Lore Spotlight: The Dark Ages – The Outlawing of Spellcasters

In War & Aether one of the most drastic time periods are the Dark Ages. Between species on the brink of extinction, monsters becoming a rapidly growing threat across the land, the Grahtian Empire preparing to go to war, and dark powers rising in forgotten lands; overall it wasn’t a great time to live in for anyone. One group of people that was severely affected by the Dark Ages were spellcasters. Keep scrolling to learn more about the outlawing of spellcasters and what events fell into place to have this tragic law happen.

[Tensions are high among Inquisitors of the Lodge - Art generated using Adobe Firefly]

While there are many parts that make the Dark Ages dreadful, one of the strongest catalysts for this period of societal stagnation is the outlawing of spellcasters. For centuries, past the dawn of Aether, spellcasters were allowed to practice their craft in peace and harmony. However, some spellcasters proved criminal, and this led to the founding of the Inquisitor’s Lodge. A religious organization that, while on the surface was dedicated to the Whims of Fate created the strongest anti-spellcasting legion on all of Zale. The Lodge was the state religion of the country Femala, and was quickly supported by the Grahtian Nation when Femala declared themselves a willing member of the new Grahtian Empire.

For centuries, spellcasters flourished, and occasionally when one got out-of-hand the Inquisitors were there to stop them. But in time, good things turned sour with the first massacre of the Inquisitor’s Lodge.

In the year 634 of the Grahtian Calendar, a criminal sorcerer was cornered by the Lodge and offered a choice, death at the noose or servitude to the Lodge. Many of the Lodge’s Inquisitors included reformed spellcasters themselves, and this case was believed to be no different, and so the sorcerer swore to serve the Lodge to avoid death at the noose. However, this dark sorcerer had a different plan in mind. For weeks he used the Lodge’s hubris to gain access to their headquarters, learn their secrets, and—before he went out for his first mission—cast magic powerful enough to destroy the entire building and everyone in it in one fell swoop. While the dark sorcerer was killed, a new fear of the power of sorcerers was found, and the rehabilitation program was shut down.

Following the first massacre, magic was outlawed across the land. Violent persons found spellcasting would be put to the noose, while non-violent spellcasters would be given the option of eternal servitude to the Inquisitor’s Lodge. This worked, for a time, until the year 717 when the Lodge erupted in a civil war.

Philosophical differences divided the Lodge between those in favor of spellcasters, and those who feared them. Inquisitors fought inquisitors, brothers fought brothers, and the losses of this holy civil war were felt across the empire. But in the end, those who feared spellcasters won out, thanks to a single captain who discovered a new means of countering a spellcaster’s magic - and wiped out the remnants of the aetherial sympathizers. The surviving members of this civil war redeveloped and reshaped the Inquisitor’s Lodge into Zealots of the Fate. Those who would hunt down any spellcaster across the lands and burn them at the stake - and due to devout imperial leadership, spellcasting was universally forbidden and punishable by death across all of the Grahtian Empire.

While other lands of the Western Reaches such as Alva, Vergar, or even Skjörvunn may not have outlawed the practice of magic outright - so too were their devout peoples affected by the new tenants of the Whims of Fate. And so too did the Inquisitor’s reach, ever-hunting for spellcasters to burn at the stake, grow beyond the borders of the empire…

We hope you enjoyed this week’s Lore Spotlight! Was there any particular part that surprised you? Comment your response below! And don’t forget to purchase your own copy of War and Aether: The Roleplaying Game from Amazon, DriveThruRPG, or by picking it up in person at Games by James and Source Comics and Games!