Magic in Giantstep

Magic as a concept encompasses all forces, powers, tools and techniques related to the supernatural alteration of the natural world. It is used both mortals and immortal beings to interact with the world in ways that would go against the normal rules of nature, breaking them instead of working around them. The most common example for explaining what magic is “the rock and the bird”, comparison that has been around since the days of the foundation of the Khenomeric Schools of Magic:“The bird and the stone are different in their composition, form and function. While the bird has a natural aptitude, a shape and the energy necessary to fly, the rock has neither of those things. No matter how many millennia may pass, the stone will never take to the skies on its own. To do so would require an external force launching it or keeping it there, such as a sling or a catapult. Using these tools, we use the rules of nature to achieve a goal that, by itself, would never happen. Magic, however, allows us to reach the same end goal, making the stone fly, but instead of using the rules of the natural realm, it breaks them. A stone should have no way to levitate, to stay still in the air, and yet it does with the correct spell or enchantment, achieving something that should not be possible by forcing our will upon the world.” 
Anonymous Saying about the nature of magic.Many individuals and institution study the different ways all beings interact with magic, though there is still no full comprehension of the different mechanisms that make the supernatural work. Indeed, some argue that part of the power of the magical world is the fact that is seemingly lawless, working when by all accounts it should not. These groups describe wizards more as explorers and pioneers rather than thinkers, finding ways to use the supernatural to their favor without worrying about its rules. Other groups defend the complete opposite opinion, voicing that magic does indeed follow rules, as certain magical action offer the same results under the same conditions over and over again, and that not bothering with finding out the true rules and nature of the magical realm is disingenuous at best.
== History of the study of magic ==
Seeing as every culture and civilization in the world have their own interpretation of what the true nature of magic and magical powers are, it seems more relevant here to talk about how the study of the magical subjects evolved over time, and the more popular tendencies between scholars.
The population of Giantstep have known about the existence of magic, though it took an untold amount of time to be known as such. The first users of magic were the Fey, whose affinity for magic related to nature and life saw them practice the arts in a very rudimentary form. They saw magic as energy from nature, or as the blessing from the natural spirits, and they developed a great deal of mysticism and ritual around their abilities, which led to very slow developments. Whatever magical knowledge they enjoyed, its furthering was not encouraged, seeing it as an affront to nature and the spirits to abuse their blessings. These kinds of magic were soon learned by other species such as humans, particularly those who served the Faerie Lords, though their lesser affinity to magic meant they were never as powerful or as successful as the original users. However, soon enough this knowledge began moving far from the Faerie Lords’ watchful gaze, and was passed on to people who wished to learn further into this realm. As humans did not have the long lives of elves or the Faerie Lords, their small gains needed to pass from teacher to student relatively fast, to avoid losing any minimal discovery achieved. Soon, magic was studied in many areas of the world, though it was done in the outskirts of civilization, as most places saw it with fear.
Many believe the first civilization to embraced magic was Etera. The eterans were one of the more ancient civilization known, long gone back when the Western Elven Empire was created. The reports, legends and archaeological findings about them tell the story of a very advanced civilization, who draw magical power from their divinities in strange and complicated rituals. It is not well known about the cataclysm they apparently faced, but the results of it are the seemingly disappearance of the eterans and a great magical barrier, surrounding the remnants of the city. Wizards and sages have studied this monumental enchantment to learn about how the ancient eterans could cast magic of such power and longevity, to no avail. Thus, whatever mystical knowledge they held has been lost forever.
The first people that truly set the fundaments of magical studies as we know them were the khenomeri. The khenomeri began studying magic in a more organized and analytical way from before. The original khenomeri cities were the meeting place of many wizard gatherings, where small councils agreed to teach their secrets and discoveries to each other, forming a network of studying rather than a strict and closed relation between master and apprentice. These councils also allowed these ancient wizards to detect and discover patterns in the behavior of certain areas, helping them push the envelope of what they could truly do with it. It was during this period that the monarchy, struggling to control the alliance of cities under their control, saw the usefulness of magic as both a tool for social cohesion and for further conquest. The protection of the khenomeri pharakhans allowed the few powers within the Khenomeric Empire mistrustful of wizards to fall in line, and with the full backing of the kings, magic blossomed in the empire. Many of the most brilliant minds in the nation dedicated their lives to the study of the magical realm, and the small confederation of coastal cities began expanding rapidly. The principles and theories they set up are, to this day, the basic of pretty much all magical knowledge in the human world, and even adopted by many other species.
