Class Chronicles
The Black Mage – saviors of destruction born
Welcome to Class Chronicles, your source to the different professions around the worlds of Final Fantasy!!
In this edition, we shall continue our study about the different magical progressions. It’s of no surprise that magic surrounds the whole of the Worlds, and that only a select few are blessed, or talented with the ability to unleash said power upon the world they live upon. Magic isn’t inherently passive or active, it is not inherently protective or destructive. From the various schools of magic, two have always stood predominant, often considered the father schools of magic: White Magic and Black Magic. Opposing schools, with widely opposing ideologies, these schools have existed and developed since the dawn of civilization.
On this edition of Class Chronicles, we shall introduce the opposite side of the coin; the natural opposition to the White Mage presented on the last edition. Clad in dark robes, wearing steepled hats and muttering incantations of destructive power, and mostly reserved to themselves. Yet, despite being the other side of the coin, they can be every bit as heroic, or even greater, than a White Mage. We talk, thus, of the Black Mage.
History of the Black Mages
However, through the aid of esteemed scholar Herrik Bordamson and with documents from a variety of places such as the Libraries of Mysidia, the Library of Cornelia and the Elven Lands, scrolls and books gathered from the personal library of the Great Mage Noah’s disciple, Dorga, the Library of the Ancients’ vast catalogue of magic (although some seem burnt because of the resident Ifrit’s purge of the Byblos daemons roaming around), the secret library-town of Daguerreo and the library of the Orastery, we have found what it seems is a counter-argument to the Companion Tome’s original proposal. Through cross-examination, it seems that Black Magic is rather the precursor art to the magical arts of Green Magic, Geomancy and Necromancy, much to our surprise. The hypothesis provided by Dr. Bordamson states that Black Magic was indeed tied for a moment to the worshipping of dark deities, but that it was perfected as a form of “science”, or rather an advanced art of scholarly pursue, through time. The hypothesis subsists through three particular pieces of information. First, mostly from the First World, comes the tie between Black Magic and Chaos, the dark god defeated by the Warriors of Light. Studies by scholars from Lufaine and Cornelia (through collaboration done by the venerated doctor Unne, scholar of Linguistics) state that originally, Black Magic was, as exposed by doctor Bordamson in his thesis about Black Magic, that “the [Black Magic] arts derive from the raw essence of chaos (editor’s note: doctor Bordamson is largely unaware of the First World, which causes confusion between the dark god of destruction Chaos and the Esper Chaos, Walker of the Wheel), codified through close examination of gestures and incantations no different than the prayers of White Magic. However, unlike the White Arts, the Black Arts have a distinctive liberty which allows even atheists to draw power from the very essence of destruction; the important thing here to state, though, is that the incarnation of chaos draws power from the desire of power, from the lust of power; hence, why the ambitious and power-hungry end up becoming the greatest magicians.” An important mention in the scrolls provided by Cornerian linguists detailing the translations of ancient Lufaenian books states the defeat of Chaos by “users of the arcane arts”, to which doctor Bordamson expands upon: “The theory of the presented scrolls, detailing the defeat of the world’s personification of chaos if the documentation is true, harks a particular trait of Black Magic; unlike White Magic which depends on faith and ties to Creation, Black Magic ties to Destruction. It is not difficult to imagine that the essence of destruction, albeit not truly obliterated, can be damaged by the very essence of its own being; after all, Destruction seeks to exterminate itself. The scholars explain that the black magic users held a very advanced and highly codified form of Black Magic, which may suggest that the essence of chaos was subsumed and perhaps even destroyed, so to speak, by the presence of a stabilizing format, anathema to chaos.” For our readers, doctor Bordamson simplifies his hypothesis by resuming it in the following: “Black Magic, as we know it, is the essence of raw entropy and destruction ironically structured and organized through the processes of Order, which causes it to be a weapon against Chaos itself.”
