And Arcania did return to her father, the God of Magic aka Faserip Augustus Vance, and did say, "Father, the people of the world wonder why you have not given a gift to civilization."
The God of Magic had been working on the important question of how many angels fit on the head of a pin. This was crucial….for some reason. And he glowered, "They what?"
"Other Gods have given them gifts like Agriculture, Mithril, or the arts… so they were wondering, maybe you could squeeze something out? Something to soften their lives and comfort them?"
'SQUEEZE.SOMETHING.OUT?" Faserip huffed, "They have the wonders of dreams and nightmares, the uncertainly of luck to keep them from getting bored, and abrupt changes! All thanks to me, nevermind MAGIC force that none but I will ever fully understand!"
"Apparently uncertainty is making them skittish," She coughed, "And you do offer a lot of that."
"There are a half dozen other gods practically tucking them in at night and asking them if they want a drink of water. If it weren't for gods like me offering them a challenge, those slugabeds would be… damn it, I remember when some of those races thought bathing caused illness!
Filthy bastards had to change from that or the odor alone would have had the lot of us smiting," Faserip grumbled.
"Well, thank whichever of you got them to bathe more often," She wrinkled her nose, "But you have wizards, witches, magi, sorcerers and any number of other variants of magician out there. Some of them run amok….usually put down by some hero or army eventually, and a few help. Folks don't know what to think."
"Well, you walk up to a fellow you know to be capable of magic, get to know them, say hi like any other person, of course," Faserip snorted, "If your wife ends up wearing a love slave outfit for his amusement while you hop around in your new frog suit, he was probably one of the bad ones. Duh!"
His daughter suggested, "I was thinking, that maybe… you could induce some codes of conduct beyond the 'respect magic' and 'don't abuse' magic angle you have me running around for?"
"Sounds boring, and like you're trying to get out of work," He said.
"It might make the people love you, and idealize you more," She suggested, "And it wouldn't just save me some work, but have them tend to their own more. Less hassle, still get the credit."
"How shallow a god do you think your father is?" The God of Magic blinked.
"Do you have mind reading or truth magics up now?" She asked.
"No…"
"Then I don't think you're shallow vain or spiteful at all, father" She dimpled, "And I just want the people to remember you fondly."
"Hmmm… fine," he said pulling out six indestructible scrolls and wrote on them with the Ink indelible.
"Take each of these scrolls to a different part of the world where there is a guild, school, or magoracracy, and tell each one that THIS is the code magic users should live by. And I will reward them for doing so."
Arcania opened the first one up, "Oh, I like this, it's like a code of chivalry for them; we could have knightly orders only with magic instead of swords and such."
"I don't have to use divination to see that coming, yes."
She opened another, smiled and then blinked and read again, "Father, there's… a problem."
"What problem?"
"This one says….. 'Magic shall be used to light the way for the people'…. This one says in the same spot 'Magic shall be used to lead the way for the people'… and this third scroll says 'lend'… and the others say more of the same but are different in OTHER parts of the codes…. 'Improve the world' here, because 'transform the world' there, and over here, it says 'raise your wands to honor me and receive my blessing on the 13th day of every month when the moon is nigh' but here, in this 6th scroll it says 'when the moon is high', and here it says 'raise your staff' not wand, and here's one that says rod. Some don't even mention honoring you but honoring Magic or themselves…Father, even if you translate these all to tradespeak one might get different variations." She blinked.
"Minor changes," He shrugged.
"When one group meets the other, each is going to think the other is doing it wrong!"
"Probably, they were going to anyway, I'm just setting a great experiment in motion."
"They'll argue all the time, or maybe even kill each other!"
"Or they'll make peace, or merge, or split off…or diversify… or decide the laws are bunk. It'll it will make them think, eventually. They'll have to question for themselves what philosophy they want to live by. In the mean time, some good will come of it too. There are rules in those scrolls about wizards dueling away from innocents, suggestions for helping their fellow magically talented who are hunted by the superstitious, and so on. It's up to them what they make of this, it can either make them true paragons of magical virtue, sheep in wizards clothing, or self righteous brutes. And we shall , over time, see which philosophy was meant to flourish."
"Well, no one can say you're boring I suppose," Her daughter blinked at the scrolls, "And the mundanes?"
"Let the word be set through the lands by dreams and heralds, I, Faserip Augustus Vance, have provided structure to the magic users of the world! They'll rejoice of course, poor saps."
"They'll rejoice?"
"Each group of mundanes is going to think their wizards got the 'one true way' as well. That'll set them at ease. People want certainty, they want security, and far too many times they'll lay their own children on the proverbial altar to get it. This will be learning experience for them too. I give them opportunity, but I also place obstacles before them to reach the rewards. I give them magic, but it cuts as well as serves. Even gods might die, daughter, for all we know of this world. When it does, Magic itself will continue without me. I want them ready to wield it without me having learned lessons so they don't, won't need me any more. I crave their worship true, but I need them to be prepared and stand strong on their own, either individually or collectively. Somewhere between my need for their love and my need for them to grow, I think you'll find where my actions lay. As for you, Arcania, perhaps they will grow to love you more than I, and that is well. Perhaps you will pick up more burdens when you are truly your own…and I hope you think on your old father well despite the frustration he causes you. Would you like me to deliver the scrolls?"
"I…" She looked at him, "Father, may I write a scroll in your name, just one? I need to…practice, yes?"
"Ha! You may, and give it to ONE individual, whoever you like… think carefully, and long term. This will be your test I suppose as well as my gift. Though, true, seven will be better than six anyway, sounds more magicky."
"Thank you, father," And she hugged him them, "Is magicky a word?"
"It is now," He grumphed.
"Right." And another scroll appeared with the writings on it that were not of the god of magic's choosing though it bore his handwriting, and …Arcanica went to distribute the Codes of Ethos Arcantum!
Gift to Civilization: Codes of behavior and philosophies for Magical use!
Our world will not be boring-You're Welcome!
