Battlemage
We spoke this together. Mother’s voice always cracked on the line about carrying the dead. She said it was because the oath was older than grief, and grief was older than us.
Now I carry everyone.
The oath was never meant for a single survivor. It was meant for a lineage, a tide of voices, a chorus that stretched back fifteen hundred years. I speak it now and the sea answers with silence.
There is no clan upon my back. There is no migration to guard. There are no apprentices to inherit the tide.
I am a Battlemage with no people, sworn to a current that no longer exists. And still… I stand. Because if I do not, then the oath truly dies.
And I refuse to be the last current that forgets.
(in smaller and slightly sloppier handwriting) I miss Mother... all of them so much. I'm so tired of being alone.
Now I carry everyone.
The oath was never meant for a single survivor. It was meant for a lineage, a tide of voices, a chorus that stretched back fifteen hundred years. I speak it now and the sea answers with silence.
There is no clan upon my back. There is no migration to guard. There are no apprentices to inherit the tide.
I am a Battlemage with no people, sworn to a current that no longer exists. And still… I stand. Because if I do not, then the oath truly dies.
And I refuse to be the last current that forgets.
~ written by Lady Wynter during her year of wandering, kept in her Tidecaller's Grimoire
(in smaller and slightly sloppier handwriting) I miss Mother... all of them so much. I'm so tired of being alone.
Career
Qualifications
Once they have completed their training, Battlemages are highly skilled magical practitioners with a focus on combat applications of their craft. Qualifications for becoming a battlemage include:
- Magical Aptitude: Demonstrates proficiency in casting combat-oriented spells and manipulating magical energies.
- Combat Training: A strong foundation in martial skills, including hand-to-hand combat, weapon proficiency, and strategic thinking.
- Elemental Mastery: Specialization in specific elemental magics, such as fire, ice, or in the case of Lady Wynter, aquatic magic.
- Mental Resilience: The ability to remain focused and maintain control over one's magical abilities in the chaos of battle.
- Tactical Acumen: Understanding of battlefield dynamics and the ability to strategize effectively in collaboration with allies.
- Endurance: Battlemages undergo rigorous physical and magical training to endure the demands of prolonged combat.
- Discipline: Strict adherence to ethical standards and rules of engagement, as well as the discipline to avoid succumbing to the destructive allure of dark magic.
Career Progression
Apprentice Battlemage: Newly initiated into the world of combat magic, apprentices undergo training in basic spells, combat techniques, and elemental control.
Journeyman/Journeywoman Battlemage: After demonstrating proficiency in the basics, individuals advance to the journeyman level. They begin to specialize in a specific school of magic and refine their combat skills.
Senior Battlemage: Achieving mastery in a chosen discipline, senior battlemages often lead squads or specialized units. They are entrusted with important missions and are responsible for training junior members. Senior Battlemages and up are given the title Lady or Lord.
Master Battlemage: Masters are renowned for their exceptional magical prowess and combat achievements. They often serve as advisors to military leaders, specializing in the development of new combat strategies or magical techniques.
Elder Battlemage: Reserved for those who have contributed significantly to their craft and society, elder battlemages are often called upon for counsel in times of great need. Some take on roles as mentors to the next generation of battlemages.
Journeyman/Journeywoman Battlemage: After demonstrating proficiency in the basics, individuals advance to the journeyman level. They begin to specialize in a specific school of magic and refine their combat skills.
Senior Battlemage: Achieving mastery in a chosen discipline, senior battlemages often lead squads or specialized units. They are entrusted with important missions and are responsible for training junior members. Senior Battlemages and up are given the title Lady or Lord.
Master Battlemage: Masters are renowned for their exceptional magical prowess and combat achievements. They often serve as advisors to military leaders, specializing in the development of new combat strategies or magical techniques.
Elder Battlemage: Reserved for those who have contributed significantly to their craft and society, elder battlemages are often called upon for counsel in times of great need. Some take on roles as mentors to the next generation of battlemages.
Perception
Purpose
The purpose of a battlemage is multifaceted, blending magical expertise with combat proficiency to serve various roles in the defense of their community, whether in the sea or on land. Key purposes include:
- Combat Against Supernatural Threats: Battlemages are often at the forefront of battles against supernatural adversaries, such as the Undead, dark mages, and other magical entities. Their unique skills make them invaluable in combating threats that conventional forces may struggle to handle.
