Chapter Seven: The System: An Origin Story

  Paxton lit what had to be the oldest pipe in the world. Leaned back and began his tale “Long ago, like several thousands of years ago, very few people could use magic. And of those who could wield magic, very few survived to adulthood. However, those that did were by far the most powerful people in the world. At any given time, there were about 100 wizards inflicting their will on the world. Some were horrific monsters drunk with power and privilege. Some were benevolent and cared for people and the land. Most were somewhere in between. Regardless of their moral standing. They could use magic as an expression of will. For most wizards given enough time the power corrupted and they became cruel and uncaring of others. This led to excesses and abuse of power. Other wizards would push back against the dark wizards drunk with power.”

  He took another long puff and continued, “A war between wizards and most often between wizard factions would break out. Earlier in history It would end with the darker wizard being eliminated and all wizards substantially weakened. However, as wizards began to understand the benefits of organizing together, wars evolved to be between factions of wizards. Typically, neither of these factions were particularly ‘good’. After the wizard factions destroyed the land and weakened each other substantially, a power vacuum would develop. Thus, the cycle leading to the next wizard wars would begin anew. Often the dark wizard or darker wizard faction eliminated, would be replaced by those who ended them.”

  Paxton took a deep sorrowful breath and said, “For thousands of years the average or mundane people of this world suffered at the hands of the wizard wars. The wars exacted a horrific cost on the mundane world as most of them were under the patronage of a powerful wizard. If that wizard fell in war, the people they protected would suffer greatly. Like I said, this went on for hundreds of generations. Thousands and at times millions of people would die or be displaced and put into slavery because of a wizard war.”

  Zack interjected, “How did this world not run out of people or wizards for that matter?”

  Paxton replied, “That is a good question” Pax was pleased to see Zack paying attention and seeming interested in the history lesson. “Without wizard interference, the periods of peace would last for a few centuries at a time. The population would easily rebound as they were usually bountiful times.

  Paxton continued, “As for the wizards, do you remember how I said very few people had the gift to wield magic?”

  Zack nodded in affirmation.

  Paxton Said, “When child is identified in the mundane population as being able to wield magic, they were immediately sent to magical monasteries to develop their skill. This would be a great boon to the family or village that sent them. They would learn under lower wizards and grow their talent. The monasteries would hold competitions to determine if they had the talent to become a wizard acolyte. An acolyte is the first step or level of being a wizard.”

  Paxton had to relight his ancient pipe. Zack grimaced as he thought it smelled like burning ditch weed. Pax continued, “But I digress from the story. In the last great wizard war, a strong group of somewhat benevolent but mostly opportunistic wizards were trying to unseat the Dark Triad. Many would agree rightfully so because the Dark Triad broke with convention of past wizards as they openly practice a malevolent magic not seen in centuries. Usually, during the wars between factions of Wizards, they would at least pretend to have noble aims. The Dark Triad were three brothers who practice magic for dark and evil purposes. The three brothers were easily among the most powerful wizards in the past one thousand years. They ruled much of the world with a ruthless efficiency that was shocking to the most hardened wizard soul. The opposing wizards belonged to a faction that had a history of unseating evil wizards. They called themselves the Order of Light”

  Zack was riveted by Paxton's words. He had to admit the old wizard or whatever he was had a knack for storytelling. Paxton was getting quite animated at times trying to reenact moments as he described them.

  Paxton continued “It did not take long for the Dark Triad learned of the Order of Light’s intent. They set in motion a plan to defeat the order once and for all. The darkest, longest, most deadly war in history was fought for three decades. Eventually the war stalled into a stalemate. Most of the Order of Light wizards were destroyed and only the eldest brother of the Dark Triad remained. The eldest brother went into hiding when he lost his brothers. The mundane world thought they would enter another period of peace while the wizards licked their wounds. However, the leader of the Order of Light, Wizard Seideer Vitki could not accept a stalemate when he had lost so much. He was racked with grief and anger. He failed to stop the eldest brother from killing his wife and family. He lost himself to hatred and madness as he hunted down the last brother.”

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  Paxton continued darkly, “When he found him, he tortured and killed him. Rather than finding relief and peace after ending the Dark Triad. Wizard Vitki found himself consumed with anxiety and paranoia. His thirst for revenge was never sated. Wizard Vitki rose to power and claimed the role protector of the realm. In reality, his insanity drove him to commit atrocities in the name of his version of peace. With an insane zealousness, he hunted down people he perceived as evil. There was no rhyme or reason to his actions. He murdered thousands in an effort to purge evil. The irony is he became the evil he sought to eliminate.”

