Memory Thieves

Mind magic has historically been among the least understood applications of sorcery. For much of human history it was relegated to reading surface thoughts or manipulating the senses to create illusions or inflict pain. Yet in the last century or so mankind’s understanding of how the brain works and the intricate psychology of the mind has taken such leaps as to redefine what we thought was possible. This has caused many wonderful advancements in psychology and neurology, but has also had the unfortunate consequence of giving rise to a new type of criminal: The memory thief.
Memory theft is a serious crime in nearly all countries in the world; and for good reason. It can be used to steal passwords, banking information, addresses, and all manner of other important things that can be used to steal more tangible things like wealth and property. It can also be terribly effective at blackmail. Stealing one’s secrets from their very mind and using it against them. Punishment varies from place to place and often by the importance of the information stolen, but it is almost always severe.
Unfortunately such a powerful tool cannot be ignored by those with wealth and power. Mind theft has become increasingly common in the domain of corporate espionage. Major corporations will pay quite handsomely for the ability to learn business secrets kept by their competition. No matter how illegal it may be.
Fortunately mind mages of this caliber are few and far between and even fewer aren’t employed by one of the great colleges or government as agents. But as knowledge becomes more and more available to the public more and more unlicensed mages are learning the art and entering the career of professional criminal.
Most terrifying of all is that many of these rogues are not well educated in the use of their magic. Poorly trained mind mages can cause significant unintended harm to their victims, and the more of these self-taught memory thieves enter the market the greater the danger of being victimized and accidentally lobotomized by one becomes.