A Brief History of the Reformation
The Reformation
The Crazy Years created a great deal of conflict and civil unrest; the Nobility and the common people no longer trusted those who were able to wield magic. With many spell casters being rulers of the major cities of Ardrigh, it was perhaps inevitable that the Reformation occurred. It is difficult to discuss the Crazy Years without first understanding magic, and the orders to which the spellcasters belonged.
Documents from before the Crazy Years are fragmentary at best, with even supposedly identical sources conflicting with one another. One notable example is Chronicles of the Crown & the Court. This is the official history of Ardrigh, compiled and curated by royal scholars, and personally transcribed by the Scribe of the Court. Once one page had been written, royal scribes would copy that page twelve times, and the twelfth page is personally verified against the original by the Scribe of the Court to insure no errors have arisen. Once this is done, the pages are kept until they are bound into books. Each of these books are again verified against the original, and the high scribe places his testimony of an accurate copy in the colophon. These thirteen volumes are dispersed to the founder cities, the original of course being kept in the King's Own Library.
Despite these safeguards, many of the original copies do not correspond with one another, or the original. Significant differences are in evidence, although most of the time, a majority of the copies do agree (the greatest number of different versions is five). Even the original is not immune to revision. In the 247th volume (112 3E), entire chapters of the original correspond only to the fifth and ninth copies, and all others contain identical content. The zeroth, fifth, & ninth have two pages which describe a trade conflict with the Orent, while the others tell of a black fog of nine days duration that seemed to travel east along the Rose Road.
The House
The House of the Avereen appears to have supported the Mages of Power through the second century, but this began to change in the second half of the third. A bull recorded in 363 3E prohibited priests of the House from joining the Mages of Power. Another bull written in 390 3E made membership in that organization an offence punishable by excommunication (excommunication for clerics of the House began officially in 384 3E).
Royal Charter for the Library of Candlehar (18th of Ceither, 62 3E)
Sources linking the Mages of Power and the Library of Candlehar are spotty at best, and very little in the way of official documentation exists; the majority of information is anecdotal in nature. It appears that the Mages of Power did at one time have a major headquarters in Candlehar, mostly from evidence stating the Prime Headquarters was moving from Candlehar (summer of 100 3E).
The Mages of Power (50 3E - 404 3E)
Charter to the Council of Jesuits (2nd of Dra, 332 3E)
The charter for the Council of Jesuits states its formation was "to uncover and disseminate the useful knowledge within the world, and to encourage discovery of the world and its hidden workings". Nothing in the original charter, the bylaws, or the Tenants of the Jesuitical Union & Council make any direct reference to the Mages of Power, and the only section of note is Interaction with Other Organizations, which states: "...the Council nether prohibits, discourages, or promotes other Orders, nor shall it prohibit membership to this Council on account of membership to another group to a person otherwise qualified".
Formation of the Guild Arcanum (392 3E)
Most sources seem to agree that the Guild Arcanum was formed in response to wizards who began to grow unsatisfied with the Mages of Power. However those sources disagree as to the cause of this dissatisfaction. Some of reasons include:
Eller and Others
Three sources tend to stand out from the rest: the journals of Eller the Sage, various writings of Percy of the Sovereign Rose, and the songbooks of Amy of Riven. These three seem to largely agree on most points, they are all believed to be accurate contemporaries of the time, and all claim to have come to this realm from a parallel plane.
It is not believed that any of the three personally knew the others, although both Eller and Percy seem to quote bits of Amy's ballads. Eller quotes a version (not a version listed in her songbooks) of Amy's Walker from a Far Plane in it's entirety, and bits of other songs. Percy wrote down two of her songs (musical composition without lyrics) without any type of explanation. Amy made some notes about an "Eler" or "Elen", and these notes do seem to indicate Eller the Sage, but could easily refer to another individual.
Eller the Younger
Little is really known about Eller the Younger, beyond that he was a chronicler who began to write after the death of Eller the Sage. It is known from his journals that Eller the Sage did marry at some point, and that at least two sons (and a daughter) survived till at least a few years before the end of his chronicles. Whether Eller the Younger was one of his sons, a historian instructed by the Sage, or merely someone who took the name to add credibility to their own writing; is unknown. The evidence strongly suggests that the Younger was a Jesuit, spent most of his time in Croshother and Candlehar, and was very familiar with the methods of Eller the Sage.
The Younger began writing near the beginning of the Reformation, and chronicled many events until sometime in the early 480s of the Third Era. His writings began to taper off (and became somewhat less precise) in 472 3E, possibly due to some injury, infirmity, or advancing age. Many of the journals of the Younger were anonymously left on a common table in one of the various libraries in Candlehar. It is suspected that at least two journals never made it into the archives, and perhaps more.
