MAGIC IS FEARED BUT REVERED. Since the Cataclysm thousands of years ago, there has been very little magic in Korath. Ordinary folk regard the Colored Arts as a craft reserved for the rich and blessed, and typically treat mages with dignity and respect since most magic-users are graduates of the Academy of Spellhaven, and thus later become majistars - advisors, viceroys, or even sovereigns themselves, of realms throughout the continent of Korath.
“Divine” and “Arcane” magic are the same. Therefore, the only difference between a Cleric and Wizard is their source. In Brim, four towers contain an enormous gem that acts as an arcane emanator, the source of all magical power (at least for Bards, Clerics, Paladins, and Wizards). Clerics or Paladins do not necessarily “pray” to any particular god, saint, or vestige for spells but instead focus on “gathering” the essential elements of power from their respective emanator. Mages travelling further away from Brim have a more challenging time “gathering” their power.
Bards, Clerics, and Wizards are often called Mages. To Korathians, a “mage” is a graduate of the Academy of Spellhaven. All begin their first years at the Academy’s Rudimentary School, where they are sorted into different student assemblies. Many students join committees, councils, or fraternities/sororities as an extracurricular activity based on ethos, mores, or identity. After their first year, the exceptionally gifted (and wealthy) specialise in a field and attend one of four major universities. The general population will after that attend one of several minor colleges. Being a mage is an expensive, laborious venture and is akin to going to an Ivy League school. Encountering a mage in the countryside is rare, with only about one in five hundred people attending the Academy and most mages congregating in large cities. Even in Sael, the kingdom’s largest port of roughly 75,000 people, there are only about 300 mages, most belonging to religious orders or noble houses, and just a handful in the Army as high-ranking officers.
Druids, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Witches are even fewer! Because all magic is learned from Spellhaven, to have a “natural talent” in magic is genuinely remarkable. These people are often hunted by Blood Seekers, studied, or enslaved.
Paladins and other martial “spellcasting” subclasses. Paladins attend the Academy of Spellhaven; they’re like cadets at USNA in Annapolis who despise the Navy but lust after becoming a USMC Officer. Paladins, and others, were students at the academy identified by their athletic ability and willingness to close in on enemies with martial weapons. Paladins, however, have been with their Order since the academy (starting in their second year). In contrast, other martial-magical subclasses attend one of many minor colleges, or possibly even were academically or administratively dropped for some reason.
Only magic-users would know: