The Guild of Wizardry was an ancient order of Force-sensitives that primarily practiced the light side of the Force. Its members were known as Wizards.
History[]
Formation[]
The Wizards were believed to have existed as long as the Jedi Order. Some historians also speculated that the Wizards were in fact an offshoot of the Jedi Order that became estranged from Jedi tradition over the millennia. It's unknown precisely where the Guild of Wizardry was founded, but archaeology evidenced that the order had origins on the planet Serenno and was named after a Serennian count named Wiza, the Guild's possible founder and a distant ancestor of Count Dooku.
Jedi historians theorized that the Force wielders, a "species" of beings who were made of pure Force energy, were all once Wizards who managed to transcend their physical form through a series of rituals. One such group of three transcendent Wizards were the Ones, who isolated themselves on the arcane realm-world Mortis.
Expansion[]
As it expanded and became more involved in galactic affairs, the Guild of Wizardry maintained hundreds of thousands of members scattered across the galaxy, in some periods even surpassing the Jedi Order's size. Due to their prominence, Wizards became the subject of many myths and legends.
Many wizards took up common roles in the galaxy, using their mastery of the Force for good, and pursuing careers on many worlds as healers, philosophers, and hyperspace navigators. Some others abandoned public life and became hermits, spending their lifetimes attempting to discover the true nature of the Force through meditation and alchemy.
Decline[]
At some point, the Wizards became divided into many smaller divisions that each practiced their own philosophies and powers. Although many of these subgroups would come to see each other as enemies, even engaging in several destructive wars of magic, they still considered themselves Wizards.
One of the Wizard subgroups known as the Paladins sometimes fought alongside the Jedi in their wars against the Sith. In retaliation, the Sith eventually launched a crusade against all Wizards across the galaxy, hunting down and eliminating Wizards by the thousands, as well as inflicting wanton destruction upon the societies they served. The Sith would also extensively study wizardry during these campaigns, some of which they would adopt into their use of the dark side in the form of Sith alchemy.
In the aftermath of this genocidal crusade, only a few hundred true Wizards remained across the galaxy, most of whom went into hiding while the rest were welcomed into the Jedi Order. Centuries later by the time of the Clone Wars, the last of the true Wizards were extinct, though their legacy would live on in the word "wizard", which remained a catch-all term among commoners for any user of the Force including Jedi and Sith, as well as the many myths and legends spawned from their long existence. They also left behind many artifacts in their wake, many of which would be discovered by treasure hunters over the years.
Subgroups[]
The Guild of Wizardry eventually split into many divisions that mastered difference aspects of the Force. Although they were all still considered true Wizards, the individual factions considered each other illegitimate due to their ideological differences, and over time developed their own hierarchies independent of one-another. Offshoots that remained true to the light side became known as the Light Wizards, while those that turned to dark side teachings became known as Dark Wizards. These included:
- Archwizards: The Archwizards once served as a council of Wizards who mastered all known Force abilities and collectively led the Guild of Wizardry. After the Guild became divided, however, the Archwizards were killed off during the Magic Wars.
- Mages: The most common of the offshoots, Mages were Wizards who mastered the art of Force healing and telekinesis. They referred to the Force as Magic.
- Warlocks: Warlocks were Wizards who viewed the Force as a weapon. Considered users of the dark side, they typically mastered the powers of Force lightning and pyrokinesis, and used their powers to serve themselves as warlords. Many Warlocks allied themselves to the Sith.
- Paladins: Similar to Warlocks, the Paladins viewed the Force as a tool of warfare, however did not subscribe themselves to the Warlocks' self-serving and often malevolent ideologies. They mastered the ability to imbue their swords and armor with the Force itself, greatly increasing their capabilities on the battlefield. Militant in nature, they also sometimes mastered the power of Battle Meditation. They served various kingdoms as honorable warriors or benevolent mercenaries, and often fought alongside the Jedi against the Sith. Paladins typically maintained a pearl and gold color scheme for their equipment to distinguish themselves from other warrior cultures.
- Witches: The Witches were an all-female offshoot who mastered the Chant of Resurrection. Often malevolent in nature, they used their abilities to raise armies of undead warriors. They also mastered alchemy, typically concocting potions that were deadly or mind-controlling. It's believed that the Nightsisters, who were also called witches and practiced a very similar culture, developed from a group of Witches that once operated on Dathomir. Their brand of the Force was known as Witchcraft.
- Necromancers: Necromancers were dark side Wizards who, like Witches, mastered the ability to resurrect dead beings, often for the purposes of warfare, and concoct malignant potions. Their brand of the Force was known as Necromancy, which was largely identical to Witchcraft.
- Enchanters: Enchanters, like Paladins, mastered the ability to imbue objects with the Force for various purposes, though typically not for the purposes of warfare. They most notably crafted enchanted talismans that benefited the wearer, Force user or not, in many ways; these benefits often included fast healing, augmented physical abilities, and the power of self-sustenance, which allowed a wearer to breathe comfortably in low-oxygen environments and go long periods of time without consuming food or water. They referred to the Force as Enchantment.
- Sorcerers: A malevolent dark side offshoot of the Wizards, Sorcerers used a variety of Force powers for nefarious purposes and shared similar philosophies to the Sith. One such group were the Sorcerers of Tund. They referred to the Force as Sorcery.
- Druids: Druids were light side Wizards who dedicated themselves to nature. They often used their powers to heal damaged wilderness. Many Druids also mastered the power of beast control, allowing them to tame wild creatures to do their own bidding as mounts, work animals, or even beasts of war.
- Spell Casters: Spell Casters were often characterized by their use of "spell books", which were textbooks that were enchanted with various Force powers that were activated through the utterance of a specific phrase (typically referred to as "spells"). Many also mastered the ability to cast hexes on any individual; a benevolent hex was known as a "charm", while a malignant hex was known as a "curse".
- Yogi: The Yogis or Yogini dedicated their lives to meditation, typically for the purposes of studying the inner secrets of the Force. Their studies were known as Yoga, which became increasingly common among many non-Force-sensitives due to its relaxing effects.