The first documented records of Black Magic appear at the aforementioned scrolls of Lufaine, translated by the esteemed scholar of Linguistics, Dr. Unne. Upon these scrolls lies what appears to be the works of one of the legendary Warriors of Light, a Black Wizard whose name has yet to be translated. In here, he explains that Black Magic indeed emerged from the study of the supernatural powers drawn from the fiends who ravaged the First World ages ago, attempting to harness their power and use it against themselves. The greatest age of magical advancement in the first world was during the reign of the fiend Lyche (or as commonly known, Lich or the Fiend of Earth), as said fiend used notable hand gestures and spoke words that could be studied for extraction of magical power; the first developers of Black Magic were scholars and former White Mages, who drew from their ancient knowledge to work the arts of Black Magic. It is peculiar that this world holds a close cooperation between the schools of White Magic and Black Magic, a point rarely seen in other worlds as we shall explain later.
The Second World holds the birth and the main home of Black Magic in the city of Mysidia, where the largest concentrations of magic scholars remain. Upon what we could gather for this report, we were quite surprised to find that one of the great heroes of the Wild Rose Rebellion, Lady Maria of Fynn, was an avid practitioner of Black Magic and a talented magician as well. The Third World holds the development of Magic through the Ancients, precursors to the human civilization on the Age of Light. In this world, the arts of Black Magic were preserved from the teachings of the legendary Great Magus, Noah. Upon the students of the legendary Magus, it was reputed that both Doga and Unei knew potent Black Magic, and some books place Doga as the most powerful of the Black Mages. In fact, a village erected in his honor is entirely populated by students of Doga and most favor the Black Arts, by which prospective students could acquire scrolls of great power rarely found elsewhere; however, it is well reputed that the area is very difficult to find. In this world, much like the relation between the White Mages and the Devouts, the Black Mages have their advanced counterpart with the Magus, practitioners of the most powerful Black Arts. It is reputed that Noah was the first of the Magus, before forming the legacy of the Sages and his legendary discovery of Summoning Magic.
The Fourth World has one main place for the studies of Black Magic, and that is the Black College of Mysidia. From its illustrious halls, such heroes as the so-called “Great Sage Successor” lord Palom graduated, and it still has the highest ratio of graduating scholars of Black Magic around the Fourth World. Some obscure scholars have placed a second study place located in the legendary Feymarch, the world of the Summoned Entities, where advanced studies of Black Magic and the lore of Summoning can be learned; however, the location is considered mythical, and not entirely reliable. Black Magic is less prominent in the Fourth World as Black Mages comprise roughly the 0.72% of the entire population, with at least 60.34% of the entire White Mage population concentrated on the town of Mysidia, and around 21.57% of the entire population living on the kingdom of Baron. Famous locales for Black Mages include the Training Tower and the Mount Ordeals, home of the Trial of Ordeals (also known as the Trial of Atonement)
Planet R, ironically, holds a rather obscure history in the lore of Black Magic. Eons ago, the practice of Black Magic was rare, and its greatest practitioners managed to hold great power; amongst those was the ancient warlock-king Enuo, a practitioner of Black Magic and the theoretical founder of Necromancy. It was through his great power that he could form the weapon only known as the Void, a weapon that had to be sealed away due to its brutal power. Five hundred years later, another warlock, this time known only as Exdeath, sought to awaken this ancient power; as well, he was a master user of Black Magic. Planet R has a great dislike for the Black Arts, as records from the Library of Ancients spoke of a great purge by the Tycoon Dragoons, exterminating all known Black Mages until the fabled return of Exdeath, where the Heroes of Light used the Black Arts to end the threat of the revived menace. Since then, Black Magic has been tolerated, although most still fear the users of the Black Arts; it is thus that most barely show their affiliation.
The World of Balance, on the other part, holds no Black Mages; instead, the Mage Knights and Mage Scholars of old times practiced both White and Black Magic with equal ease. The World of Balance holds no magical power nowadays after the Cataclysm of Ruin, although some claim that the inhabitants of Thamasa and the reconstructed Mobliz still can use magic. Unlike the memory held of White Magic, Black Magic is outright feared by the inhabitants, as the mad overlord Kefka Palazzo and the former Gestahlian Empire were fond of using Black Magic to destroy entire cities. Among the fabled stories of the Returners, it was said that the former runner of the orphanage of the rebuilt town of Mobliz-Figaro, Terra Branford, was a powerful user of Black Magic. Records from Figaro’s castle held the rumors that she was a former member of the Empire, and also a fearsome sorceress that could eliminate fifty of the greatest soldiers of the Empire in under a minute. Our ideas state that she draws closer to the idea of a Red Mage (which we shall explain next session) or a Mageknight, instead of a pure Black Magician.
