"This world is made of mana,"
The legends speak of gods and dragons long gone who once inhabited the world, their bodies carving out the lands, their blood filling its seas, and their wills becoming the mana that binds everything together.
Over time, people discovered ways to influence mana, forging techniques that allowed them to draw closer to the forms of these "gods" to bend the world to their desires and perform miracles.
They called these miracles "magic", and the people who performed such magic as mages.
But not everyone is lucky enough to be born with the potential of a mage. To the vast majority, magic is a reality that lingers just beyond their reach. It dominates headlines, sparks fascination, and provides hope and envy in equal measure.
To wield mana is to hold the power to reshape the world, and for that, mages stand apart, revered and feared by the masses.
Every mage's goal is to reach transcendence, a state of being where the mage, connected directly with the world, is closer to the gods themselves rather than human. Kings bow to those who transcend, and nations exist solely upon their will.
Yet despite this, among the mages, very few have ever reached transcendence.
A trial awaits all who attempt the final step towards transcendence. The mage's body, mind, and soul are tested by the mana they once commanded and judged by the world to see if they are fit to wield its immensity.
The mages call this trial "Tribulation". Those who passed became the transcendent, while those who failed lost everything.
No longer able to command magic, their connection to the mana that once flowed through them is severed and their bodies are left scarred, marred by permanent injuries sustained from the Tribulation.
"Mana and Magic: A History," Magic Press, p. 10.