Black Mage

A translation into Common of the Unified Western Church term Maleficorum, (originally from the Eloran language), and meaning casters of malefic magics, with special reference to the Powers of Darkness.

Malefic Magics

The exact definition of malefic has varied with time, location, and individual Sects and Orders, but the generally accepted meaning encompasses:

By Association

• Those who consort with the Powers of Darkness as their servants.
  • Any and all followers of the Demons, be they Agents or cultists.
  • Non-mage cultists as anathema regardless, given other Church prohibitions on following demons.
• Those who consort with the Powers of Darkness purporting to be their masters.
  • Greater Summoners.

Mages who are malefic by association are almost always considered Black Mages regardless of their actions. A Greater Summoner who (claimed) to only raise demons for good purposes would still be considered a Black Mage, as would one who never raised demons at all.

Some of the more extreme Orders (usually within the Michaeline Sect) consider additional Colleges make their members Black Mages by association. Most common of these is Necromancy followed by Witchcraft. A few also add Rune Magics to the list, stating the entire Entities branch of magic antithetic to the Powers of Light.

By Actions

• Those that raise the Restless Dead.
  • Creators of Undead -- usually Necromancers.
• Those that spill the blood of men to cast their magics.
  • Mages that use humanoid / sentient sacrifice in their magic.
  • Rituals that require body parts -- such as a Hand of Glory -- fall under this prohibition.
  • Rune Mages that use their own blood are a (barely) acceptable edge case.
• Those that use magic to control men, making them commit acts of evil against their will.
  • Mages that use charms or mental control and force others to commit evil.

Any mage that performs a proscribed action (an action of Black Magic) risks being considered a Black Mage by the Church, but providing they avoid the proscriptions (at least within the sight of Church representatives) they will generally be safe from the mainstream Sects and Orders.

Note that in many areas where the Church is strong, actions of Black Magic are illegal and carry stiff penalties, even aside from the other laws that may be violated in the process (e.g. desecration of graves, murder, assault, etc).

Witch

Considerable confusion is created by the alternate translation into Common of Maleficorum as Witch, leading some to assume that all Wicca are automatically considered Black Mages by the Church. More confusingly some Orders within the Church (especially Raphaelite Orders) accept Wicca as members, while some other Wicca follow dark paths that do indeed make them Black Mages in the Church's eye, and a few extreme Orders even consider Wiccans to be Black Mages by association with their College.