Theurgists

The Theurgists of Pagan are the servants of the Titan Stratos.

Description
The Theurgists are one of the four groups that wield titanic magic, their power of Theurgy being mainly concerned with air and healing. Living on the remote Argentrock Isle on the other side of Morgaelin, they are quite isolated from the rest of the population, despite their good reputation as always willing to help those in need. Their main occupation, as already mentioned, is to heal the people of the land, so that even more people would flock to their order, so that Stratos' power over the land would grow even more. The order has enshrined the principle of Truth above everything else.

The order has little formal heirarchy. Wise and old Stellos, while having no nominal power, is seen by many as the highest authority on the island.

History
The history of the Theurgists started when Stratos decided on a different tactic to gain power and charmed young Stellos to follow a new way she suggested. However, while the news of the healing powers Stellos could wield spread through the land fast, it was only when Stellos' resurrection of Kalen's beloved caused him to go blind, that the order did take off for real on the very island the miracle was done. The massive fame that feat gave Stellos - and the completely different image compared to the reclusive and mistrusted Necromancers - ensured a quick growth of the Theurgist order over then centuries.

When the Avatar arrived in Pagan in Ultima VIII, the hero joined the order of the Theurgists on Argentrock Isle in order to learn its magics. The Avatar managed to master all the quests, but in the end stopped the Theurgists from doing their magic by taking the Breath of Air from Stratos. This meant that healing by magic was over, and Stellos, after many centuries of sustained life, died. It is unknown if the order would try conventional healing to continue helping the people.

Lore




The Way to become a Theurgist
To become a full member of the order, the following rites have to be passed:


 * The aspiring student first has to correctly answer a set of questions dealing with the philosophy of Stratos correctly. Having done that, they are declared a student.
 * Now the student has to go to Windy Point and manage to stay up there for a given time despite Stratos trying to blow them off the peak.
 * Next, the student has to gather silver ore from the catacombs beneath the monastery and let the blacksmith of Tenebrae make the spell foci out of it. The foci then have to be charged on the center altar of the monastery.
 * The third test involves healing a wounded torax after transporting it to the other side of a lake with an aerial servant.
 * The last test is to make the leap of faith to reach Stratos, who will give the student the air walk spell foci. Now the student has become a full Theurgist.

Known Theurgists

 * Stellos: the first Theurgist
 * Boreas: Stellos' love
 * Cyrrus
 * Torwin
 * Xavier