“In another age, the men of Magic watched over the land. They ruled strongly and wisely, and the land prospered as it never had before, and never will again. Rarely was there suffering, and when there was, the Magicians ended it quickly. These were the days of justice; the days of peace; the days of Magic.

“The Magicians did not rule as kings, as the other races and even all other humans did, for everyone was free to do as they pleased, and served no one but themselves. But they did rule nonetheless. Nobody had any reason to be unhappy, and so nobody was. Everyone was content to live peacefully. This peace lasted for many centuries. Wars raged all around, but those governed by the Magicians remained in peace, for none could defeat them in battle, so they went unchallenged.

“But things were not as simple as they seemed. Magic is a powerful thing, and with the power came responsibility. There were those who were not of such noble minds as the others. These banded together and plotted the downfall of all that had kept the peace, so that they could take power for their own purposes. Our own king Tombrán led the conspiracy, but he alone was not strong enough, not yet, so he went to the only person he trusted enough to discuss such matters with, Engilrahm, his only ‘friend,’ if you would, if a man with no heart was capable of friendship.

“In any case, Tombrán, with his great skill at ‘persuasion,’ whether by his words or by his strength, along with Engilrahm, gathered together the mightiest, most ruthless Magicians they find, and this feared band of scoundrels set out to achieve their terrible goals. They began a campaign of treachery, betraying those who trusted them, recruiting those they could, and assassinating those they could not. They worked quietly, gradually tipping the odds in their favor, killing by night and discussing the news of the latest tragedy under the guise of anonymity the following day.

“Eventually, those gifted with wisdom realized that these deaths were not simply coincidence, and searched for those responsible for the atrocious acts. Tombrán’s plot was discovered, and he was named as a criminal. Tombrán was clever however, and he and his followers gathered together in safety, where they could plot together without fear of being attacked. They launched fierce attacks on those who dared search for them, which left few survivors. The conspirators quickly gained power, and soon all but the strongest Magicians were helpless to oppose them. The attacks became battles, and the battles became a long and bloody war. Tombrán, as you all know, was victorious. He had no mercy, slaying all who had opposed him. Those who had assisted him, he treated almost as cruelly. When they were no longer of use to him, he had them killed. He became the only person in the land capable of using Magic. He still rules today, oppressing all those unfortunate enough to be his subjects.

“It is said that there will come a time when evil King Tombrán will be defeated, and magic will once again spread throughout the land. The fortunetellers tell of a new spell weaver to come and rescue us all. These fortunetellers however, use no real magic to make their predictions, and many say their predictions mean nothing. I, personally, see hope for the future. There will come a day when we shall watch the sun rise over a free land once more.”