Wizards of High Sorcery
Encyclopedia
The Wizards of High Sorcery are a fiction
al group of people in the Dragonlance
universe.
. They were founded when the deities Solinari, Lunitari and Nuitari taught a certain group of people how to draw power from the moons and shape it with their wills. With the construction of the Towers of High Sorcery
, people from all over Krynn were able to learn the secrets of spellcrafting, that is, using specific words, gestures and rites to create magical effects in a safe and ordered manner.
To prevent abuse, the gods decided that spells could only be cast in a limited number per day. Thus, a WoHS is usually able to cast a powerful spell only once, after which it is forgotten. To cast it again, the mage must commit it back into memory, which may require several hours of study. Tracy Hickman
commented in The Annotated Chronicles (1999) that his eldest son, a professional magician, mentioned how this fact did mirror his own practice, as it was not enough for him to simply learn a magic trick, instead having to "practice it daily in order to maintain the fluid movement of the illusion."
The Wizards of High Sorcery follow a set of laws that are as old as the Towers of High Sorcery:
Under these principles, the Wizards collect and share information inside the Towers. Tracy Hickman explains that, although there may (be) some differences in the way every race teaches magic, the language and requirements are the same for every wizard in the world of Krynn.
Although wizards draw power from the moons, controlling it takes a great effort, sometimes leaving the wizard drained.
or archmage
, the novice is accepted into a school
of magic
or into the tutelage of an established Wizard. The location of these schools or masters may be secret, rumored or known, depending on the circumstances. Although the school supplies some elements, the pupil may be expected to pay for either food, drink, or items necessary to practice spells.
Some schools are prepared to keep the students comfortable for long periods of time. For example, the student may consider living at the school during winter to prevent long and unnecessary travel.
Apprentices learn how to pronounce Magius, the language
of magic, to write runes in scroll
s and to distinguish and collect herb
s, among other things.
, the best students are selected to take a test of magic. This test is not dangerous, and failure only delays the student's progress.
Though it may vary, the test is usually simple and asks the student to prepare a potion, write a rune, or prepare a scroll. Once the apprentice passes, they are allowed to learn more advanced spells, usually including attack and effect spells.
In some cases the Conclave sends an invitation to the apprentice, setting a date and time for the presentation.
The Test is used to determine who is worthy to wield the considerable power of High Sorcery; those who fail the test die, as it is considered a necessary price to pay to keep the power out of the hands of those who would abuse it, use it recklessly and endanger the existence of magic and the Orders. Those who pass the test are inducted into one of the three orders: White Robes (aligned with Solinari and practitioners of Abjuration [protection] and Divination magic), Red Robes (aligned with Lunitari and experts in Illusion and Transmutation magic) and the Black Robes (aligned with Nuitari and delvers in Enchantments and Necromancy).
The Test puts the life of the wizard in danger. Failure usually means death
. Thus, those who do not accept the risks of the Test (by not taking The Test) remain relatively unskilled and, therefore, not a major threat to the Conclave of Wizards. Wizards who continue to accrue power without having joined the Orders are branded as Renegades and hunted by the Orders, to be given two choices: take the Test or die.
Test sessions are private and cannot be shared between apprentices.
The Test itself allows the Conclave to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the applicant. It is carried out in one of the Towers of High Sorcery, most times through very realistic illusions. It may affect the apprentice's mind and body permanently.
The apprentice wears a color of robe they think suitable. However, it is in the Test that the real allegiance of the apprentice is found. At the end of the Test, the Wizard is presented with new robes of their chosen order.
Three different alignments were the original ones: white, red and black. The wizards following Solinari wear white robes of good, the ones following Lunitari wear red robes of neutrality, and wizards following Nuitari wear black robes of evil.
Tracy Hickman defines the color of the robes as something beyond simply alignment:
The Knights of Takhisis recruited renegade mages. These wear grey robes, and are despised by the original Orders as they work for the grandness of Takhisis
instead of the Children of magic. For other renegades, the robe color means nothing, and they can be found wearing red, white, black or any other color. Mages who left the Order to practice magic before their Test, but are not renagades, wear brown robes. This was shown in Brothers in Arms: Raistlin Chronicles vol. II. .
