The Laws of Magic

The Laws of Magic are laws written by the Academy in 1680 AD, with the purpose of ending the use of magic for evil throughout the world.

Original Text

We hold these Laws to be self-evident in Nature, for the Universe is Created in like parts Good and Evil, and insoforth Magicks might be either of Good or of Evil, and in Their working Man will likewise be drawn to Good or Evil, and therefore, no Man may work magicks of Evil without becoming an Agent of that Evil, and thus it is proscribed that for all Mankind:

• He shall invoke no Magicks to kill any Man
• He shall invoke no Magicks to bind the will of any Man
• He shall consort with no being born not of This Earth of mortal flesh
• He shall invoke no Magicks to violate the sanctity of Natural Death
• He shall keep the confidence of the True Art

Modern Interpretations

The Laws of Magic, or the Five Laws are they are sometimes known, are written in an incomplete and archaic tone, and as such have required interpretation over the years.

They are generally interpreted (and executed) as such:

• The First Law: don't kill with magic.
  • This law is strictly and simply enforced. The Eldritch Knights themselves do not execute with magic, but with swords.
• The Second Law: do not charm or compel any sentient being.
  • This law is also quite strict; any sort of enchantment on a human is grounds for execution or Quietude. There is a lot of argument as to whether or not this applies to outsiders, as the original wording only mentioned "any Man"; this might not matter, given the wording of the Third Law, except as noted below.
• The Third Law: do not summon or contact outsiders; if you know a being is an outsider, or a possessed mortal, you shall not do any business with them, or do deeds for them, or make any exchange, equal or otherwise.
  • In practice, this is usually limited to demons and other inherently evil beings. The close ties between certain Faerie Lords and various European orders make it impossible to discriminate against their kind. Still others hold that the Angelic Host are inherently good, and it would be imperil their souls to deny the will of God and his angels. However, the High Council is concerned that such exceptions would lead the way to unbridled use of Pact Magic with faerie folk, angels, and any being that didn't seem too much like a demon--this law is hotly debated, and its execution varies greatly as the High Council's membership changes over time.
• The Fourth Law: No Necromancy.
  • Generally, Necromancy is defined is any magic which can animate the dead (in part or in whole), contact the spirits of the dead, or stave off natural death. However, this has caused much confusion where it intersects with healing magic, particularly in the modern age, where the combination of "necromantic" magic and modern technology can cure many fatal ailments that technology can't handle alone. Currently, this is a subject of great debate, as there is little difference between magicks that heal and magicks that kill (or animate); thus, their general policy has been only to allow specific, ancient healing traditions to skirt the edges of this law. This "grandfather clause" has angered many young wizards, who might otherwise practice healing magicks well beyond the capacity of outdated, pre-scientific traditions.
  • This law is commonly cited as the basis for the well-known de facto ban on temporal magic; the logic is that Death is part of a definition of one's "chosen time", bounded by birth and death, and to travel outside that time is as great a violation as it is to modify it (i.e. to extend one's lifespan through magical means). This has been argued to be a flimsy foundation for such a ban, and furthermore it fails to protect against time travel within one's own lifespan, which has just as much potential for universe-destroying paradox, but the argument nonetheless has precedent for the few cases the High Council has tried regarding time travel magicks. Though the fourth law provides such a flimsy protection, time travel has yet to cause serious problems. It is generally believed that reckless time travel is primarily policed by a small cadre of those who have mastered the art, and prevent any up-and-comers from ruining the time stream with irresponsible use, outside of any formal strictures of the High Council.
• The Fifth Law: keep magic, wizardry, and the Academy a secret from mortal eyes.
  • This law is as vital today as it ever was. While the risk of inquisition is somewhat lower in the 21st century (only somewhat), undue public attention would make it impossible to practice magic. It is impossible merely to "share" magic with the world, as it requires an exceedingly rare natural talent, and wizards do not want to be dissected and analyzed in the name of the "greater good". Any wizard who betrays the existence of the Academy risks excommunication, Quietude, or worse. Generally speaking, the Academy has mastered the art of Plausible Deniability, and will sooner make an entire cell of wizards disappear than allow their secrecy to be compromised.

