Wizards

Wizards are sapient beings formed completely of magic, which is an unusual sight for many. This perceived peculiarity has led to them being faced with scrutiny in many places.

Wizards have widely varied appearances in body plan alone, but generally fall into the categories of both humanoid and human-sized. Wizards generally have dark "skin"¹, often blending into the shadows of their garb. Notably, their eyes and teeth are semi-luminous, not exactly glowing but they stand out against the rest of the Wizard and can be seen clearly even in the dark. Wizards, despite having external features that might imply them, do not have internal organs. Despite this, they are not solid all the way through. It's common for mouths to have "throats" regardless of placement, and the like.

Wizards are a rather recent phenomenon in the grand scheme of things, having existed for only a few thousand years. The first Wizards were believed to be the spirits of the dead, returned to bring judgement to the living. Later generations were instead regarded as the dead forced back as punishment for the great crimes of the past, proof of what happens if you allow greed to swallow you. In more modern contexts, however, Wizards find themselves classified as their own species, as defined by natural philosophers throughout the developed world.

Most Wizards in recent times are synthesized using a formula² authored by the resulting Wizard's "parent(s)", the formula unfortunately being destroyed in the creation. When asked, Wizard individuals report a seemingly innate knowledge of their own construction which is referenced while writing the formula of their "offspring". Such individuals appear to manifest with a fully developed intellect, albeit lacking in contemporary knowledge. They frequently come about without a name already attached to themselves, though this is not the case in areas where the common belief dictates the name to be the root of the soul.

The oldest living Wizards formed from enchantments placed upon objects used many hundreds of years prior to their manifestation. Such individuals report having memories of being the object they were affixed to, with varying levels of detail. It is unclear if the object resides inside them or was destroyed upon their manifestation, as nothing is left behind when shifting between states. These Wizards do not, despite what myth might dictate, find themselves drawn to repeat what they did before becoming Wizards.

Wizards, as the most stable example of living magic, are in the uncommon position of comfortably existing near-fully in both worlds simultaneously, and can affect and be affected by both. Individuals cannot exist in only one world due to the requirement of a constant intake of magic, dissolving when this need is not met. Some state that they need to focus on one world to influence objects in it, whereas others claim to have an instinctual ability to cleanly switch between affecting one world or another.