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<blockquote data-quote="UngainlyTitan" data-source="post: 8418940" data-attributes="member: 28487">So this is like, the magic was always there, not like Shadowrun where there was no magic and then it apocalyptically returns or the novel Warspell: The Merge where magic appears in the modern world but no apocalypse.So my question here is: back in the days when the Roman emperors were claiming personal divinity and persecuting Christians why did they not establish a monopoly or near monopoly on magic. Use that resource to bolster their claim to divinity and prevent the rise of Christendom or failing that why not between say 1240 and 1500 AD when the Church pretty much had an iron grip on the faith and intellect of Europe did not the Papacy do the same?My&nbsp; point is that any thing known to threaten those in power will result in those in power trying to control and co-opt that thing. That is why one gets inquisitions and secret police. A strong case could be made that the Inquisition was antithetical to the Gospels and the message of Christ but we had one anyway because it was necessary to enforce the doctrines needed to underpin Papal political leverage. People do this sort of thing and why did it not happen in your world or more pertinently why did not magic reinforce these tendencies? Given that magic would overawe the superstitious and reinforce the notion that the status quo was back by divine will.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="UngainlyTitan, post: 8418940, member: 28487"] So this is like, the magic was always there, not like Shadowrun where there was no magic and then it apocalyptically returns or the novel Warspell: The Merge where magic appears in the modern world but no apocalypse. So my question here is: back in the days when the Roman emperors were claiming personal divinity and persecuting Christians why did they not establish a monopoly or near monopoly on magic. Use that resource to bolster their claim to divinity and prevent the rise of Christendom or failing that why not between say 1240 and 1500 AD when the Church pretty much had an iron grip on the faith and intellect of Europe did not the Papacy do the same? My point is that any thing known to threaten those in power will result in those in power trying to control and co-opt that thing. That is why one gets inquisitions and secret police. A strong case could be made that the Inquisition was antithetical to the Gospels and the message of Christ but we had one anyway because it was necessary to enforce the doctrines needed to underpin Papal political leverage. People do this sort of thing and why did it not happen in your world or more pertinently why did not magic reinforce these tendencies? Given that magic would overawe the superstitious and reinforce the notion that the status quo was back by divine will. [/QUOTE]

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