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One day, the apprentice Wizard Jor Gannir was returning to the guild across that well-known landmark the great viaduct. He was half-way across when he saw a party of kandar knights approaching from the other direction. They were swaggering about, obviously drunk. From their armour, they looked like knights of Kardak the Defender. Jor turned around, deciding to return by another route, only to see several more knights blocking his escape at the other end. A trap!
"What have we here?" said one of the knights, drunker than most of them. "A wizard!"
"Can't be", replied another "He's a human. Ev'ryone knows that only we kandar can be wizards"
"If he's a wizard" exclaimed a third, "he must be able to fly!"
"They can't all fly", chipped in the first knight. "Sometimes they just become invisible. Or they scramble your brains"
Jor tried reading the mind of the leader, and read murderous thoughts thought the drunken haze. These people hated humans, and disapproved of human wizards. He was in deep trouble. He concentrated on the mind of the leader, and tried to envelop his consciousness, using the drunken haze as his raw material. The knight fell unconscious at his feet. This only enraged the others. As they closed in on him, he tried to repeat the same trick on another. But there were just too many of them....
There are a number of different things in Kalyr which are considered magical. The most obvious are the powers of the mind practised by the wizards of the Academy of the Mind, among others. The powers of today's wizards are but a pale shadow of the powers of the great wizards of old. These powers are psionic in origin, and occur naturally in a minority of the population. In all but a few cases, the powers of the mind cannot be controlled properly without training from an early age.
There are several "ways" of wizardry. Only the most powerful ever manifest any great strength in more than one way.
This way allows the perception of things imperceptible to normal people.
Although this way is most commonly used to restore the body and mind, which is how it gets it's name, it can also be misused to cause harm.
The power of mind over mind, this way allows one to impose one's will over others.
The power of mind over matter. The rarest and most powerful way, those with this power can make changes in the physical world. Followers of this way can manipulate matter and energy, create illusions, set things on fire. The most powerful can change their own shape. Legends speak of those who could teleport, but the no wizard has mastered this power for centuries.
The Academy of the Mind was founded in the year 1135 after the disintegration of the First Empire to preserve the knowledge of psionics. It has survived the many upheavals and wars which have occurred since then, including the dark days of the Second Empire, in which psionics were outlawed. It is now main source of training in psionics in the kandar kingdoms, about nineteen out of every twenty the membership being kandar.
The academy has become a centre for general learning and knowledge as well as psionics. Academy towers often hold sizeable libraries of old books on any subject, and members love collecting ancient technological artefacts. The academy itself tries keeps out of 'secular' politics, although individual members occasionally hold political office.
A local academy exists in most cities. All members, except for the Hierachs, belong to the local academy in their home city. These Academies are usually headed by the highest ranking member, with major decisions being made on a majority vote of a council, which all members can attend. This council is responsible for proposing candidates for promotion in rank.
There have always been a few wizards outside the Academy. There are also some smaller psionic guilds, few of which have any presence in more than one city.
There are sixteen official ranks of membership in the academy. All full members start at rank sixteen and progress upwards. Apprentices have no rank. Each rank above sixteen up to rank ten contains about half the number of members as the rank below. Rank sixteen therefore contains half the total membership.
Rank nine always contains just three people, known as Nar-Rukans. Their identities are unknown to anybody in the lower ranks, who only know them as being in at least rank ten.
The final eight ranks are each occupied by a single individual, and are referred to as the Hierachs, or the Rukanthan. These eight form the supreme ruling body of the Academy. Again, their identities kept secret from the lower ranks. In fact, some of the Heirarchs are not even known as members of academy at all! The First Hierach is technically the leader, but all decisions are made the whole group.
If a rank has less than half the membership of the rank immediately below it, a member can be promoted. Candidates for promotion must defeat their rivals for promotion in non-lethal psionic contests. These contests take place within the local academies in each city for the first few ranks, quotas for each rank being set by the Hierachs. For higher ranks, the contests are held across the world.
When members reach rank ten, they may be promoted to the rank of Nar-Rukan if a suitable vacancy occurs. Although promotion in theory is based upon psionic ability, in practice, ability to survive academy politics is just as important. When a position in the Rukanthan falls vacant, the seven survivors elect one of the Nar- Rukans to the position of Eighth Hierach.
Many factions exist within the ranks of the academy. While many are short-lived, usually centering around a single ambitions or influential wizard, others have a long history, sometimes stretching back to the early days of the academy. Some exist and meet openly, others keep their existance secret.
An extreme conservative sect, violently opposed to the very existance of human wizards. Although they don't deny their existance, they're secretive about their membership.
Less overtly political than other groups, the Followers of Mystery take a quasi-religious view of the powers, in contrast to the approach of groups such as the Progressors. They have a reputation for spouting mystical mumbo-jumbo.
Named after the legendary Golden Age ruler, the Order of Kalan wants to restore the supremacy of wizards in kandar society.
Opposed to Kaasranth Sar, the Progressors actively seek out human wizards. They take an very analytical and "scientific" attitude towards powers of the mind. They are more open about their membership.