numerous frivolous reformations occurred as a result of a rebellion led by the late lich Cataris resulting in the betrayal of several mages, leading many to think Ambros was no longer fit for leadership.

 

The Guild finally fell into inevitable disrepair when the node beneath Bellus Turris, already unstable, erupted, destroying the tower.  We believe the node itself destroyed the previous inhabitants of the island who no doubt had advanced knowledge of the Arcane Arts, as observed by the Arcane Mage.  The Guild itself went dormant after this, though a small quarter still remained in the mountains in the kingdom of Urguan.

 

The Second Guild Era was not so dismal, however.  Ironically, after the the demise of the Second Guild, the growth in those educated in the mystical arts allowed for more minds, perhaps minds not so close minded, to expand the ancient craft.  Stepping away from the four element method of the Aegisian Era, the first four schools of arcane magic were established under the names of Conjuration, Evocation, Illusion, and Alteration as well as a further understanding of the nature of the Void.  Many of the principles and theories established during this time still remain prominent within the modern study of the Arcane.  I should like to credit myself for the establishment of these four schools, however, no one can be so certain, particularly myself.  It is for this reason we deem the Second Guild Age the first Arcane Renaissance, despite the Mages Guild’s collapse.

 

The Erudite Age

ca. 1400 - ca. 1420

 

The number of independent magi grew as the inhabitants of Asulon fled to Elysium and later Kalos.  The name of the Mages Guild had all but been forgotten, giving time for the Arcane Arts to develop without authority or regulation.  Some might argue that this only led to the wide misunderstanding and intellectual inconsistency amongst arcanists.  I myself hold no opinion of this time of “Free Knowledge”.  The four schools were expanded upon, and I can only appreciate the growth of knowledge.  The Erudite is nothing more than the continuation of the Renaissance experienced during the Second Guild Age.

 

The Mages Guild began recruiting again, however, making plans to reform themselves.  Other magical orders such as the Arcane Delvers also became prominent which the Guild considered a threat.  The Arcane Delvers in the early Erudite Age was perhaps the most powerful magical order in the realm due to their expansive numbers, of course, not matching the power the Mages Guild once had during the Aegisian Era.

 

Inevitably, the races finally landed on the continent of Anthos where the Mages Guild signed a treaty with the dwarven kingdom of Urguan, founding a college known as Wyverwyn Hold in the far south western mountains of Anthos.  Under the secular and nonpartisan administration of Arch-Mage Ambros, the Guild was reformed to suit a far more educational purpose.  The Guild abandoned the old ideas of ‘balance’ and ‘spiritual training’ for a more empirical and scholarly approach to the arts.  Refusing to involve themselves with politics as they once had in Asulon, due to the tension between the Guild and the Kingdoms of Man, they existed solely for the purpose of research and education.  This idea of empirical thinking and experimental methods became the norm of arcanists during this era, hence the Erudite Age.

 

With the considerable number of independent mages, however, request for entry into the college was lofty and the Guild kept its highly exclusive membership far too stringent.  Soon, widespread contempt for the Guild rose up, leading many to think Ambros, once more, was no longer suited for leading.

 

The Neo-Erudite Age

ca. 1420 - 1480

 

After the mysterious departure of Arch-Mage Ambros from the Guild, Crumena swiftly took control of the Guild in Ambros’s absence.  Mass reform ensued returning the Guild to a triumvirate of Arch-Mage governance as well a  mass induction of apprentices and mages into the Guild.  Alterations to Arcane Magic itself also took place, resulting in more sub-types to the four schools and the reduction of said four schools into only three...

 

I myself know little of this time as I was not present to witness it, as stated above.  I ask you, reader, to fill in these gaps in time.

 

As the races fled to Athera the Mages Guild continued functioning along with other magical organizations with began to rise up such as the Raine Academy, Wizards Guild, a college of mages within Aldersburg and the Caliphate of Khalestine.  Though such organizations, much like the Arcane Delvers, remained only temporary.

 

The Arcanic Dark Age

ca. 1480 - Present

 

As the Mages Guild so often tends to do, it went idle.  No authority existed regulating the teaching and use of arcane magic.  Little is to be said of this abysmal period, the arcane arts were stuck in stagnation with little to no progression or growth and those who were learning the arts did so irresponsibly, proper teachers few in number or availability.

 

Thanks to the efforts of past members of the Mages Guild, arcane magic, or at least Arcane Magic, experienced a sort of rebirth, attempting to repair the damage inflicted by the Arcanic Dark Age.  Granted, it was not intellectual in nature as the first Arcane Renaissance was though more political.  The long standing strain between Arcane Magic and the Kingdoms of Men was broken when a treaty was signed with the enlightened King Olivier I de Savoie and the Mages Guild which was then renamed the Conclave of Magi, acting as a sort of governance for all arcanists, hoping to achieve the same influence the First Mages Guild had over Arcane Magic.

 

The first Conclave of Magi functioned as a loose oligarchy consisting of ‘sorcerers’, three guild masters and a Maginor who served more so as a figurehead and sat upon the Privy Council of the Reformed Orenian Empire. A set of laws, known as the Codex Arcana, established the first dominion wide decree deeming the Conclave of Magi the foremost authority on Arcane Magic within Orenian lands.

 

The Conclave of Magi was later disbanded by Oren soon after the races arrival to the Isles of Vailor.  Once more, Arcane Magic was left unchecked and unregulated by any authoritative powers.  Granted, more exclusive organizations continued to practice the arts uniformly such as the intellectuals and mages of Haelun’or and the secretive Wizards’ Guild.  Granted, they served as independent institutions with little access or influence politically.  However, arcane magic had not become stagnant as it had in Athera.  Magic had become a major part of the Vailorian economy with enchantments being in high demand and magical teachings becoming a far more common and practiced form of study, most individuals being able to perform even minuscule amounts of arcane techniques.

More to come...

 

Edited December 1, 2015 by Sagwort

[Suicidium 1295]

((A captivating read throughout, really well done)

 

Crineas hums a doleful melody as he flips through the thick volume, passively sighing at several sections.

" In the end, arcane magic lost its own meaning" he mutters in the library, slotting the thick volume back into place. 

 

[Elad™ 560]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.