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The Magi are an ancient and mysterious order, learned in the secrets of the world, practised in the ways of magic, wise and powerful beyond the dreams of men. That was the rumour.

The Order of the Magi, or simply the Magi, are a loose alliance of wizards trained in the High Art of magic. High Art is the ability to change the world by drawing power from The Other Side, tempered by knowledge. All the Magi seem to have stopped aging, and are now centuries old. Using ones Art leaves the Magi exhausted, and in extreme cases can lead to black-outs.

The Order was founded in the Old Time by Juvens, the first son of Euz, who took twelve apprentices and taught them the magical gift given to him by his father. The death of Juvens caused a schism in the order, with most of its members now following their own path. They still refer to each other as brother and sister, but there is little brotherly-love. There are some other magic users in the Circle of the World other than the Magi, such as Caurib (see Magic).

History[]

In the Old Time, some time after the founding of the Old Empire, Juvens took Bayaz as his first apprentice, and trained him in the principles of the High Art. Bayaz was still young and inexperienced at the time of the war with Glustrod. However soon afterwards, Juvens took a second apprentice, Khalul, a boy from Kanta. From the beginning the two argued, too proud and jealous of one another, even as Juvens took more apprentices; twelve in all.

Juvens set down his knowledge of High Art in his one hundred volume Principles of Art; the very cornerstone of the Order of Magi. Once they earned their staff, each apprentice must read it and eventually make their own copy of the book. Only Juvens could master all the elements of High Art, so his apprentices tended to specialise. The only stricture he put on his apprentices was to obey Euz' two laws: The First Law, it is forbidden to touch The Other Side direct; and The Second Law, it is forbidden to eat the flesh of men.

After the death of Juvens supposedly at the hands of his brother Kanedias, Bayaz gathered eleven of the twelve Magi to make war on the Master Maker; Khalul refused to come. The Magi laid siege to the House of the Maker, however all their Art could not bring down the doors. Eventually, Bayaz persuaded his lover Tolomei, the Maker's daughter, to open the doors. The Magi fought Kanedias chamber by chamber. Anselmi and Brokentooth both met their ends at the hands of the Maker. Yulwei, Cawneil, and Zacharus barely survived. In the end, Bayaz fought Kanedias alone high in the House, and both Kanedias and his daughter fell to their deaths. Thus ended the Old Times.

Meanwhile, Khalul held Bayaz responsible for the death of Juvens. Khalul swore vengeance, but he stood alone against many. So he made his great sacrifice and broke The Second Law with his first apprentice Mamun by eating the flesh of men; thus becoming the first Eaters. He founded the great Gurkish Empire, openly controlling Gurkhul through religion which he has dominated for centuries.

As Khalul had done in Gurkhul, Bayaz helped King Harod to unite the chiefs of Midderland and founded The Union. Khalul openly used religion, while Bayaz covertly controlled the Union through money and the banking house of Valint & Balk. The bitter rivalry between Khalul and Bayaz, now centuries old, continues in a number of proxy wars.

Since the death of the Master Maker, the other Magi have followed their own paths. Of the original 12 apprentices, only Yulwei remained loyal to Bayaz and even spied on Khalul in Gurkhul. Cawneil has isolated herself from the world in the Great Western Library. Zacharus seems to be trying to put himself on the level with Bayaz and Khalul by manipulating the Old Empire back to greatness. Leru and Karnault have simply vanished. In Sharp Ends, Javre mentions that she once escaped from an asylum or a prison for insane wizards. Some of the surviving Magi may be there.

The Original Twelve Magi[]

# Name

Specialise

Activity at start of series
1 Bayaz Fire, force and willpower Living in isolation but secretly dominates The Union
2 Khalul Control, air and movement More openly dominates the Gurkish Empire
3 Cawneil Unknown Living in isolation in the Great Western Library
4 Yulwei Alter reality and telekinesis Loyal to Bayaz and spies on Khalul in Gurkhul
5 Zacharus Affinity for animals Seeks to bring The Old Empire back to greatness
6 Leru Unknown Has hidden herself away
7 Karnault Unknown Sailed across the wide ocean
8 Anselmi Unknown Dead at the hands of Kanedias
9 Brokentooth Unknown Dead at the hands of Kanedias
10 Unanswered Unknown Unknown
11 Unanswered Unknown Unknown
12 Unanswered Unknown Unknown

Other Apprentices[]

Many of the original twelve Magi took apprentices for themselves. Some of these apprentices, such as Yoru Sulfur, have since earned their staff and become new members of the Order of Magi. It is not clear, but it seems one needs some kind of innate ability in order to study to become a Magi.

Master Name Specialise Activity at start of series
Bayaz Yoru Sulfur Shapeshifting Bayaz' trusted ally and an Eater
Bayaz Malacus Quai Seer A pupil of Zacharus and then Bayaz
Bayaz Shenkt Strength and speed An assassin in Styria and an Eater
Khalul Mamun Unknown Khalul's first apprentice and trusted ally
Khalul Ishri Appears from nowhere Khalul's trusted ally, also called The East Wind
Khalul The Twins Unknown Khalul's trusted ally
Khalul Hundred Words Various Khalul has over over 100 Eaters
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