Mages are able to change their alignment, although the price is usually high.
As apprentices, mages may choose to specialize in any one of them except universal magic, but it's not mandatory. Specializing brings enhanced power in a chosen school while losing access to one or two schools of magic (except divination or universal magic).
Evokers and conjurers do not face any moral problem when accessing any order. Specialized wizards tend to enter the order whose favored school they have already chose, but they are not forced to - though moral problems could arise from a necromancer's joining the White Robes for instance.
Newly accepted Wizards of High Sorcery may benefit from (further) specializing in one of the schools favored by his chosen order. However, greater power comes at the cost of losing access to schools favored by the other orders.
Wizards may also gain access to various branches of high sorcery like war magic, become loremasters or even access to the exalted status of archmagi - like most members of the Conclave.
The leader of each Order is called the Head of that Order, each order choosing its own Head as it sees fit :
The Highmage is chosen among the Conclave (most of the times among the Heads of the three orders) to lead the Conclave of Mages. They are chosen by the votes of all Wizards of High Sorcery on Ansalon through the consensus spell - the selected Highmage is then surrounded by a corona of light according to the feelings of the majority of Ansalon's Robed Mages.
Conclave wizards (even the Highmage) remain in their position until either their death or their removal by the rest of the Conclave. They may also choose to simply step down.
Between other functions, the Conclave specifies the different guidelines the wizards must follow. They may look for promising new recruits, prepare Tests for apprentices, and research for new ways of employing magic.
Renegades know their fate, and may actively work against the Mages of High Sorcery.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al group of people in the Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
universe.
Introduction
The Wizards (WoHS for short) are a powerful institution in KrynnKrynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
. They were founded when the deities Solinari, Lunitari and Nuitari taught a certain group of people how to draw power from the moons and shape it with their wills. With the construction of the Towers of High Sorcery
Towers of High Sorcery
The Towers of High Sorcery are famous buildings in the fictional Dragonlance universe.-Introduction:Wild magic, or elemental magic, has always existed on Krynn. The coming of the Grey Gem, however, loosed what could be considered "modern" sorcerous powers into the world. The Grey Gem came to Krynn...
, people from all over Krynn were able to learn the secrets of spellcrafting, that is, using specific words, gestures and rites to create magical effects in a safe and ordered manner.
To prevent abuse, the gods decided that spells could only be cast in a limited number per day. Thus, a WoHS is usually able to cast a powerful spell only once, after which it is forgotten. To cast it again, the mage must commit it back into memory, which may require several hours of study. Tracy Hickman
Tracy Hickman
Tracy Raye Hickman is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work on Dragonlance as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR...
commented in The Annotated Chronicles (1999) that his eldest son, a professional magician, mentioned how this fact did mirror his own practice, as it was not enough for him to simply learn a magic trick, instead having to "practice it daily in order to maintain the fluid movement of the illusion."
The Wizards of High Sorcery follow a set of laws that are as old as the Towers of High Sorcery:
- Solinari's Law: All Wizards are brothers and sisters in their order. All orders are brothers and sisters in the power.
- Lunitari's Law: The places of High Sorcery are held in common among all orders and no sorcery is to be used there in anger against fellow mages.
- Nuitari's Law: The world beyond the walls of the towers may bring brother against sister and order against order, but such is the way of the universe.
Under these principles, the Wizards collect and share information inside the Towers. Tracy Hickman explains that, although there may (be) some differences in the way every race teaches magic, the language and requirements are the same for every wizard in the world of Krynn.
Although wizards draw power from the moons, controlling it takes a great effort, sometimes leaving the wizard drained.
Apprentices
Usually sponsored by a MageWizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
or archmage
Archmage
Archmage, archmagi, or archmagus is a title used to identify an especially powerful wizard, usually within the context of fantasy fiction...