- Protection of the Vulnerable: Whether it's safeguarding civilians during times of conflict or securing strategic locations, battlemages bear the responsibility of protecting those who cannot defend themselves. Their magical abilities enhance their capacity to provide both offensive and defensive support.
- Strategic Warfare: Battlemages contribute to the development and execution of strategic plans, leveraging their magical talents to gain a tactical advantage on the battlefield. They may specialize in creating magical barriers, disrupting enemy formations, or delivering powerful offensive spells.
- Maintaining Magical Balance: Battlemages play a crucial role in maintaining the delicate balance of magical energies. They act as guardians against the misuse of dark magic and work to ensure that the forces of light and order prevail.
Social Status
The social status of a battlemage is elevated due to the specialized nature of their skills and the essential role they play in the community. Key aspects of their social status include:
- Respected Authority: Battlemages command respect and admiration for their mastery of both martial and magical arts. Their dedication to protecting the community elevates them to positions of authority.
- Symbol of Security: In times of crisis, battlemages become symbols of security and hope. Their presence reassures the populace and instills confidence against supernatural threats.
- Leadership Roles: As battlemages progress in their careers, they often assume leadership roles within military or their civilian government. Their strategic insights and combat experience make them natural candidates for guiding others.
- Cultural Icons: Many battlemages become cultural icons, celebrated in stories, songs, and artistic representations. Their exploits in battles against supernatural forces contribute to the collective identity of their people.
History
Origins and Founding
The Battlemage tradition originated exclusively among the Aquatic Centaurs, where magic and martial training were never considered separate disciplines. In early Centaur civilizations, mages were expected to defend migrating clans, coral cities, and sacred currents against abyssal predators, rival sea-factions, and extraplanar incursions. The title Battlemage emerged during the Era of Shattered Tides, when Aquatic Centaur arcanists formalized combat doctrine, blending weapon mastery, literomancy, and tide-based sorcery into a unified martial discipline. Battlemages were both frontline warriors and cultural stewards, sworn to defend not only lives but ancestral memory and migratory routes.Legendary Battlemages
Aquatic Centaur history preserves the names of Battlemages as both generals and sages. Figures such as Tidemaster Selene, who calmed the Bloodstorm Gyre, and Coral Sage Maris, who sealed the Abyssal Choir Rift, are remembered in tide-songs and etched into coral archives. Battlemages were often chronicled alongside rulers and navigators, reflecting their dual role as defenders and historians of the sea. Lady Wynter is recognized as the last known Battlemage, carrying the lineage, techniques, and grimoires of a tradition believed extinct.Battlemages in Wars
Battlemages served as strategic anchors in Aquatic Centaur warfare, capable of reshaping currents, erecting literomantic barriers, and countering undead or abyssal entities. Their presence determined the success of migrations, city defenses, and interspecies conflicts. During The Third Word War, Battlemages were deployed in supernatural containment and anti-undead operations. The conflict resulted in the extinction of the Aquatic Centaurs, leaving Lady Wynter as the final inheritor of Battlemage doctrine, weaponry, and grimoires. With their disappearance, the Battlemage tradition effectively ended.Evolution of Magical Techniques
Battlemage practice evolved over centuries from ritual tide-magic into a codified martial system incorporating:- Literomantic spell matrices
- Enchanted weaponry such as Lady Wynter's Abyssal Serenade
- Aquatic elemental warfare
- Necromantic countermeasures
- Current manipulation and pressure magic
Distinction from Tome Knights
In modern House societies, Tome Knights fulfill a roughly analogous role, combining martial training with literomantic spellcasting. However, Tome Knights are institutionalized soldiers and scholars, whereas Battlemages were clan-bound warrior-mystics, deeply integrated into Aquatic Centaur culture, migration, and spirituality.Operations
Tools
- Weapon of choice such as Lady Wynter's Abyssal Serenade.
- Magick Book made for and/or by the Battlemage such as Lady Wynter's Tidecaller's Grimoire.
WIP
Streamer
Missing
Status: Location Unknown
Deceased
Status: Deceased Character
Retired
Status: Retired Character or Article
Navigation
Battlemage Oath
By current and coral, by memory and marrow,
I bind my breath to the tide and my blood to the deep.
I am shield to the migrating, blade to the abyss,
and voice for those who cannot cry beneath the waves.
I shall not bend the sea for pride,
nor wake what sleeps for glory.
I shall carry the clan upon my back
and the dead upon my name.
When the tide takes me, I will not resist.
When the deep calls, I will answer.
Until that final current, I stand—
Battlemage of the Centaur,
and the sea shall know me.
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