This is intended as an outline guide to some of the ideas and characters described in the ongoing saga of Magic. Much of it is drawn upon existing methodology and contemporary religious beliefs, but it is not intended to denigrate or explain those beliefs and may deviate for creative purposes.

Characters encountered or mentioned in Magic

The Magister
Arlon Fear, a Black Mage
Davidus Grimm, the Grand Magus, a Fire Mage
Sejanus Jacelon, Scroll Keeper, an Earth Mage
Gort the High Hand, a War Mage
Maxine Du Jared, a Water Mage
Lucy Greystoke, a Green Mage
William Tulore, a White Mage
Nadine Wherefore, an Earth Mage
Gareth Parmenter, a Grey Mage
Denton Barry, a White Mage

Other faculty
Amber Sage, Fifth Circle Witch and Green Journeyman, former apprentice and lover to Fear
Dniester, Grey Adept and ancient wizard
Spendlove Skinmender, Pandoria’s resident healer

Journeymen
Sarah Sojourn, air disciple and former monitor
John Lassiter, older strenuus journeyman

Apprentices
Katrin De Lacy, apprentice to Fear, prospective journeyman in Earth and Water
Tabitha Silvershore, apprentice to Fear, prospective journeyman in Air and Water
Erin Stone, witch and apprentice to Dniester, lover and former apprentice to Amber
Rachel Dvanjester, apprentice to Gort the High Hand later to Maxine Du Jared
Lucy Pettigrew, initiate

Pandoria Allies
Crane, talent scout for Pandoria and adept in all four elements
Vosper, a weather crafter
Siegel Ferris, a weather crafter

House of Maelon (Precips)
King Peron
Shula Maelon, former student at Pandoria
Euan Stand, captain of the castle guard, 40 with steel grey hair
Miriam Stand, his wife
Cali, Shula’s maid

Prince Jason Maelon, Lord Admiral Precips fleet
Captain John Timorous

Timbre
House of Armarlon
King John
Queen Matilda
Duke Timon, William Armarlon

Sir Mark De Lacy, Katrin’s father
Delia Cain, Mark’s mistress and housekeeper; former governess to Katrin
Ellen, their maid
Trudy, young freckled maid

Lady Merringham, a prisoner from Motra Mundy

Challis
King Xerses
First Admiral Mykonos Milan
Commissary Admiral Darius Han
Talia, Xerses’ concubine

Followers of the Craft
Draken, a warlock
Meredith Greydove, Witch of the Fifth Circle
Demdike Runecaster, Witch of the Fifth Circle
Peel, her daughter a shapeshifter
Hemple, a young witch of the Third Circle
Gasgook, a warlock of Meredith’s coven, Fifth Circle

Chant of the Southern Desert Witches: Sagy-sah, sagy-say, ompoomi-da; saggy-say sagy-sah ompoomi-da (usually with a bell)

The Triptych
Maiestatis, the warmonger, sign of the wolf
Praelium, the traitor, sign of the worm
Inlecebra also known as Tugaal the hidden one, the seducer, sign of the raven

Shadow Dreamers, a sect that believes in the Triptych

Army of the West
Tomas, junior officer in the Western Army

Sword Leader Nansi Pyke of the fourth battle coven
Former Sergeant Callous
Under-sergeant Sara Rondel

Places

Pandoria

The Dovecote
The Water Temple
High Steps
Lizard Rocks
Highpoint
The Ivory Tower

The main college
Apprentice Hall
the Barbican (Grand Magus study)

 The world
The Northern Isles
Pandoria
The West
The Central Plains
Challis
Precips (Precips Isles)
Timbre
Sidon
Gansk
The Silver Shore

Timon – Timbre capital
Castle Maelon – Precips capital and home to the royal family
Aspen – a port on Precips
Motra Mundy – a major port in Timbre
Puri – port on the Silver Shore
Downley – Katrin’s home town
Glanthros – city port on the edge of the Great Plains from where Western Army embarks
River Renton – castle Maelon stands on a bend of the river in Precips

Magical Philosophy

Thaumaturgy
Thaumaturgy quite literally means miracle working. The principles of thaumaturgy are based on: firstly, the four elements and the manipulation of the patterns that describe these elements; and secondly a belief that there is an order to the world and that the world is in balance and the only way to pursue and manipulate that order is by using a disciplined methodology that maintains the balance.

The four elements are: Earth, Air, Water and Fire

The Magister (the collective identity and authority of the mages based at Pandoria) believe that the whole world can be defined and encompassed by these elements, that is, all mineral and vegetable matter. However, animals and in particular humanity lies outside the province of thaumaturgy and the elements and furthermore the manipulation of life other than plant life, is inherently against nature.

