Highguard magical traditions

Priests who work to master magic are called magisters in Highguard. The early magisters studied methods of communicating with the dead and uncovering the secrets of the past. The Highborn Magisters strive to be the foremost masters of Winter magic in the Empire. Most operate out of hostels based in the Necropolis. The silence and contemplative atmosphere of the city of the dead lends itself perfectly to measured and contemplative study.

While there is no doubt they possess powerful magic, the magisters are still considered to be priests. They study virtue alongside magic, and many work hard to try and inspire virtuous behaviour in wizards of other nations – or an understanding of magic in other priests.

Magisters tend to be cautious of the Eternals, as they are not only powerful, but they clearly seek to use that power to influence humanity. The Highborn believe that as masters of their own destiny, humans should seek to outwit Eternals wherever possible, seizing opportunities to take their strength and harness it in service to the Empire. Eternals are clearly monstrous and inhuman. It is a source of continual frustration to the magisters that other wizards fail to recognise this, no matter how seriously the magisters try to educate them in their dealings with other realms. The magisters treat most often, and most comfortably with the Eternals of Winter, who they see as more open and honest, as they do not try to deny or conceal their evil nature. The Eternals of the other realms are equally dangerous, but present a pleasing and deceptive face, which many accept without scrutiny.

The magical tradition of Highguard combines movement and sound. The slow beating of drums, the sonorous chime of bells and the recitation of ceremonial passages form the basis of their ritual magic, often accompanied by stylised and graceful gestures.

Archivists

Archivists are the other prominent tradition for those who study magic amongst the Highborn. Highguard looks to the past to understand the present and predict the future. Its scholars, priests and wizards thirst for tomes and artefacts that reflect on the Empire. There is a roaring trade in books, scrolls and tablets, the more obscure the better. While relics of the holy prophets or antique magical articles are valuable in and of themselves, high prices are also paid for tangible evidence of past life experiences.

Archivists collect the histories of Highguard, and of the Empire. They see history as a story that exists not to record dead facts, but to inspire the living. As a consequence, facts that undermine the central truth of an event or the life of a historical character are actually dangerous. A new fact that suggests a wise historical judge never existed, or that a brave general was actually a coward, could do irreparable damage. It could not destroy only the faith of the living in the individual hero but also undermine the very idea of learning the lessons from history. Destroying or discrediting such lies is as important as revealing the facts that encourage and inspire the living.

This means the Highborn archivists are often at odds with their counterparts in other nations, especially the Urizen historians. In recording “facts”, without applying any moral judgement, Urizen historians deny the inspiration offered by history and its role in making the present and the future better. A common rumour suggests that Highborn archivists maintain hidden storehouses of knowledge deemed too dangerous for the common people. This rumour is baseless. If a piece of information uncovered is considered dangerous to the Empire, it is destroyed so that no future generation can be harmed by its rediscovery.

Archivists are romantic figures in Highguard. While the truth is that many of them are quiet scholars and scribes, the popular image is of them as active, energetic people who go to dangerous locations to retrieve valuable information or artefacts for the good of the Nation and the Empire as a whole. They face danger regularly, and often have to work against those who want to foolishly spread dangerous information or unleash deadly magic.