"A Note on Sarkorian Mages", by Janni Beshuro

Note · 40 gp · Weight 2

Excerpt from the third report for the Pathfinder Society, 4604 "Any report regarding my visit to Central Sarkoris would be incomplete without a mention of the alarming practice that goes against any and all humane ideals — the persecution of mages. Local culture has an astounding way of combining reverence and devotion toward divine magic with disgust and fear toward its arcane counterparts. A Puluran astronomer is a respected position, yet mages that would be welcomed at any academy or school in Avistan are considered dangerous creatures that belong in one of the prison fortresses, such as the wicked Threshold. Most of the locals clammed up at the mere sight of me, unwilling to deal with a stranger from the 'land of heretics.' I even had to run for my life once or twice, when overly vigilant residents summoned the guards on me. But there were those who took their chances by speaking with me, an elf from the 'mad lands where mages walk among other people like proper citizens.' These brave souls helped me grasp the reason for this unusual disposition toward spellcasters, as the motives behind these superstitions are quite valid. In the eyes of the Sarkorians, priests are those who follow the strict code of their god and receive divine powers in return. Mages and sorcerers, on the other hand, are freaks of nature, abominations whose arcane powers are not subject to anything save for their own feeble mind and treacherous will. Of course, most of the enlightened Absalom residents, myself included, would find these beliefs barbaric and cruel. However, we have to take into account the complete lack of any schooling system for young spellcasters in Sarkoris. No one teaches the youth the basics of controlling their powers, the elementary incantation orthodoxy, or even any theory of moral obligations to themselves and others. It's no wonder that vulnerable young minds, having received powers of shocking proportions, often cross an unseen line and become monsters in the eyes of their own people. Given this lamentable state of education and having seen for myself the consequences of a crazed mage roaming the outskirts of Iz, all I can do is confirm, with great regret, that the practice of imprisoning Sarkorian spellcasters bears the utmost pragmatic importance for this society."