Sor'rai is separated from Biora by mountains, from Cassile and Karrim by sources of the Great River, and from Dabion by Lake Azin. The weather goes through many changes of season, some of which are superficial and designed by the Magi to confuse human observers. The land is wooded and green. The people are fair in coloring, and are much taller than the native stock of Cassile.
Folklore of the Five Countries
Folklore of the surrounding areas designated Sor'rai as the home of fairies and magicians. The Sages, observed across the Lake, were described as elves and fairies. Explorers never crossed Lake Azin or its outlet river, and cartographers were stymied in their attempts to record its geography. The Healers, due to their mild and unassuming manners, were not connected to the folklore, although they were reputed to come from Sor'rai. The Sages were acknowledged as deriving from Sor'rai, and due to their unusual characteristics, those that ventured into the Five Countries were declared mad and imprisoned in asylums.
The most cosmopolitan and least powerful group, the Healers are former Magi. They have a calling to minister to foreign lands; they are born among the Magi and give up some of their powers, preserving Healing skills, so they can go out into the Five Countries. They must cross over the rocky land bridge that links Siva to Dabion on the north shore of Lake Azin, since the ability to travel through water is one of the powers they give up. This abduction of power results in a sort of amnesia: they are unable to speak of their past to a non-Sor'raian.
This is the major "society" of Sor'rai. The Magi have homes hidden throughout the forests of Sor'rai, scattered family units distanced from each other in a loose network, and they meet regularly under Lake Azin, having the ability to travel through water without breathing. The meeting place is accessed through underground tunnels that link the family homes; there are looking glasses there which allow the Magi to observe all of Sor'rai and portions of the Five Countries.
The society of the Magi is very shallowly stratified. The elder and dominant Magi are members of the True Council, the nominal government of Sor'rai, which assembles in the under-lake meeting place. They are wrapped up in their own traditions and the recording of history. They do not like to address social problems, such as incidents where household magics were used to manipulate and injure others.
The people of Sor'rai pre-date the humans, and they observed their spread from Cassile into Dabion, Azassi, and Siva. They were at first fascinated by humans, then repelled by their greed and belligerence. They still monitor humans, mostly for the sake of a complete history of the continent.
The Magi are responsible for maintaining protection wards over Sor'rai, creating illusions of moving trees and landmarks so that humans cannot chart the land, casting spells to turn back ships, and the like. They prefer to avoid contact with humans, and do not understand the callings of the Healers to serve them.
The Sages are enigmatic; even the Magi do not understand their ways. Although the Magi have magic and are skilled in many forms of physical manipulation, the Sages are actually the most powerful group. They rarely exhibit these powers externally; it is chiefly in the mind that their abilities lie. They have mental abilities, often able to read minds at some level, and possess knowledge beyond what can be gathered empirically. In extreme circumstances they can create massive physical changes by attacking minds.
They do not think linearly, and their language does not follow normal patterns of logic. To non-Sor'raians they seem mad. They traveled extensively in the Five Countries, confronting humans' perception of reality. In the period of Dabionian rationalism, they were the antithesis of rationality. Asylums were established in Dabion and Mandera to confine them.
Within Sor'rai, Sage communities are scattered. They rarely live in large numbers, for in their minds they live with all the earth and time (this is why they are content to remain in the monasteries). Some travel in small packs, within and heading out of Sor'rai. Their literal travels-which are not insignificant-are indistinguishable from their mental troubles.
The Magi can record little of the history of the Sages other than a few encounters. Out of respect for their power, and because they are afraid of being proven weaker, the Magi do not use their eavesdropping spells to observe the Sages. If a Sage observes a Magus working magic or makes contact with a Magus' mind, that Sage gains control. This arrangement is largely formal and relies upon agreement that the binding is fast; Sages highly value the importance of language. On rare occasions, Sages allowed a Magi into their minds, and the Magi reported that the extent of knowledge was unfathomable.