Though many individuals throughout history have wielded metahuman abilities, few are as powerful or least understood as the mystic arts. Sorcery is the ability of an individual, through the use of special components, to impose their will to change reality. Depending on the Mage, the spell, and the technique used, the effect can be very subtle or be very obvious. Almost every species in Known Space has had some sort of Mystic Tradition (known as Schools) in their history. On Earth, there is a rich magical history, though a few Magical Schools have stood out over the millennia.
The oldest school of magic utilized by Humans was arguably the Istari School, which had the same roots as the Eldar School practised by the Elves. It was introduced by the Nephilim Wizards Alatar, Gandalf, Pallando, Radagast, and Saruman during the Third and early Fourth Ages of Middle-Earth and it would continue to be practised by small covens centuries later. Few today practise the Istari School, though rumours that the Wizard Shazam is well versed in its lore. It would ultimately serve as the building blocks for the magical revolution that was overseen by arguably the greatest mortal magic-user in history, Agamotto.
Very little is known about Agamotto himself, other than he was a gifted practitioner of the mystic arts. He took as his foundation the Istari school, but combined elements from the Eldar school and dozens of other smaller traditions of magic, forging them into what has become known as the Agamotto School. This robust and comprehensive technique would ultimately lead him to claim the title of the Sorcerer Supreme and led to many of the traditions that will-workers follow today. Indeed, the Agamotto School has served as the basis for almost every other modern school and is still practised today by Doctor Stephen Strange and Doctor Fate.
Of the other magical traditions a few are notable:
The Ollivander School took the Istari practice of consolidating magical power into implements such as a staff and made it a core feature of their magic. Practitioners of the style utilize wands to focus their magic and cast their spells. While their style is very potent they are so dependent on their implements that they cannot cast spells if they don't have access to their wands. This style is taught and practised primarily within the British Isles through the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and other schools approved by the United Kingdom's semi-secret government department, the Ministry of Magic.
Long before the island sank, the Atlantean School developed as an attempt to develop the ultimate School of Magic. They attempted to alter the human genome to sense the paranormal and better channel magical energies. The result would be the Homo Magi, a divergent subspecies of humanity whose sorcery is inherited and almost instinctual. Practitioners often develop their own personal techniques of casting magic, unaware that it's largely unnecessary. Known users of the Atlantean style are Arion the Immortal, Zatanna Zatara, and Wanda Maximoff the Scarlet Witch.
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