The Encyclopedia

Reminds me of a story. Had a mage here once, more ambition than talent. You know the type. Got thrown out for, well. Drunkenness. Taunting Aszerath. Blowing up a classroom. Take your pick. So, there he is, nowhere to go, no prospects. Just the clothes on his back, a beat-up satchel, and a canny old pyro raptoria. What to do?

Point the first. Pyro raptoria can learn that this human gabble means that spell. Best to do nonsense words if you try this approach, of course. Don’t want them thinking “Good morning” means “Blow up that chair.” This one knew dozens of spells. All sorts. Useful and otherwise.

Point the second. Get a few miles out from the castle, it's another world. Most villages haven't seen so much as a phoenix feather in ages. Mages? Rarer than reples turtle eggs, some parts of the world.

So, mage gets to the first flyspeck on the map, he sees an opportunity. Keeps the satchel close - mage equipment, delicate, dangerous to the uninitiated, you know how it is. Speaks his nonsense, pyro raptoria casts the spells, he takes the credit, the food, the drink - whatever they give him. Pyro raptoria gets scraps, if that. Travels a while, next village, same routine.

Few villages later, he gets careless. Overambitious. Forgetful. Maybe a mug too many at the tavern. Garbles the command, waits for results, gets exposed. Literally. Pyro raptoria wasn't really his, you see. Person he got it from didn't like him, knew he'd get cocky, taught it some nasty tricks. There he is, middle of town, crowds watching, naked as he came into the world. Satchel's gone. Pyro raptoria isn't.

Well. No living that down. Never heard from him again. Heard tell he changed his name, got a job sweeping streets. Or something. The pyro raptoria? Became the village wizard.