Purification

Good morning students. I know that we have talked a lot about magic, and perhaps more about the Three Generals. Nevertheless, I would like to devote some time to one more topic related to both of these, which you might have heard about, but probably you are not very aware of the details, nor the harsh reality behind it. Get ready, because it’s going to get sparky. Let us begin…

***

A Dedicated Student

In the ancient Twelve Islands, about a half of all inhabitants were magic, or at least that is the most accurate estimation currently available to us. Out of this group, very few ever decided to learn to control the power, and even less had the perseverance to complete their training and reach decent proficiency. Looking at the mentions of mages in writings from the era, no more than half percent of people could cast spells. It was a vicious cycle – the low number of mages made it difficult for anyone to find a teacher, causing most to lose interest, as they did not want – or could not afford – the effort of seeking the archipelago.

Young Rayoh was an exception to that. After finishing basic education, provided to him by his wealthy family, he decided to pursue the way of magic, even though he had no certainty he even had the innate capability. The search for the teacher was not easy – there were not many in the whole archipelago, and even less were good ones. It was only after over three months and five visited islands that he found a trace of a decent tutor, and even then he needed more than thirty days to reach the mage’s remote home.

Upon arrival, Rayoh was welcomed by the surprised mage and, reluctantly at first, accepted as a student. He might not have been the most intelligent disciple, but his resolve was exceptional. He trained under the master’s supervision for five years, achieving a high level of proficiency. After that, he followed the mentor’s advice and travelled to another island to create his own refuge. He stayed there for three years, mastering his spells.

Hero of the People

The loneliness changed him. I need not tell you what happened when he returned to the people – it will suffice if I say that he became a folk hero with a group of loyal followers, and then committed a few mistakes that eventually caused permanent banishment for him and hundreds of his companions.

Even at the time it was visible that he had some  kind of obsession about magic abilities. He only allowed people with power to join his group, sometimes brutally rejecting those who could not pass his test. He had devised a very simple method of checking if someone is magic – the candidate was ordered to create a few sparks using only their own body. He believed everyone who has the trait is able to do this, and he was not far from the truth – modern science suggests it is possible for about nine out of ten magic Eastmen.

Villain of the World

It was only after the arrival to Aedilër that Rayoh could show his true face. In the new land, he started to make his vision of the world into reality – a vision in which those who could not use magic ceased to exist. He was not allowed to touch any of the other generals’ soldiers, but happily did his tests on the indigenous population. Whenever he found someone who was non-magic – which was not as common, as the Southfolk are more likely to have the trait – he solved the issue brutally.

Heavy battery, often with a blunt object, was the lightest treatment, and meant he was in a particularly good mood. More often, he would either murder the victims himself, or, even worse, allow his soldiers to do this. The vigorous yet very uneducated men were very harsh in their treatment of the poor people. I will not mention their methods, as these should not be spoken of even in this class – but you should know that it might be the worst end of life one can experience in this world. General Nyther was upset about the practice, as he believed that violence should be limited to when diplomacy fails, but often pretended not to notice, hoping this would prevent Rayoh and his men from directing their bloodthirst in other, more dangerous directions.

The brutal attitude did not prevent him from taking the imperial throne after Nyther’s passing. This was, however, a short-lived reign, whose end we discussed previously, but I should stress again that what was Rayoh’s motivation ultimately became his doom.

That’s all I have for you, thank you.