Wizards
Wizard is a gender-neutral term referring to the profession refounded more than 250 years ago by the Empire of Juraedon. In this article, the term Wizard will refer to all academically trained casters. The profession's foundational knowledge was discovered from scraps of glass-paper: the Summa Formilia, written many thousands of years ago. Today, the profession of Wizardry is the most important profession in the Empire. Wizards, and other Magic users, are used to fertilise the Great Plains of Seinis; wizards are used to study the great secrets of the universe otherwise locked to our sciences; wizards are capable of healing wounds that should be fatal, and of revitalizing the old and infirm in ways once thought to be in the realm of miracles; it is wizardkind that has enabled the City of Juraedon to become the largest city in the world, and to become the beacon of Mankind — a testament to how far we've come, and how we've refounded the glorious elements of the elder days.
To Become a Wizard
My fingers are still cramped from the days of being an apprentice scribe.
- Apprenticeship
- Studenthood
- Choice/Declining of Order
- Career
As most professions in our world, a Wizard-to-be will usually begin their career being taught by a tutor at a young age.
Apprenticeship
Most wizards today have been the apprentice of some greater Master. The process of apprenticeship is long and hard, and is usually fraught with failed experiments, long nights, and dimly lit towers. But once the apprentice succeeds in appeasing his master, the next step may be taken. The Master Wizard may apply for his apprentice to the various universities that exist in the Western hemisphere. The chosen university will usually be a local university so that the apprentice need not to travel too far. The best Magic Departments are in the Empire of Juraedon. Perhaps the best university in regards to magic, in general, is the University of Jelum, which is in the Capital of the Empire of Juraedon. But other universities have made their names in magic as well, usually focusing on specific branches. The University of Lille is an especially renowned school for the Magical branch of Evocation, as an example.
A Master Wizard will apply for his apprentice. Depending on the apprentice's credentials, such as what the apprentice has succeeded in their assistant research to their Master or what the apprentice has done independently in regards to magic, the University will accept or reject the Master Wizard's request. The identity of the Master Wizard will affect the school's decision. If Simon the Archmage had an apprentice and he wished to send him to the University of Jelum then, without a doubt, that apprentice would be able to join the University of Jelum.
Studenthood
An apprentice attending university is now a Student, and they will be tutored under the clergy — unless they attend the privately run Tang Yu University. A student must practice dialectic conversations in their classrooms. This is the method of most teaching in a university. The professors, full Wizards themselves, will lead a discussion on a single topic, and students will discuss with each other, each taking an opposing side, on what the truth of the topic is. A university life is one of study and then of argumentation. A student wizard must be constantly reading and memorizing. Formulas, incantation, words, theories, and hypothesis of magic, and the general sciences such as astronomy, physics, and chemistry, and the arts such as rhetoric and logic, are all studied by the students. A student's efforts are constantly under scrutiny by professors and fellow students alike. The best students are able to become research assistants to their professors and will advance more quickly in their studies than their less skilled peers.
The Choice of Order
There is an important choice to be made before one becomes a wizard. The path of a wizard is one of study and books, and the Church holds a near monopoly on both these things. If one wishes to have a clear path and career as a wizard — to have a stable income, a region to work in, and a purpose — then one must join a priestly order, a monastic order, or a wizardly order — all these Orders are based on the Church. Most students who have an inkling of magical talent in them are encouraged to join the wizardly orders. Students who have little talent in producing magic but are still capable of understanding it and have a good grasp of dogma are encouraged into the priestly orders. The leftovers are either sent into monasticism or will retake the university courses, depending on university policy.
The choice of which Order to join is not a small one, and not all will choose to join an Order. These students will usually make this decision on the assumption that a wizard by himself is a powerful force, and that their services will be so heavily demanded that they could make a good living independently. This is true to some extent, but the unfortunate truth is that many wizards, organized cohesively, is much more potent and more employable than one renegade. These students who desire to forge their own paths usually regret their decision and will come back to the universities seeking to join an Order. Depending on their talents, they may be accepted or rejected. There are exceptions. Especially talented students often make their way into the world not wishing to be tied down by Church responsibilities. Simon, the Archmage of Juraedon Proper, is famed for his independent streak. He is not bound by ecclesiastical law and works with great fruitfulness within the much gentler and broader secular laws.
Full Wizardhood
A student that has chosen their Order will go on with their studies until they get their degree in a specific field of Magic. It is at this point that they will be quickly notified by their chosen Order as to where they will be stationed, their job, and their given position. It is at this point that one can be called a fully-fledged Wizard
Non-university Route
As a wizard depends on his studious resources, there are not too many successful wizards who have separated themselves from the university system. But there are nonetheless many independent practitioners, and, because of how common tutoring is, it is quite possible to get a good education and avoid the universities — it is simply unadvised. Independent Wizards will sometimes set up a shop in a large city and sell magical wares that they have either collected or crafted. Sometimes they will offer their services to a town in need of a little bit of coin. But usually, these wizards are not terribly powerful, as they don't have the resources a university provides required to expand their knowledge.
