Overview
Once upon a time, the Royal Advisor of the Kingdom of Sibola felt that the enslavement of Mages for the common good was a travesty of justice, fairness and decency. It was obvious that Mages should not be the servants, but should be the rulers, and that magic should be the solution to the world’s issues, for was it not all powerful, and did that not make Mages akin to and possibly even equal to or greater than the Powers themselves?
He did what any reasonable person would do, and explained this, in depth, to the King, who summarily dismissed him and stripped him of his lands and titles for treason. This grievous insult led Lord Akade to gather over time many other Mages, and to plan, to orchestrate, and finally to engage in open rebellion, starting with the port town of Zadrovia by erasing it from existence during a meeting of Nobles who had counseled against his plans. This started a civil war, that went fairly well by most standards, until Akade was forcefully reminded of a bit about magic he had forgotten: everyone can use magic.
In the precise moment of what should have been a great victory, he was Summoned into a secret chamber deep beneath the heart of the Kingdom, and was there held, tired, and judged for his crimes, with one part of the punishment being a Rite of Severance.
Every year, on that day, for the rest of his life, he was Summoned, and the Rite of Severance was performe, and he spent his remaining days without power and in exile, in a tower was built overlooking a river, beyond which lay a fertile and pleasant land that he would never see.
The town was originally named Akade’s Prison. Into the lands beyond it, following a vicious and strict crackdown on all who used magic, any who felt even a little similar to him were exiled into the empty lands beyond that Tower, which served as the gateway to the broad, hilly valley beyond it.
In the years that followed, the town around his tower became the Town of Gateway, and the home of the Warden, for the thing that people often forget is that Akadia, named after the unintentional founder, is a prison. Beyond Gateway, the broad valley opens and Mages are relatively free to practice and research and teach and refine the art and craft of magery.
They do this under the watchful eye of the Warden of Akadia, who governs mostly distantly, with most of the day-to-day stuff handled by the Council of Mages, decided through duels of magical might, who are in charge of the whole of the realm.
It is a wonderful place. Mages teach handpicked, carefully chosen students, a few at a time, in Apprenticeships that only start at the normal five years. Successors who are worthy of the knowledge and grandeur that is the province of all Mages. To ensure that such studies are not interrupted, we have the people who serve us. Who cook and clean and shop and order our estates, who grow the food and find the woods and bring the materials and make certain that we have the capabilities to properly do the important work we are doing.
Meanwhile, there are the common folk, who, all things considered, have it fairly good. Mages hold all the power inn Akadia – every judge, every leader, everyone who is in charge of something, anything, no matter how minor it might be, is a Mage, and to a one, none of them are particularly keen on getting their hands dirty – though they often think they have some new spell or ritual that will make life even more simple and carefree.
That is, they get in the way sometimes of taking care of them, and that’s what the common folk do, with all the joy they can, because mages pay very well, and while they can have pretty explosive tempers, most of them are just regular folks who wouldn’t think about tossing a fireball because their cuppa was cold.
It takes a lot to draw the attention of the Warden’s people, and most know that Reeves are around and watching for abuses, so by and large, life in Akadia is built up around Work, and then after the Work there is the real part of everyone’s day, because it is family that matters in Akadia, second only to Magic, and sometimes those little things they make do work.
Which is not to say that there is no dark side to Akadia. There are several. Some mages are outright evil, and simply haven’t been caught yet. Corruption among them is considered high, and since Akadia is the only place where all magic is legal, it can sometimes be a challenge if one is not careful. The most vile of the darkness of Akadia. The urMages. Child thieves. The bounty doesn’t officially exist, but there are days when the orphanage doesn’t see someone adopted, and yet a Mae suddenly has a new child in their care, one who is gifted and capable of magic.
They are often charmed into believing a false past, tricked and fooled, and eventually they will always discover the truth, which is that magic never appears in the next generation, and so they cannot be the child. Being an urMages is a deathly offense, but the pay is in gold and always high, and there are always children. Some parents will sell them in desperate times, others will turn a back and have them snatched. The worst is that it happens within Akadia, as well – and there is little that a family can do about it if a Mage claims one of theirs for his own.
Akadia is two homelands, some folks say, for there are two Akadias. There is the Akadia of those who have magic and learn to use it; and there is the Akadia of those who live without the burdens and the rules of Sibola, whose work is always appreciated, and whose manners are always the best.
Across the rolling hills and farmland, one can look out and see the skyships, watch the Towers tumble and rise, see miracles performed daily. To many, it is a peaceful, fulfilling life, marred only by seemingly unexpected outbursts of violence and heartache, just a momentary blip, an accident, and Davy didn’t die, he just went on a trip.