Violations of the Laws

The Right to Trial

All practitioners have an inalienable right to trial when accused of violations of the Laws of Magic. Such accusations can be made by any practitioner or by a clerk in their service, although only a Wizard may bring charges to the Council.

There are two types of trial: by Tribunal, and by the Grand Council.

Tribunal

A Tribunal trial is the simplest way to handle violations. It requires only a single member of the High Council (by tradition, also two unaffiliated non-High-Council members who can overrule the higher member if they agree with one another), and can be conducted (with the assent of the Lord Inquisitor of the Eldritch Knights) as a Secret Court, for which no right of habeas corpus is enforced for the accused.

A tribunal does require representation of the case for an against by seperate practitioners (or clerks thereof) who do not sit in judgment; however, in the case of a Secret Court, representation for the defense may be assigned with no respect for the wishes of the accused.

Though a Secret Council does circumvent many protections of the accused, it is considered a tool of last resort in times of emergency. All decisions of the Secret Court must be made public at the next convocation of the Grand Council, although the identities of the tribunal judges remain anonymous.

Grand Council

All with the title of Wizard have the right to demand trial by Grand Council in place of trial by Tribunal; they also retain the right to demand the same for accusations against their apprentices.

Trial by Grand Council is, in spirit, trial by the literal Grand Council, i.e. the assembly of all titled Wizards in the world. In practice, it requires only a quorum, whose size is dependent on the offense. To determine this, a Tribunal trial is first held to ascertain the seriousness of the offense--the Tribunal may not render a verdict of guilt, they may only determine sentencing. This allows the quorum to be determined:

• For punishments of censure, the quorum is twelve wizards of any rank or stole.
• For punishments of quietude or defrocking, the quorum is one hundred forty-four wizards, of no fewer than twelve stoles, three of which must be High Council.
• For punishments of death, the quorum is the nominal maximum: either the majority of all wizards, or one hundred forty-four plus the High Council (who must be present or directly proxied in majority).

The accused may designate an advocate of his or her choice; the advocate must be a practitioner, apprentice, or registered clerk thereof. The accused has the right to change counsel at any time.

In such trials, all wizards are permitted to speak, once initial testimony is heard. Finally, judgment is rendered, first by the assembled lay wizards. If the judgment is guilt, the trial concludes. If not, the High Council can overrule the judgment of the lay, but only at a reduced sentence.

Violators of the Laws

It is common--and incorrect--to refer to violators of the Laws of Magic as "warlocks". The correct terminology follows:

• Rogue Practitioner: a practitioner who is not an active participant in the Academy (i.e. wizard or apprentice), generally excludes those not of sufficient potential to truly commit significant violations of the laws. Failure to comply with Academy norms does not make one a "warlock".
• Offender of the Laws of Magic: one who has violated the laws of magic (or "alleged offender" if the case hasn't been tried). Even conviction of violation does not define one as a "warlock".
• Warlock: an offender who is aware of the judgment against them and defies the ruling of the council, and/or attempts to flee justice. The designation of "warlock" holds a very specific meaning: all wizards are bound to obstruct and harm all Warlocks, as their duty to the Academy and the worlds of Man and God. The Academy is in a de facto state of war with all Warlocks, and they are to be treated at all times as enemy combatants.

Punishments

The official punishments that may be rendered for violations of the Laws of Magic are as follows.

Censure

Censure is a stain upon the reputation of a practitioner. A Censure may last for a period of time, or indeed be permanent, and can have a number of effects, as stipulated in the original ruling:

• A Censure may prevent an Apprentice from taking the rank of Wizard, or a Wizard from ascending to the High Council.
• A Censure may effectively "demote" a Wizard to a lower rank, in terms of rights and privileges.
• A Censure may ban a wizard from researching certain topics, on pain of automatic harsher punishments.
• A Censure may prevent a wizard from Stoling (at least in the eyes of the Grand Council).

