The Definitive History of Magic

                                   by

                          Darein the Inquisitive
                         Wizard of the 7th circle

	Its hard to imagine a world without magic. It has become so
commonplace in today's times that one could barely imagine life without
it. How would we defend our cities from the frequent onslaughts of evil
that attempt to penetrate our walls? Life without magic may seem merely
a dark dream that you eventually wake up from, but there actually was a time
in our past when man did not know how to harness the flows of energy that
cover the landscape.
	Back when people roamed the earth in clans scraping for food and
barely holding on, life was hard. Many a clan was often wiped out by a
single attacking dragon, or a horde of trollocs searching for food to
devour. Their primitive tools held off some attackers, but not all and
clans were often completely destroyed in an attack from the creatures
of the wilderness. The human race as we know it was in danger of being
removed from the land if something was not done.
	Many scholars claim the turning point for man came with the
emergence of the medicine men. The records of the first medicine men
are very sketchy at best, but one can infer that their beginnings came
when normal clansmen were born with a greater ability to tap the flows
of power. By accident they would occasionally use this power and their
friends noticed. Miraculously healing a comrade who was mortally wounded
in battle, or causing things to burst into flames with their willpower
would obviously attract attention. 
	Elevated to a position of authority with emergence of these powers, 
the medicine men would no doubt have been given leeway to spend their time
experimenting with their powers instead of gathering food for the clans.
Given the volatility of magic, one can only imagine that many of the
medicine men must have met their demise when a newly discovered spell spun
out of control.
	Over thousands of years and much trial and error, medicine men
would probably have started noticing patterns in the words they spoke and
the spells they cast. By taking those born with the natural ability to
manipulate the flows of magic, they could pass on what they knew and
the knowledge base of magic grew. 
	As magic was discovered that could be used in defense of the clans, 
the medicine men started to fight alongside their clansmen. The human
race finally got a handhold on survival, and would eventually grow to
control the lands around them, instead of being controlled by the lands.
One could make a strong argument that man would not have survived without
the development of the medicine men.
	The medicine men are seen as the father's of modern magic. They
were not, however, masters of the art. Much of their magic was mere
trickery of the senses. A slight of hand or a flash of powder added flare
to their actions, but it did not tap one bit into the flows of power. The
spells they did cast were often weak from lack of concentration, and
they often used more regeants than were necessary. Some of the so called
regeants that these medicine men have been recorded as using have since
then been discovered to have absolutely no affect in the spells that they
were supposed to affect.
	With the clan wars came the largest use of magic to date, and also
a near-death of all that had been learned about magic. The medicine men
were powerful foes to have fighting by your side in combat. All clansmen
knew this, and they also knew that defeating a clan that was lacking a
medicine man would be much easier than if that clan had one. Medicine men became
the prime target of attacks. The bulk of a fighting force would concentrate
on taking out the medicine man first, then work on obliverating the 
warriors next. Often, members of an opposing clan would sneak into the enemy 
camp and seek out the medicine man, killing him in his sleep. This greatly 
decreased the number of medicine men in existance and threatened genocide on 
their art. Several medicine men abandoned their clans and stole off into the 
eastern mountains to hide and continue to practice their art. Those that 
remained were eventually wiped out, and the practice of magic in mainstream 
society ended for several hundred years.
	The clan wars eventually drew to a close as Rysnor's armies swept
through the southern clans. During this time, the medicine men practiced
and perfected their art high in the eastern mountains. Most scholars agree 
that this was the emergence of the mage, and the disappearance of the 
undisciplined medicine man. Solitary people, the mages disliked visitors 
and mainly kept company only with the beasts of the mountain forests. 
	While most people had trouble surviving alone in the dangerous 
wilderness, the early mages found homes well hidden in the vast caves and 
high ledges of the mountains. Some built stone fortresses so they could
hide behind heavy fortified walls. How they built these monsterous structures