  Paxton continued, “Many people in the mundane world conveniently ignored and excused away Wizard Vitki’s behavior as just another chapter in the wizarding wars. However, there was one variable that had never been present before. Several of the acolytes to the fallen Order of Light wizards went into hiding and secluded themselves when Vitki finally killed the remaining brother. At the time, most thought they had been destroyed with their patron wizards. The acolytes long knew the truth of Wizard Vitki’s madness and sought a way to stop him.”

  In what became Wizard Vitki's final purge, he sought to destroy an entire city that was once under the control of the Dark Triad. It was a trap prepared by a new order. The Acolytes of Order was a large group of the secluded acolytes previously with the fallen Order of Light. He was lured there with tales of debauchery and evil. When he arrived, it was empty except for several hundred members of the Acolytes of Order. The acolytes used magic that had never seen before. They erased Wizard Vitki from existence. When they announced the new Acolytes of Order, they distributed a manifesto far and wide. They were disillusioned by cruel history of wizards and their costly wars. They realized the wizard wars have been holding back the mundane people of the world for thousands of years. They believed it was fundamentally unfair for only a small handful of people to use magic.”

  Paxton nodded at Zack and said, “This is where it really gets interesting. While they were secluded, they discovered a new way to use magic. They called it system magic.

  Zack put his hand up. “Now you are saying there are two types of magic?”

  Paxton responded, “Yes and no, more like two very different ways to use the same magic. Wizards use ‘natural magic’. Meaning they call on the ambient mana in the environment and express it as a form of their will. No spells, rituals, or arrays. This is what made them so powerful. The wizards didn’t need to learn magic, they merely had to imagine what they wanted and seize the mana around them to make it a reality. The acolytes created system magic which allowed anyone to learn magic through spells, enchantments, the use of arrays, and sigils. It turned the use of magic into a skill based on the inherent interests of the person. It created a form of magic anyone could access with practice and patience.”

  Paxton took on a somber look, “For the ambient magic to undergo such a large-scale transformation, 100 of the most promising members of the Acolytes of Order sacrificed themselves to create system magic. The power of the 100 acolytes sacrifice created a system to manage and regulate people's use of magic. It included stats for each person and special skills. As the system grew, an infinite number of ways to use magic developed and proliferated across the land. The life energy of the 100 acolytes poured into a system and took control of the world and magic. It provided magical opportunity for everyone.”

  Paxton said, “As you can imagine the remaining wizards did not like others using magic. Despite their weakened state they attempted to stop the acolytes and destroy the system. The final sacrifice of the acolytes destroyed almost all the remaining Wizards and secured the system for all people. After the wizards were gone it became normal for even those who had a talent for natural magic to use the system instead. Eventually, the use of natural magic was forgotten. Even today ,only historians, some of the nobility, and the most powerful mages know true origins of the system.”

  Zack leaned back as he took in the old wizard’s story. “Wow, that is amazing. Where I come from, the story sounds like an epic fantasy book.”

  Pax replied, “Fantasy? As in not real or make believe? Do you mean to tell me you do not have magic where you are from?”

  Zack smiled not sure if Pax was kidding or not. “Of course we don’t have magic, magic isn’t real.”

  Pax smiled and leaned back into his chair, “We if there isn’t any magic, how do explain talking to a 5,000-year-old wizard?”

  Zack opened his mouth to make a snarky comment but then paused and said nothing.

  Pax asked, “May I continue my story?” Zack nodded and Pax continued. “Soon after the Wizards had been dispatched, the Order of Acolytes took on the role of managing the system. They educated the world as to the evils of wizards and natural magic. Convincing the world about the horrors of wizards and natural magic was an easy sell. They sought to ensure that wizards would never corrupt the world again. Over time the Order of Acolytes developed into the most powerful magical organization in the world. It ruled with benevolence and kindness as long as you did not practice natural magic. For the first time in known history the people of the mundane world were in control of their own destiny. For centuries there was peace and abundance for all.

  Zack smirked as he said, “Sounds like a real ‘happily ever after’ story. Where I am from, we call that a fairy tale.”

  Paxton looked at him nonplussed, “that doesn’t make sense, everyone knows fairies do not have tails.” After a pause he continued, “and to be clear, it was not happily ever after.”