In terms of the law, there is nothing specifically barring this sort of renegade behavior by Wizards. Wizards are subject to the same laws as commoners, in this instance, meaning they cannot use their powers for general evil purposes. Magic may be used freely by all Wizards, and if they are subject to any laws especially constraining their use of Magic it will be by the local authorities, rather than by Imperial jurisdiction.
A Wizard's Strength and Talent
It has been well studied that there is a tangible limit to a Wizard's strength. These limits have been named Spell Slots. A Wizard sufficiently well-studied and talented will have more Spell Slots available to them, and therefore more spells available. Not only that, but there are Spell Levels. These indicate the possible states of the potentially powerful effects a Wizard may affect onto the world with Magic. A Spell of a higher level will be more potent than one of a lower level. Lastly, there are a limited number of Spell Slots available in each Spell Level, which means that a Wizard can only cast so many spells per day before becoming fatigued and requiring a good night's rest.
A Wizard's greatness and power are measured by how many Spell Slots they have, and how high a Level these Spell Slots reach. There are currently Eight Levels of categorized Spells, and the categorization of Spells has been a long and hard work.
Example of How Spell Slots and Levels Work Together
There is an observed consistency of the effectual power of a spell respective to the Level the spell is cast as. This consistency affects the spell's ability to hit, its ability to cause an effect, and its possible physical damage. A Spell Slot Level is intangibly chosen by the Wizard's will at the time of casting.
It can be measured, through fatigue treatment, how many Spell Slot Levels a wizard currently has, and therefore the Wizard's potential. Wizards usually undergo fatigue treatment annually to see how powerful they have grown.
There are spells innumerable, only limited by the imagination. But each spell is only able to effect a very specific task. Thus comes the conundrum of resource management and the issue of the efficient usage of Wizards. Fortunately, with great effort, various spells, usually construction based, have been finely crafted to become more potent with a greater amount of users chanting and activating the spell. These sorts of spells are the catalysts of our greatest works of Magic.
Very talented wizards will memorize portions of their spellbook at a time, usually memorizing offensive spells, so that they may be able to defend themselves in times of attack. This is not the norm, and most Wizard spellbooks are filled with specific spells devoted only to their specific career choice e.g. Bridge Construction.
The Career Proper
The Wizard's career depends on his order, as stated before, but the various kinds of jobs available to a wizard, in general, will be written here.
A Wizard is a valuable resource, and though the individuals may have only low-level spell slots, a great many wizards can supersede this weakness by working together. This means that Wizards gathered together can create a great many things better than Wizards dispersed throughout the Empire. It is because of this reason, and because the Empire wishes to control the use of Magic throughout the Empire, that there is a law requiring 3/4ths of all Wizards who have gone through the university system to go to the Imperial Capital of Juraedon and reside there. Despite the vastness of the Empire, this law has been obeyed remarkably well. It is estimated about 2/3rds of all Wizards reside in the Capital today. There is a clear divide between the sorts of jobs done by Wizards within the White Walls and the jobs done by the Wizards beyond.
Work Outside of Juraedon
AWizard working outside of Juraedon will usually be set to work as a researcher, manufacturer of magical items, assistant in construction, or as an advisor. Oftentimes, a Wizard, due to their education and magically assisted means, is set as an overseer of important projects. A Wizard working as a researcher will probably live in a university, and will probably be a professor. These kinds of Wizards make important, though usually merely academic, contributions to Magic. It is the studies of these Wizards that lay the foundations of the more practical effects of Magic. A Wizard Professor is a philosopher. They will consider the metaphysical aspects of Magic and its implications. Alongside these more abstract notions, the Wizard professors also experiment with the other sciences, using Magic as a conduit for more intensive studies. Magic has allowed them to understand notions of the cosmos without needing difficult to procure instruments and tools.
A Wizard manufacturer is usually a less talented Magic user. These wizards will be set in manufactures, most of which are built in Juraedon Proper, and be grouped together according to their skills to produce important magical items. Some of the most important magical items are communication devices. Sending Stones of all shapes and sizes are heavily demanded across the world. Funnily enough, Wizards who work in manufactures tend to be better paid than researching Wizards.
The Wizarding work of construction is the broadest category of Wizarding careers. There are many uses for Wizards, ranging from actual construction to the fertilization of verdant fields. Wizards in construction tend to be more practically based, and though the grunt work Wizards — those used to actually use Magic to move items around — are glorified labourers, it is quite easy to quickly advance to a well-paying administrative and strategic position. Because of the small amount of Wizards in the world, only Juraedon has genuinely magical constructions, with other cities more subtly using a Wizard's powers to create long-lasting structures that can stand on their own without Magic. It is the enrichment of the productivity of the fields that is slowly transforming the world, as more people begin to travel to the cities to find work to do. Advisory Wizards are Wizards hired by a wealthy patron to provide advise to the patron. The kind of advice can be very broad and varied, requiring an expansive education. The fact that you have a Magic user protecting you is also a bonus. The famous image of the King with his aging advisor is, in actuality, a common role Wizards play in society.
