High Magick

Origins of the High Magick
During the Second Endarkened War, it was necessary for a powerful magic to be created to better combat the Endarkened. Therefore, from the Wild Magic, the human Mages of the time created the War Magick. Combining spells of the War Magick with those of the Wild Magic could kill the Endarkened. The War Magick was made so that it did not require the paying of Mageprices, nor was the War Magick entirely beholden to the Gods of the Wild Magic. The War Magick could be taught to nearly any of those who could wield magic, and did not require the Three Books to perform it. This allowed the War Mages to act autonomously, giving them the ability to cast powerful spells without worry of incurring Magedebt. This autonomy from the Wild Magic was not without its own limitations however, the War Magick required a great deal of power, so the War Mages who used it often had to make bargains to use the power of elemental creatures. The immense power of the elementals burned brightly and often eventually burned the Magegift from the mind of the Mage. Another limitation of the War Magick was that it was both very rigid and very complicated. Spells of the Wild Magic often cost little to cast apart from the power needed for the spell itself, and could be cast nearly anywhere at nearly anytime. By comparison, apart from the simplest of spells, the War Magick often required a great deal of time and preparation to cast a spell. Many complicated spells must be cast at a specific time in specific places, and often required more than one mage to complete. The War Magick also required special and simple equipment for many complicated spells. After the Second Endarkened War, the WarvMages built the City of Armethalieh and retreated into it. Sometime between the birth of Armethalieh and the Third Endarkened War, the War Magick became known as the High Magick.

The High Magick
After the creation of Armethalieh the High Mages established themselves as the ruling class of the city. The High Magick became a symbol of power and status. Overtime the fear of the Endarkened and of change led to greed and corruption of the High Mages. The High Mages began siphoning power from the citizens of Armethalieh, without the citizen’s knowledge, to power their High Magick. The history of the High Magick and its origins were lost or altered with time and almost entirely forgotten by the High Mages of Kellen’s time. After the end of the Third Endarkened War, and ascension of Cilarnen Volpiril to the Archmageship, the citizens of Armethalieh were told about where the power of the High Magick came from.