The Breakers

Prologue

It is not known when the Shatter of Wills happened. Many believe it was three centuries ago when balance was restored. The Breakers have always been a mystery to those of us that aren't important enough to know. Most of us don't even know what the Breakers are, if they're even tangible beings or ethereal spirits that don't exist in the physical realm. All we know is that they have more control over Elestria than any one of us could even dream.

Elestria was once a realm of chaos and ruin. Those who lived back then fought tooth and nail for any semblance of power. Peace was the dream of few, and war was rampant. Then, at an unknown time in an unknown place, free will was eradicated. Peace and order quickly followed and Elestria healed itself in the shadow of the destruction. The Breakers sought to have a perfect society, one free of war and chaos, where its people could prosper. They thought that by taking the free will of Elestria's people, they could keep the peace.

Today Elestria is beautiful in every way. No war has taken place for many lifetimes, and the land and its people are at peace, at the expense of their free will. Society has organized itself into classes and every mage, creature, and non-magical has a place. The Breakers are always at the top of the chain. Each link in the chain has its own purpose and its own amount of free will. The only beings with any knowledge of the Breakers are the Archmages. They are also the only ones allowed to have full free will besides the Breakers themselves. The Archmages are extremely powerful and the most fearsome magicals alive. They rule society under the guidance of the Breakers and keep the peace.

The next link in the chain is the Seers. Despite being mostly all-knowing, Seers know very little about the Breakers and have some free will stripped from them. Seers are looked up to by most because they can tell us more about ourselves than any other magical. They have the free will to educate themselves any way they see fit, and to use that knowledge to better the lives of themselves and the patrons that seek their guidance. They tend to live lavish lifestyles and are put high on a pedestal within each city. If they misuse their free will and endanger Elestria in any way, they are immediately stripped of all titles and land, and sent to live a solitary lifestyle, contacting no one and meant to live alone for the rest of their life. Many rogue Seers go mad in this solitary Hell, and are never heard from again.

After the Seers come the Battlemages. Their control of destructive magic makes them capable of fighting off any threat Elestria may face. Their position allows them the free will to make important combat decisions that could mean the difference between the fall of the cities they protect, or the safety of Elestria's inhabitants. Most Battlemages die before they reach old age, but they are loved by all and are given the highest honor of anyone of similar ranking. Battlemages make up a vast majority of society, as most of them have big families of other Battlemages and pass down their combat skills from generation to generation.

Following the Battlemages are the Warders, who are given the task of shielding the Battlemages and keeping up protective measures in all cities across Elestria. They specialize in wards and counterspells to fight off dark magic. They are the last link in the chain to be given any titles or land and live comfortably, keeping close to the Battlemages in the wealthier parts of the nation. They often die in combat protecting the Battlemages, but are given some level of free will to make quick decisions in the field.

Next up are the Healing Mages. They do all they can to heal wounded soldiers or cure ailments with the use of their specific skill set. They hold no titles or land for themselves, and work in all areas of the realm, wherever they are needed most. Respectable healers make a modest salary, and are able to afford a few luxuries that high society has to offer. As far as free will goes, they only have the capability of making decisions that directly benefit their patients, but cannot make decisions about their future or family unless otherwise instructed.

Closely related to the Healing Mages are the Alchemists. Most low born citizens do not respect Alchemists because they are not able to produce much magic on their own, and primarily rely on their knowledge of ingredients and concoctions rather than applying their own magical energy. Alchemists are revered by Healing Mages and other members of high society because of their potions that aid in battle and healing. Being somewhat low on the chain, they do not make a steady income and only particularly skilled Alchemists are able to live comfortably. They are not given a whole lot of free will, and any plans for experimentation must be thoroughly reviewed before permission is given.

Weather Mages, the link below Alchemists, are tasked with keeping the seasons in tact and making sure weather is balanced. There is not much thinking required when it comes to the seasons, therefore Weather Mages are given very little free will unless unpredictable environmental changes happen. For the most part, Weather Mages are not wealthy at all, and tend to live in the lower end of their cities. Not many Weather Mages are needed, so they tend to have small families, but longer lives. Most Weather Mages either die of old age or disease, and are not held in very high regard of magicals in the higher classes.

After the Weather Mages come the Nature Mages. They are in charge of caring for animals, producing crops and other goods, and maintaining forests and other areas of the realm that are directly impacted by nature. They heavily rely on Weather Mages to keep the necessary requirements going to keep their crops alive and livestock happy. Since maintaining crops and livestock is very routine, they are only given free will in the event of a drought due to a lack of Weather Mages. The majority of Nature Mages live outside of the city walls on farm land, and they usually have larger families to offset the demand for food.

The lowest chain of magicals is the Enchanters. Enchanters provide magical items to other classes, but do not have any magical capabilities besides that. Most Enchanters are looked down upon by magicals higher born than they are, and they are the poorest of all classes. There are not many Enchanters in Elestria, as most magicals become Enchanters when they have no magical affinity to any other class's skill. They are often considered the "runt" of the family and are given no free will at all.

Finally, there are the non-magicals. They are not on the chain at all as they have no magical capabilities. The Breakers have labeled all non-magicals as dangerous and unpredictable, mainly because they cannot be controlled. Their lack of magic makes it impossible for the Breakers to take their will away. Besides the Archmages and the Breakers themselves, non-magicals are the only humans that have the freedom to think and do as they please. Because of this, they are on the run for the entirety of their lives, doing anything they can to avoid detection and being imprisoned or executed. It is rare that a non-magical is born to a mage family, so most non-magical families have no magic in their family line.

No one has dared try to stand against the Breakers for as long as anyone can remember. Many non-magical rebel groups have attempted to gain allies from lower magical classes, but the Breakers see all when it comes to low born magicals, and alliances are swiftly dealt with. It is only a matter of time before one brave soul decides to take a stand against the oppressive rulers of their society.