Grand-Magus Tezla

Tezla was the greatest mage to have ever lived. He succeeded in doing something no-one else had, and mastered both the Elemental and Necromantic magics. Not content with this, he created a third school by harnessing the power of the magestone, and this fueled the rise of the Atlantean empire.

With armies of Technomantic mages, War Golems and troops armed with magical weapons, Tezla’s Atlantean Empire quickly expanded throughout the western half of the Land. Today the Empire sprawls across thousands of miles and contains most of humanity under its rule. At the heart of the Empire lies the floating city of Atlantis, held aloft 500 feet above the ground by dozens of house-sized blocks of enchanted Magestone crystal. The floating city is the heart of the Atlantean Empire, and is the home to the most powerful human warriors and mages in the Land.

In his life, Tezla was practically a living god, and his actions shaped the Land so much that the world's chronology starts with his birth. Even after his death he's revered by many, especially in the Atlantis Empire.

## Personality

Even Tezla knew that control was not absolute; some creations are better destroyed than allowed to survive - with that purpose he created the Forgebreaker.

## History

### Age of Princes

In -175 Tz, Tezla’s birth is predicted. The Oracles of Rokos foresee the date and birthplace of a Delphane man who will one day conquer all of Kos with more powerful magic than has ever before been seen, who will master the twin arts of life and death, and who will ultimately attain the powers of a god. At the height of his power, the wizard will rule all humanity from a floating city in the sky. Upon hearing this prophecy, the aging Priest-King Temanor immediately begins to make plans to subjugate the Delphana, to ensure that the Oracles’ prophecy will never come to pass.

### Age of Tezla

> *Tezla slowly rose above his throne, displaying his miraculous power for all to see. Tezla then swore that the legions of Atlantis would one day fly as well, and that they would dominate all the Land with weapons of lightning and fire.*
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Magestone and its miraculous properties were first discovered by Tezla himself. Tezla was also the one to start the painful practice of inserting Magestone implants into skulls to become magi - Tezla was also the only Magus known in history to have ever had 5 magestone implants in his head. “Magus” was originally a Draconum word meaning “wizard.” Tezla appropriated the term for his wizards to make his new Technomancers seem more dangerous.

The Atlantean siege of Khamsin ended somewhere during the year of 119 Tz, when Tezla’s troops marched into the city. The folk of Khamsin revile the Guild for it to this day.

Raised in the sky by Grand-Magus Tezla, the Throne Palace was the first piece of Atlantis to truly rise in the skies. In the place where it was levitated from the ground, in Down Town, a huge crevice called Tezla's Pit now stands. When Tezla raised four square miles of his capital five hundred feet into the air, he’d chosen the sections with the most impressive architecture. The wonders of Technomancy allowed crystals, even gemstones, to be fused or fashioned into structural elements. Tezla had provided for his Floating City by turning the mighty Roa Vizorr into a reverse waterfall, the river’s waters roaring five hundred feet into the air to irrigate the city. Pumps powered by Technomancy piped the water through the four square miles of Atlantis-in-the-Sky. On the other side of town, a thundering fall of waste water cascaded to the sea.

The Altered Arch of Atlantis was risen sometime in the 170 Tz, intended as a triumphal memorial for Tezla’s attack on the Knights Immortal. That campaign failed at the Battle of South Pass, but the arch, covered with scenes of victory over the Elves, was already in place. Rather than tear the thing down, artisans had changed the carvings to show Wylden followers of renegade Elemental mages facing Imperial justice. The sculpted battle scenes still included many High Elves fighting in the ranks of the Empire’s enemies.

Golemkore was established by Grand-Magus Tezla himself more than two hundred years ago of very loyal to the mages of the Atlantis Guild.

### Transcarnation

After Grand-Magus Tezla’s transcarnation in 278 Tz, his soul was supposedly transferred to a Golem body - though, exactly which one it was is still debated upon to this day, with the Guild, the Elementals, the Sect and even the Solonavi all claiming to have the true and only Tezla lead them. Perhaps the truth is in the middle. Perhaps they're all wrong. One thing is for sure - each of Tezla's new "bodies" are served by the second-highest in command of their faction - Prophet-Magus Osiras of the Guild, Prophet-Priest Tremelen of the League and the Dark Prophet Soma of the Sect.

Elven practitioners of Necromancy—death magic—departed Atlantis with the Tezla's soul safe in a Bone Golem Avatar. They traveled to the northeastern mountains with their precious cargo to construct the Necropolis, a sprawling complex of tombs, towers and catacombs on an island hidden away within a vast mountain lake. There, under Dark Tezla's direction, the Necromancers created a meritocracy where excellence in the blood pits, bedrooms and political arenas was rewarded with dark, seductive gifts: the immortality of vampirism and the power to raise and command the dead.

Tezla’s Avatar was supposed to be the greatest achievement of Technomancy, the Magestone-powered Golem where the Grand Magus’ soul—his true essence—had transferred after leaving his body. For any Atlantean, the avatar spoke ultimate truth, and the Prophet-Magus decreed it.

## Legacy

Atlanteans follow Imperial Precepts, taught to them at the schools of the Atlantis Guild, supposedly handed down by the Grand-Magus Tezla himself. The known precepts are as follows:

1. *A superior speaks with the authority of a father. A subordinate’s duty is to hear... and obey.*
2. *Let the Mills of Circumstance grind common folk to dust. The superior man rises above.*

Tezla's Magestaff still exists, keeping it's magical properties even after the death of the Grand-Magus.

***Atlantis Guild***

1. ↑ https://www.mageknight.net/wp-content/uploads/Mage-Knight-Board-Game-Ultimate-Edition-Expansion-Rule-Books-September-2018.pdf
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://www.mageknight.net/wp-content/uploads/Mage-Knight-2.0-Card-Set-Relics.pdf
3. ↑ https://www.mageknight.net/wp-content/uploads/Mage-Knight-Lore-The-Ages-Longer-History-of-The-Land-From-the-Third-Bookshelf-in-Old-Scrying-Chamber.pdf
4. ↑ https://www.mageknight.net/wp-content/uploads/Mage-Knight-Lore-Expansion-Rebellion.pdf
5. ↑ Rebel Thunder (Bill McCay), Chapter 3
6. ↑ Rebel Thunder (Bill McCay), Chapter 1