The four elements have both complimentary and opposing counterparts. And by Pandoria tradition each element and its compliment is represented by a colour; usually worn by the practitioners of each discipline.

The opposing elements are:
Fire to Water
Air to Earth

The complimentary relationships are:
Earth and Fire
Earth and Water
Water and Air
Air and Fire

The colours denoting mastery of or affinity with a discipline are:
Air – White (White Mage)
Earth – Brown (Earth Mage)
Fire – Red (Fire Mage)
Water – Blue (Water Mage)
Air & Water – Grey (Grey Mage)
Air & Fire – Yellow (Informally known as War Mages  and formally known as Strenuus Mages)
Earth & Fire – Black (Black Mage)
Earth & Water – Green (Green Mage)

It is in the nature of the balance and order of things that the stronger one is in the affinity with one element, the weaker the affinity with its opposing element. Therefore, for instance one who has sufficient affinity with fire to master it and become a mage can never become an adept or above in water and so on. So fine is this balance that it is difficult to become and adept in each discipline and such people are rare.

Furthermore, there are two active (strenuus) elements:
Air and Fire
And two passive (obduco) elements:
Earth and Water

Grades of achievement and study in thaumaturgy are as follows:
Doctorate – Mage
Master’s – Mage
First Degree – Adept

There are in fact 10 grades or levels of thaumaturgy although grades over eight are often considered moot.

Ranks:
Grand Magus (Honorific only) (7 and above)
Arch Mage (theoretical only and disputed) (10/10 by some definitions)
Mage (7 and above)
Adept (6)
Journeyman (senior) (5)
Journeyman (junior) (3-4)
Novice (0-2)
Initiate (0-1)

Wild Magic
From a Pandoria point of view all magic that does not conform to thaumaturgy is considered Wild Magic. As by its very nature no one much outside of thaumatological teaching very much cares about such intellectual definitions, this is widely accepted. However, although it is true that Wild Magic by its very nature thrives on chaos and tends to defy order, not all Wild Magic draws on the same traditions or methodologies.

Pandorian views on Wild Magic cannot be discounted, not least because they are the only body which has made an intellectual study of the matter and there are some observable trends and characteristics to support the Pandorian view.

Firstly, as has already been stated, Wild Magic tends to thrive in anomaly and chaos and tends to defy organised approaches. Secondly, the affinity with Wild Magic tends to be a feminine one whereas thaumaturgy tends to be allied to the masculine. Thirdly, Wild Magic rarely directly affects the physical. Its strength and methodology lies in the provinces of the metaphysical, the spiritual and anything that directly taps into animal or human instincts or desires. Fourthly, although there is little evidence that Wild Magic is inherently evil, there is a tendency for it to appeal to self-serving and self-destructive inclinations. Not least because of its ability to affect human and animal behaviour and in some cases the actual physical form.

Magic is often measured in terms of the Seven Circles; one being the outer circle in which all life is supposed to be encompassed. In some doctrines, all those who lie outside the First Circle have no meaning and are ‘dead’ and are not worthy of respect. It is this doctrine that followers of thaumaturgy often find the most offensive.

Wild Magic has a number of subsets here are the two predominate approaches.

Wicca
Sometimes known as White Magic by the uninitiated; this approach tends to be the closest to nature. Indeed some say that it is the only approach to magic that respects the natural order and that elemental magic is itself a perversion for its claims of order.

The emphasis in Wicca is on the spiritual and healing.

The Craft (AKA The Septum Ordis)
This approach probably does not exist in any recognisable form outside of a thaumatological text book. It is the approach that Pandoria most fears. It is characterised by summoners, necromancers and demonology. Although it must be noted that Speakers-to-the-Dead and conjurers of the metaphysical often claim to have a legitimate pursuit.
There are also shape shifters and transmorphs, which seem to encompass elements of both approaches.

One final note
Followers and practitioners of thaumaturgy age far more slowly than mortal men and although some followers of Wicca claim the same it is not to be doubted that the use of Wild Magic, dealing as it does with the spirit world and the metaphysical, often takes a heavy toll on the individual characterised by premature ageing and even physical changes.

Popular terminology for practitioners
Mages – a formal title for the highest grade of elemental
Wizards – a generic term for all practitioners of thaumaturgy; an informal term for an adept;
Sorcerers – a generic term for magic users, but especially those that have a hybrid approach
Warlocks – a general term for male witch; a sixth or seventh circle follower of the craft
Witches – a general term for practitioner of Wild Magic male or female