As the empire grew in size and complexity, so did the magical studies began needing a better organization. Magic can be applied to almost any aspect of life, and as such, trying to organize the study of each field was an arduous task. The pharakhans fomented the creation of the Four Schools of Magic of Khoraqualumum, institutions founded and maintained by the empire to further push those areas of magic for the benefit of the nation. The four schools were finally opened in 1.673 BBE, with the four schools being the School of Green Plant Magic, the School of Black Necromancy, the School of Light Astromancy and the School of Gold Divimancy. The School of Green Plant Magic focused on the subject of life and nature, developing magic coming from fey tradition in a more scientific way. The School of Black Necromancy was first thought as a school of healing, though the discovery of the resurrection and control over dead bodies changed its subject completely, and started focusing in the limits with life and death, and seeking to preserve life beyond death. The School of Light Astromancy focused on the study of astronomy, astrology, time measurements and distant future predictions, something essential when governing a massive empire with many areas having their own calendar. The School of Astromancy quickly moved towards the knowledge of the substance known as aether, essential for the creation of automata. Finally, the School of Gold Divimancy was focused on the prediction of the future. The arts of divimancy were beyond rare and complex, with only a few gifted individuals being able to use it correctly. However, those who could were apparently capable of incredibly accurate predictions, more immediate and precise than those obtained by astromancers. The sheer power this allowed meant that the royal family took direct control of the school, to the point that soon enough the only ones allowed to master divimancy were part of the royal family.
The growing presence of magic in khenomeri society meant that more and more supplanted the authority of the gods and the divine in the eyes of the population, which made many began distrusting magic in return. The growing tensions between wizards and the priestly class gave birth to the Magoclergy, a religious body designed to integrate the worship of the khenomeric gods with the use of magic. They would have the blessings of both the Crown and the priests, and would be tasked to make people see magic as something beneficial for them. The Magoclergy quickly rose in power and influence, twisting many areas of government to their own benefit, and soon enough, they had enough power to eclipse the Crown itself. It was during this period that the infighting within the royal house saw the entire field of divimancy disappear, with each member of royalty not passing on their knowledge fearing it would be used against them, to the point of the entire field becoming extinct. The growing experimentation with darker means of magic by the Magoclergy, both as a weapon of war, to control their grasp over the population and to satiate their lust for power, saw the population turning more and more against magic, and even the Schools of Magic began distancing themselves from the Magoclergy.
The defeat of the Khenomeric Empire in the Battle of Empires was a lethal blow to the Magoclergy. The War of Supper saw the complete eradication of the order, but by then, the damage was already done. The people of the empire saw magic, wizards and most mystical fields with fear, and there was a palpable fear the magic users would once again try to take over the nation. The banning of all magic by Kyle I in the year 87 ABE is considered one of the biggest tragedies in the study of magic. Some of the greatest wizards in the world at the time were executed or imprisoned for life and entire towers filled to the brim with wizardly knowledge were burned or its contents thrown into the sea. The Four Schools of Magic were closed down forever, and their students and teachers forced to flee or renounce their arts. The exile and scattering of the khenomeri wizards also planted the seeds for the spread of modern magic all around the step, as many fled as far away as possible, reaching areas as distant as Azan, the Western Elven Empire and Southern Giantstep.
The study of magic did not stop after the banning of witchcraft in the Khenomeric Empire. Far from it, now it began spreading fast throughout the world, though in much simpler forms than what it once was. Without the patronage and protection of the great empires, magic returned to a simpler way, with wizards living in isolated towers dedicated to their own studies, living from their services to local authorities, and limiting their teachings to a few students. While many other nations saw wizards as a potential threat, only a few took similar measures to those in the Khenomeric Empire, as wizards were too powerful a tool to discard outright. The most famous attempt was the creation of the Tower of Mastrass as a centralized center for magical studies in Azan, but the sheer amount of control over their wizards overburdened them, making many leave and the whole project to fail in less than half a century.
