In my new role as Archmagister of the Mages Guild, it is my duty to set policy on this matter. Some archmagisters have been inclined to ignore it entirely, some have fought very actively against it, and still other archmagisters have been rumored to be Necromancers themselves. The strictures against it in the Guild have never been lifted, but attitudes about it have shifted back and forth over the years. The question of Necromancy has continued to be asked. When Vanus Galerion left Artaeum, he may have disagreed with the Psijics on much, but he also refused to allow Necromancy to be taught in the Guild.Īlmost 1100 years have passed since the time of Vanus Galerion, and there have been many archmagisters to lead his guild.
Again, despite this, we hear many stories of students and masters who ignored this stricture. The Psijic Order of the Isle of Artaeum, precursor to our own Mages Guild, also forbade its use, not only because it was dangerous, but their belief in the holy and unholy ancestor spirits made it heretical.
Independent practitioners of the arts of sorcery, however, continued its study. Virtually all the earliest laws of the land make mention of it as expressly forbidden on pain of death. Necromancy, commonly called the Black Arts, has a history that dates back before recorded time.