There are exceptions to these careers, as always.
Work within Juraedon
There are two main career branches in the City of Juraedon. These are the Military and Civilian branches. The Civilian branch is divided between the Academies, Universities, Galleries, or Think-tanks branches. While civilian work is somewhat similar to the work mentioned above in the section on work outside of Juraedon, there are key differences, and Wizards within Juraedon enjoy many more benefits. Military wizardly work is complicated and will be only briefly described.
The Social Status of Wizards
Master Wizard....
A Wizard of any rank or power is respected. Even those whose magical talent can only espouse cantrips are considered in high regard. It is not unheard of for a King's Wizardly advisor to be unable to cast powerful spells, but to be very well-learned nonetheless. Of course, those sorts of Wizards are probably advisors to the poorer, southern, kings, rather than the wealthy rulers of the north.
While a Wizard's garb depends on the Order they belong to, a Wizard is often recognized by their signature robes — the robes of a university graduate. These robes can be greatly decorated at times, but as given by the average university they are modest, of a solid black color with a dark blue cloak to protect the Wizard on their travels, and are lined with a fine golden trim. Sometimes a priest, simply wearing his university garb for a special event, is mistaken for a Wizard.
When recognized, people, commoners and nobles will treat the Wizard with reverence and respect. A user of Magic is someone to be thought highly of, at least, or feared, at most. A Wizard is knowledgeable and many consider a Wizard to be wise, as well. There are many things a man can gain from befriending a Wizard.
The Aura of Power
The Aura of Power is a natural expelling of excess Magical powers within the body. The mastery of Body and Mind are vital to actualizing Magic production potential, which is what leads to mightier Auras. Learning the scientific formulas to apply Magic will also improve Magic production potential; it is like training a muscle with repetition. But scientific formulas are not the only exercises to improve Magic production potential. Informal and folksy Magic practitioners also strengthen their ability to produce Magic, and therefore improve their ability to create Magical effects on the world. But the informal methods of practicing are proven to be less effective in improving Magical production than the formal Wizardly methods.
With practice comes power. With their potential actualized, Magic users will expel a phenomenally tangible sign of their abilities: their Aura. The Aura cannot be seen, smelled, or heard. It is tangible but otherwise cannot be grasped by the senses. It is entirely felt by the heart. So it is not uncommon to hear someone say, "That magician felt Purple."
The Aura is a tangible sign of a Magic user's abilities. Roughly, its power of phenomenal impression aligns with the highest level of Spell Slots a Magic User has. The most powerful Magic users have Auras that can hurt a physical body. These Auras may even take a physical form in the manner of a nimbus of light, or as an expulsion of heat.
A Magic User may hide this Aura through simple meditation exercises. Many Magic users do not hide their Auras. They take it as a mark of pride. Most people's magical production is so low that their Auras are not able to be felt. The Aura sets the Magic user apart.
Current Ongoings
Simon the Archmage of Juraedon Proper has long been working on a 9th Spell Slot, co-authoring with Burchard of Seinis. It has been a long, expensive, and manpower intensive project, but at last, there seems to be fruit. Simon has proclaimed an oncoming announcement at the Gallery of Magic in Juraedon.
Demographics of Magic Users
The number of Wizards in the two Empires is sized in proportion according to spell slots. But out of the total populations of the two Empires, only a portion of them are trained Wizards.
According to estimates on the potential for casting, out of 270,000,000 denizens of the two Empires, .5% of the total population has a maximum potential bound at the cantrip level (~1,350,000 people), 5% of 1,350,000 of them with their potential bound at the 1st-3rd level spell slots (~67,500 people), 5% of 67,500 of them with their potential bound at the 4th-6th level spell slots (~3375 people), and .5% of 3375 of them with their potential bound at the 7th-8th level spell slots (~17 people, although the known number is 11 persons between the two empires). The 4th-6th level spell slots are where even the most talented Wizards tend to plateau. This means that about .5% of people in the known world are capable of using Magic to some meaningful extent. Although everyone has a nascent magical qualia, only a few are capable of consciously creating magical effects.
I wish, I wish, with all my heart, to fly with dragons in a land apart!
- Simon the Archmage of Juraedon Proper
- Burchard the Archmage of the Kingdom of Seinis
- Quendar Sil the Archmage of Alk'kir
| Spell Slots | Amount | Percentage of Total Population |
|---|---|---|
| Cantrips | ~1.35 M | .5% |
| 1st-3rd | ~67,500 | .025% |
| 4th-6th | ~3375 | .00125% |
| 7th-8th | 17 | .000000083% |
Wizadry is, unfortunately, the domain of very old, and very grouchy, men. Dearest, don't let them get you down. They mean well.
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