The Enchanter
From 910 Arena Wiki
There are many things whose existence the common person does not know about: Telekinetics, psychics, mages, wizards, along with many other supernatural phenomena are abundant in today’s world. The existence of things most people regard as superstition is easily explained away with clever but completely inaccurate science, proving that people will believe believable lies over unbelievable truth every time. The strangest of all of these supernatural individuals is the Enchanter.
The Enchanter is a singular individual whose very existence assures the survival, or at least continued existence, of every universe in creation. There are many universes, spread out in a complex pattern. For every eventuality, every conceivable possibility there is a whole new universe to accommodate it. Every time you put on your socks you can be certain that in an uncountable number of other universes you decided to put on a different pair, or put them on faster, or simply decided not to put them on at all. It is even possible, indeed certain, that somewhere you exist in a universe where socks have never been invented.
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The Æther
Between each universe is a vast expanse of what the common man may call Magic, or Dark Matter. It separates the universes like greaseproof paper separates the cake mixture from the cake tin. It is because of this thing called Æther that the universes never touch, and this is for a good reason.
If a universe touches another universe one of several things may happen. You may end up with a scenario similar to the Bermuda Triangle, where matter from one universe can inexplicably cross to the other, or you could end up with a patch of pseudo-reality. A patch of land that you cannot hear or smell or touch, but exists only in potentia as a mist of shifting possibilities. The final scenario is the worst: The universes may completely merge, and pieces from either universe may find themselves trying to occupy the same and exact space as the other. The full consequences of this eventuality are not understood, but rumours and whispers paint a grisly picture of the possibilities.
However, with the existence of magic-users across the Multiverse, this vast gulf of Magic is suddenly in danger. It may find itself being fed by ambient magic from one universe, or sapped by overzealous magic-users in another. When a patch of Æther becomes too thick or too thin, it may push or pull universes into contact with each other. With the prevalence of magic-users in every corner of the Multiverse, this would be a major problem.
The Enchanter's Role
A few things must be understood about an Enchanter for the concept to make sense. They are complicated and interesting beings who are still not fully understood. What we currently know about the Enchanter is limited, but enough to build a picture of these enigmatic individuals.
First of all, an Enchanter has no duplicates in any other dimension. In the infinite possibilities of the Multiverse, there is only ever one Enchanter. The potential lives of his or her every doppelganger are concentrated into one being; an individual with a lifespan stretching an almost infinite time. This is vital for an Enchanter, as it is their lifespan, their life-force, which takes the strain of their job.
Through an unknown protocol, an Enchanter subconsciously uses his own life force as an anchor point for moving Ætheric magic. Where the Æther is thin, the Enchanter moves magic to thicken it, where the Æther is thick, the Enchanter spreads out the load, keeping each layer in perfect balance. However, this colossal display of power comes at a price.
It is rare to see an Enchanter live for over sixty years. This was the cause of much puzzlement to many leading Thaumologists until it was discovered that the force of moving such a huge load over many universes actually erodes the Enchanter’s lifespan at an incredible rate. This would mean that the Enchanter is in a constant state of soul-burning pain which, had he not been made to bear from birth, he would not otherwise be able to endure. Because of this constant pain, Enchanters are often bitter or cynical individuals, and attempts to work with them have been difficult. Enchanters can 'hack' into this role by the utilsation of Runes.
Origins and Speculation
It is not known when Enchanters first started appearing. Theories range from the beginning of the human race to merely three thousand years ago. If the Enchanter DID appear after the human race was established, then why? The history of the Enchanter is largely unknown. Enchanters are often unrelated, and usually (indeed, almost always) never know who their predecessor was, and so the Enchanters themselves have little more knowledge of their origins than anyone else does. However, the Scorcerer theory has been proposed, and it is acquiring more and more adherents.
The Scorcerer Theory
The theory deals with the existence of a caste of people predating the Enchanter. This caste was named ‘Scorcerers’ by the records found (from ‘Scorä’ meaning ‘might’, and ‘Cerereran’ meaning ‘control’. The language used is still only partially translated, and is believed to have slightly magical properties itself) and their function seems to be very similar to an Enchanter’s. It is believed that these individuals were beings in possession of enormous magical talent, and tied to this talent was the Æther itself, much like an Enchanter’s life-force. The upshot of having this arrangement was that the moving of the magic that makes up the Æther was probably conscious, and not automatic, and, humans being what they are, this arrangement was also open to a certain amount of abuse.
Scorcerers also appeared to be more common than Enchanters, often with three or four in existence at any particular time. Scorcerers were believed to have been very territorial individuals, and control-freaks on a ridiculous scale. From the limited references to their existence, it is known that Scorcerers hated the slightest bit of magical unbalance. It would nag at the back of their mind, driving them mad. Like the relationship between an obsessive-compulsive and a picture on the wall that is not quite straight.
It was only a matter of time until all hell broke loose.
Most of what we know about Scorcerers comes from the accounts of one particular Scorcerer known only as Narthis the Mad. It seems that Narthis was intensely paranoid, as well as delusional and quite possibly psychopathic, but definitely homicidal. He roamed his homeworld, wiping out cities and towns which he thought were conspiring against him. The act of genocide would have been horrible enough, but Narthis used his extensive abilities as a Scorcerer to facilitate his crazed actions. The tremendous power he had access to allowed him to put the modern nuclear bomb to shame, burning whole cities off the map from his position in the sky. It is thought that Scorcerers had access to well over the equivalent of 400 megatons of magical power (approximately 300,600 terathaums*), and so it would have been hardly any effort at all for Narthis to exercise his insane will over his homeworld. But for the other Scorcerers, beings who grit their teeth at the merest thought of a thaum out of place, Narthis’ genocidal actions were could simply not be ignored. Scorcerers zeroed in on Narthis’ position like sharks to a drowning surfer. His wild displays of magical power acted as a beacon for the now enraged Scorcerers, and from all over the Multiverse they came. It is thought that Narthis fled, but was finally trapped somewhere off the coast of what we would call Bermuda. There is no record of the resulting battle, but what happened afterward was written down by a person believed to be a Scorcerer himself. The document states that Narthis was destroyed, and that the remaining Scorcerers were suddenly struck with the implications of the event. Roughly translated, it says;
“We asked how long until another like Narthis would arise. We realised that it was inevitable that another would be born, and that this was a possibility that could not be allowed.
The spell we wove should remain unbroken for eternity. The spell we wove will not allow another Scorcerer to be born. The spell we wove will also use an immortal to carry out the Scorcerer’s duty. The immortal will not be able to control the spell. The spell will work independently of the will, in the blood and in the bone, but never in the mind.”
It is believed that this passage reflects upon the casting of a spell by all of the remaining Scorcerers, a spell that would stop the existence of the Scorcerer completely, but delegate an ‘immortal’ to do the Scorcerer’s ‘duty’ (presumably the equalizing of the Æther’s magical content).
The theory proposed is that the Enchanter’s gigantic (and almost endless) potential lifespan might have been mistaken for ‘immortality’ by the Scorcerers, and that the spell they cast was responsible for both the eradication of the line of Scorcerers and the birth of the Enchanter.
*A ‘thaum’ is a unit of magical energy roughly equal to the amount of magic used for a simple fire-making spell.
Enchanters Today
The current Enchanter is Roon E. Schriebstien.