, the novice is accepted into a school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
of magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
or into the tutelage of an established Wizard. The location of these schools or masters may be secret, rumored or known, depending on the circumstances. Although the school supplies some elements, the pupil may be expected to pay for either food, drink, or items necessary to practice spells.
Some schools are prepared to keep the students comfortable for long periods of time. For example, the student may consider living at the school during winter to prevent long and unnecessary travel.
Apprentices learn how to pronounce Magius, the language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
of magic, to write runes in scroll
Scroll
A scroll is a roll of parchment, papyrus, or paper, which has been drawn or written upon.Scroll may also refer to:*Scroll , the decoratively curved end of the pegbox of string instruments such as violins...
s and to distinguish and collect herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s, among other things.
Preliminary Test
After having spent some time learning the basics of magic, runecraft and alchemyAlchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
, the best students are selected to take a test of magic. This test is not dangerous, and failure only delays the student's progress.
Though it may vary, the test is usually simple and asks the student to prepare a potion, write a rune, or prepare a scroll. Once the apprentice passes, they are allowed to learn more advanced spells, usually including attack and effect spells.
The Test
An aspiring wizard who reaches a certain skill level must take The Test to move on to the higher, more powerful areas of magical study.In some cases the Conclave sends an invitation to the apprentice, setting a date and time for the presentation.
The Test is used to determine who is worthy to wield the considerable power of High Sorcery; those who fail the test die, as it is considered a necessary price to pay to keep the power out of the hands of those who would abuse it, use it recklessly and endanger the existence of magic and the Orders. Those who pass the test are inducted into one of the three orders: White Robes (aligned with Solinari and practitioners of Abjuration [protection] and Divination magic), Red Robes (aligned with Lunitari and experts in Illusion and Transmutation magic) and the Black Robes (aligned with Nuitari and delvers in Enchantments and Necromancy).
The Test puts the life of the wizard in danger. Failure usually means death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
. Thus, those who do not accept the risks of the Test (by not taking The Test) remain relatively unskilled and, therefore, not a major threat to the Conclave of Wizards. Wizards who continue to accrue power without having joined the Orders are branded as Renegades and hunted by the Orders, to be given two choices: take the Test or die.
Test sessions are private and cannot be shared between apprentices.
The Test itself allows the Conclave to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the applicant. It is carried out in one of the Towers of High Sorcery, most times through very realistic illusions. It may affect the apprentice's mind and body permanently.
The apprentice wears a color of robe they think suitable. However, it is in the Test that the real allegiance of the apprentice is found. At the end of the Test, the Wizard is presented with new robes of their chosen order.
Alignment
Once apprentices pass the Test, they are assigned to an Order based on the alignment (good, neutral or evil) they exhibited in the Test.Three different alignments were the original ones: white, red and black. The wizards following Solinari wear white robes of good, the ones following Lunitari wear red robes of neutrality, and wizards following Nuitari wear black robes of evil.
Tracy Hickman defines the color of the robes as something beyond simply alignment:
The Knights of Takhisis recruited renegade mages. These wear grey robes, and are despised by the original Orders as they work for the grandness of Takhisis
Takhisis
Takhisis is a fictional character from the Dragonlance universe. She is the main goddess of evil and head of the Dark Pantheon.- Titles and forms :...
instead of the Children of magic. For other renegades, the robe color means nothing, and they can be found wearing red, white, black or any other color. Mages who left the Order to practice magic before their Test, but are not renagades, wear brown robes. This was shown in Brothers in Arms: Raistlin Chronicles vol. II. .
Mages are able to change their alignment, although the price is usually high.
Spellcrafting
There are nine groupings of magic in the world of Krynn, also called schools :- abjurationAbjurationAbjuration is the solemn repudiation, abandonment, or renunciation by or upon oath, often the renunciation of citizenship or some other right or privilege. .-Abjuration of the realm:...
(or protective magic) & divinationDivinationDivination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
; those are provinces of White Robed Mages ; - illusionIllusionAn illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. While illusions distort reality, they are generally shared by most people....
