The First Edict

The First Edict is more than a name—it is a historic decree that shattered a kingdom’s course and reshaped A’Nota into the patriarchal, anti-magical state it is today.

The First Edict was once a secretive organisation founded centuries ago to uphold the 'Divine Order' of A'nota. a strict doctrine that places men at the peak of societal hierarchy and deems magic not only unnatural but corruptive to the soul.

Originally a splinter group of highborn priests and war veterans, the First Edict has grown into an insidious power beneath A’Nota’s surface, influencing laws, education, military ranks, and family structures with frightening precision.

A once thriving people, willing to embrace the slight magic gifted upon them for the benefit of the people, now influence and bullied into continuing restrictive structures and a man-ruled society. As women were more common to manifest with powerful magic, this thrust threat upon societies values. Magic was then seen as a taboo, unnatural and forbidden.

The First Edict strives to keep A'notan 'values'. Physical - natural - strength is valued and magic is anathema. br

Long ago, A’Nota was a flourishing realm, rich in intellect, art, and Aetheric promise. Magic was common - especially among noble-born women - and was once celebrated. In that golden era, it was widely believed that the goddess Myri had chosen A’Nota to nurture a new age of magical enlightenment, with women often leading religious and academic circles. This path ended when Heir-Presumptive Turolis Thaelon, a second-born twin of lesser talent but towering ambition, cast his kingdom into shadow.

Prince Turolis' older sister, Crown Princess Alessaria, was destined to be Queen, blessed with extraordinary magical ability, grace, and charisma. Turolis, though intelligent, was eclipsed by her brilliance. In secret, he began building a following: philosophers, warriors, and clerics who feared that magic would unmoor tradition. Using religious texts, manipulated history, and whispers of divine warnings, Turolis forged the First Edict.

Let it be known, the gift of unnatural power is a curse born of vanity and chaos. Let those who wield it be purged, lest the world be swallowed in flame.

— Turolis Thaelon, Prince of Anota.

He orchestrated his sister’s trial - twisting her powers into "signs of corruption." The people, fearful and awed, did not intervene. She was stripped of title, declared unclean, and rumoured to be burned for her 'sins' in the High Temple of of A'nota. It is said her screams echo in that place still. Whispered rumours say she was seen fleeing into the night with an Aetheri guard

Thus, The First Edict was born - not just a law, but a living order, rooted in spiritual devotion, political control, and cultural cleansing.

The First Edict presents itself as as a sacred doctrine, a return to natural order:

• Magic is a corruption, particularly when wielded by women.
• Strength, discipline, and obedience are the true virtues of civilisation. Women must serve, not lead, for power breeds rebellion and decay.
• The Aether is a seductive lie—a test from the gods to separate the worthy from the weak.

They reframe the magical history of A’Nota as a near-apocalyptic time of spiritual collapse, decadence, and instability. In truth, the Edict rewrote centuries of progress into propaganda, blaming magic for plagues, wars, and unnatural disasters.

The First Edict now functions as a hybrid religious-militaristic order, a shadow government that influences every aspect of A’Notan life.

In Society:

• Education is filtered through Edict-approved doctrines—boys are taught strength and stoicism, girls are taught obedience and domesticity.
• Marriage Law is tightly controlled; women cannot refuse a match. If a woman does not produce an heir within a year, she is “given over” to re-education.
• Public Trials of suspected magic-users (often women) serve as spectacle and warning.
• Symbolism dominates: statues of Turolis crushing a serpent (his sister), relics of "purity" worn by soldiers.
• Birth Rituals are watched closely—children showing magical affinity may be “culled” quietly, or spirited away to “reformation centres.”

The Academy of Purity is greatest legacy of The First Edict after Turolis' rise to power. Designed as a serene institution of “spiritual cleansing,” it is, in truth, a prison in silk robes. Wayward women—those who question, refuse marriage, fail to bear sons, or show even passive magical traits—are sent here.

The Academy is built in a beautiful walled estate, full of fountains, songbirds, and pale flowers, meant to soothe the senses—and lower defences. Punishments range from emotional isolation to forced confessions, drug-induced visions, and sacred flagellation.

Many instructors and caretakers are loyal to the First Edict, especially the Veiled Matrons, who act as secret enforcers of doctrine.

The First Edict is not content with domestic rule. They believe they are the only righteous society left in a world sullied by Aether.

Their reach includes:

• Convents in kingdoms like Treyshill and Phaedorin - where they insert 'Sisters of Silence' - spies or reformed women who slowly shift doctrine.
• Printing seditious pamphlets in foreign cities, spreading “warnings” of magical corruption disguised as religious teachings.
• Hosting "Virtue Festivals" that attract conservative leaders from other nations, subtly showcasing the Edict’s ideals through theatre, art, and ceremony.
• Espionage within the Aetheri Citadel—they are rumoured to have spies embedded among sympathetic scholars, perhaps even a reformed Aetheri.

While convents in more progressive kingdoms still allow Aetheri women to leave, the First Edict applies pressure to slow or shame the process, pushing for “Spiritual Testing” or “Proof of Incorruption”—long, often dangerous rituals designed to exhaust and deter.