Meanwhile, many wizards began settling in the island of Wanaidheain. An area bordering both the Western Elven Empire and the Azan Empire, this made it a great spot for many wizards seeking a life a more free life far from the potential vigilance of the azanese authorities or the faerie lords. In addition, the peaceful nature of the island was very alluring for a life dedicated to the studies of the supernatural. This saw the rise of many wizard towers all around the island, and while they were in contact with one another, they were mostly independent and kept to themselves. This would end with the start of the war between Azan and the Second Elven Empire, with the drow invading the island in the 20th century ABE. The grave condition of the azanese armies forced the local population to take up arms against the invaders, which included the wizards. By 1.950 ABE, the island of Wanaidheain had been freed from the drow, with the wizards having gained a lot of prestige and power, while Azan lost its control over the island. The role of the wizards in local politics grew, though most of them just wanted to be left alone to their studies. Over time, however, they set a series of systems to allow for a local administration, just enough to let people live their lives, but without any national structure to speak of.
The fracturing of Wanaidheain into dozens of different magocracies was a period of political turmoil, but also of quick magical developments. With each wizard tower wanting to prove their superiority over their neighbor, competition fueled the investigation, and since these fights never devolved into actual violence, the wizards could dedicate their efforts into their arts. The arrival of Celin MagTow put an end to these divisions, arguing for collaboration instead of competition. He saw the need to organize the island, as focusing its resources into a strong state could help the wizards develop their studies much easier. Through peaceful means, he debated and argued with his fellow wizards to pool their resources and influence together, slowly but surely unifying the island into what is today the Isle of Wizards, finishing the unification by 2.100 ABE.
However, this unification was to be beyond the creation of a new state. Celin MagTow believed that the world needed a central organization for the study and the control of magic, as the growing knowledge of the magical arts could result in catastrophes, which could cause the world to turn against magic. In 2.102, Celin MagTow founded the Order of Most Practical Wizards, located in the Great Tower of Heliotrope at the center of Wanaidheain, focused on the study, the monitoring and the protection of the world from magical catastrophes or mishaps, which it continues to this day.
While the Ancient Order of Most Practical Wizards is the biggest magical institution in the world by far, that does not mean they have a monopoly on magic. Indeed, many wizarding groups do not agree with the control the Order of Most Practical Wizards wants to impose. Many wizards from Azan, Changrila and other human nations, not to mention the wizards under the Faerie Lords, renegade dark wizards like those in Avangar or Mossovoy, and the Necrocracy of Okhost… simply do not follow the rules and advice of the order, preferring to develop their studies and practices of their own. The development of modern magic has also seen fields of study such as alchemy and astromancy separate themselves from the common understanding of magic, developing to such an extent they no longer fit the definition of what magic is.
== Rules and Mechanics of Magic ==
The study of magic takes us to the search for the general rules and principles for the arts, which invariably lead to a great deal of discussion. The seemingly opaque and mystical nature of magic can make it look as a mysterious and decretive field, and yet most wizards coincide in a series of fundaments that have been proven true, no matter the different traditions followed. Beyond these basic sets of principles, the discussion becomes murkier, as the sheer amount of variables involved when using magic makes searching to replicate the results is surprisingly difficult.
=== Basic Application of magic ===
Even the most simple of spells follows a simple series of steps, which can be expanded depending on the complexity of the sought result. The first thing the wizard has to do is to visualize the end change they want to enact upon the world. Doing this is more difficult than it seems, and many wizards train their minds for years to focus and concentrate, as the clearer they can see that idea the more efficient the spell will be (either needing less energy to pull off, being more accurate to what they wished or being less prone to failure). However, this is not just a thought exercise. Many veteran wizards from all over the world have reportedly been able to meditate and focus their mind to such an extent that they can feel their being navigating an entire different realm. The first documented case of this phenomenon was reported by Plathiem of Khenomeri, one of the first known archmages of the Four Schools of Magic of Khoraqualumum:“Seeking to perfect my arts, I was determined to reach the true ideal of what I was aiming to achieve. […] My body entered in perfect harmony with the world around me, and it let my mind flow free between the crevices of reality. It is then when I became conscious of where I was: a realm of pure thought, where ideas of all that was, is, will be and could be existed at once. I could have spent an eternity in there and not learned but a minuscule fragment of the totality of what was that place. And yet, when I came back from my trance, the only pure memory I had of this realm was the perfect ideal I sought in the first place, now in my mind clear as daylight. I can only recall the emotions and sensations of that place, blurred and unfocused.” Plathiem of Khenomeri.This space has been dubbed as “the Realm of Thoughts and Ideas”. Many wizards have, over the millennia, reported to have been able to bring their mind to that realm, where they could reach the perfect idea of what the conjuring they were planning at the time was. This has led to a lot of discussion, since after bringing their mind back to the real world, they can only recall but the merest fleeting memories, just flashes and bursts of indescribable sounds. The fact that many wizards have reportedly entered that realm has led to many theories, with the most popular being that it is the source for all magical thought in the world. When one wizard seeks to do something, their concentration and visualization of the end result is, in fact, them approaching the Realm of Thoughts, seeking to obtain that pure ideal. The near majority of wizards, however, are unable to fully reach this dimension, as it needs a superlative mind, peerless concentration and a lifetime of magical studies to even have a chance to achieve it.
