Cessarea had long been an enemy of magic. Its military had silently slaughtered - or, rather, reported the mysterious disappearance of - thousands of practitioners across several dimensions. The Order of Life made sure to kept this part of Artificial history quiet, but alas, younger politicians did not understand the necessity to not say the quiet part aloud. They proclaimed the corruption that inherently tainted each and every dimension that magic was present in, attempted to prove to other nations and to their own population that the very existence of all sentient beings was put in jeopardy by magic. It worked for their own nation - magic has been banned for at least 10 decades. But Cessareans were not known to be content with their own determinations alone.
This project - to spread the word against magic to the international community - was abandoned over the years, deemed as too damaging to the reputation of Cessarea in the World Assembly. But the Artificials were not awake to object. They would be, very soon, but not before it could make a decision. The Protocol had asked for a timeslot to speak in, probably about some unrelated piece of legislation being drafted elsewhere, but it had just decided that different plans awaited that speech. A surge of power cracked one of the maintenance panels wide open, its plate hitting a mechanic's face squarely, knocking him out. The others decided to step back, as the Protocol's body became increasingly unstable. From its previously smooth bottom half, tentacle-like wires surged, attaching themselves firmly to the ground with claw-like appendages and forcing the floor to give way. It lifted itself from the trolley it had been placed in, and ruthlessly made its way towards the Chambers, destroying some of the Headquarter's walls and doors, soon to be much more difficult to replace.
It arrived punctually, assuming a position behind the famed podium, accidentally puncturing the raised platform it found itself in in order to keep itself balanced and at least somewhat straight. Here it was, to defend one last proposal:
"Colleagues," it began, in a disharmonious array of unrecognisable voices, hurtful to the ears "it is an honour to be here once more, to represent the righteous interests of Cessarea. We..." It stopped. A few minutes passed. Seemingly unprompted, an Artificial carrying an odd projection device joined the Chambers, positioning themselves behind the Protocol's body and transmitting to the wall behind low-resolution images. Explosions, burning cities, destroyed farms, and, at the very last image, a robed man pointing a wooden stick forward, projecting with it a blueish lightning ray which targetted an innocent reptile.
"I will be direct. We are here to advance the interests of the Order. Mages are a danger to us all. They corrupt the very dimension we live in, destabilise interactions with other universes and - inherently - undermine the style of our technologies. We must enact measures to ensure the continued prosperity of the average citizen from these... these monsters. They desecrate the bodies of our loved ones, and undo all that which we would consider righteous." It slammed one of its tentacle-wires back, against the Artificial behind it, sending them flying into the wall, leaving it with a body-like imprint. "Help me correct this. I must."
Inquisition Act
Author: CessareaDraft Count: 01International Security: SignificantAs of: 21/01/25
The World Assembly, in the interest of addressing the disastrous and corruptive consequences of the use of magic in all of its forms, signs into effect the Destabilising Metaphysical Influences Act.
- For the purposes of this resolution, "magic" is defined as the act of using powers of a supernatural origin for the manipulation of the natural or supernatural world. It explicitly includes but is not limited to any of the following, achieved through supernatural means: casting any form of directed power at any target through any shape; imbuing natural objects with any enhancements; subjugating, controlling or otherwise manipulating the will of living beings; summoning creatures; and reviving the deceased.
- "Magicians" are understood to be any natural persons who have, at some point, practised one act of magic. "Mages" are further understood to be any natural persons who posses some degree of control over their powers and may selective use them, or those whose ties to magic present themselves repeatedly, even if without intent. "Wild Mages" have no allegiance to any institution empowered by this resolution to legitimately employ Mages.
- The practice of magic by any private person shall be strictly prohibited, and criminal sanctions are to be imposed by individual member-nations which take into account the quantity of magical use involved in any given case.
- Illicit act exclusion clauses shall be permitted, in cases wherein the perpetrator used magic in self-defence or in a state of necessity.
- Organisations instituted with the purpose of abetting or incentivising this practice are to be understood as being criminally motivated and shutdown by local authorities.
- The practice of magic by any public person shall be restricted to activity which directly contributes to the downfall of magic as a practice by contributing to the arrest of Wild Mages or otherwise undoing any damage done by them.
- The General Inquisitorial Council is established and is hereby tasked with cooperating with local police and military authorities in curbing the influence of magicians by, though not exclusively, aiding in their arrest and employing Mages in countermagical operations to undo any damage or influence they've inflicted upon the natural world through magic. Mages employed by the GIC, Inquisitors, are exempt from being penalised for the use of magic during the execution of their duties.
- It is the duty of the GIC to ensure that all Mages employed by it are capable of competently wielding magic, so as to minimise the chance of accidents and unnecessary damage during its operations.
- The GIC shall supersede local authority when determining which persons are to be considered Magicians and Wild Mages for the purpose of arrests.
Magic will die.