Battle Magus Lore
lalaol "War," Sathrum the Sage once said, "is the ultimate expression of truth upon the face of Aerynth. He who has the power to destroy a thing controls a thing. No philosophy, no lore, no faith, no wisdom can hope to compete with that fundamental fact." Some called him a madman, but his words have proven themselves true across five thousand years of broken empires and bloody battlefields. Conflict is the purest expression of Power, with all gentility and pretext stripped away. In the end, only power matters.
Now consider: how different is this from the practice of Wizardry and the other Arcane Arts? Every Magus wrests power from the cosmos by the force of his will, the power of his intellect, and manifests that power to change the face of reality. The principle is the same. Indeed, as soon as time began, the first use the Elves and ancient Men found for Magic was on the battlefield. Chronicles of the Wars of Strife and the War of Flames speak of spells blasting armies and laying waste to entire regions. For too long, only tantalizing scraps and fragments of the spells they wrought have been available to us. During the War of the Scourge, the Conclave sent all of its Battle Magi, masters and neophytes, to the front lines to combat the forces of Chaos. None of them survived. The great Battle Magi of age, and their unparalleled feats of power, have only existed as legends for thousands of years, and Battle Magic became one of the "Lost Arts" enumerated and lamented by Sages and Loremasters.
But the face of the world is changed. Only months ago, discoveries were made in the depths of a blighted desert that shall shake the face of Aerynth. Among crumbling Ardani ruins, explorers found the Lost Archive, the library the thirteenth Titan, the first Human Mage, built uncounted ages ago! Though many of the scrolls and tablets had fallen victim to the ravages of time, the texts that remained have already revolutionized the Arcane Arts. Elvish and Ardani texts have unearthed the art of Battle Magic, lost for so long. New Battle Magi have arisen, who can hone their arts to new extremes, and take the place in war that wizards have been denied for too long. Armed with spells that can weaken or destroy walls and buildings, a cadre of Battle Magi is an essential addition to a besieging force. Other enchantments, but recently deciphered, can curse entire armies, scattering formations and throwing the most disciplined force into Chaos. This is an auspicious time: spellcasters who know the secrets of Battle Magic can go far indeed. New kingdoms are rising: would-be kings are donning the ancient Crowns of Rulerhsip and seizing realms for their own. These ambitious warlords have been quick to capitalize on the appearance of Battle Magi, using them to great effect in the new War of Realms.
If you have the ambition to learn the lost art, and the will to direct its massive energies, you can change the course of entire battles with a wave of your hand. Your will can decide the fate of nations. Would you embrace this ancient art? Who would refuse?