The Fall of the Mages of Power
The reason or reasons the Mages of Power disappeared, or how it occurred is unfortunately unknown, as well as the events leading up to that disappearance. What is known and can be reasonably agreed upon is that there was growing animosity towards towards the Mages for several decades before their disappearance. Where their Headquarters existed, and whether it was destroyed are questions no one can really answer.
The Crazy Years
Many reports of the Crazy Years are fragmentary, but from Eller et.al. at least some things can reasonability be determined.
A powerful spell or magical event occurred. This event marked the disappearance of the Mages of Power, decidedly in the case of the organization. Whether the individual members were destroyed, fled to some other plane of existence, retreated to their sanctum never to return, went into hiding amongst the powerful casters still in existence, or even simply forgot their membership; no one is certain.
Spellcasters alive in the Spring of the four hundred and fourth year of the third era had their minds and memories fractured (or claimed so). Memories and minds of non-casters seemed to be affected as well. Eller describes interviews with numerous merchants who had very clear gaps in their memories. One baker described her memory as a play in which some thief had stolen pages of the script, and the actors performed the scenes with only the pages they had. Another interview of a butcher said he had a memory of interacting with what he could only describe as a shadow. He remembered speaking to this figment that had the vague shape of a man, but with no feature he could remember. In his mind the shade never spoke, yet the butcher responded to it as if he had.
The fractures seemed to fracture written memory as thoroughly as that held within living souls. Books from before the Crazy Years have spaces where a word, a sentence, or even a paragraph would be. These spaces appear as if no writing ever existed there. This unwriting occurs is virtually all forms of writings: notebooks and journals, histories, works of fiction, and even spellbooks. In some cases, only a portion of a spell formulae was missing; in some cases the spell could be cast without issue, others caused mishaps, strange effects, or outright failed. More common was that entire spells would be absent (judging from the amount of empty space and the individual's writing conventions). Most alarming were reports of spell scrolls that had such revisions. In one case, a wizard of considerable power attempting to cast such a scroll exploded in a ball of lightning, leaving behind nothing but a pile of ash. Other cases (some as recent at 792 3E) speak of mages finding ancient scrolls, and the scrolls releasing explosive force from simply attempting to review them.
Particularly hard pressed were the seafaring navigators. Many could suddenly not remember how to determine the ship's position. Numerous ships were lost, and many more made it to some port or shore, some weeks or months past when they should have. Almost every set of navigator's tables had blank pages, as did the logs. The skills necessary could be relearned, or at least many mariners thought so. Others were certain they had lost some method of making a fix, and had to make due with less accurate, or more complex methods to find themselves while at sea.
With many of the most powerful mages either gone or disabled (due to mental fracture), and so many people outraged with casters in general, it was no wonder that the mistrust and anger towards mages erupted into outright violence. Many mages were killed, and many commoners died attempting to kill some of the more powerful wizards. At least a few villages were destroyed in the first months of what came to be known as the Crazy Years.
Within the first years, many mages were placed on trial, often for no other offense than "suspicion" of magical ability. Both Eller and Percy make the claim that no individual placed on trial for suspicion of magic was ever found innocent, regardless of evidence to the contrary. Eller discusses a farrier charged with suspicion of magic (a thing not remotely unlawful at that time), with the sole evidence against him being that a cat was seen in the stables behind his smithy. No other witnesses could be found to support the claim, and three stable hands swore under oath that they had seen no cats. Even though the single witness to the cat admitted to owing the farrier money, and further admitted he was unable to pay for having several horses shod, the farrier was found guilty and hung later that afternoon. The man who witnessed the cat was the village miller who was known for keeping cats in his home as well as his mill.
Although the records strongly indicate that mages of all forms (and even some members of the clergy) were persecuted during this time, it is also evident the magical schools of the Guild Arcanum (as well as the colleges in Candlehar) flourished as well. No clear records exist to account for this discrepancy, but it appears that many of those brought before the courts were independent of the schools, or at least were found well outside the protection of them. Most current theories assume that while the nobility did not really trust magic users, they could no more easily do without them. While a mob of commoners could often restrain a lone mage (particularly those of lesser power), going up against a group of them was a clear act of suicide. At least a few instances of this occurring are recorded in the Chronicles, and the results were universally disastrous for the mob.
While many believe that the Crazy Years dealt only with the aftermath of whatever happened with and after the Mages of Power, it should be noted that many international wars were fought during this time. Whether the wars occurred as a result of magical disruption is debatable, but Ardrigh was a party to wars with Sandlewrin and the North Country, as well as greater problems with piracy towards the end of the Crazy Years and into the Reformation.
