Lita Burke

Within the pages of the Necronomicon Enchanter book in Lita’s library, the curious may learn the Enchanters’ magical matters. Beware, for the knowledge might drive the reader mad with bitter desire and luscious regret. Today we read how the early Enchanters used desperate measures to protect themselves.

Previously:

• Evolution of Sole-Source Magic
• Magical Discipline
• Essence Kiss

Sye Enchanter Schools

To shelter themselves from the frequent and savage attacks of the essence mad, the Enchanters journeyed to five far-flung areas of Sye and established five schools.

The ten enclave Enchanters saturated the foundation stones with protection spells. They designed self-sustaining protections. For all the school’s residents, the school drew off essence to power the spells. The excess essence went into a reservoir.

To fix the impersonal nature of a school’s essence collection, the Enchanters adjusted the foundation spells and gave the schools female personalities. To the Enchanters’ surprise, their efforts made the schools sentient creatures.

Also to protect themselves from exposure to the essence mad, the Enchanters used their most powerful combined magic and linked the five schools. They could travel between the schools using just five steps instead of taking days on horseback.

Enchanter Grandmaster

After establishing the five schools, two of the original Enchanters went to each school and took up permanent residence. They took the title of Grandmaster.

Much work remained locally at the schools. The Grandmasters divided the Enchanters’ Magical Discipline among the schools and established each site with two magical specialties. They contracted with the local Merchant Guild representatives and had them take over distributing the essence charms out of each school. This created a buffer between the delicate Enchanters and the forceful tactics of the essence mad.

Magic Worker Guild

After setting up a better essence charm distribution network with the Merchant Guild, the Grandmaster Enchanters next hired mages and trained them in the mundane aspects of magic craft. These mages cast dispensary spells and connected them to the schools’ foundation spells. The mages crafted charms with much lower essence levels, and then coordinated with the Merchant Guild to vend the amulets.

These early mages established the Magic Worker Guild to tend all but the essence-generating Enchanter spells. The Grandmasters selected willing candidates from the Magic Workers Guild and began training Enchanter candidates at the schools. While these developments stabilized the Enchanters’ work and made essence available for the rest of Sye’s people, the schools still had some fatal flaws.

Next time: Uslar Rings

Find out more about the books in the Enchanters of Sye world:

• Wrath, Prequel to Tredan’s Bane
• Tredan’s Bane