Ninth Magical Year

Meaning

The Ninth Magical Year is a full year of celebration and contemplation observed by wizards once every nine years. It honors Mauran Magefather, the father of wizardry, and celebrates the defeat of Magna Um Fearheart, the first lich.

Origin

Fearheart killed Mauran on 9/9/641 AC and was defeated exactly nine years later, on 9/9/650 AC. The first Ninth Magical Year was declared in 650 to preserve the Magefather’s legacy, celebrate the victory, and contemplate the cost of those nine years.

Observance and Traditions

Throughout the year, wizardly communities celebrate magic, magical study, and the teachers who pass arcane knowledge from one generation to the next. The year also calls for reflection on the dangers of magical ambition, the responsibilities carried by those who wield arcane power, and the unresolved possibility that Fearheart survived his defeat.

Around the anniversary of Fearheart’s defeat on 9/9, the nine archmages of the schools depart with the best and brightest of their students for the Rite of Nine, a secret initiation from which many students do not return. Its location and ceremonies are not publicly disclosed.

Regional Variations

The Ninth Magical Year is observed wherever wizardly communities have taken root. Schools and local traditions differ in their celebrations and contemplative practices, but retain the shared nine-year cycle and the central anniversary of 9/9.