The glorious present state of the arcane arts and sciences is the culmination of two millennia of struggle and discovery.  When the Nordiques arrived on these shores in -1507, they brought no magic with them.  They were a fierce warrior people with little inclination for contemplation and research (or, for that matter, thinking or reading). Following them here soon after were high elves and wood elves, some of whom seemed to have a natural inclination for spellcraft in their blood; and gnomes of various sorts, who had already begun to harness the superior power of magic inscription.  Facing an array of strange, powerful, and often magical creatures whom steel alone could not defeat, the Nordiques learned the techniques of the gnomes and elves, and also the techniques of the creatures they fought and destroyed.  The other civilized races similarly exchanged ideas and methods, and together, they forged the first useful spells.  Many of the foundational spells still in use today were developed during this period, including magic missile, silent image, and invisibility, all first crafted by the great Jana Formanová in -1433.  However, research was greatly hampered by the inherent unreliability of early magic.  No matter how powerful and knowledgeable the caster, he was only occasionally able to shape magical forces to the desired result.  Oftentimes the result would be sparks, and little more; other times a damaging misfire; still other times a seemingly random effect; and occasionally even the opposite result from what was intended.  This problem plagued arcane magical research for many centuries, greatly retarding its progress.

Even so, the First Age saw a number of key advances in the arcane arts, as well as a flowering of early magical societies, among them the Academie Mystique de Cossète, the Järven sorcerers at Saaremaa (now Waterbury), and the bardic conservatory at Riel-sur-Belanger in the Aubrien northwest.  Unfortunately, this momentum did not continue into the Second Age.  A number of factors conspired to make it so.  First, and perhaps foremost, was the victory of humankind over the civilized and uncivilized races of Teravide.  Together, the Nordiques and Whistlers wrested nearly all of Teravide from their humanoid cousins, leaving only the mountains in the sovereignty of the dwarves.  With the more magically-inclined races thus marginalized, arcane research stagnated, even in such centers of learning as my own Academie de Charron, founded in 288.  Humankind had also exterminated the vast majority of fantastic creatures that once dwelled in these lands.  Their magical and skills and abilities, many still unknown and unanalyzed, died with them.  Religion also played a key role.  While humankind was still threatened by savage beasts, Fisetans were willing to ignore, and in some cases even encourage, the development of ever-more powerful weapons of destruction.  With that threat gone, however, the Church pressured rulers to cease funding arcane research, and to limit its use against humans and other civilized beings.  They were often successful in these efforts, although the practical impact was quite limited.  The state-building wars of the 200s and 300s were as bloody as ever, but they were mainly fought with steel, not magic.

At the start of the fifth century, arcane research enjoyed a long-awaited renaissance.  The human states were already by that time showing signs of overcommitment and exhaustion, which helped weaken some of the forces discussed above.  Even more important, however, was the pioneering work of Wolcott Stevens Drake, the Great Mage of Waterbury.  In 396 he discovered the mental techniques necessary to overcome the unpredictable forces which had stifled magic, and transform it into a more reliable science.  Drake's methodology spread slowly, but allowed rapid progress to be made.  Many of our greatest achievements have been realized just in the last forty to fifty years.

The Drouiniste War from which we are all now emerging utterly demolished human society, and threw the other civilized races (with the notable exception of the dwarves) into chaos as well.  A great many talented mages of various races, and future talents, lost their lives in that conflict.  Arcane research has been set back enormously, as many struggle simply to survive.  Out of the inferno, though, new growth will spring up.  Teravide is again a wild place, and danger begets innovation.  A golden age may yet be upon us.