alone is a mystery that still plagues scholars. Some suggest they used
magic to recruit the help of several of the stronger beasts of the
wilderness. Rarely was one of the mages seen, and those that were stumbled
upon accidentally either killed the trespasser or vanished quickly without
a trace. 
	They did, however, take steps to ensure the continuance of the 
magical discipline. A mage would be constantly on the lookout for those
newborns who showed a natural ability to tap into the flows of power.
Parents would often wake to find their child missing, and a subsequent
search would never find a trace. The mages would raise the children as
their apprentices, gradually teaching the children their ways until they
are old enough to become mages of their own. Some scattered tales have
emerged of a few mages making their way into the plains and forests near
the mountains to seek out prospective additions to the magical arts.
	The seclusion of the mages was one of their biggest traits, to
the dismay of Rysnor, the ruling power at the time. Stories of the
developing power of the mages reached him, and he wanted their power at
his disposal badly. Many expeditions were sent into the mountain in an
attempt to subverse one of these magical experts to his bidding. Given
the effort the mages placed into hiding themselves, most of these
expeditions turned up little trace. Those that did manage to find and
talk to a mage either were eventually destroyed by that mage, or were
unsuccessful in attaining their services. The mages were intellects, and
did not seek power or glory, which Rysnor could not understand. A man
addicted to the pursuit of power, he expected these magical masters would
seek the same. All the riches or promises of control that he offered
fell on deaf ears.
	Eventually Rysnor was removed from power, and Delmar attained
control of the land. Delmar was an apprentice of a mage who died while
Delmar was still young, so he never learned much of the magic that most
apprentices were taught. However, a mage first instills in each young
apprentice the desire to seek knowledge. Picked up by those learning the
fighting arts, he became a renoun fighter. Through all that, he did not
lose his passion for the pursuit of knowledge. With his natural leadership
abilities, he eventually gained control of the insurgent forces. When he
overthrew Rysnor and took control of the land, he sent expeditions into
the mountains once again to find those elusive mages.
	Given his background, he had more success than the attempts that
Rysnor had made. He offered those mages he found better facilities and
promised to create a center for learning where mages could learn from
other mages what they had discovered. The promise of greater knowledge
and organized development of their art intrigued many of the mages, and
they came out of hiding to assist Delmar in his efforts. Some were
not about to leave their secluded ways though, and they stayed in hiding
and many still are today.
	With the assistance of the mages and Delmar's help, Shiahn
keep was set up in the mountains to provide a center for the study of
the magical arts. This walled structure, still in existance today, offers 
huge libraries and shielded work areas where the mages could practice 
their art. It also provides council chambers where mages can share their
ideas. Today it still exists as a haven for those practicing magic to
learn from the ancient magicians and for others to research new magic.
	The age of the intellect saw the creation of the wizards's
guild. When it became apparent that anyone could learn magic, not just
those born with a natural ability, many flocked to the keep to become
wizards. The old mages saw the discipline being threatened by those
attempting to learn magic without first attaining the proper discipline
of the trade. In order to ensure that control was placed on the
discipline needed to learn certain more powerful spells, the guild
created magical circles that needed to be attained before certain spells
could be practiced. Certain resources would not be available to those
who had not attained the proper circle. This maintained the field of
practice for hundreds of years.
	Recently, knowledge has been leaked into the land pertaining
to certain magical skills. Rogue wizards have developed, practicing
magic without first attaining the discipline and mindset needed to
responsibly use that magic. The guild makes efforts to track down and
take action against these mavericks, but it is a mere remedy for the
effects, and not a cure for the cause. Until control can be maintained
over these rogue wizards from developing, the solution will not be in
sight.
	The future of magic is in the hands of the wizards. It is a
dangerous thing and control over it requires the proper discipline, morals,
and dedication that can only be learned with years of study and
practice. Disaster lies in the future if magic is gained without
proper development of these other areas.