The Wizards of High Sorcery the most ancient, venerated, and fearsome of all the magical orders of Krynn. They draw their power from the three moons and the Gods attributed to them, which is the basis for their three orders, the White, Red, and Black Robes. Having arisen during the Age of Dreams, the Wizards have sought to further and strengthen magic and magical knowledge while at the same time, creating a foundation of order and brotherhood among all who would claim the title of mage.
Early History
The Wizards of High Sorcery arose in the Age of Dreams, when magic was raw and chaotic. Seeking to create a structure and foundation from which to grow, three mages were taught the power of magic by the very Gods of the Three Moons themselves. These were known as The Circle of Three or simply The Three. It was The Three that began the creation of the Towers of High Sorcery across Krynn. Though initially meeting resistance from the Dwarves who had no desire to have a Tower of High Sorcery in their realms, they eventually acquiesced and changed locations. After the Towers had been constructed, magic became more cohesive and structured, as well as more powerful and focused. Magic had become a true force in the world to be reckoned with.
The Conclave
The Wizards were formed into three orders and originally overseen by The Council of Three, who then chose one of themselves to act as Highmage. This was the beginning of the Conclave of Wizards. However, this caused considerable dissent among the Black Robes, who were routinely passed over for the title of Highmage. Disgruntled, the Black Robes threatened to leave and create their own towers. In the end, a compromise was made to avoid the Conclave being weakened with the loss of the Black Robes and the Conclave was restructured to create a more fair and balanced process for the selection of Highmage. All Towers of High Sorcery would choose three representatives, one from each Tower, creating 5 total from each of the orders. From these five, a Master of that order would be elected, and of those three Masters, a Highmage would be selected. This was known as the Council of Fifteen. This was changed once more to allow seven representatives from each Tower, giving two extra members who were not necessarily tied to one of the Towers. After the Lost Battles when two towers were destroyed and two abandoned, the final change came that it was 7 from each Order rather than the Towers, creating the final Council of Twenty One. This continued until the dissolution of the Conclave when magic ceased to work immediately following the Chaos War. However, after the War of Souls, the Conclave was restored back to the Council of Twenty One
Rules and The Test of High Wizardry
From the very beginning, there were essentially three principles that guided the original mages of the Towers:
- All wizards were brothers and sisters in their order and all orders were brothers and sisters in magic
- The Towers belonged to all mages of all orders and no magic was to be used in anger against another member in the Towers
- Outside the Towers, fate often made enemies of mages of the Orders, but this was considered a natural part of the world
Generally, most mages began training in magic at an early age, usually under the guidance of mage who was already accepted into the Orders. Eventually, all magic practitioners who sought to join the Wizards were also required to take The Test of High Sorcery, which weeded out the least desirable candidates. Outside of this and outside of the Towers, there were very few distinct rules and regulations, and mages were, by and large, given free reign to do as they pleased as far as the Orders and the Conclave were concerned. The only exceptions were that mages were generally forbidden to use the magics of a Moon outside of their Order. If a mage continually did this, they were generally required to leave their current Order and assume the robes of the Order whose magics they had begun using. If a mage refused to conform to one of the three Orders, if they refused to journey to one of the Towers for the Test, they would be branded a Renegade, and the Conclave would seek to either apprehend or kill the offender, depending on the seriousness and severity of their rebellion. The Conclave would some times turn a blind eye to those magic practitioners that had not taken the Test or joined an Order, as they were generally of weak or mediocre ability, and posed no threat to the Orders or magic in general. But if such a person were to begin to rise in power and ability, they would be summoned to one of the Towers to take The Test and join an Order.
The Effects of Magic
Also called the Curse of the Magi, mages had to study constantly, committing spells to memory over and over again, as they were forgotten as soon as they were used. Magic usage also had a subtle side effect of causing the body and mind to fatigue, as the act of casting spells was akin to strenuous physical and mental activity since the entire body was used as a conduit for magic energy and the mind had to exert an extreme amount of focus to properly channel the magical energies.
Renegades
A Renegade was usually a person who used magic from all or any Moon without respect or care for tradition or boundaries. Most of those branded Renegades were highly dangerous and would attempt magic that could potentially cause severe problems since they had absolutely no allegiance to anyone or anything. During the Third Dragon War, it was Renegades that had sided with Takhisis, and against the Three Orders.