Approximately three thousand six hundred years ago, something has happened. The details, location, cause, reason and almost all of the circumstances remain unknown even today. The Event, as we began to call it, amongst other things, created a shift in the fabric of Magia. This, in turn, caused a general disbalance in the distribution of the force that empowers those of us who can use the Magia. And though various warlocks, sorcerers, wizards, witches and many others were in greatest part unaffected by the Event, it did create a new class of Magia users: the Seers. As the disbalance unveiled before us an entirely new horizon of what the Magia offers when the first Places of Power were discovered.
At the time, they were an unnamed phenomenon detected by few, recognized by none. It took a long time before the Seers began to understand the concept and to realize its potential even longer. The obvious effects of the Place of Power: its positive or negative influence on the mood and disposition of the present Seer, was clear enough from the start. As for its cause, that remained unknown for centuries. It wasn’t until 700 B.C. That the first rudimentary description of the concept appeared, as defined by an unnamed sorcerer turned Seer. He attempted to explain the existence of Places of Power by assessing that the layer of Magia around the surface of the world increases in thickness in an unstable, unequal manner and that Places of Power were sources or points of concentration of the Magia of the positive and negative type. And although he correctly connected the appearance of the Places of Power with the occurrence of the Event, his theories were eventually proven untrue.
In time, more information has been gathered, more knowledge acquired. As the population spread further around the globe, and the existence of more of Places of Power was confirmed, the idea of the Shift was born. Throughout the early dark ages, the concept was developed, and eventually, it became obvious that Places of Power are an effect of the unequal distribution of the Magia, not the process of its creation.
Throughout this time, the Seers were rising in power. Their significance was never particularly great: their abilities for most of the millenias that they existed were rarely called for, and when they were, it was for the studies of the phenomenon by the users of Magia. This hasn’t bothered the Seers of the past though. In 683AD, they have created an association, and all Seers were welcome, though, at the time, few Seers were aware of their abilities. Nevertheless, a cooperation between the members has significantly hastened the development of their order. The first unified catalog of the discovered Places of Power was written, the first rules of conduct were implemented. To this day, the determinations of the association are the basis of all new laws and methods implemented by the Seers.
The significance that the Seers enjoy today, however, is a result of the geopolitical situation of the last century. Early predictions of the sudden increase of the population within the next decades, which originate from the beginning of the XX century, called for the more united front of all the Magia users, as preparations for the new age of the world needed to be made. The secret, that the Magia was, naturally would be endangered by more eyes looking at the hands of its users. The increase in the population alone meant that however rare the Places of Power were, especially the stronger ones, humanity will soon occupy many of them, as it spreads around the yet-empty parts of the world. Around that time, as in the opinion of many, the users of Magia should play a more significant role in the society, the idea of the purposeful utilization of the Places of Power first appeared. They were no longer considered a simple interesting phenomenon, but a potentially extremely useful tool. Not only would it be possible to avoid settling in a negatively charged Places of Power, but perhaps they can be used as sites for institutions like prisons? Not only is it possible to build new cities in a positive Places of Power, but perhaps use the more powerful ones for institutions that advance the society, or hospitals, or parliaments? The ideas were many, but caution was required.
With the technology of today and the many perks it offers, the development of the Magia society has increased in speed. The same goes for the Seers. The Catalogue is filled with new elements on a nearly monthly basis. Discovering and training new recruits is easier than ever before. The effects of the work of the Seers as well as others of the Magia society are starting to be visible, albeit unbeknown to the general population, as their methods and operations are at this point a secret. Nevertheless, should the society develop along the preferred lines, and if the result of the Seers’ influence on the paths of its advancement is determined to be a positive one, it is very possible, that the future will to an even greater degree depend on the work of the Seers.
Dark Halls of Kolyam 