From the introduction: Wizardry and sorcery. Mystical forces. Spellcraft. Magic is called a very many things by a very many people. Some consider this mystical force to be wild, out of control, not-comprehensible by any known being, and ward against it's use for it's destructive and spoiling nature, while others see it as divine favor, given to sentient-kind as a gift, to be used responsibly. There is a third group, those who are able to understand and see the patterns in magic, and see it not as divine favor, nor as an uncontrollable force of nature, but as a science, who are able to use the patterns and the language of magic, into a controllable, scalable force. These people take on many titles, but the universally accepted title is a Mage.