Magical Prohibition

Dark Age of Empyrean

The Magical Prohibition was a decree made by Bakal, the King of Dragons after he conquered the land of Empyrean, to which all information and practices of magic were to be destroyed. This act directly led to the 500 Year period known as the Empyrean Age of Darkness and the creation of "science" by the Empyrean people.

History

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Long before Bakal's arrival in Arad, Empyrean had once been a flourishing, peaceful society heavily influenced by the magical arts. When Bakal arrived and conquered Empyrean in 15 B.A.C. (15 years before the establishment of the Arad Calendar), he realized Arad was the planet that Hilder intended to sacrifice to fulfill the prophecy for the Reconstruction of Terra. In order to thwart her plan, he needed to find a way to train and unite the races of Arad to be strong enough to not only fight the Apostles but also be able to kill Hilder and Cain. However, Bakal knew that in order for the people of Empyrean to stand a chance and prevent the destruction of their planet, they would need to abandon their magical heritage completely and find an alternative source of power. As skilled as the Empyreans were in magic, their skills would prove ineffective against a master of magic like Hilder. In addition, Bakal needed to be able to accurately track Hilder if or when she discovers his plan and decides to interfere. Unfortunately, the only way to ensure this was to eliminate all other practitioners of magic in Empyrean.

In 14 B.A.C., Bakal initiated his plan with the declaration of the Magical Prohibition, which banned all studies and uses of magic within Empyrean. To this end, all books and records of magic were burned. In addition, all practitioners of magic were gathered, trialed, and executed in front of the public. Eventually, under Bakal’s rule, the Empyrean people lost touch with their magical heritage, and the art of magic became a myth. However, as time passed, Bakal realized that this act of terror was not enough. There were still other ways for the Empyreans to receive knowledge of the magical arts.

In Arad Year 1, Bakal blocked off access to the two towers that were connected to Empyrean, the Castle of the Dead and the Sky Tower. For the Sky Tower in particular, he blocked the tower off with an impassable magic pentacle. Although it allowed beings to pass through it from above, it prevented them from entering from below; thus blocking all communication of magical knowledge from the Arad Continent to Empyrean.

Unable to fight back against Bakal's cruelty with the magical arts, the Empyrean people discovered a new power, "science", to oppose him. As time went on, these studies of science would eventually lead to the creation of the Bakal Resistance group known as the "Eternal Flame" and the creation of super weapons known as the Ancient Trigger and the 'Gaebolg' Project.