For the general purposes of magic, however, reaching an adequate ideal of what they want done is good enough. Once the wizard has that ideal in mind, they then need to give it a presence in the real world, transforming it from an ideal into reality. This transformation needs magical energy, which can be obtained from different sources. The wizard drinks from this well of magical energy and brings it to himself, using that energy to fuel the spell. The duration of this process depends on many factors, such as the scale of the spell in question, the clarity of mind of the wizard, their experience with the spell and the availability of energy around. Once the spell is prepared, the wizard will be able to cast it, bringing their ideal into reality. Another factor to take into account is the magical output of the wizard in question. Leaving aside the magic available to the wizard at any time, all individuals have a limit of magic they can output at the time, as the action of casting does take a toll to the mind and the body. Reaching or surpassing that output can have a wide variety of negative consequences, such as damages to the mind and body, the inability to cast magic for long periods of time and even death. In the gravest cases, the wizard can completely lose power over the flow of magic, literally erupting in a fountain of magic energy that causes great destruction around them. Wizards train constantly to improve their safe output cap, through meditation, practice and ritual traditions.
=== Sources of magical energies ===
One of the first things that wizard apprentices have to learn from their masters is the correct identification, access and manipulation of the different sources of magical energy in the world. Without this, there simply would be no way to enact any magical action at all. Thus, understanding the correct use of magical energy is something that the wizards practice and study throughout their lives, as the benefits of their correct use are immense.
The most basic source of magic are the arcane energies around the step. These energies exist on a plain overlapping the world, moving around in ways that have been described as “currents” or “tides”. The origins of these masses of magic are unclear, with some believing they are a natural byproduct of the real world’s essence filtering into another dimension, while others believe they are the energies of creation, ever expanding and contracting as a breathing living being. These energies are in constant movement all around the world, being affected by many elements of the real world, making the energies pool, stagnate or flow too fast, creating near vacuums of magical energy (though complete vacuums are very rare). While they are by far the safest magical energies to use, many wizards consider them as weak in comparison to other sources, and access to them takes generally longer than other forms of magical fuel.
Another form of magical energy is life energy. All living creatures produce some small level of energy, which can be harvested and taken by wizards for their sorcery. As this energy is present in life within the real world, it is by far the easiest to access to. However, draining this lifeforce beyond a certain point will cause life to wither and die, and as such, nearly all creatures instinctively know when their lifeforce is being stolen, and will act accordingly. Wizards who use life energy for their means often need to learn ways to use it as efficiently and sparingly as possible, so as to not harm the environment around them. The wizards can also use their lifeforce if the need arises, but this is often seen as a desperate move, as it will exhaust the wizard by doing so, making him prone to lose control of their spells or be grievously damaged.
Not all magical sources come from this world. From ancient times, the existence of entities from dimensions beyond our own is something that has been studied with great interests. Many of these dimensions are populated by creatures highly magical, who can offer the wizard their services and powers in exchange for many things. These creatures range from demonic beings, made entirely of magic, to incomprehensible beings whose motivations are just as opaque and mysterious. Dealing with these creatures can grant the wizard a great boost of power, as the connection between the two beings grants a direct and quick access to power, as well as other quirks such as knowledge or an increased magical output. However, the costs of dealing with these beings is often high, and many would rather risk their lives than gamble their souls with them. Enslavement of the creatures on the other side is also a possibility, but the danger increases exponentially, should the wizard ever lose control over their demonic servants.
