The Council of Nine
Considering their impact on the history of Adranon, relatively little is known about the Nine Mages of Legend. That which has been recorded indicates that they were a cabal of ancient wizards whose powers rivaled those of the gods. They were originally gathered from all around the world by Antonin Alabaster, the greatest mage ever known to walk the lands of Adranon. Alabaster taught them magic and brought them to Carandor. The Council may have brought a new way of life to Carandor, but it has also brought centuries of strife.
Immortal Arcane
Each member of the Nine is said to be an immortal wizard holding dominion over one school of arcane magic. There are nine schools: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, Transmutation, and finally Universalism. History has long since forgotten the names and faces of the Nine, but it’s known that they weren’t always the foe that they have come to be known as over the centuries.
The strength of their forces is unknown, and the subject of lurid speculation. Some say that the Nine command a hundred legions, ready to burst from the Halls once more. Others claim that they are defeated, their power but a fading echo of what it once was. The fact of the matter is that there is no evidence for either.
Origins of the Council
Nearly a millennium ago, the Nine arrived in Carandor together with Alabaster and are said to have been kind people, until they disappeared for a time in the Halls. No-one knows what happened to them in those foreboding depths. What is known, however, is that they returned corrupted and attacked the country in a seemingly unprovoked act that came to be known as the Magewar. They were victorious, and occupied Carandor for a hundred years, until ousted by a heroic effort by all of the other countries of the world and the Church of the Pantheon.Their motives remain unknown to this day, but in their time as rulers of Carandor they taught the people arcane magic, and to rely on themselves and each other instead of expecting help from the gods — a disposition the Church strives to weed out ever since.
A Secret Plan
It is said that the Nine did not lie idle during their hundred year reign but instead executed a secret plan all that time. Rumors say that they were making changes to Carandor in preparation for something. What could they possibly have been doing? None but they themselves know.
The aims of the Nine are mysterious and their identities hidden. They move unseen where they please, doing as they will. But the world has not seen the last of them yet.
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