Next up in my series of articles on Vasarian life in Age of Sigmar, I'll be taking a look at the Sanctioned Wizards and Witches of the city--noble magic users who keep the erratic magical energy of the local area in check.
The city of Vasaria is built closer to the edge of the Eightpoints realm than the centre, meaning that magical energy there is very potent. As such, over the years, many have come to harness and use that magic--some by choice and others through affliction, curse, or by simply being born. These unsanctioned wizards and witches were a danger to the establishment of the city, often lowborn and using their magic to provide for their kin without the need for the Queen or the Arch Bishop or the other figureheads of the church. With the arrival of a Stormcast Eternal, there has been a quelling of these unsanctioned magic users, and those who still dabble in sorcery do so under strict scrutiny, individuals of which we will look at below:
Eleanor the Transgressor:
Eleanor was the daughter of a long-lived noble family from the realm of Hysh; she was taught to use sorcery for the benefit of the church, and that, she did, illuminating aspects of the cosmos, science and the nature of time and space that helped to exalt Sigmar. She was celebrated throughout Vasaria, and her learnings would often be taught in churches across the city and its provinces. However, as she grew, her findings of the nature of the universe and the prevalence of Chaos seemed to contradict the church's teachings, positioning Sigmar, not as a lone miracle, but as one of many gods in a pantheon. As her heresy grew to contradict official church rule more and more, the Queen had no choice but to put Eleanor to death, capturing her soul between Vasaria and Shyish so that she could be paraded into battle. Tales of her heresy have been kept short, as she is still used as a powerful scryer and magic-user in the city.
I use her as a Luminark of Hysh for my Cities of Sigmar.
Olyvia the Archivist
Vasaria's religious zealotry is not at all practical and has birthed many unorthodox writings and pieces of art over the years. Beneath the city, there is an endless library where these texts and relics are locked away from the public. Certain archivists and sanctioned magic-users are allowed to occasionally browse, however, so long as they do so to learn how to banish the Nighthaunt lurking in the library. Olyvia was one of these archivists and magic-users, but she was easily tempted by a bet from one of her contemporaries to read, in full and without warding prayer, one of the many blasphemous tomes. Driven mad by her discoveries, she became a threat to the city. However, she was too blessed in her knowledge of Sigmar to be executed, and thus, like Eleanor, is paraded around the city as a statement against falling into the same heretical trap as she.
She counts as a Celestial Hurricanum in my Cities of Sigmar.
Sanctioned Witches and Wizards
Here is an example of a sanctioned wizard; they are often found wandering around the churches, libraries and holy sites of Vasaria, spreading the word of Sigmar.
They count as Battlemages in my Cities of Sigmar.
Unsanctioned Witches and Wizards
A common sight throughout the streets of Vasaria, those accused (not proven) of witchcraft are often hanged or burned in public, acting as a reminder to the locals not to indulge their magical urges without sanction. These burnings are left for weeks and months, charred and despoiled by the night.
These models count as Soulsnare Shackles, the endless spell, for my Cities of Sigmar.
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