HISTORY OF MAGICATS
The history of Magicatdom—and Magicats—begins with the ancient magicians of long, long ago. Some humans realized the ability to manipulate the energy of nature to their whims, conjuring powers and miracles beyond belief. These humans, ridiculed or exiled for their talents, became known as ‘magicians’, and banded together to share their knowledge and grow their art.
Magicians have been present in almost every society since the dawn of humanity. They often formed a minority class, disliked and seen as charlatans or devils for their talents. Though magic was capable of many great things, many were scared of what it could do, or greedily desired its power for themselves. Magicians became guarded and wary of who could learn magic, forming brotherhoods to practice in secret.
The animal folk, fluent in the ways of magic themselves, became the friends of magicians. Many magicians took on animal companions, raven, fox, or cat, for friendship and to aid in their spellcasting. None were more adept at serving magicians’ needs than the cat. Silent as the wind, clever, and flawless in magic, the cat was the perfect magical companion.
To travel undetected, magicians would often perform transformations on themselves, traveling in the guise of a cat. This form of travel became more and more common as the threat of persecution rose in Europe. Magic was seen as a sign of the devil and those who practiced it were branded outsiders. Outed magicians were expelled or massacred by their communities. Magical scrolls, if found, were burned. Those brave enough to practice feared for their lives, their families, and the centuries of knowledge that formed their craft.
In the early 1600s, the threat of witch hunts had spread like a spectre throughout Europe. Magicians found themselves hunted and on-trial, declared unholy by the Catholic Church. Most responded by going into hiding, but a popular magician who called himself Sorcerer Celevre began to rally others to his cause.
Sorcerer Celevre was a deeply convicted man and believed that those who didn’t practice magic were inferior to those who did. He preached that magic was an inherent talent and made those born with it a superior race. Celevre wished to rule over humanity and enslave the magical and non-magical to his whims. By preaching magicians superiority, he brought many magicians over to his cause. Soon, Celevre had raised an army of followers against the non-magical.
In the middle of France, Celevre’s home country, Celevre declared war against mankind by destroying a village and killing everyone there. Only one man was brave enough to stand against him: Merlin the 14th, a former peer of Celevre who had spoken out against him, raised his own army of magicians.
Merlin and Celevre dueled each other in a legendary battle that was witnessed by magical and non-magical alike. They fought as hellhound and white lion, surrounded by a clash between different sides. At the end, when it seemed that Celevre had bested Merlin, and would strike the final blow, the trap Merlin had set was sprung. Merlin cast his spell, and Celevre was banished from this plane of reality, sent plummeting into an eternal abyss.
The damage Celevre had done could not be fixed, though. Magicians’ cover was blown throughout Europe, and witch hunts increased in intensity. Magicians, expelled from their homes and driven into hiding, worried about the extinction of their race and the erasure of magic.
Merlin convened all leaders of the magician community, and together they made a decision: they would all lead their factions to a faraway land and create a new a new country, just for them. And to go undetected by humans, all magicians would shed their human form and join the animal folk.
On the planned night, ships departed from every harbor and sailed across the sea, following routes charted just years earlier to a new land. Hopes were low, the journey was long and hard, and none of them knew what they would find. But when the ships docked on the banks of a lush island, the magicians knew they had found their new home. They jumped off their ships as felines alike, planting their flags in the ground.
It was here that Merlin, henceforth known as Merlin of Magicats, cast his strongest spell: The Veil, which forever separated the realm of humandom from the realm of Magicats. The island became known as Merlin’s Landing, and Merlin of Magicats was crowned the new king.
Magicatdom has existed for 400 years, and now stretches from the eastern banks of Merlin’s Landing, New York, to the western shores of California. Though the history of Magicats is short, the hardships they endured to create a place for all Magicats today will never be forgotten.