As Super Charge Me comes to an end, the group and I have started talking about what we'd like to play next; we've hit upon a system we're pretty excited about and we've started to create our own setting for it. As such, I've started to do a little background setting research and writing and you can consider this blog post a preview of things to come. I hope it'll get you as excited about our next campaign as we all are.
Modern British wizardry and wizard society has its roots in the works of the natural philosophers John Dee and Francis Bacon, who both worked to understand magical phenomena and place it within the context of mathematics and scientific knowledge of the time. Under John Dee, an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, English wizards and magicians experienced a period of understanding and innovation not seen since antiquity, as Dee, using his position in the Queen's court, to give patronage to anyone who shared his dream of recording and understanding scientific and magical information. While Dee never did create a formalized governing body for the wizards of England, he did leave behind a large body of work detailing magical spells and rituals, as well as an extensive network of English wizards who were constantly writing to each other to share their discoveries and insights. The one to take advantage of Dee's network and large body of works was a man by the name of Francis Bacon, who also shared Dee's dream of understanding magic and reconciling it with science. Unfortunately, while Queen Elizabeth I's reign had allowed for a more open atmosphere to discuss occult practices, King James I's court allowed for no such thing and, fearing prosecution by the crown, Francis organized the first body to govern magic and the wizards of England. Francis' Council of St Albans worked to protect the wizards of England, as well as police the use of magic and to punish those who broke the either of the Three Laws of Wizardry: harming another with magic, threatening the secrecy of magic, and betraying England. With Francis' passing in 1626, the Council of St Albans selected Thomas Hobbes, a personal friend of Francis, as well as the author of the original Three Laws, as their new leader. Unlike Francis, Hobbes was more interested in actually organizing the Council of St Albans beyond a loose network of like-minded philosopher-wizards. It was during the early part of Hobbes' leadership that the Order of Solomon was organized; the Order acted to enforce the will of the Council. The creation of the Order greatly chafed several of its members, who saw it as an imposition on themselves and their ability to explore the nature of magic. Hoping to bolster his support at home, Hobbes sought out allies on the continent, and spent much of his first trip to Paris looking for French wizards interested in allying themselves with the Council; to this end he helped the wizards of Paris form the Council of Paris. Interested in learning more about the history of modern wizardry and magic in the UK? You can read the entire document here.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About UsWe play pen and paper bullshit and record it. That's why this podcast is called Pen & Paper Bullshit. Archives
November 2018
|