In practice, the traditions of the Academy provide very specific paths of advancement and recognition. For instance, many Collegia require a certain number of years of seniority to grant certain honors, even if such traditions are not written as hard-and-fast rules. Censure typically has the effect of delaying these awards--each year a wizard spends in Censure effectively does not count toward those honors.

Censure is the most common punishment rendered by trials of the High Council, and typically is rendered for relatively minor violations. This punishment handles less severe violations, such as accidental death by magic, or inadvertent contact with Outsiders, or even direct violations for which incensed emotion or extenuating circumstance were a factor.

Banishment

Commonly seen as an outdated punishment, Banishment is the permanent de-stoling of a Wizard, removing all titles, and thus all rights and privileges of the practitioner. In the early years of the Academy, this sentence was considered extremely harsh, as it rendered the Offender vulnerable to hostile powers such as the Inquisition, the other supernatural realms, or simply the regular dangers of everyday life.

In the modern world, life for an unstoled practitioner is generally not very dangerous--the lack of plagues, banditry, warfare, and witch-hunts make banishment a toothless punishment (beyond its application as the most severe form of Censure). In its time, it was a very harsh sentence, considered only by the barest margin preferable to death.

Quietude

This punishment was not originally envisioned by the framers of the Laws of Magic. In the landmark case of The Coven of Westwick in 1731 AD, guest advocates (who were technically rogue practitioners, but were trusted affiliates to certain High Council members) testified that they had knowledge of techniques which could permanently sever a practitioner's link to their magical abilities, and that their orders had used such punishment in the past to handle major transgressions without the use of lethal force, in accordance with their beliefs. They were allowed to try this technique, in concert with the High Inquisitors, and in a landmark ruling, the High Council decreed that the punishment of Quietude was synonymous with Banishment, a precednet that has stood for three centuries.

Quietude is the process of permanently rendered a practitioner unable to use their powers. It skirts the Second Law in the most technical sense--it does not bind the Will, but rather affects the physical body (in this case, the nervous system). Subjects of this punishment show no ability, even after a lifetime of recovery, to access their former powers.

The process does have rather severe side effects; those who undergo Quietude are generally reduced in raw intellect by a measureable degree, and in terms of personal initiative, creativity, and individuality, they are almost entirely reduced to nil. They become near-invalids, who cannot function in ordinary society, but whose knowledge and training is invaluable in certain pursuits, such as tending libraries of magical lore and treasuries of artifacts. Said individuals are generally wards of the Academy, put to such use as a way to compensate for the costs and pains assocaited with safeguarding their well-being for the remainded of their natural lives.

Many concerns have been levied against the practice, principally that it is in essence (in modern terms) a "lobotomizing" which is barely distinct from murder, rendering subjects utterly unable to pursue any kind of life or living--and that furthermore, its victims are subjected to labor to repay a "debt" they had no hand in accruing. Such criticisms usually equate the punishment to execution, with convenient moral absolution for the judges, and a perverse profit incentive for the Academy at large.

Death

The harshest punishment, Death is seen as the final solution to a practitioner who would otherwise bring harm and ruin to the world.

Such punishments are always carried out by an Eldritch Knight, using a blessed Silver Sword for the purpose. The execution, in concert with priests or clerics of the accused' faith, will typically seek first the forgiveness of the executioner for the act of murder, then (perhaps more importantly) a solemn oath on one's Power to refrain from leveling a Death Curse. This is very important, as any practitioner of significance (and certainly those of particular power) can easily level a Death Curse that could bring great harm to the wizards of the council, even in such a prostrate and helpless position--such an oath would strongly limit the power of such a curse.

Even so, such executions are, in all cases where feasible, conducted in the most secure locations, warded many times over with many layers of defense, to confuse, redirect, diffuse, reflect, and otherwise confound the power of a Death Curse; and furthermore such executions, when visited upon anyone deemed of the remotest such risk, demand the use of blindfolds, gags, hand-bindings, psychoactive drugs, and other such techniques as to strongly hinder any attempt at a significant Death Curse.