The Planet, because of its focus on the use of Materia stones, equally holds no known order or mention of Black Mages. Studies about the development of magic point us to the ancient Cetra civilization, wiped out during the age where the “calamity from the skies” is first recorded. It is widely believed that the Cetra civilization discovered within the Planet the arts of White and Black Magic, and their death allowed the knowledge of magic to survive within the very Lifestream, the “river of souls” claimed by Planet scholars. The Eighth World claims The Great Hyne as the god of magic, and thus all magic is drawn from him; most say that Sorceresses (being the only true users of magic) are a form of Black Mage. In fact, from the studies drawn by scholars such as Dr. Odine, some Sorceresses were inclined towards the use of Black Magic, or at least magical arts inclined towards such school of magic. The study of Dr. Odine’s development of Para-Magic through the concept of Junction and Guardian Forces, however, led to the development of the mercenary company “SeeD”, who extensively use a form of magic that could be well-considered Black Magic.
The Art of Black Magic in Gaia is fairly recent, but rather peculiar. To date, no single individual has been capable of using Black Magic aside from a race, known collectively as the Black Mages. These magical constructs, dressed coincidentally in the uniform of the order of Black Mages in other worlds, are attuned and developed from a long-forgotten process which requires the once abundant compound known only as Mist. As constructs without apparent souls, Black Mages have a very limited lifespan, and their lack of reproductive rituals has caused their near extinction. However, new “dolls” appear every now and then, such as the rare “Black Waltz”, a winged entity with greater magical power, and the extremely rare “Black Mutants”, who hold physical defects but appear to have an extended lifespan. Very recently, however, there has been rumors of practitioners of Black Magic outside the aforementioned constructs; one deals with the scholars of Daguerreo, who have finally understood the concept upon which Black Magic can be practiced by almost everyone, although reputed sources claim that Black Magic devours the lifeforce of the user until its death. Another source claims the emergence of “Black Genomes”, humans with the capability of using innate magic, emerging from the Black Mage village located in an unknown Gaean continent. Rumors state that these were the original inhabitants of the Red Moon, and that they hold the ability to use limitless Black Magic without the lifeforce limitation. It is unknown whether these rumors are true, and most Daguerreo scholars hastily defend their claim of being unsuccessful scholars of the arcane arts.
Spira holds a very low amount of practitioning Black Mages, most of them former followers of the Yevonite cult. Most Summoners of the Yevon order learn to use magic during their lives, but only a few actually learn how to use Black Magic; most of the time, it is their Guardians who work with such arts. One well-placed example is Lady Lulu, former Guardian of High Summoner Yuna, who is widely recalled as a master practitioner of Black Magic around the world of Spira. Other lesser known Guardians and Summoners practice Black Magic, though aside from the deceased Maester of the Guado, Seymour Guado, their names are unknown. On the contrary, Ivalice holds a very wide batch of Black Mages. History places the birth of Black Magic within the race of the Nu Mou, a legendary race known for their skills in the magical arts. The Nu Mou, largely a peaceful race, later taught their arts to Humans and Moogles who were often considered weaker than other races, such as the swift Viera and the stronger Bangaa and Seeq. After the Age of Miracles, Humans became the only race to practice Black Magic, taught almost exclusively at the Gariland Akademy of Magick. Years later, the only remaining lore of Black Magic would be kept at the locations of Lea Monde, a city located far from the main continent of Ivalice in the neighboring land of Vallendia.
In Vana’diel, while the arts of Black Magic are older than history records state, it is evident that the formalized study of Black Magic was formed at Windurst, which still holds the Orastery, the oldest magic college in the world, and formally taught by elder Tarutaru scholars. A leading theory, which we haven’t been capable of confirming with the current Minister of Magic, is that Tarutaru acquired the talent of Black Magic through determined study of particular Beastmen magic-users, and codified the spell-like abilities of such beings into a formalized procedure, which we call now as “Black Magic”; the theory stems from the concept that Black Magic evolved as a “science”, instead of a mere development. However, the recent discovery of the “Ancient Magicks”, a set of scrolls of incredible power, tells that the development of magic goes further than the foundation of the Federation and the Orastery; some state that the true developers of Magic are the Zilart, but it is a rumor of unclear precedence and as-of-yet unconfirmed. The official division of magic upon Vana’diel (through documents of study provided by the Orastery) hold the specialization of Black Mages to be “the use of arts of the Elemental and Dark schools of magic, with an improved study of the arts of Enhancing and Enfeebling magic for the benefit of fellow adventurers. As well, Black Mages are the only profession qualified for the study of the Ancient Magicks spread throughout the land.”