The Reformation
The end of the Crazy Years has no well-defined ending. Rather, the beginning of the Reformation is commonly thought to be only a demarcation point, and it began with an edict from the King that stated "No person, Noble or free, who possess an innate or learned ability to raise and direct magical energy shall in any way rule or otherwise lead the people of this land.", making it unlawful for any caster to serve as a Baron or landed lord. Exemptions were made to allow Court Wizards to maintain an advisory capacity, and the law established the position of Proctor, as well as setting out the requirements for both.
Many of the Noble-born wizards who had managed to survive became Proctors, and these were swiftly sent out to every known city to investigate the Barons who ruled. The Proctors went first to the cities where the Guild Arcanum had established colleges, and several spellcasting nobles stepped down as rulers. These first proctors were sent with contingents of the Chaldeean Elite, who had been specially trained to combat wizards and sorcerers. The ruler of Talem Thier was the first real test, as it's ruler was well-known for being both strong-willed and a formidable conjurer. When it was determined that the Count would not simply step down, the Proctor immediately cast a silence spell, at which point the guards killed the Count and his personal bodyguards. The Proctor then placed one of the Chaldeean guards (who was Noble-born, and a younger brother of the King) as the new Count of Talem Thier. A messenger was sent for the Advisor of the University of Salamanca to attend the Count. The Advisor was brought in, and made to swear an oath of fealty to the new Lord.
The purge of magicians from the founder cities was completed within a week, with virtually every major city inside of a month. Candlehar was particularly difficult (taking nearly a half year), but the Count of that city voluntarily stepped down with the stipulations that he would become the new Court Wizard, and would also be allowed to assist in a peaceful transition of power. This necessitated at least two changes in the Count the King wished to place on that throne (the first being powerfully opposed to magic, and the second a High Priest of the House (and a powerful caster himself)) with a noble more amenable to wizards and other casters.
Post-Reformation
In the centuries since the Reformation, several relaxations of the law were added. Most notable of these was the acceptance of spellcasters as Lord's, who would be allowed to rule over a hamlet. This is still seen as unpopular by the common folk, but it allowed the King to be able to call upon powerful spellcasters when a military necessity would arise.
The House's Role in the Restoration
Few people would dispute the fact that the House gained power during and after the Reformation, but not as many realize the role the House played in causing and directing the course of history during that time. While a number of magically powerful clerics were caught up in the anti-magic fervor of the period, at least a few politically powerful priests managed to position themselves (and the House in the process) to fill the "power vacuum" caused by the disappearance of the Mages of Power.
The House managed to place several politically powerful clerics into several Baronies suddenly vacated by mages. The "Church Cities" of the Grandocene became powers unto themselves, and much of the wealth that once flowed to the Crown began to flow to the House instead. Notable among these Church Cities were the majority of cities, villages, and hamlets within the "cereal plate" (the central region of Ardrigh where the vast majority of bulk wheat, oats, maize, barley, and rice are grown).
While information about the House (as an organization) is limited during the Mages of Power's reign, it is apparent that it was not a significant political power. Much of it's financial intake came from direct tithes, which was directly distributed to the needy. Virtually no House sources from the Crazy Years are known to survive, but histories from the beginning of the Reformation mention at least three major priests: High Bishop Mark Cantor, Holy Advisor to the King; Bishop Johann Darck, Holy Scribe to the Crown; and Bishop Luke Pappis, Head of the Order of Devotion.
High Bishop Mark Cantor was critical in assisting and advising the King in planning and orchistrating the Reformation. Many believe there could have been no Reformation without the High Bishop, and the High Bishop would not have existed without the Reformation. High Bishop Cantor was a significant figure in the reorganization and rebuilding of the Crown during the Crazy Years, and was instrumental in quelling the so-called "Civi-Noble War" during the Crazy Years.
Bishop Johann Darck is mentioned many times in royal documentation, but little is actually known about her, or the roles she played in the Reformation. It is known she lived to see the end of the Reformation, and held the position of Scribe of the Court from 434 3E until 492 3E. While she did keep a personal diary for much of that time, she detailed almost nothing about her personal life, instead describing in nearly clinical detail the formation, maintainance, and breakup of political ties within the Royal Court. These diaries also contain numerors drafts of many royal edicts. Changes to these edicts are noted with who recommended the change, the date, and often the given rational. It is apparent from the constructions that several edicts were conposed entirely by Bishop Derck herself.
Bishop Pappis was noted as founding and training of the Chaldeean Elite (informally called the Elite Guard), five centtains of paladins, fighters, and other martial types specifically trained to deal with and defeat arcane spell casters. While short lived, some remnants of the Elite Guard exist to the present day (at least in name).
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