Wizards of High Sorcery - Introduction

Introduction

The Wizards (WoHS for short) are a powerful institution in Krynn. They were founded when the deities Solinari, Lunitari and Nuitari taught a certain group of people how to draw power from the moons and shape it with their wills. With the construction of the Towers of High Sorcery, people from all over Krynn were able to learn the secrets of spellcrafting, that is, using specific words, gestures and rites to create magical effects in a safe and ordered manner.

To prevent abuse, the gods decided that spells could only be cast in a limited number per day. Thus, a WoHS is usually able to cast a powerful spell only once, after which it is forgotten. To cast it again, the mage must commit it back into memory, which may require several hours of study. Tracy Hickman commented in The Annotated Chronicles (1999) that his eldest son, a professional magician, mentioned how this fact did mirror his own practice, as it was not enough for him to simply learn a magic trick, instead having to "practice it daily in order to maintain the fluid movement of the illusion."

The Wizards of High Sorcery follow a set of laws that are as old as the Towers of High Sorcery:

  • Solinari's Law: All Wizards are brothers and sisters in their order. All orders are brothers and sisters in the power.
  • Lunitari's Law: The places of High Sorcery are held in common among all orders and no sorcery is to be used there in anger against fellow mages.
  • Nuitari's Law: The world beyond the walls of the towers may bring brother against sister and order against order, but such is the way of the universe.

Under these principles, the Wizards collect and share information inside the Towers. Tracy Hickman explains that, although there may (be) some differences in the way every race teaches magic, the language and requirements are the same for every wizard in the world of Krynn.

Although wizards draw power from the moons, controlling it takes a great effort, sometimes leaving the wizard drained.

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