The Mage Clan Wars was a conflict between the Vizjerei Clan and the Ammuit and Ennead clans taking place some time after the Sin War. The war began when the Vizjerei once again began to summon demons from the Burning Hells with the intent of controlling them and using them to subdue all other clans. The war ended with a titanic battle between the brothers Bartuc and Horazon, the two most powerful mages alive at the time, and would leave the remains of the Mage Clans shells of their former glory.
Events[]
In the wake of the Sin War the battered Mage Clans quickly asserted power again with both the Cathedral of Light and Triune wiped from the face of Sanctuary in the conflict. Of the previous fourteen clans however only three remained of any noteworthy mention: the Ammuit, Ennead and Vizjerei, incidentally the first three clans. Though the exact events of the Sin War had been wiped from the memories, a few still knew what had really happened and blamed religious fervor for the crisis that had befallen Sanctuary.[1]
The belief led to the Mage Clans supressed religious belief in favor of rational belief, and an age of reason began with great advances made across all of civilization. The success did not last long however, and before long it was discovered by the Ammuit and Ennead clans that high-ranking Vizjerei mages had once again begun to practice the art of summoning demons to the world. Ignoring all peaceful pleas and requests, the two other clans felt it necessary to resort to drastic measures and assassinated several key mages within the Vizjerei clan. The strike brougth retaliation upon the Ammuit and Ennead, and before long the Al'Raqish, the joint mage council, erupted in battle, leaving several dead.[2]
The conflict set off bloody conflicts between the clans across the world, and when the main academy of the Vizjerei in Caldeum was stormed and all of its mages slaughtered, the war set off proper. The other two clans pressed their advantage and put the Vizjerei on the run all across Kehjistan and the then capital Viz-jun. The Vizjerei seemed defeated and victory for the Ammuit and Ennead imminent when the Vizjerei finally unleashed their summoned demons onto the battlefield. The war shifted rapidly with the demons entering the fray, and the Vizjerei quickly forced the other two clans to retreat to Viz-jun.[3]
Bartuc and Horazon[]
Bartuc, one of the foremost of the Vizjerei and known as the Warlord of Blood for his habit of bathing in the blood of his enemies, had become one of the most dominant forces within the Vizjerei ranks by the end of the war. Ruthless and convinced that by submitting to the rule of superior demons would mankind reap great rewards, his peers and superiors began to fear him. As the Vizjerei leadership tried to strip him of his command, civil war broke out as Bartuc's forces clashed with the rest. Eventually tipping the scales in his favor, Bartuc was on the verge of defeating all the other clans when his brother Horazon stepped into the fray.
Horazon was Bartuc's match, and though he himself relished the act of summoning demons and breaking them, he became worried with both Bartuc and other Vizjerei mages like him. Demonic corruption spread like wildfire, with Bartuc at the center, and so Horazon confronted his brother. Their battle took place outside of the gates of Viz-jun and eventually levelled the city itself, with the deathtoll in the hundreds of thousands.[4]
Aftermath[]
The war destroyed the clans and reduced their former splendor and glory to a hidden existence away from prying eyes. Mages were hunted and executed by the public, and only those who hid survived. The Vizjerei themselves, though they continued to exist, swore to never again summon demons and founded the Viz-Jaq'taar, the Assassin, to encforce that oath. Only one mage stronghold, the Yshari Sanctum in Caldeum, survived to the present day.[5]
Trivia[]
This section contains facts and trivia relevant to this article
- The Mage Clan Wars carries many similarities to the history of the Night Elves from the Warcraft series. Some of them are hinted at below -
- Brothers find an endless magic source in demons - Night Elves find an endless magic source in the Well of Eternity
- One brother is corrupted by demons - Approximately half of the night elves are corrupted by the Burning Legion through the Well.
- Mage Clan Wars - The War of the Ancients
- Vizjerei splits up into Horadrim and Viz-Jaqtaar - Night Elves split up into Night Elves and High Elves
- Seeing that the Mage Wars were fleshed out in the original Diablo manual, it is possible that the Night Elves were influenced by them and not the other way round.