sean wrote
Magic & Religion
There is no question that Magic is THE competition for religion. Notice the resurgence of religion in the Celestine empire coincides exactly with the suppression of Magic. As religious sentiment continues to grow I would expect to see greater polarization between magic and religion. Religions like Orkistism that rely on people with magery may find the going tough as they compete with the guilds for the same talent pool. Since government will be naturally hostile to members of the "illegal" mage guilds, some short-sighted officials may look to priests to fill their need for War Mages, scryers and other magical talent, further cementing the relationship between religion and government and funneling government money to the church's coffers. Man... that is starting to sound pretty apocalyptic.
That is very much what is happening, especially in the eastern part of the kingdom, where the Church of Danica is growing strong. Danician training is being introduced at the Academy as well. The illegal guilds are going farther underground and are moving west, to stay out of the influence of the church. The new Prince in Pangoria is making hiding all the more difficult.
When you reach Pangoria, you will find that mages have been replaced with Priests of Danica. The church has donated some of it's priests to the betterment of mankind. Other religions are having a hard time thriving there. There is plenty of confusion and debate amoungst the populous.