Illumnia Mages
“Enlightenment is the true path to Balance.”
The Illumnia Mages were descendants of the survivors of the Age of Conflict. Their purpose has and always will be to enact the will of the gods and help the human world maintain the Balance. The first Mages helped the gods better understand the human soul and aided them in the next steps of creation. Now, they help guide Caelia in her rule over Illumnia to ensure the young god maintains true Balance and doesn’t repeat history.
Their own magic was taught by all of the old gods to best reflect their nature. As a result, while they possessed a multitude of magics, they never quite mastered them to perfection. As the years went by, they created schools dedicated to each of the teachings in hopes of perfecting their abilities. Until then, they worked on the magic that helped maintain Cerulis.
Their first line of defense were the constructs given life by magic runes etched into their stonework. These constructs would serve as sentinels on the city perimeter to ensure no one of ill-intent would breach the city. The Mages also created the barriers that kept Cerulis from magical harm, dispelling any evil magic that came close.
The Mages rarely let anyone outside of the bloodline join the upper council. They believed the burden of being the Illumnia Mages fell to their families alone so that others could enjoy a simpler life. There were times, however, where outsiders had shown such an aptitude for magic that they felt it was a sign to accept new blood. They granted them a high enough station in the chain of command without spreading their authority too thin. Very few joined the council itself but still they led Illumnia alongside Caelia for some time.
When Caelia’s son showed such potential in magic, they saw it as an opportunity to thank the gods for all they’ve done for their families in the past. Despite the child showing tendencies to darker magics over a balance of all, they still believed he was destined for greatness. They taught him all they could and believed he was ready to take the next steps towards joining the upper council.
When they were presented with his staff, they examined it from top to bottom. When they saw how powerful it was in representing the gods and the Balance, they were awestruck. There was a darker magic there, however, hidden even to the young mage. Because they never perfected their magics, they weren’t able to discern a small collection of runes that would undermine centuries of work and put the Balance at risk once more.