& transmutationTransmutationTransmutation may refer to:*Biological transmutation, the claim that nuclear transmutation occurs within living organisms*Dimensional transmutation, a physical mechanism that transforms a pure number into a parameter with a dimension...
(or transforming magic) ; those are provinces of Red Robed Mages ; - enchantmentEnchantmentEnchantment may refer to:*Incantation or enchantment, a magical spell, charm or bewitchment, in traditional fairy tales or fantasy*the sense of Wonder or Delight**for the usage by J.R.R. Tolkien, see "On Fairy Stories"titles and proper names...
(mind influencing magic) & necromancyNecromancyNecromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
(life, death and undeath influencing magic) ; those are provinces of Black Robed Mages ; - conjurationConjurationConjuration is used in many video games, mainly RPGs, where it is usually referred to as summoning.* A notable example is the Final Fantasy franchise which incorporates summoning of monsters to fight alongside the characters....
(transport magic), evocationEvocationEvocation is the act of calling or summoning a spirit, demon, god or other supernatural agent, in the Western mystery tradition. Comparable practices exist in many religions and magical traditions.-Evocation in the Western mystery tradition:...
(energy wielding magic) and universalUniversal (metaphysics)In metaphysics, a universal is what particular things have in common, namely characteristics or qualities. In other words, universals are repeatable or recurrent entities that can be instantiated or exemplified by many particular things. For example, suppose there are two chairs in a room, each of...
; those form the common background of all mages.
As apprentices, mages may choose to specialize in any one of them except universal magic, but it's not mandatory. Specializing brings enhanced power in a chosen school while losing access to one or two schools of magic (except divination or universal magic).
Evokers and conjurers do not face any moral problem when accessing any order. Specialized wizards tend to enter the order whose favored school they have already chose, but they are not forced to - though moral problems could arise from a necromancer's joining the White Robes for instance.
Newly accepted Wizards of High Sorcery may benefit from (further) specializing in one of the schools favored by his chosen order. However, greater power comes at the cost of losing access to schools favored by the other orders.
Wizards may also gain access to various branches of high sorcery like war magic, become loremasters or even access to the exalted status of archmagi - like most members of the Conclave.
Conclave
It could be said the last goal for any wizard is to become a member of the Conclave of Wizards. Only the most respected and powerful mages of each order can achieve this, however. The Conclave itself is formed of twenty one wizards: seven White, seven Red and seven Black Robes.The leader of each Order is called the Head of that Order, each order choosing its own Head as it sees fit :
- White Robes vote, thus their leader is often a wise or charismatic person;
- Red Robes play, thus their leader is often either clever or lucky - or both;
- Black Robes fight, even to the death, thus their leader often is the most aggressive or domineering archmage.
The Highmage is chosen among the Conclave (most of the times among the Heads of the three orders) to lead the Conclave of Mages. They are chosen by the votes of all Wizards of High Sorcery on Ansalon through the consensus spell - the selected Highmage is then surrounded by a corona of light according to the feelings of the majority of Ansalon's Robed Mages.
Conclave wizards (even the Highmage) remain in their position until either their death or their removal by the rest of the Conclave. They may also choose to simply step down.
Between other functions, the Conclave specifies the different guidelines the wizards must follow. They may look for promising new recruits, prepare Tests for apprentices, and research for new ways of employing magic.
Renegades
Sometimes, the rules set by the Conclave are not accepted by some mages. In extreme cases, the wizards may decide to completely ignore all the rules. In these cases, the Conclave declares them renegades. Any Wizard of High Sorcery is required to inform the Conclave about the location and actions of renegades they may come across. In most cases, if the wizard hunts and slays a renegade, his actions are seen as fittable by the Conclave.Renegades know their fate, and may actively work against the Mages of High Sorcery.
External links
- Wizards of High Sorcery at Dragonlance NexusDragonlance NexusThe Dragonlance Nexus is a Dragonlance fansite that was created in 1996 as "Dragon Realm". The site was overhauled and a new name was given to it as the "Dragonlance Nexus". Beginning on November 28, 2005, the site began publishing articles written by established authors starting with an article on...