Finally, the last great source of magical energies is divine blessing. Some wizards have obtained the benediction of one or more of the gods of Giantstep, and with that, their powers have been increased exponentially. They have access to the energies of their patrons, and gain knowledge forbidden to mortals. However, this usually can be achieved to those who spend their entire lives to the worship of the divine, or they are under a divine task they have to accomplish. Keeping these powers depends on the faith and piety of the wizard in question, and also the success of their quest. Once the blessed task is done, the wizards rarely keep their powers, as they are no longer needed.
=== Rituals and ceremonies ===
No matter how skilled, powerful or experienced a single wizard is, there are limitations to what a single individual can do, especially on the spot and without proper preparation. To help maximize and fasten the wizards’ magical efforts, there are certain options to do so. The first and most used is the preparation of a ritual or a ceremony beforehand. These ceremonies are designed to support the efforts of the wizard, reducing the energy the wizard needs to output, increasing the concentration or making the actual shaping of the magic easier. This allows casting more efficiently, spending less energy for the single spell, or conjuring spells much bigger and more complex than what the wizard could do on his own. These rituals often need multiple elements for their correct preparation, such as the adequate magical language, the application of certain physical elements or even magically enhanced music. Multiple rituals can be combined with each other to make casting much bigger and more complex spells easier and faster, but these rituals need to be compatible with each other, and incompatible rituals can have unforeseen side effects. The wizard needs to have the knowledge and experience to develop these rituals to their logical conclusion, as a badly performed ritual is going to be more often than not more dangerous than the spell itself.
=== Magical Aptitude ===
Magic has always been seen as a rare gift. From ancient times, magical skills were seen as a gift from gods or spirits, blessing their chosen individuals so they enact their will upon the world. And even then, few of these individuals actually gained access to any kind of formal magical education, making proper wizards extremely rare. Nowadays, we have learned a lot about the magical gift, and how to detect and develop it.
We now know that nearly all people have an innate connection to magic. The ability to draw generate a minimum magical output is, after all, the bare minimum requirement to develop magical skills, and this seems to be something innate in near all sentient beings. However, this ability to draw upon magical energies and transform them into useful purposes is often too weak to be of any use. For example, if an individual needs decades of training, studying and meditation to be able to create sparks from their hands, in the end they will just use coals or find other way to create fire, much faster and safer. Simply put, the magical abilities of most of the population are often too weak to be worth the time investment needed to develop any skills of worth.
People who are apt at magic need a particular set of skills, sought by the wizards in their students to evaluate their potential. The first needed skill is the ability to focus the minds and thoughts, something essential to reach the realm of thoughts and ideas. This is crucial, as an unfocused mind will not be able to visualize the desired effect. The second skill is the capacity to connect with the arcane energies around the world with relative ease. As arcane energies are the easiest and most plentiful ones a wizard can access, they are considered essential for magical studies. Thus, if an individual cannot reach them with a certain degree of success, they most likely will not be able to materialize their vision into reality. However, this can often be replaced by a good access to life energy, or finding energies through divine blessing or demonic compact, if one accepts the risks. Finally, a wizard needs the ability to output magical energies through themselves, as if they do not have that, they are incapable of using any kind of magic, regardless of the source.
Many magic orders travel from population to population seeking young individuals to join their fraternities and learn the arts of magic. Once they arrive at the tower of magic, the wizard in charge will put the potential students to the test. These trials are often very hard, and only a select few are able to move on as full apprentices. Those who are not good enough can be allowed to serve in the towers of magic, or prepare themselves for another try a couple of years later, though this rarely works outside of dark rituals and pacts to open their mind and body to magic forcefully. Some of the most talented rejects can become sorcerers, which often go back to their towns of origin and serve as low-level wizards, self-honing their skills through study and practice.
== Wizard Towers ==
Wizard towers are a common sight within the magical community of Giantstep. These tall constructions serve as both the residence and the research center for wizards, where they conduct their studies and teach their apprentices the arts of magic. Wizard towers are often outside of population centers, as most wizards pretend to keep their distances from most towns, though it is not rare to see wizard towers in capital cities that frequently hire the services of wizards. Their size also varies depending on the power and influence of the wizards who rule and have ruled them, as once they are created, the wizards who live in there will strive to increase their size according to their needs, with many towers visibly showing the different periods of construction. While towers are not the only kind of residence wizards occupy, they are definitively the most frequent and easily recognizable out of them.
