Individual practitioners who discovered that with enough will and the right words, reality would bend to their designs.

 

            As individuals learned that certain elements had different powers and commands, they broke off into 'types' of mages. Focusing on one element to achieve perfection.

 

            Cabals pooled their powers together to focus their energies and create more powerful spells than one mage alone could cast. The societies eventually became insular, and shunned by the outside world as much as they shunned the outside world. Secrecy lead to fear, fear led to war, and in a futile attempt to keep their secrets to themselves, they were overpowered by the masses. Eventually magic was outlawed, and driven into hiding.

 

            With most societies outlawing magic, outlaws began practicing magic. Dark people, created dark rituals, pulling magic power from beyond the core elements, and creating new and terrifying spells of necromancy. Some say demons helped push these dark magus to their power.  Eventually their might from the shadows required societies who once banned magic to take it up again, for defense against powers beyond that of a sword.

 

            Several lessons were taken from the age of darkness. Not the least of which was the use of wands. The unskilled mages of the dark ages learned that honing a tool, like a wand, or staff allowed the mage to channel and focus the energy the commanded. This let weaker mages focus their power at a target, rather than an area, as well as let more mature mages weave spells with finesse.

Magus are severely watched within civilized locations now. Many have moved to the country to do their work in private. But now they're left alone. Even so, they rarely congregate in one place anymore. Occasionally, they form councils to discus the state of magic, trade spells, and pass judgment on mages who threaten to undue the community. This magical society is one only a few are invited into, even amongst practitioners of magic. They hold the council to the highest standards, in hopes of avoiding another dark age.