Description[]
A book that explores some of the famous members of the Scholia Arcana, a collective of mages.
Contents[]
Famed Mages of the Scholia Arcana
Part 1: The Early Years
Though the philosophy of the Scholia Arcana demands its adherents to sacrifice any form of personal gain for the sake of advancing the study of magic, there are not a few moments in history where extremely talented (or notorious) mages of the order have secured a position in the collective memory of Amalur. It goes without saying that the founding members, Elodan Bloodgood, Marus Torix, and Eleanor Brea are among this number, but there are yet others who, in their own way, have heralded themselves into the annals of legend.
Where better to start than with Evren the Burnheart? During the early years of the order, our ranks were dominated by the Alfar, whose affinities for magic seemed limitless. Very rarely did we have humans -- save, of course, the founding members -- who had the magical capacity to withstand the rigors of initiation. When Evren -- a small, almost sickly Almain appeared in Rathir, it seemed the only way he would have gained admission into Scholia was by pity of his examiners.
Not so, it was found, for within minutes of his arrival, he demonstrated for us an application of fire magic that had never been witnessed before. It was almost as if he pulled a star from the sky, and slammed it into the earth with meteoric force. The plants and soil that had once been there had been turned to glass and cinders under such heat. In time we learned that, though powerful, his skills were nearly uncontrollable, for they were innate. Eventually, we learned from his powers a new, more potent form of fire magic than was previously thought possible, and taught Evren the serenity needed to quell the raging fires within him.
Then there was the Siren. A Traveler with no name and no stories of her past save for a knowing smile. That the order discovered her existence is a miracle in and of itself -- allegedly, she was utilizing her comeliness in a less-than savory manner in a small village in the Icebrine. By chance, she met an initiate of our order who (in what must have been a sudden burst of uncharacteristic indiscretion) accepted her proposal. A small song from her lips, and he realized she was using some form of magic to charm him into thinking she had earned her coin. It took some convincing, but she agreed to some sessions of tutelage with the Scholia. But to this day, we still cannot truly fathom the sing-song spells she wove with her voice....
But the Scholia is remembered for its... more peculiar members as well. Fruntbert the Miasmic was touted as a powerful mage long before he came to our order, though, none could say why. He submitted himself to the Trial of Initiation, and though he passed with some success, there was much confusion as to whether his reputation was deserved. When asked, he affirmed that it was, and offered to prove it - by engaging at flatulence so powerful as to propel him from Pryderi all the way to the Scholia Arcana Courtyard! Surely, not the magic we had anticipated, but from Evren to Frunbert, these great heroes have demonstrated magic's mutability and variety of forms.