The art of Black Magic is oft practiced in secrecy, and their dress code is evidence of the great amount of secrecy they must hold. Unlike White Magic, who mostly depends on the power of faith and devotion, the power of Black Magic is ambition and determination, which has led most to confuse with lust for power. While lust for power truly qualifies for ambition, a noble practitioner of Black Magic can be equally ambitious and determined to protect their town or city from the forces of Evil. Thus, inherently, Black Magic isn’t an evil form of magic, but rather a misunderstood school. Practitioners of the Black Arts divide their knowledge of magic in three distinctive paths: the path of Elemental Magic and the knowledge of offensive spells from the different elements, the path of Enfeebling and the capability of weakening and/or threatening the life of a sentient being through dark magics, and the path of Arcane knowledge, by which they can utter the most powerful spells woven by god or man. With such a pedigree of power, it is well understood that most mages who dabble in the Black Arts end up insane or evil; yet, most brave heroes have reached a balance between the arts and their mission.
Black Mages are known for their keen intellect and their frail physiognomy. Black Mages are often so consumed in their studies that they rarely have time for exercises; hence, they are unable to use most kinds of armor and limit themselves to the use of extensive robes. As well, their quest for knowledge makes them barely capable of properly wielding most weapons, let alone use them effectively; thus, they mostly limit to the use of rods and the occasional dagger, which they learn how to use for the rare studies of blood-enabled magic. In occasions, a Black Mage may learn the rare talent of Archery, and become proficient in the use of bows and arrows; however, the rare talented Black Mages are few and far between.
However, their star talent is their use of Black Magic, and their properties. Elemental Magic, as it well explains, harness the power of the classical elements of nature: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. During ancient ages, magic scholars placed the well-known spells of Fire, Blizzard and Thunder into correlation with the elements of Fire, Water, and Wind respectively. During the years, the notion of magic has changed widely, so as to cause a great change in the method of perception of the elements; for example, the scholar of magic Baris Stuttel correlated the spell of Blizzard as a Wind magic, correlating the effect of the Northern Winds; another scholar, Sophe Ocklers, proposed the “para-elemental” theory of combining elements to explain the differences, stating that the “para-element” of Ice was a composition of Wind and Water (“the element of Wind, in the shape of the Northern Winds, solidifies the Water until it turns it into the form of Ice”, Apology of the Elements page 299), and the “para-element” of Lightning as a composition of Fire and Earth (“notice how the element of Fire, striking from the Heavens, strikes the element of Earth with might; the trees blaze in flames, and the very Lightning is a spectacle of Light. Furthermore, the Light of this ‘Light-ning’ is very hot, and deadly, as Fire is. But the ‘Light-ning’ cannot exist without the barren Earth that calls for it”, Apology of the Elements page 308). Yet another student of magic, Arris Toph Annes, places the elements of Ice and Lightning as new elements, a vague theory since it contrasts with Barris Stuttel’s theory of the elements. Currently, with the discovery of new and unusual elements such as the “moral” elements (Light and Darkness), the elements of Time and Space (Force and Gravity), and the discovery of raw magical energy, Elemental Magic has evolved into an art within itself. The Elemental Arts comprise the famous spells of Black Magic: Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Aero, Water, and sometimes the rare Quake and Gravity spells. As well, most of the Legendary Spells belong to this path: Freeze, Tornado, Burst, and Flood.
