Path of Wands

The relationship between the City and magic has been long fraught with bloodshed and sorrow. During the Age of the First Empire, sorcery was used as an act of worship towards the Crow-Headed Queen — —one of the earliest deified empresses. During the Age of the Republic, sorcery was seen as being fundamentally tied to both monarchists and elves, and it was made illegal. Still, several cabals flourished in secret. The Age of the Republic was marked by the increasing fanaticism of witch hunters as they attempted to root out these hidden sorcerers.

A blanket ban on sorcery proved impossible with the advent of the Age of Dungeon. Too many trials and foes in the Underworld were essentially mystical in nature. The practice of sorcery became a necessary evil, and the Cult began to draw up the appropriate pardons and indulgences.

Today, those who practice sorcery in the City must be licensed and registered with the crown. Official sorcerers are granted rods of office by the Tower Gnostic and allowed to join guilds in the exploration of the Underworld. Unofficial sorcery is punishable by fines, but is largely unregulated as long as it is not performed in the City itself. Still, the Witch Finder General remains an influential figure within City politics, and his templars have a much grimmer view of unregulated sorcery.

Common motifs:

court mage, insane astrologer, artisanal wand maker, conniving charlatan, morbid wizard, doomsday cultist