Sorcerer

Kamësh enmërek sikha ne aan emmerin "A Runemaster is a Mage, but he is no sorcerer" (Translated from Emat)

Sorcerers are Mages, but not all mages are sorcerers. Sorcerers is a term mostly refering to elven mages and human mages of the Age of Dauler.

Terminology - Mages and Sorcerers

A person who possesses the Gift of Magic is called a Mage regardless. Thus mage is a neutral term for every magic user of every species. The term sorcerer is a special term used by humans of the Second Age, particularly in the Daulerim Empire. It is an ambivalent term which unites many diverse practices and traditions in itself. There are however two core meaning, one which refers to all elven mages and the other to all human mages, who practice magic in the same way as elves do.
Lets turn to the languages of Illangar, in particular Emat and Daulerim (Other languages like Illodzin have the same terms as Daulerim). Emat, the Classical language of the Dwarves knows the term Enmër "Mage", from the verb Enmar "to do magic". This term is equal to the term "Mage" as established before and thus neutral to all magic users. Most dwarven mages are so called Runemasters or Kamësh "Inscriber of Runes", the terms used by dwarves for other mages is mostly racial. Human mages are Talëmi Enmër and elven mages are Meelëni Enmër, lumping together a vast array of traditions and styles to perform magic. These words also don't pay regard adoption of different traditions. They have however come to mean only the traditional style of magic associated with each species. Thus human sorcerers are not Talëmi Enmër as this term denotes mostly Druids, Shamans, witches or others practicing primordial human magic. Equally it calls all styles of elven magic together, despite each elven nation having essentially their own styles and traditions.
Additionally to this humans have begun to learn and practice elven-style magic, mostly from the elven nations of Aldrim and Geleter. Ever since the foundation of the Daulerim Empire by Dauler the Great, a sorcerer himself, humans have been increasingly adopted elven-style magic and abandoned their own primordial traditions.
Humans adopted the Emat language for literary purposes and also adopted the word Enmër. They already had names for their own mages, thus the term came to denote only mages of other traditions, especially elven ones (Dwarven mages were called by their own names, like aforementioned Kamësh). They were called Emmer (Daulerim) or Ember (Illodzin) in the human languages.

Elven Mages

Humans use the term Emmer (Daulerim) to describe elven-style mages. The term sorcerer is to be regarded as direct translation of this concept. Primordial human magic was rarely professionalised. If at all it was the matter of a few circles of mages, who were more like secretive cults than anything close to professionals. Perhaps the only primordial human mages, who did professionalise are the Paklaun Martmun of Alwaein. This professionalisation might however be a reaction to the increasing professionalisation of human mages elsewhere.
Elven mages are best sorted according to the eight (or ten) elven nations. Each nation has their own tradition. Thus for example are the Aldrim well versed in biomancy, while the Ishmak are masters of pyromancy. All elven nations are known for their elemental mages also. From early on in their history they professionalised and had schools for mages to train them and advance their understanding of magic and ultimately the mysteries of the world itself. Mages are highly regarded in elven society. In fact they are the leaders of their people. The oldest and most powerful mages carry the most authority. Elven mages have always sought to increase their lifespan, those living for more than a thousand years are called Undying Ones.
Their own professionalisation of magic has lead them to look down on other traditions of magic. They regard primordial human mages are nothing more than simple ritualists, who perform magic, not by knowing its secrets, but mere luck. Some elves, especially since the increasing decline of their civilisation, have taken on the mission to school humans gifted with magic. Some elves however have come to regard their way to practice magic as inherently wrong. These have sought human communities to learn their primordial magic.

Human Sorcerers

Already before the Age of Dauler, humans have been adopting elven-style magic practices. Their number were few however. The Order of Edlam seems to be one of the first congregations set out to school human mages. Their own history states, that they've been founded around five centuries before the Age of Dauler. The oldest living human, the herbalist Maimin Rawa tells that during his youth, human sorcerers were a rarity. He himself practices primordial magic, but already knew about elven magic and was himself motivated by the possibilities, that it had to offer. His goal was different though. He increased his lifespan, but did so in the way of primordial human, not elven magic.
The later Emperor Dauler the Great was himself schooled by elven mages. The exact nationality of these elves remains however unknown. He began to promote this way of practicing magic throughout his nascent Empire. A choice, which was greatly supported by groups like the Order of Edlam. A large number of elves allied with Dauler and later integrated and assimilated into human society, giving rise to a large number of Half-Elves in the Empire. Schools were founded for human mages and these elven allies taught their own magic to humans, who advanced it in their own way. This gave rise to a particular human elven-style tradition of magic. There was a great proliferation of the number of mages overall. However unlike mages never gained the same status among humans as among elves. Mages did not begin to ruler over human states, save for a few.
A special case is the Empire of Illodia in which all mages are subject to the Order of Edlam. Children showing the Gift of Magic are taken into schools and taught. All mages are conscripted to serve state. As for the Daulerim Empire, mages are free, but generally organised into larger associations. Some of them are integrated into the state apparatus, others are entirely independent.

Perception

Demographics

Alternative Names

Emmer, Ember ,Elven-style Mage

Famous in the Field

• Dauler the Great
• Noritë
• Ragaster Telve

Other Associated professions

• Mages