The mages of Eoas are the most dangerous individuals on the planet. To the world’s great comfort, they’re few in number. Magic is a gift from the Gods. Given only to the rare chosen few. It allows those blessed few to alter reality to their whims. So long as they stay in the good graces of their patrons. Magic can raise the dead, forge the strongest materials known, heal grievous wounds, and create new life. All mages demand fear and respect. All mages on Eoas are priests, but not all priests are mages. Becoming a mage is a dangerous prospect. It requires that the prospective mage gain the attention of their chosen God and win their favour. The two methods for getting the attention of a God are to either use Its true name, or else to find the God’s holy place. Use of a God’s true name like this has caused the peoples of Eoas to create titles for their deities. So they might worship them without drawing undue attention. Once an aspiring mage has their God’s attention, they undertake a trial to prove themselves worthy. What this trial is depends on the God they’ve petitioned. Failure to prove themselves results in indescribable suffering. If the mage wins through, however, and gains their God’s favour? They’re blessed by their patron. Their God grants them access to Its divine power. From that point forward, they can tap into their God’s power in order to cast spells. The spells that these mages have access to are near unlimited. They can warp reality to their whims. The mages face little risk in their work if they please their God. The entropy from their spells is routed to their God. Each spell draws energy from the God. The main limiter on a mage’s ability to alter the world is how much their God has spread Its power. If the God has blessed many mages, then Its power is limited within each of them. Concentrated power in few blessed mages enables grander magics. The most dangerous people on the planet are single mages blessed by a God. Regardless of the power granted to each individual, mages remain far above their non-magical counterparts. Larger magical priesthoods, such as that of the Harvest of Ash in Tarvesh, coordinate their efforts for a greater impact. The priests of the Harvest of Ash are notable in their high cooperation and their integration with the Tarveshti state. The Ash mages operate in state sanctioned temples and provide healing to those in need. But they also work in the imperial forges, producing vast quantities of enchanted ashforge steel. Another large priesthood is the Deep Forest of Aredhest. These Flower Crowned mages wander the Deep Forest and tend to it, ensuring the Forest remains healthy for all its denizens. Though their magic is not as potent as that of other mages, the Flower Crowned can give blessings and healing upon those they encounter. They can also shape the Forest in battle with its enemies. Smaller priesthoods include the individual mage that serves the Vindish God of Dust and Worms. The current priest-mage of that God is the Corpse Singer. She is a powerful individual, able to battle entire armies on her own. The Singer is a nightmare to her enemies. She raises undead forces to maintain the temple of her God, including a massive corpse titan that she pilots in battle when pressed. Her magic allows her to sling destruction at her foes, resurrect those she’s killed, and wash over them in a tide of bodies. The Eaters of the Mist is another pantheon, with a small empowered clergy. Their priest-mages fought off the Baramunz invasion of Wiheath. When the dwarven legions poured out of their deep road onto the island, it was the mages of the Eaters that hunted them through the fogs. Using their power to spread spells of sleep and fear, or to conjure creatures in the mist to consume their enemies. Whether from a large priesthood or a small, mages, and their spells have shaped Eoas. Their strength has reshaped industry, warfare, medicine, scholarship, and society wherever they appear. Without them, the world would be unrecognizable. Industrial magic has created ashforge steel, the strongest material known to the peoples of Eoas. It has also refined wood and stone into new forms for building grand structures. And it brought about the creation of the grand cities of Gorkil, Elensesh, Baramun, and others. War magic has seen empires toppled, and the world reshaped. The Glass Wastes of Zaramun are an eternally burning reminder of the wars between dragons. The Corpse Singer has slain Angukari kings and raised their corpses as thralls. Tarveshti cavalry ride magically changed steeds, wearing ashforge armour. The Elensil drop magical bombs to burn away the Deep Forest as it encroaches on their land. Wounded soldiers are healed instantly to return to combat. The impact magic has had on society cannot be understated. With rulers killed or saved by spellcraft. Plagues snuffed out before they could ravage cities. Crops preserved along trade routes. Livestock created or changed to consume ash instead of feed. Nothing in Eoasi society hasn’t been touched by magic. Despite its benefits, magic can be a great danger to the people of the world. Rogue mages exist. These rare few individuals have maintained their access to magic without performing any services. Some serve Gods that don’t care about any greater good. Some whisper that they have discovered a way to drain power secretly from a God without Its knowledge. Whatever the case, these mages are an active threat to the surrounding populace. Other mages will hunt them when they can, but rogue mages have learned to live quiet lives. Their victims are those that society doesn’t value. Or their remains are never found to send up an alarm. Magic is a rare and powerful thing in Eoas. It is the greatest danger to anyone who’s angered a mage. But it is also the greatest boon to society that the Gods have provided. Despite being outnumbered, mages have reshaped the world. Eoas would not exist as we know it without the tireless workings of the priest-mages.
Author: woerm