The word 'prodigy' is not taken lightly within the Wizard's Association. In the event that a member dares to declare that they have found one in their latest apprentice, the High Elder will test them in a highly advanced and dangerous trial.

Of all who have entered the Wizard's Association since it was founded, Ysmir was the only youth to succeed in this trial completely unscathed. If his mastery of magic had not been accompanied by a fascination with the darker forms of magic, the title of High Elder could well have been his own by now.

Ysmir's banishment from the Association has done little to diminish his available resources, as he has steadily built his own network of contacts throughout the dark underbelly of Amaldran Society, so that he may further pursue the knowledge that was once forbidden to him.