The second path, the path of Enfeebling, causes crippling “status afflictions” upon the anatomy of the target, which cause them to experience a variety of efforts. For example, the best known Enfeebling spells are the spells of Poison, Sleep, and the rare use of Blind. In this case, it shares some correlation with similar White Magic spells such as Mute, Confusion, and Hold; however, the effects of Enfeebling magic are much more potent. More advanced spells, such as Drain, Osmose and Stop cause even greater pain to their targets, and the Legendary Enfeebling spells (Break and Death, some say Meltdown) are lethal and banned by most people. As well, much like the White Magic spell, “Mini”, Black Magic holds more lethal transmutations such as the ever-famous “Toad” and the rarer yet useful “Pig”
A very rare form of Black Magic, lost during time, was the ability to enhance the physical power of allies and reduce the effectiveness of enemies; these are a form of Enhancing and Enfeebling magic, respectively, and have since been lost from the annals of Black Magic. For example, the spell of Focus caused the accuracy of enemies to be wasted, and spells such as Saber and Temper enhanced the damage dealt by allies. As well, very ancient annals state that the path of Time Magic was born from Black Magic, and that spells such as Slow and Haste were originally Black Magic spells. Arcane Magic, however, is a path that evolved very late, and that was mostly a path characteristic of Black Magic. Most of the Arcane spells are Legendary Spells, and comprise spells such as Flare, the very ancient and lost “Gigaflare” spell (derived allegedly from the studies of the magical power of the God-King Bahamut itself), the now-claimed as Time Magic “Meteor”, the very exclusive spells Almagest, Apocalypse and Doomsday, and the most powerful magic spell in existence, the epic and fabled “Ultima”. Recently, Arcane Magic has entered a realm of study only allowed to master scholars and powerful practitioners of Black Magic, but their study is highly restricted and also considered a separate path of study, separate from the original path of Black Magic.
As a final point, Black Magic (along with White Magic) is considered a precursor to many of the current magical arts, such as Green Magic, Time Magic, Arcane Magic, and even the sub-specialties of Spellblade techniques and Red Magic.
For this issue, we have managed to secure a very important hero to grace us with her presence. A former Minister of Magic from the Federation of Windurst and a legendary hero of the Great Crystal War in Vana’diel, her exploits are legendary. Recently, a rather rare misunderstanding caused her to be labeled as a traitor to her country, but to our sake, it was proven to be a hoax. With no further delay, we are proud to introduce the one, the only, Professor Shantotto.
Chocobo Digest: Pray tell us, what made you consider becoming a Black Mage?
Shantotto: That is quite easy-weasy to answer. My heritage, formed my character. My family has been black mages and it was for me to become the heritaru, to become the best ever seen on Windurstaru. O-hohohohoho!
CD: Our sources recall that you were once Minister of Magic, but that you had to resign? If possible, would you inform the reasons of your parting, or at least how was the experience?
S: Don't believe anything that they say. I left because I saw the way. Enough as a Minister without greetings; all of the paper-waper work and meetings. They were being-weing too restrictive on my experimentaru, and projectaru that I couldn't stay it longaru. So I resigned. Their loss, I have assigned. O-hohohohohoho!
CD: What do you consider it is the most important thing for a Black Mage to have?
S: You need magical power, not to be studious. I would think that would be obvious. You can't cast any spells if you have no magical powers to startaru. What are they teaching you people these daysaru?
CD: Had you the chance, what other profession would you have considered?
S: Why, would I ever want to be anything other than a black mage? The black mages are the best, no matter the age! O-hohohohoho!
CD: What do you think of fellow Black Mages? What about the difference between rogue mages and members of the Orastery? And about the current Minister of Magic?
S: I think they've gotten softaru since the war and I left. They don't have the backbone to do what is best. If they keep this up, the stuck up Elvaans and up start Humes will try to walk up, all over us.
CD: Any particular tale you wish to tell us of your early days as a Black Mage? One you particularly like?
S: I don't have the time to tell you about war stories. You said this would be a shortaru interview. I have adventurers to play with, when will I say “adieu”. O-hohohohohoho!
CD: A rather obscure source tells us you are a practitioner of Ancient Magic, the most powerful form of Black Magic. How did you learned these ancient spells?
S: Would you like me to demonstrate? I know a good curse-wurse. Perhaps if you want to see my powers at work. It won't kill you, unless you were an Orc. O-hohohohohoho!
CD: Finally, for all of our readers and prospective Black Mages: tell us why they should consider becoming one and not, say, a Knight or Thief? And most specifically, why your school of magic and not other schools?
S: I would think it would be obvious. We aren't so crass-wrass as to us swords and devious. We are far more refined and skilled in dealing with the enemy notorious. And there are more ways to hurt someone than just simply killing, envious. O-hohohohohoho!