The origins of the wizard towers is believed to be caused by the prosecution of wizards out of the Khenomeric Empire. The fall of the Magoclergy and the banning of magic forced thousands of exile themselves from the empire. Many of them, however, decided to stay hidden in barely populated areas. Using many camouflaging enchantments, they hid their bases of operations from the eyes of the khenomeri authorities. Often, they built high watchtowers to watch over the horizon just in case the khenomeri witch hunters were around. This custom persisted once they were also forced to exile themselves, becoming a long cherished custom of wizards. Some of the oldest wizard towers are thousands of years old, and many end up growing both upwards and downwards at the same time, with many rooms deep underground.
The construction of a new wizard tower is a complex process. They often start with a powerful wizard, with the influence and the resources to pay for the new construction, and not interested in their original tower for a myriad of reasons (personal ambition, desire for independence, search for a better location…) decide to build one. This is not as simple as it sounds, as often most nations monitor the magical activity within them, the creation of a new tower is often seen as a risk, and if the nation in question do not trust the wizard, they will put all sorts of blocks to the construction. Once the construction is approved, often by serving the nation during a couple of years or through high payments to the correct officials, the wizard begins the erection of the tower. The construction needs special wardings and enchantments, making the structure more resistant than an average building to magic, in case that there is a misfortunate magical incident. This, combined with the wizard towers being near entirely made out of stone, makes them nearly fireproof. Once the building is complete, the heirs of the original creator will attempt to increase and expand the structure according to their growing needs, especially if it becomes the residence of a magical order. It is also very frequent to see towers being built in pairs, connected with each other, when they are centers of teaching or they are the property of a particularly noteworthy wizard.
Some towers that gain enough power and influence end up growing into full on towns, looking like a forest of towers. The most famous case of this being the Great Tower of Heliotrope, the biggest wizard tower in the world, the capital of the Island of Wizards and the central headquarters of the Ancient Order of Most Practical Wizards. It was built by Celin MagTow at the very center of Wanaidheain to serve as the focal point of the recently created order, and nowadays, it encompasses more than two hundred individual towers around the original Tower of Heliotrope, which is where the Council of 1.000 reunites. These wizard towers are reserved for the many activities the order develops, from investigation to teaching. Between the towers, many houses have sprung, serving as the domicile for the many public servants, bureaucrats or students working in the capital.
== Magical Orders ==
Magical orders are societies dedicated to the development, teaching and management of the magical arts. These organizations often play a very important role in local society, as they are the ones who not only keep an eye for any potential wizards within the population, they are also tasked to continue the magical studies and with the vigilance of their area of influence for any kind of magical mishap or threat. There are dozens of different magical orders around the world, usually functioning at a regional or a national level. The magical orders often work independently from local authorities and powers, but these often keep close ties with them, seeing that both entities benefit from mutual collaboration.
Magical orders as we know them come from the ancient khenomeric days, with the Four Schools of Magic laying the groundwork. The Four Schools were tasked with many of the different duties most magical orders are responsible for, but unlike most modern magical orders, they were under the direct control and supervision of the pharakhans. After the banning of magic and the closing of the schools, many wizards outside of the empire sought to continue their studies, but without the numbers, the organization and the resources available in times past, they had to adapt into much smaller entities. These orders began as associations between individual wizard towers, encompassing a dozen or so wizards plus their apprentices, seeking to pool their resources together. After a while, some of these societies became too big and influential, which led to many different reactions by the local authorities. The fear of wizards, while not as pronounced as within the Khenomeric Empire, was still enough to make people worry, especially after the actions of the Magoclergy. Many local powers actively sought to disband these associations peacefully, while others made a deal with them. The relative success of these pacts left to the bigger empires to try to create their own system to control and monopolize the wizards, such as the failure of the Tower of Mastrass in Azan. The birth of the Ancient Order of Most Practical Wizards in the island of Wanaidheain was a clear anomaly in this process, as the order was founded with the full backing of the recently created state of the Island of Wizards. In many aspect, the Island of Wizards serves as a source of resources and manpower to the order as much as the order guarantees stability and order to the inhabitants of the island.
