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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Michael Morris" data-source="post: 1688022" data-attributes="member: 87">"It never ceases to amaze me what faith and will can conjure." - Telsindria.The role of wizards in the history of Telzoa has been one carried out mostly in the shadows.  These mysterious figures of power are almost universally feared regardless of race, and male or female they are almost never shown quarter by their enemies.  While there may indeed be five forms of magic, to the Telzoan commoner there is only one form of magic not granted by the gods - black.  To this end, even when the local government doesn't sanction it, wizards are persecuted and often hunted, especially when they are weak in power.Most priesthoods do little to mitigate the situation.  They view wizards at best as charlatan rivals - persons granted power by the dark gods yet tricked into believing they wield their power by themselves to fuel their ambition and arrogance.  These factors have conspired to drive wizardry underground, but not completely from the island, or from history.  Such is magic's lure that no amount of danger or social prejudice can drive everyone away from its grasp.Secretly wizards thrive in Telzoa. The most famous of the wizard orders among the commonfolk are the members of the mysterious Order of Tanzeos.  Allegedly established by the brother of Otal I, Alblasker, the Order of Tanzeos is said to control those who would assault the crown, or the nobility with magic.  Secretly they keep tabs on any magician of note.  Publicly they register and track the heraldic badges from their offices in Merryville - and by some twist of fate they have managed to remain the only national office of Otal's Dalsundria that has not disintegrated with the breakup of the nation.Outside the council the only known society of wizards are the Academy in Hone Rae.  This organization actively teaches magical arts to those willing to pay the price of tutelage.  As a result the Academy has become quite wealthy, even if they've demonstrated a marked willingness to teach almost anyone with either a great amount of money or a great amount of talent.Whispers abound of wizardly involvement in history, but outside of a few isolated episodes there presence can never be proven conclusively.  Why this is remains unclear to outsiders.  Perhaps it is because wizards enjoy the prestige the mystery brings.  Or perhaps something far darker is being hidden by the ancient masters.As for priests, they and their magic remains quite open and overt.  Most priesthoods will grant a spell boon for sufficient donation and penance to the temple - and as a result most of the temples have become quite wealthy.  Some of the finest buildings on the islands are the monasteries, with which few mortal buildings can compare.Noble trust of the priesthoods has always been uneasy.  The temples have been given roughly 10% of the land in Dalsundria, and there are more than a few manors ran by this or that abbot.  What worries the nobles most is the sheer power the temples of the way have over the heart of the people - both through magic and also through faith.  But they dare not move against the priests, and would instead maneuver the priests against each other, relying on their historical hatreds of each other to keep their powers in check and their forces occupied.</blockquote>

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