Like most of the countries in my world, Shildaria was drastically changed by the Druid Wars. Prior to the wars, agriculture was basically a use it until it’s gone proposition. Once the land stopped producing, people would simply move on. This process would take years, but once the land was used up, it would be infertile for generations. This would be exasperated by the complete deforestation from building the towns and particularly the walls surrounding their communities.

Persecution of Druids was outlawed by the terms of the treaty that ended the war. However, humanity is nothing if not inventive. They couldn’t do anything to stop Druids in particular. But they could do something to limit their power by outlawing all magic. Since they weren’t specifically targeting Druids, this was legal. Not only is magic illegal, but it is punishable by death.

Now, considering how useful magic is, you’d think that there would be some sort of uprising or protest from the population on this policy. For the most part, though, this law was wholeheartedly embraced. This was for several reasons:

• During several periods, spellcasters did major damage to Shildaria and their neighbors. The Druid Wars, the Foes of the Wand, and the Dragon Wars were all terrible periods for Shildaria. People put a lot of the blame for the suffering to magic users.
• Abominations also seem to be attracted to magic users. Attacks on cities and towns (although not in the wilds) dropped significantly when this law was implemented.
• Learning to cast spells can be pretty dangerous. Shildaria has been depopulated from the the Druid Wars and Abomination attacks. People simply refuse to take this risk.

There was a major prejudice against spellcasters prior to the Druid Wars. This became borderline hysterical since it has become clear that the Abominations are attracted to magic. No matter how benign, useful, or even life-saving the magic is, there will be repercussions for anyone caught using spells.

Magic users are rare in Shildaria, to say the least. Those who do exist are completely underground, hiding from the rest of the population. This is particularly true in the south, where the Abomination threat is most acute. In the northeastern provinces, people accused of being spellcasters may have the chance to escape before they are captured, tried, and executed. There may not be quite the zeal, but they aren’t going to deny the law.

When spellcasters are found, they practice a dizzying array of arcana. With no ability to establish schools or formal teaching of any kind, individuals rely on learning from a single teacher in secret. Cabals or covens haven’t been discovered since the law was fully implemented and practitioners fled over a decade ago. If you want to learn magic and you can find someone to teach you, you take what you can get. Since Vitancy (healing magic) is held with the same hatred as Infernalism (magic dealing with devils), you are just as likely to find someone casting dark magics and more palatable ones.

Next week I’ll still be talking about Shildaria, but I’m coming to the end of this series in May. If there’s something you want me to write about, let me know in the comments below. See you next Thursday.