While the Ancient Order of Most Practical Wizards has a scale and reach within the near entirety of the step, this is the stark exception, and not the rule. Most magical orders can barely have around a hundred wizards in total, not counting for the apprentices at any given time. This number is often good enough, as finding apt students is rare, and bigger numbers of wizards would end up causing worry to the local authorities. Many of these orders tend to help the local powers if asked, in exchange for a level of support and independence, and the local powers benefit greatly from the services of the wizards. The level of organization of these societies tends to vary wildly, from very loose associations of wizards with few ties with each other to highly regimented structures with heavy rules and regulations. The orders usually have a strict code of conduct and ethics, teaching their students the importance of the correct use of the magical arts. Some magical orders have specialized in a specific field of knowledge, but for the most part, they tend to not limit the knowledge their students seek, unless it directly clashes with the codes of conduct and ethics of the order. This is encouraged by the local authorities, as they see the good behavior of wizards as a necessity to avoid friction between the two.
One of the most important tasks of the orders is the location of potential candidates for wizardhood. This can be done in the form of dedicated searches, but more often than not, it happens by complete coincidence. Once found, if the individuals accept to be tested, the order puts them under a series of challenges and tests, and then accept them or reject them depending on the result. However, it is important to remark that orders do not have the monopoly on magic. Those individuals rejected from joining an order are not forbidden from studying magic on their own, receiving the title of “sorcerers”, and while generally much worse in magic, they are not bound by the red tape and the limitations of a formal order. These sorcerers often end up as the local wizard, working in whatever they can be of use. If an individual is accepted into the order, they then become apprentices, and spend many years learning the fundaments of magic. Once that is achieved, they are free to leave if they so choose, though they are still bound by the rules and ethics of their alma matter. More often than not, they end up working for the order.
A wizard who willingly betrays or breaks the sworn codes of conduct and ethics of their order is called a “dark wizard” or “renegade wizards”. These individuals are seen as dangerous loose cannons, both by the order and the local authorities. The order has the duty to hunt them down as part of their pacts with the local authorities, which often aids the order in the finding of these individuals. These dark wizards get a bounty put on them, and often than not their crimes are publicized heavily throughout any village and town that might give them refuge. The renegades who are captured are publicly judged and executed by the local authorities, with the orders collaborating so that the prisoner does not escape or retaliate.
== Types of wizard ==
While to the uninitiated, most wizards are undistinguishable from each other, the magical world has established a complex classification of the nature, behavior and knowledge of those practicing the arts. This division is not an ironclad rule, though, as many of these groups tend to share many similarities, and the limits between them can be very blurry.
=== Mage ===
The archetypical wizard. They are a “jack of all trades” wizard, having received a formal education, either by another wizard or by one of the many wizarding orders around the world, and following the set of practical and ethical rules taught by said order. He dedicates less time in the study of magic and more in the practical application of it, often specializing in some area they find particularly worthwhile. 
=== Sorcerer ===
Similar to mages, but unlike them, they have been forbidden from receiving a formal education, either because they have not met with the requirements of the order or because their rejection of its principles. Thus, their magical knowledge comes from their own experimentation and experience. Typically weaker and less apt as a result, but not tied to the rigid lifestyle imposed by wizarding orders. They can be a frequent sight in many rural areas of the world, but often less in cities, as competition with actual mages can drive them out. Many people are weary of sorcerers, as many scammers and charlatans pose as them to trick the gullible and the naïve.
=== Sage ===
Wizards centered on the studies of the arcane over its actual use. Highly skilled in the theory of magic, often focusing in arcane magic, but also know a great deal of other areas. However, their actual use of magic is minimal, often requiring mages to assist them. The reasons for this can vary, though it is frequent that sages are elderly wizards whose ability to control the magic within them has weakened, but their mind is still fresh and able to research the mysteries. They generally live in their own towers, or work for the elites of whatever place they live in. They are some of the most important members of the wizarding orders.
=== Battle Wizards/War Wizards ===
Wizards centered on the usage of magic for warfare. They tend to know mostly about ways of destroying their enemies, but they also know enough to offer healing to their allies. These wizards often come from sorcerers or mages who have learned their ways from a single master, rather than a magical order. These individuals tend to search for adventure, or are bound by the call of duty to serve their lord or their nation. Battle wizards live following a martial way of life, and can actually fight using enchanted weapons, but this means they dedicate much less time to the magical studies, and thus tend to fall short when pitied against superior wizards in tests of skill. Magical orders see battle wizards as barbarians and a potential risk to the magical community, but also as unavoidable that makes the common powers in the world respect and appreciate the magical arts.
