Magicians in Ellada have
a similar history and place in society as they did in our own Victorian Era.
When Micah begins to study the history of magic, he learns the following from The Secrets of Magic by Adem Risto: “The
book had a brief overview of magic from its beginning: as basic illusions that
priests would wield to cement their followers’ beliefs and sway the cynical.
Vestige artifacts were considered holy and proof of the divine. Yet when scientists
deduced that Vestige might be technology and not magic, believers grew more
cynical of the priests’ effects. Magic for a long time was street
entertainment, often married to vaudeville or circuses.”
There were a few great
magicians of the age, two of which are the magicians who have a fierce rivalry
that sparks again in Shadowplay.
Adam Risto, the author of
The Secret of Magic was responsible for changing a lot of people’s
opinions on magic. He was the one who really helped it become what it is in Shadowplay – a grand stage extravaganza. Shadowplay describes him as: “An
incredible inventor, he transformed magic from sideshow entertainment into a
show fit for nobility and royalty.” He was the first magician to perform for
royalty, in the grand Hippocampus in Imachara, the capital of Ellada. He also
kept his personal life very private, so not much was known about him, other
than he came from modest beginnings. He died about half a century ago.
Risto was a great
influence to the first of the magicians we see in Shadowplay, Jasper Maske, or the Maske of Magic. He, too, came from
humble beginnings and invented many wonderful illusions when he worked with his
partner, Pen Taliesin. Jasper founded the Kymri Theatre, an incredible theatre
inspired by the beautiful architecture in Kymri, another island in the
Archipelago, loosely based on Egypt. This became one of the biggest showcases
of illusion outside of the Royal Hippocampus. Maske was set to become a
magician to eclipse even Risto. I’ve based Maske a bit on the magicians Carter
& Robert-Houdin.
However, this all changed
when Pen Taliesin, Maske’s partner, turned against him. Taliesin, when he
joined Maske, was primarily an escapologist, and while he had an energy that
the audience loved, he lacked the same refinement and delicate prestidigitation
of his partner. I’ve based Taliesin a little on Houdini. Initially, they worked
together in harmony, developing new tricks and performing some of the best
illusion shows in the country. But their relationship turned sour and they
became bitter rivals. Fifteen years before, they had a duel, and the loser was
no longer allowed to perform magic.
Fifteen years later, that
duel is rekindled in Shadowplay, with
Drystan, Micah, and a new character, Cyan, at its heart.
You can find Laura at the following places.
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