Read on for a small history of Rogue Magic
Many, many years ago there were many races on this continent. All your common peoples of fantasy literature-and others-could be found on the land. Everything from the proud Elves and vicious Trolls to talented Llosalfar and lovable Halflings. Magic too was a common thing, many possessing the skills.
In fact, magic has shaped this world's history more than any other factor. Many a war has occured in this land due to magic used or desired. In the long past when other races roamed the world freely, magic was common place. Every person had magical abilities to some point, even if it was just the tiniest spark that seemed never used. The College of Magic was founded in the southwest corner of the continent where control of that innate magic was taught.
Most races had stronger innate abilities than humans. For many of them it was second nature to turn the wind to their favor or to light a campfire with a thought. For humans it was a matter of focus. Symbols were invented to help focus the desire into a reality. Some desires were too large for some magic wielders to make a reality. You had to have the ability to conduct enough magical energy.
The gift was far more prevalent in other races than humans and tended to come more naturally without much thought. Humans always had to put more effort into everything. Power became like an addictive drug for some, namely a man named Aaron Felyor.
Felyor was jealous of the other races always seeming so much more powerful than he. Deciding the best way to solve his problem was to get rid of the other races, he gathered his followers and began spreading rumors about the other races keeping humans in the dark. He even went as far as to claim the Elves had cursed humans to keep them inferior and less than their full potential. With distrust between the races growing, Felyor planned to take over the College of Magic and claim the magical artifacts gathered in the library. He was thwarted on the planned day by one of his followers, a woman who he had slighted.
During the ensuing war, the College of Magic was shut down and many powerful artifacts were hidden away.
Felyor and his followers were driven north to a coastal city where they were eventually defeated. Some of Felyor's people escaped. These magic wielders sought to leave their country through The Ways, intent to take over a new world for themselves. But to travel The Ways requires permission from the Guardians, powerful Fae who keep the worlds organized. Now, the Guardians had employed a people called the Malk to keep lesser, unintelligent Fae creatures from accidently crossing into other worlds.
The Malk are a race of Fae, Fae Cats if you will. They are very intelligent though often depicted as cute and fanciful due to their exotic coloring of pinks, purples, blues, and greens not to mention their small size, which is little bigger than a Halfling. However, Malk are anything but cuddly. They are apex predators of the Fae Realm as they are fast, stealthy, and brutal, enjoying the Hunt.
Whether Felyor's people were unaware they needed permission from the Guardians to pass through The Ways or they thought they could sneak past is unknown, but the Malk were sent to prevent their passing. The ensuing magic attacks from the humans reacted badly with the Wild Magic that is prevalent in The Ways. No Malk left the Ways that day nor did any human.
Instead a new race was born: the Katrin. They retained many human traits but gained cat ears and a tail. Their fingers and toes were shorter by a knuckle and sported retractable claws. Instead of hair, thick fur grew in a mane down the back. The brilliant colors of the Malk vanished, holding more human colors of brown, black, red, and blonde. Though their memories were gone many of the Katrin still had a knack for the Hunt and a wanderlust.
They had one more unique quality that was discovered quite by accident. Katrin were not only immune to most magic spells but if a magic wielder connected minds with a Katrin, they could be a conduit for an enormous amount of magical energy. A very limited witch or wizard could cast spells they never had the capacity for before. The Katrin did not like to be used in this way, finding the magical flow to be disorienting and often painful. Some still agreed to be used while others did not agree but were used anyway. Though unable to call magic into use themselves, Katrin found they had the ability to manipulate magic already in use. These first Katrin discovered how to use this against magic wielders, both distant and those who dared bond them against their will.
The race had almost disappeared by the time events in Rogue Magic Book 1: Dark Enlightening took place.
After the humans involved in the power struggle were beaten, the college reopened. But the other races were reluctant to share their understanding, fearing another devastating war. Even among humans magic became less trusted and more feared. Those with more abilities tended to marry others with stronger abilities until among humans magic became less wide spread.
The racial distrust Felyor had begun continued to strengthen. Other wars occurred. Races disappeared one by one until the only ones left were the humans. At least to human knowledge that is... the Spliceshoft Mountains are deep and highly untraveled by humans...