A female Mage
| “ | Mages, to put it simply, are people with the power to bend reality to their will. If you believe so firmly in something you can reach out into the tapestry of the Collective Unconscious and pull out a spoon made of fish. Cool, huh? Just don't mistake them for Reality Benders since those bunch are born with cheat codes. But it's not all fun and games. This power can lead to dangerous places. Arrogance, zealotry, and corruption. We're a paradox, standing as a force between science and flesh which challenges their ideals and walking on a thin line where the anomalous threatens to consume us below. | „ |
| ~ Harry Dresden |
A Mage, also sometimes called wizard, sorcerer, or sorceress, is a person skilled and educated in the use of magic.
Description[]
Mages are some of the most skilled wielders of magic in the world. They are capable of performing many amazing feats of magic such as extracting magical energy from the four elements, transport themselves long distances and heal, as well as kill, in the blink of an eye.
Aside from their inherent magical abilities, they also have extensive scientific and political knowledge; in the latter respect, many mages are the equals of rulers. Simple folk fail to differentiate between witches, sorcerers and Witchers. Anyone who wields magic is regarded as suspicious and godless. But the better educated, and those who dwell in large cities, know to treat mages with due respect.
Overview[]
Mages seemed to have emerged sometime after the Great Flood and are humans with inherent magical abilities. Mages descended from humans who harnessed the mystical or magical elements of creation under the tutelage of the Watchers. They are also said to be culturally or mystically split from witches but are somewhat similar to warlocks as they would harness spiritual energy and would borrow their power from ancient spirits or even gods. Witches and warlocks are also somewhat nomadic compared to mages though both can congregate into covens.
Only rare individuals have the potential to become mages and many of those with this potential are doomed to madness. Unless the individual in question - known as a Source or Awakening - learns to control their power quickly, he or she may end up a half-insane, slobbering oracle. That is why schools of sorcery were created, where talented children study for many years, acquiring knowledge and mastering magical skills. Because of their powers, mages age more slowly than ordinary people.
As mankind advanced, mages became heavily involved in politics and are well organized, flourishing through the Old and Middle Ages of history. In the beginning there was the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, which was later replaced by the Lodge of Sorceresses. While going through several persecutions and even rebellions amongst their own associations, the mages retained their influence. Many of them remained royal advisors, sometimes even ruling countries from behind the scenes.