Sorcery

Even the worst scam of the earth would be disguisted at the thought of working with a sorcerer.

Sorcery as a whole is very much a controversial topic. The Church of Three Prophets has a very plain and simple stance - all sorcery is sin against God and danger to our world and must therefore be purged. The Old Church agrees. Nearly all peasants in the Ardenian Empire believe so fervently. Majority of nobles believe so publicly. So what caused all this?
You see, sorcery is all the things normal humans should not be able of. Making things move, or change, or disappear, or burst up in flames - without the use of our normal, everyday tools. Naturally, as our definition of "everyday" changes so do the boundaries of what we consider to be sorcery. And though there are always people who would like to use such powers to their own advantage, their lives is rarely a long and prosperous one.

History

It seems sorcery have existed for as long as humankind remembers. Was not always called that though, and was not always universally ostracised either. Most of this perception comes from Kosaris and the Church of Three Prophets, particularly their mainstay doctrine about the Gracious Wind and its connection to God, Chaos and all things magical. So for as long as the Church existed, for as long as the Ardenian Empire ruled the Old World - all sorcerers were branded heiunous cultists and enemies of the state and purged with iron and fire.
Of course, that is not to say that all Kosari nobles throughout history stayed entirely clear of sorcery themselves. Especially the ones most closest to the throne. If anything, this thought might be one of the primary reasons why sorcery was so fervently persecuted not only by the religious but by the powerful as well - to make sure no one could use it to gain control over the emperors. Not that people really needed sorcery for that.
It has however became increasingly common in the past century or two. With the Ardenian Empire's decline, some nations no longer adhere to the teachings of the Church of Three Prophets. For some tribes and cultures, sorcery has been previously accepted if not valued by the society. For example, the shamans of New World.

Execution

Do I look like a sorcerer, so I would know such things? Some say sorcery requires elaborate rituals and long preparations, some say it is sporadic and emotional. Some say one has to be born to be a sorcerer, some say it is a skill like any other. Most likely there are many different types of sorcery, with different rules and different means. Umbrella terms and all that.