“A mage may bargain with numbers, but the Magecurse never miscalculates.”
—Ithindar’s Treatise on Modern Magic
The Magecurse is a shadow known to every kingdom of Necsis. Its presence is undeniable, for it touches all who dare to work the Power of equations. Though scholars argue over its cause, none dispute its mark.
A Blight of Recent Centuries
The oldest chronicles speak of mages who cast freely, their works vast and enduring. Tales from the Triune Era speak of nearly indescribable wonders that reshaped seas and skies alike. Even five centuries ago, no mention of the Magecurse is found. The first accounts appear only later: tales of prodigies laid low, of masters fading before their time. At first, these were dismissed as isolated tragedies. Yet with each passing century, the affliction spread. What began as a whisper now thunders; what once struck only those who reached into High Magic now falls upon even modest workings.
The Crippling of a Power
The effect has been devastating. Magic, once the most dazzling of the Three Powers, has been crippled. Entire schools of magic have withered, their grand formulas etched in dusty tomes but never again attempted. Apprentices approach the art with dread, weighing promise against the inevitable toll. Even the greatest among us calculate not only their equations, but the measure of how much they can bear before the Magecurse claims them.
The Unanswered Why
What remains uncertain is the why. Some hold that the world itself recoils at being rewritten. Others whisper of forgotten transgressions, or of a shadow seeded long ago now grown strong. None can say for certain. All that is agreed is this: the Magecurse is no myth. It waits, unrelenting, and it grows harsher with every age.
Author’s Note: The Curse of Power
Power corrupts, and absolute power… makes for boring reading.
From the beginning, I knew the Three Powers carried danger. If I made them limitless, the story would collapse under its own weight. Why struggle, why journey, if a single wizard could simply wave a hand and send the Outlanders home?
Each Power needed a check. Each required boundaries to keep drama alive. But Magic, most of all, demanded an iron grip. And so the Magecurse was born—not first as lore, but as necessity. The “why” was clear; the “how” became woven into the history of Necsis until it felt inevitable, as if it had always been there.
You’ll notice I’ve spoken freely of its purpose, but not its nature. What the Magecurse is, and how it claims its due, remains a mystery—one revealed only within The Forbidden Spire. The secret is too delicious to spoil here.
For now, I will only say this: when our tale begins, the Three Powers have already endured centuries of decline. Once, in the Triune Era two thousand years ago, they stood in dazzling strength. Today, they flicker—fragile remnants of what was. And into that fragility, the Outlanders arrive.