Magius

It’s because of his sacrifice that wizards can use daggers. Let’s learn more about the most famous and mysterious war wizard on Krynn. Buy Towers of High Sorcery: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/2940/Towers-of-High-Sorcery-35?affiliate_id=50797

Transcript

Cold Open

There are few references to his life, and even fewer images…

Intro

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about the wizard Magius. I would like to take a moment and thank the members of this channel, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link. I am referencing the Towers of High Sorcery sourcebook, and The Legend of Huma novel for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below.

Discussion

I have to admit that It is a bit daunting to make a video about a man that so little is known. This is not helped by the fact that the Knights of Solamnia either outright omit him from their histories, or downplay his role in the Third Dragon War. The Orders of High Sorcery view him as one of the greatest wizards of his age, and one who wore every color of robe, even turning renegade for a time. This is at the heart of understanding the man. For it was his unbridled obsession of overcoming his supposed flaws and future that drove him to change orders and even abandon them. But could Magius have been a victim of the gods’ plan, much in the same way millenia later, Raistlin Majere was? Let’s take a look at his life and find out for ourselves.

Magius was born in Solamnia. He was blessed with handsome features and a strong sense of personal aesthetics. As far as ethics were concerned, well, let’s say that he looked out for himself more than anyone else. These traits may all feed upon each other, as Magius was wildly arrogant, though not without justification. He was powerful and talented in magic. He wasn’t content with being told about the limits to magic, and would test the boundaries, pushing it to its arcane limits, discovering new boundaries in its use. His childhood friend Huma would follow the path of his culture and dream of becoming a knight, something that was antithetical to Magius’ nature. Why live by strict codes against one’s nature, when you could celebrate originality and expression through magic? Though they didn’t see eye to eye on much, they were good friends, until their paths deviated as young adults.

Magius would be invited to take the Test of High Sorcery, and in an effort to quell his arrogance, and teach the young mage humility, the order showed Magius a vision of his death. This single act backfired with the overt intentions of the order, but much as Par-Salian was searching for a sword for the coming war in the Age of Despair, I believe there were other forces at work in this vision, for it led to the discovery of the Dragonlances, seemingly unbeknownst to everyone involved. I like to believe that though the instructors of the test had plans, so too did the gods who provided the inspiration to the instructor. Again, this is pure ‘head cannon’. He saw a mountain that would benefit mankind in a coming war, but for Magius it would spell his doom if he sought it out. This would prove to be the catalyst for everything Magius would do hence. 

Much like Anakin Skywalker who was lured to the dark side by promises of stopping death, Magius would betray the Order he worked his whole life to be a part of, to prevent his own death as a renegade. He would seek out the renegade Galen Dracos, who was the most powerful wizard on Krynn at the time, and use him as both protection from the Order and a master to learn powerful magic from. It was during his time with Dracos, who was gathering the Dark Queen’s forces for the coming Third Dragon War, that Magius had a confrontation with the Red Dragon Immolatus. Apparently the two egos could not work together and with the Staff of Magius, the renegade Magius came out on top. Ultimately Magius realized that Dracos either couldn’t or wouldn’t help him, so he betrayed that order as well, striking off on his own, but if you thought it was tough leaving the Orders of High Sorcery, try leaving the Dark Queen’s forces. They sent dreadwolves and dragons after him, led by the Dark Queen’s Warlord Crynus no less! 

Self preservation being the highest law, Magius would use his childhood friend Huma as a decoy to escape the dreadwolves, until he was caught in his own tower by Crynus and they all split up. Magius came to realize the danger of the Dark Queens forces to Krynn, and knowing that there was aid in the mountains to the west, and the reality of his death if he sought it out, decided to use his friend huma again, but by this time, Huma had the Minotaur Kaz with him. I have a hard time seeing this as a trick on Magius’ part or a betrayal of any kind. Huma had as much ambition as Magius, only it was through service of the knighthood, not himself. And Magius truly believed that he would die if he tried, so why not let the hero Knight of Solamnia do it? Huma had made a name for himself by this time, so ‘the stars aligned’ as they say.

Though it was a bitter sweet exploration, Magius would assist Kaz and Huma in delivering the Dragonlances until his capture by Dracos’ minions. This is where we see what happens to deserters, as Magius was brutally tortured until his death. In the final moments, Magius would send his friend Huma a vision of his location, which would lead to the end of the war through Huma’s sacrifice. Magius was instrumental in the success of the war. Without him, there would not have been Dragonlances, or the knowledge of Galen Dracos’ fortress. If either of those two were missing, Takhisis, the Queen of Darkness would have conquered Krynn, period. From a certain point of view, Magius was the Hero, and Huma was his weapon, but I will let the Order of Aesthetics in the Great Library of Palanthas argue that point.

He began as a Black Robed wizard after he took his test of High Sorcery, then in search of power he changed to the Red Robes. Finding similar restrictions he abandoned the Order for renegade Brown Robes, and in his final moments he adopted the White Robes. He truly was a wizard who transcended the order and unknowingly served the Gods of good through his own fears before finally accepting his destiny. And this is arguably the most important theme I can draw from Magius’ life, that mortals are puppets to the gods fleeting whims. Magius didn’t know the Dragonlances were in the Ergothian mountains until he was told by the gods through his test. That single vision defined his entire career as a mage, and ultimately his life. If it wasn’t for the randomness of chaos in Magius growing up with Huma, would he have been able to discover the Dragonlances? And then, was it random? 

Now, I know these are stories crafted by a myriad of authors over years, and they don’t always mesh well together, but that is what makes it entertaining for me as a reader, to literally read into what would seem to be chance, and glean design from it. But there are life lessons one can glean from Magius as well. First is that friendship doesn’t mean similarity. You can be friends with those of different backgrounds, beliefs and lifestyles. That focusing on yourself can get you far, but you will at some point have to lean on someone else, and finally that we are not an island of ourselves. Our actions have consequences that affect others around us. This is not to say that one should act or believe in any specific way, Magius certainly didn’t, only to be conscious of it, for the benefit of yourself. 

Outro

And that is all I have to say about the war wizard, Magius. I hope you enjoyed the information. Do you wish there was more information about Magius? Was he a tool of the Gods, or was it his and Huma’s actions alone that won the war? And finally if you were a wizard, which order would you be a part of? Leave a comment below. 

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember: 

I have Magnesia. I don’t know how you get it, but I think it has something to do with milk.

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