The Preceptors

Long told was the tale of the Preceptors of Old, or the Silver Council. These teachers of Magic were said to have created the world and the races that inhabit it. Long had they served as the defenders of the world, protecting Balaria from many powers great and small that would seek to harm it. After an errant comet struck and shattered the moon, allowing a long sleeping darkness to extend its powers once again, the Preceptors rose to defend the world they had built and loved. The Great War was long and bloody, the preceptors nearly meeting their match against the near-invisible fighters of the mysterious force within the moon. Impervious to the metal blades of the mortals, these beings were only capable of being defeated with magic. Eventually, the war ended with a draw, heavy bloodshed and the loss of many mortals and Preceptors alike had dawned a new era of grief and silence. The Preceptors withdrew into seclusion, leaving behind their holds and their people. The mortals, refugees from the war, were forced to flee the once fertile lands of Xyas, taking to their ships and departing for the lands of Elarya. Though they believed the Council to have been wiped out, this was not entirely true. A handful of the Preceptors, saddened and grieving their losses, had taken their Council to the highest mountains of Elarya. But the people would not forget their sacrifices, nor the fear of the death they had once fled. Across cultures and races, and generation after generation, the story of the Preceptors and the Great War had been passed down, preparing the next generations for the chance that they may have to face this great evil once again.

After many generations, slowly, the magic began to become more common. It was said that the Preceptors aimed to slowly spread knowledge of their magic through the Keepers, and to those the Keepers shall then teach; coming out of their long, long slumber. This was a very shocking concept for people of all races born upon Balaria, who had only heard tales of the Old Ones and the Great War. Many Preceptors who had lived through the War had perished, though the ones who did not were cherished and worshiped, not of their own wishes, but rather because of the stories of the Great War and the part they played. In the minds of the mortals upon Balaria, the Preceptors were the reason Balaria and Elarya now thrived. It is said that the knowledge of the Preceptors, past and present, is still sought out and coveted.

The Preceptors are said to be wise and incredibly old beings. They are not limited to race, as they are different races. Immortal - they they never age, nor die of natural causes, and it is nearly impossible to kill one. They must decide who to teach, and will not take those who beg for power, nor want magic for the wrong reasons; as they are very particular about who they take under their wing and allow their Keepers to teach.

The Preceptors were created too long ago for anyone other than the Preceptors themselves to remember. The small tidbits of information regarding how it all began were lost in the wind over time, and as far as anyone is aware to this day, no books or scrolls containing information on the creation of the Original Preceptors exists.

Information regarding the Original Preceptors and how they were created may be lost to time, or to the minds of those in which are old enough to remember. It is whispered that one of, if not the only being still alive to have that sort of knowledge would be Faela, Preceptor of the Earth. Faela is rumored to be the oldest of the Preceptors still alive to this day; even the other Preceptors being unaware of where she came from or how she originated. Nonetheless, despite her kindness, none have dared to approach the oldest and strongest of the Preceptors and ask where she originated from.

• The Preceptors are immortal. They do not age.
• Every Preceptor is said to have their own, unique magic they are able to teach or may be taught through a Keeper. Other Preceptors are not privy to the same unique magic as their kin.
• You cannot ever have a Preceptors unique magic without being taught it.
• Immortality does not mean a Preceptor is unable to die.