Mage Rising

The mages will arise in ire
Led by a phoenix wrapped in fire.
Their wind will bite.
Their lightening smite.
Their ice aglow
Will freeze their foe.

— Origin Unknown

by Gordon Johnson

For some, this poem is nothing more than a ghost story, meant to frighten children. For others, it means more.

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Summary

Some people believe this poem to be prophetic of the return of mages.
The primary theory is that some mages and members of the mage bloodlines, particularly those that were young or weaker in magic, hid themselves during the Great Uprising and the mage hunts thereafter. Those mages then somehow masked or suppressed their magic to avoid detection.

by Gordon Johnson

At some point, the mages will regroup and/or somehow regain their power and then reveal themselves to the world to demand their rightful place at the top of the magical heirarchy.
The phoenix refers specifically to fire mages, which were believed to be some of the most powerful mages in the world. It is also a symbol of rebirth, or rising from destruction.
Some people, specifically the Phoenix Group, believe the phoenix leading the mages can only be a decendent of the Imbrianus bloodline, the most powerful known mages in recorded history. Emperor Imbrianus was the leader of all of Imbria prior to the Great Uprising, and the Imbrianus Coat of Arms featured a phoenix. They believe this new leader will be the one to unite all the countries of Imbria and solve many of the problems plaguing the people. They actively search for decendents of the Imbrianus bloodline and other ways to make the prophecy true.

Historical Basis

When the Witches' Might Group declared the mage lines erradicated in 400 DE, the majority of the populace took them at their word, happy to be free from the "evil" mages. However, aside from detailing their mage hunts, they could offer no definitive proof that all mages had been terminated.
As the years passed with no sign of mage magic, it seemed to everyone that the Witches' Might Group was right, and the issue eventually fell from public discussion.
However, conspiracy theorists remain unconvinced that the mage lines were fully eradicated, citing lack of evidence as their reasoning.

Spread

This poem has spread throughout all of Imbria and beyond.
At one point, the government of Salaris tried to ban images of the phoenix from being displayed in public places, but this only brought greater attention to the poem and to the mage rising theory. Since then, many scholars, historians, politicians, and other leaders in every country of Imbria have made an effort to assure the public that it is nothing more than a conspiracy theory with no real merit and that they will remain safe from the dangers of mage magic.

Mages had incredible power, power that could level a small village in one tantrum. Do you really think that kind of energy could have gone undetected all these years?

— Scholar

History

During the Great Uprising, witches battled against mages. Witches eventually defeated the mages, toppling the Imbrianus Empire. The Empire spanned the entirety of Imbria, and the ruling family, including Emperor Imbrianus, were fire mages.

Following the war, anti-mage sentiments continued to rise with several prominent witches denouncing the "evil" of mage power. The Witches' Might Group hunted down mages and their families until all mage bloodlines were eradicated by 400 DE

Mage magic is unnatural, attained only through a demonic pact. Most mages lack the ability to control this magic, and thereby have a tendency to wreak unconscionable havoc. This evil must be stopped at all costs.

— Reginald Augustus Emerson

Related Timeline

Wars of Wennovi

Mages versus Witches

The distinction between a mage and a witch is fuzzy, but typically:

• Mages had greater magical power that was easily accessible
• Young mages had to learn to control their power to avoid devastation, whereas young witches must learn to grow theirs
• Within their primary magic type, mages did not bother using spells, runes, or wands/staves. Rather, they just willed their magic into desired results
• Witches appear to be more able to learn a wider variety of magic
• Witches often (not always!) require a way to focus their energy - through spells, wands/staves, runes, or a combination