The Broken Hourglass - Magic, Mageborn, and the Island of Argoniss

Planewalker Games, makers of the very interesting RPG in development, The Broken Hourglass have published a new article on the game. The article is entitled "Magic, Mageborn, and the Island of Argoniss" and makes for a fasinating read. While you are there we recommend definatly checking out some of their other articles too!

The nearest neighbor to the Tolmiran Empire is the independent island nation of Argoniss. Argoniss is, in no particular order, home to the region's finest magical scholars, a chain of mostly inactive volcanoes, and lush plant life. In the Empire itself the use of magic is uncommon and not studied or cultivated with any degree of formality. On the other hand, the people of Argoniss are entirely devoted to the development of magic and mages. It is commonly believed that the vast majority of human Adepts are concentrated on the island of Argoniss, though the truth of this may be exaggerated. The mages of the island have limited contact with the outside world, usually limited to trading magical services and items for supplies from Tolmira. Goods are often teleported directly to and from the island, as no outsider is allowed to set foot upon their shores--ships which approach find that the winds and currents turn against them, and are sometimes sunk to the bottom of the sea by storms that arise out of nowhere and fade just as quickly.

Only prearranged passenger ships carrying adepts and students to and from the island are spared this mysterious prohibition. Officially, the birth rate on Argoniss is zero, as Adepts are firmly discouraged from producing children during their training. Therefore Argoniss replenishes its numbers by searching the mainland for youths that show the great mental potential required to master magical disciplines. Many within the Empire disapprove of this practice, believing that the mages are stealing away the best and brightest, and there are unsubstantiated rumors of the midnight abductions of those who won't go along willingly. The training of those invited (or taken) lasts for as long as fifteen years in some cases, and many are unable to take the strain and isolation. These washouts are returned to the mainland, sometimes establishing themselves as hedge mages and alchemists.

We encourage you to check out the full article here!

Source: Planewalker Games