A howl on the wind…

Some two-thousand years ago, the gods of magic left the mortal planes. Their influence gone, no apprentices could ever master the art; only those who had already done so could continue utilizing magic. By doing so the gods hoped to return later and start over with the power of the art.When the mages learned that the gods had departed, they saw the danger; magic would vanish within 500 years. Something had to be done. The Conclave of Archmagi, which then consisted of 46 mages, channeled their combined powers into 6 chosen mages. These 6 then had their lifespan expanded several thousand years, thus allowing them to await the return of their gods. In the mean time they would be the only persons able to use magic; the 40 other died of the channeling (one could say they were consumed).

Within one-hundred years mortal men remembered magic only as bedtime stories, a phenomenon that had previously occured with dragons. As the Conclave, or what was left of it, had decided, this was the time for magic to show itself again…

A few months later the Conclave invited the rulers of the mortal planes to the Tower of Magus; a place that had once been the largest bastion of magic. Now, the only bastion. They gathered everybody in the Conclave Hall, previously a place for archmages only, and there they were trapped.

The rulers were not allowed to leave until they had accepted the sole leadership of the Conclave. Those who refused were slain and their land divided among the others. Before the meeting there were 71 rulers, after the meeting there were 32; some, the Conclave had slain simply for easier control. Now the Conclave ruled the mortal planes through a net of kings and queens, all to whom had been given an amulet. This amulet enabled them to use certain magic spells. Some had destructive powers while other had healing powers. All perfectly balanced to match the ancient rules of magic. The amulets protected their wearer from all kinds of harm. To further insure their control, the Conclave made the amulets so that only one of the 6 could transfer it from the rulers to their heirs. Thus they ensured a clean bloodline, and common knowlegde of magic to be passed onto the public.