Wizard

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Wizard (巫师)
Alias(es)	Keepers of Secrets (ancient name); witches in some regions 14 1070
Species/Race	Humans who access the spiritual realm of Hanan 14
Occupation/Role	Spiritual practitioners, healers, diviners, infiltrators, combatants, advisers, and ritual specialists 14 207 574
Status	Extant 1161
First Appearance	Chapter 3 3

Origins and history

Humans discovered Hanan—the Vast Ocean—through meditation and contemplation, recognizing it as a realm between reality and illusion that lay beyond ordinary senses. Those who opened this dangerous spiritual door became known as Wizards; early civilizations relied on them as spiritual guides and protectors. 14

Unchecked use of Hanan brought catastrophe during the Beastification Plague. Wizards were among the first and worst affected: their powers became uncontrollable, their bodies mutated, and many lost their minds and became predatory monsters. The Kaimon Church ended the plague, then persecuted Wizards as evil creatures across the Kainia Empire. 14

The East Kainia Empire later required Wizard support against invading barbarians. Farnak I's Bosporus Edict reclassified Wizards as White Wizards and Black Wizards; White Wizards became heretics rather than outlawed creatures, allowing them to return to civilized society under taxation. 14

Discipline Theory

To prevent another disaster, Wizards developed Discipline Theory: a system of mental tempering intended to restrain their use of Hanan. 14

Level	Description
Anger Restraint	First level of disciplined will.
Desire Elimination	Second level of disciplined will.
Knowing Self	Third level of disciplined will.
Discerning Self	Fourth level of disciplined will.
Emptiness	Highest stated level of disciplined will. 14

Schools

Generations of Wizards refined six schools to regulate and specialize the use of Hanan's power. 14

School	Specialization	Known applications or concerns
Deer School	Healing and guidance of the mind	Treats body and spirit; regarded as the principal academic school. 14
Crow School	Foresight and divination	Perceives scattered fragments within Hanan; rumors attribute time control to exceptional Three-Eyed Ones. 14
Cat School	Transformation, infiltration, and disguise	Helped Wizards survive in the wilderness and dark ages. 14
Wolf School	Offensive witchcraft	Employs flame, frost, and lightning; its practitioners remain especially prone to flesh mutation. 14
Fox School	Illusion and mental interference	Alters perception; appearances created by Fox Wizards cannot be assumed real. 14
Badger School	Body-focused witchcraft	Teaches practitioners to preserve their true selves while drawing upon Hanan. 803

Abilities & Skills

Hanan Access

Wizards enter or connect their minds to Hanan to perceive spiritual entities and wield witchcraft. Meditation leaves them both vulnerable and dangerous; apprentices are taught never to disturb a meditating Wizard. 14 57

• Hanan grants access to forces beyond material senses. 14
• Emotional instability can disrupt visions and attract Hanan's hunters, which prey on spiritual travelers. 50
• A Wizard's spiritual presence can be sensed by other sufficiently attuned practitioners. 166

Divination

Crow School Wizards seek fragments of possible futures amid Hanan's shifting radiance. Their predictions are uncertain and can be limited by distance, interference, or the instability of Hanan itself. 14 50 166

• Pei Geduo has glimpsed future visions, but only rarely and with difficulty. 50
• Divination may reveal danger without providing an understandable cause or reliable solution. 167 792
• Powerful visions can overwhelm even Alfred, the Fourth Great Wizard. 866

Offensive Witchcraft

Combat-oriented Wizards can channel elemental and psychic attacks against enemy forces. 14

• Wolf School Wizards employ fire, frost, and lightning. 14
• Wizard battle magic has included blue flame, battlefield bombardment, and large-scale rituals. 299 247 409
• High-output use of Hanan can mutate or destroy the caster. 299 803

Transformation and Mental Influence

Certain schools use Hanan to alter bodies, conceal identities, manipulate perception, or interfere with minds. 14

• Cat School methods support disguise and infiltration. 14
• Fox School illusions shape what observers believe they see. 14
• Badger School power can strengthen the body, but abandoning self-restraint risks catastrophic mutation. 803

Risks and limitations

Risk	Effect
Hanan contamination	Contact with the Vast Ocean exposes Wizards to hostile entities, soul-stealers, and other incomprehensible dangers. 14 149
Beastification and mutation	The Beastification Plague transformed or killed nearly one-third of humanity; Wizards suffered severe loss of control and physical mutation. 14
Flesh instability	Wolf School Wizards remain particularly vulnerable to mutation, while excessive Hanan power can destroy a user's body at the cellular level. 14 803
Mental strain	Visions, fear, and battlefield pressure can destabilize perception and judgment. 50 1043
Enchantment	Some mutated Wizards retain their identity through exceptional willpower and become Enchanters—dangerous beings able to resist spiritual predators despite warped bodies. 149

Institutions and social position

• Three Witches Society — Humanity's oldest Wizard organization. Its senior councilor Master Kong stood below only the Society's three Grand Wizards. 14 737
• Wizard guilds — Independent professional organizations in the New California Republic that protect Wizards' legal and labor interests; they hold little direct political power. 287
• Imperial military service — Wizards serve as battlefield specialists, diviners, adjutants, and naval support personnel. 207 409 574
• Cryptics — Wizards secretly trained and employed by the Kaimon Church despite its public condemnation of Wizardry; they answer to the Inquisition and regional archbishops. 322
• Public distrust — Wizards are feared for their mutations, secrecy, and reliance on supernatural power. Arcanists, soldiers, and naval officers frequently regard them as dangerous or unreliable. 41 574

Distinction from Arcanists

Aspect	Wizards	Arcanists
Primary focus	The spiritual realm of Hanan and its powers. 14	Material entities and the restructuring of matter through Sculpting. 35
Power source	Hanan, accessed through meditation and spiritual cultivation. 14	Arcane Energy drifting through the material world. 35
Principal danger	Spiritual contamination, mutation, and loss of control. 14	Accelerated aging caused by Arcane Energy. 35
Relationship to Hanan	Must engage with Hanan directly. 14	Do not need to enter Hanan and therefore avoid its contamination. 35

Notable Quotes

“Wizardry has no future, only service—every Wizard has their own duty. To prevent the tragedy of a thousand years ago from being reenacted, we must restrain ourselves, and can only restrain ourselves.” 1161