=== Druid ===
Wizards who obtain their powers and knowledge from meditation and their relation with nature, rather than from formal studies. Generally highly skilled with life magic and healing, and with a moral code centered around the protection of nature. Druidic customs and rites are said to come from the original fey magical teachings, and all species who adopt the druidic ways often end up defending the same values of protection of the natural order. Many druids avoid staying in big populated centers, as they see cities and other major urban works as colliding with the interests of nature. In cities that have been abandoned and left to be reclaimed by nature, it is frequent to see druids realizing rituals for the regrowth of nature. Druids prefer small towns or even living among nature directly. Druids are not part of magical orders, preferring to organize themselves in druidic councils, though they keep good relations with the orders. 
=== Shaman/Witch doctor ===
Wizards from primitive societies, with no formal education at all, and often serving as the religious leaders of their people. They are individuals who have innately developed their arts, or have learned them from other shamans. Highly superstitious, they have a great reverence for spirits, which they often commute with to obtain knowledge and power. As their knowledge of magic comes from traditional teachings and not formal study, their capabilities are much more limited.
=== Dark Mage/Warlock ===
Wizards who have received a formal education, but have broken with their bonds and oaths of duty, and now use their magical knowledge in dark and destructive ways, far beyond what their original orders established. To become a dark mage, it is not enough to just reject the oaths taken and abandon the order: a great crime against it must have been committed for the order to condemn you. What that is, however, depends on the order in question, seeing as some orders are much less strict than others. These dark mages are often exiles and pursued as criminals, as their use of magic goes beyond any kind of safety limitation. Both the orders and the local authorities are very serious when dealing with dark mages, as they can be a very serious threat to the community. 
=== Summoner ===
Wizards who specialize in communing, communicating and bringing forth spirits, demons and other entities from other dimensions. They are masters of the demonic/otherworldly magic, and often have many pacts with creatures from other realms in exchange for power and knowledge. They can become corrupted over time, and seeing the effects of demonic contamination, they tend to follow the rules of ascetics and celibacy much more seriously than other wizards. They tend to isolate themselves in their own personal towers, seeing as most populations are not comfortable with a demon summoner between them.
=== Necromancers ===
Wizards who have specialized in the study of death, the preservation of life after death and the reanimation of dead flesh. They are very feared within common society, as their ability to bring people back from the death and enslave them under their command or turn them into animated puppets is seen by many cultures as antithetical to nature and the laws of decency. Many necromancers who die and become reanimated themselves become what is known as “liches”, though there are only a few “true liches” in the entire world. Tangentially, necromancers are highly skilled at healing, since their trade revolves around preserving life in many forms.
=== Clerics ===
Clerics are individuals who, through prayer or action, have become blessed by a particular divinity, and have thus gained the ability to do magic. While their skills as wizards would be below average, seeing as they dedicate most of their time to the worship of the gods, they compensate this by gaining access to divine power. The strength and ease of use of divine blessings often make clerics much more powerful one would assume, capable of feats many wizards would struggle with, and privy to knowledge forbidden to most mortals. However, the access to divine magic is completely dependent of the will of the god. Clerics are often chosen to accomplish a particular task, something they must do in the name of their god. Keeping their powers depends on the faith and piety of the wizard in question, and the success of their quest. Once the blessed task is done, the wizards rarely keep their powers, as they are no longer needed. Both wizards and non-wizards can become clerics, and in fact, non-wizards becoming clerics is the most frequent outcome for them. However, clerics are extraordinarily rare, as the gods do not like to meddle in mortal affairs if they can avoid it.
=== Witches ===
Witches are a strange group of wizards, often very difficult to catalogue and describe with any degree of precision. The most clear characteristics of witches are that they are all female and they tend to live in isolation from the rest of the world. Witches tend to orbit the brewing of potions (also developing considerable alchemical skills to do so) and the summoning of spirits, often becoming corrupted by these practices. Witches give great value to ritual and ceremonial procedures, often to the point of being incomprehensible to even experienced wizards. They develop very communal ways of life, frequently reuniting with other witches in aquelarres. They are related to druids by some, but unlike druids, their preference for living among nature is incidental, as it allows them the needed tools for their experiments and rituals, and is not in any way tied to the protection of nature.
Category:Magic
Category:Mystical