Curiosities about Black Mages
·Did you know that the robes wielded by Black Mages aren’t exactly black? The “Black Robe”, a strong robe spun from cotton and hints of leather, and which covers the entire body, is actually blue. At times, it may be purple or dark blue, but rarely it is black. The robes of a Magus, and the Artifact Armor of Black Mages in Vana’diel are closer to black.
·Did you know that the eyes of a Black Mage shine in the dark? Look under their famous steeple hats, and you’ll notice the shine. This is because of the great magical power they possess. As well, most heroic Black Mages have their steeple hats’ points facing down, as if a tail.
·Did you know that the Black Mage is one of the so called “legendary professions”? This is because each of these professions have been found in virtually all worlds, in one way or another. Black Magic is a staple of the Universe, thus it isn’t rare to find it even on Materia, or as one of the few Para-Magic spells.
·Did you know that the profession of a Black Mage is tied to the Crystal of Wind? Official historical documents from Sasune Castle in the Third World and Tycoon Castle on the Fifth World state that the first Black Mages sealed their knowledge upon the Wind Crystal, as local legends state that “when the Crystals are endangered, the Wind Crystal will be the first to react.” These documents were discovered while researching the stories of the legendary heroes.
·Did you know that the Black Mage is also known as one of the “four instrumental classes”? Lore regained from different points in the Multiverse state that the Black Mage, along the Fighter, the Thief and the White Mage form part of virtually all worlds. This is drawn from the growing theory about the “Instrumental Classes”, which states the function of the Black Mage as a “crowd controller”, or the profession that deals with mass-scale offensive spells and the placement of magical traps, which allow the magician to control the battlefield to their whim. With their abilities spread throughout a series of worlds, it is understandable where this stereotype comes from.
·Did you know that, in a recent poll from the famous magazine, the Bonga Bugle, the ability of Black Magic ranks amongst the top ten preferred abilities amongst adventurers? The other nine, in comparison, are: Steal, White Magic, Dual Wield, Barrage (also known as Rapid Shot), Summoning Magic, Throw, Blue Magic, Red Magic and Doublecast.[/FONT]
·Did you know that there is a famous band of Bards that call themselves the “Black Mages”? Hailing from the legendary land of “Zipango”, these master troubadours sing tunes of inspiring quality. The members of the band (and their instruments) are: master minstrel Nobuo Uematsu (harpsichord and conductor’s baton), Tsuyoshi Sekito and Michio Okamiya (magic lute), Kenichiro Fukui (clavichord), Keiji Kawamori (violoncello), and Arata Hanyuda (orcish drums). They have spread very famous tunes over ten of the Twelve Worlds, such as “Clash on the Big Bridge” (a famous song about the defiance of Planet R’s Heroes of Light), “Dancing Mad” (a very long composition about the futility of existence, as inspired by the mad God of Magic, Kefka), and “Otherworld” (a catchy tune inspired by the creation of Sin and the memory of Zanarkand). Other collaborating Bards include female troubadour Kazco Hamano, and the eponymous “Mr. Goo”.
Thanks for watching yet another of the exciting reports about the lore of professions on the Twelve Worlds. Next issue, we shall enter the last of the reports about the “legendary classes”, and write about a literal jack-of-all-trades. A user of both White and Black Magic, as well as a fearsome warrior, this class is often considered either the greatest or the worst of the professions, but only a few can understand the importance and greatness of versatility. How, after explaining the great talents of the other classes, can the mysterious Red Mages fill their niche? Are they more powerful than the mages, and most skilled than the warriors? And most specifically, are they as awe-inspiring as they seem to be? This, and other questions, shall be solved on the next issue.
As a final point, we at the Class Chronicles reporting team wish to congratulate scholar Herrik Bordamson, whose thesis on the history of Black Magic (with our help, of course), earned him at last a Doctorate on Magical Studies. Hence, why we have referred to him now (and shall refer to him) as “Doctor” Bordamson. Godspeed, and congratulations! As well, the brave group of Chocobo Digest’s Class Chronicles shall attempt a never-before seen event, as we shall seek to interview a legendary member of the order of Red Mages. Will the brave members of our section pull the impossible, or will they be relegated to the depths of oblivion?
Until next time!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks