It was the Elder who taught us magic. No one knows who he
was or what he was exactly, but he was ancient and powerful. Yet most
importantly he was knowledgeable. He knew the gifts given to each better than
they did and taught them how to use them. Without him, shape-changers would
think themselves humans. To us, to humans, he taught much.
He taught we humans our magic and learned much of ourselves. We learned to grow kasult crystals from bits of rare salts and use them to store our understanding of the world. And he taught us how to take that understanding of the world and use it to shape that world in new ways. And that was his great gift to us all, each a knowledge of their magic, yet it was not his last gift.
He taught we humans our magic and learned much of ourselves. We learned to grow kasult crystals from bits of rare salts and use them to store our understanding of the world. And he taught us how to take that understanding of the world and use it to shape that world in new ways. And that was his great gift to us all, each a knowledge of their magic, yet it was not his last gift.
A call went out to five who were worthy. They were Kaler the
Forrester, Mashor the Fisherman, Nald the Mason, Ufol the Mariner, and Ijord
the Trapper. These five were called, and they would answer.
Mashor the Fisherman was perhaps the first to rise from his home, and from there he traveled onward. He met up with Nald the Mason, who was second, and journeyed onward. Ufol the Mariner sailed towards the calling as best he could, and Kaler was brought up from his forest by Mashor and Nald. Last of all was Ijord the Trapper, who rose from his dwelling in Hirajorg, where fire flows from the earth, and water either freezes or boils, and traveled to the coast where he met Ufol the Mariner. Yet despite this, they all arrived at the same place at the same time, the mountain of the Elder: Hithermount.
So the Elder gave each a kasult crystal, grown in the tears of a lion, and in each came a complete understanding of a thing. To Mashor the Fisherman was the crystal with the understanding of water, ice, and snow. To Nald the Mason was the understanding of earth and stone. To Ufol the Mariner was granted the understanding of air, wind, and weather. To Kaler the Forrest was granted the understanding of beasts, birds, and plants. Yet to Ijorn the Trapper was given the most dangerous of all the gifts, the understanding of fire.
Then Kaler the Forrester spoke up. He thought anything he did not understand was nonsense and included this as such. So he said, “We are no magicians. How are we to use any of these?”
And the Elder spoke. “Many a wizard has no understanding of what he wields, only what others have wielded. Yet you already possess the right understanding of what your magic shall bring about. Nald the Mason knows what stone is, its weight and its weakness, yet if you asked a magician he would not know a thing, only that it may be raised in dramatic display. And you, Kaler, you know nature as one season moves to another, and how each animal and plant work together though they do not know it, and you know not to upset that balance.
“Yet perhaps the most important understanding is Ijorn the Trapper’s.” All eyes went to the man from Hirajorg. “He knows both the power and importance of fire. He knows it can burn, wipe away villages and towns, and scar those who get too close. Yet he knows also that from the deepest depths of the earth comes fire from which the most bountiful harvests may grow. He knows that the difference between freezing and relaxing is a good hearth. Yet he knows that hearth will destroy him if he becomes careless about it. You five were no accidents; you were chosen to be wizards, and most importantly, to know your power better than all those in the world now.”
And so the Elder passed, though how is not known. He did not die, but disappeared from the world, as if his work was complete. And perhaps it was, for a humble wizard named Gilandros came forth to teach the five who had received the gifts. And from those five came the greatest wizards of all time.
Each held his crystal a different way. Kaler the Forrester, now known as Kaler of the Green, set his crystal above the head of his axe, as in that way his mastery of the woods would be complete. Ijorn the Trapper, now called Ijorn the Fiery, carried his crystal in a peculiar staff which from the crystal upwards became a torch. Nald the Mason, now called Nald the Earthen, took his pick axe and set the crystal where wood and iron met, much like Kaler of the Green had done, yet it was useless now to swing though that use was not needed. Ufol the Mariner, now called Ufol the Longwinded as a joke, placed his above his spyglass, so that he may at once know where both are and if a storm was coming. And as for Mashor the Fisherman, he was known as Mashor the Simple, as he placed his crystal in a lantern which he could hang from his belt. Yet what is a tool if one does not use it?
The five, once Gilandros had taught them all he could, became known as the Order of the Ways. This order was not like other wizard orders, who would conquer as a king or for a king, but instead they served to guide. In their understandings came wisdom, and the Order of the Ways would teach magic in different ways so as to understand the nature of things. While they would occasionally lend power to a cause of arms, it was only if all five agreed to it, as they knew that the kings of the day do not last forever, and they had become unbounded to all. So they gave advice and dealt with guiding destruction away from the people.
Though it could not last, as the mortality of humans is a sure thing. Their crystals could not be used by any others, except those of their choosing. So each of these wizards had taken apprentices, and the one who most pleased them was chosen to carry on the power of their crystal. Yet a pact arose that no one could study under more than one of them, nor carry more than one crystal to use. So when Nald the Earthen died, his apprentice took his place and became Bunond the Stalwart. Such the Order of the Ways maintained themselves for many years, and though wisdom might give way to foolishness sometimes, they endured as guardians against evil and advisors to the wise. Such was the last gift of the Elder.
Mashor the Fisherman was perhaps the first to rise from his home, and from there he traveled onward. He met up with Nald the Mason, who was second, and journeyed onward. Ufol the Mariner sailed towards the calling as best he could, and Kaler was brought up from his forest by Mashor and Nald. Last of all was Ijord the Trapper, who rose from his dwelling in Hirajorg, where fire flows from the earth, and water either freezes or boils, and traveled to the coast where he met Ufol the Mariner. Yet despite this, they all arrived at the same place at the same time, the mountain of the Elder: Hithermount.
So the Elder gave each a kasult crystal, grown in the tears of a lion, and in each came a complete understanding of a thing. To Mashor the Fisherman was the crystal with the understanding of water, ice, and snow. To Nald the Mason was the understanding of earth and stone. To Ufol the Mariner was granted the understanding of air, wind, and weather. To Kaler the Forrest was granted the understanding of beasts, birds, and plants. Yet to Ijorn the Trapper was given the most dangerous of all the gifts, the understanding of fire.
Then Kaler the Forrester spoke up. He thought anything he did not understand was nonsense and included this as such. So he said, “We are no magicians. How are we to use any of these?”
And the Elder spoke. “Many a wizard has no understanding of what he wields, only what others have wielded. Yet you already possess the right understanding of what your magic shall bring about. Nald the Mason knows what stone is, its weight and its weakness, yet if you asked a magician he would not know a thing, only that it may be raised in dramatic display. And you, Kaler, you know nature as one season moves to another, and how each animal and plant work together though they do not know it, and you know not to upset that balance.
“Yet perhaps the most important understanding is Ijorn the Trapper’s.” All eyes went to the man from Hirajorg. “He knows both the power and importance of fire. He knows it can burn, wipe away villages and towns, and scar those who get too close. Yet he knows also that from the deepest depths of the earth comes fire from which the most bountiful harvests may grow. He knows that the difference between freezing and relaxing is a good hearth. Yet he knows that hearth will destroy him if he becomes careless about it. You five were no accidents; you were chosen to be wizards, and most importantly, to know your power better than all those in the world now.”
And so the Elder passed, though how is not known. He did not die, but disappeared from the world, as if his work was complete. And perhaps it was, for a humble wizard named Gilandros came forth to teach the five who had received the gifts. And from those five came the greatest wizards of all time.
Each held his crystal a different way. Kaler the Forrester, now known as Kaler of the Green, set his crystal above the head of his axe, as in that way his mastery of the woods would be complete. Ijorn the Trapper, now called Ijorn the Fiery, carried his crystal in a peculiar staff which from the crystal upwards became a torch. Nald the Mason, now called Nald the Earthen, took his pick axe and set the crystal where wood and iron met, much like Kaler of the Green had done, yet it was useless now to swing though that use was not needed. Ufol the Mariner, now called Ufol the Longwinded as a joke, placed his above his spyglass, so that he may at once know where both are and if a storm was coming. And as for Mashor the Fisherman, he was known as Mashor the Simple, as he placed his crystal in a lantern which he could hang from his belt. Yet what is a tool if one does not use it?
The five, once Gilandros had taught them all he could, became known as the Order of the Ways. This order was not like other wizard orders, who would conquer as a king or for a king, but instead they served to guide. In their understandings came wisdom, and the Order of the Ways would teach magic in different ways so as to understand the nature of things. While they would occasionally lend power to a cause of arms, it was only if all five agreed to it, as they knew that the kings of the day do not last forever, and they had become unbounded to all. So they gave advice and dealt with guiding destruction away from the people.
Though it could not last, as the mortality of humans is a sure thing. Their crystals could not be used by any others, except those of their choosing. So each of these wizards had taken apprentices, and the one who most pleased them was chosen to carry on the power of their crystal. Yet a pact arose that no one could study under more than one of them, nor carry more than one crystal to use. So when Nald the Earthen died, his apprentice took his place and became Bunond the Stalwart. Such the Order of the Ways maintained themselves for many years, and though wisdom might give way to foolishness sometimes, they endured as guardians against evil and advisors to the wise. Such was the last gift of the Elder.
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