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Credits
Editor: Sue Weinlein Cook Author's Foreword: When Goldmoon first discovered within herself the power of mysticism, she was in the twilight of her life. The Chaos War five years earlier had claimed the lives of many of her friends. Her husband Riverwind and her younger daughter Brightdawn had perished not long after, in an abortive attempt to drive Malystryx the Red from Kendermore. So when Goldmoon undertook what was to be her final trip to the Inn of the Last Home, it was with a heavy heart. Little did she realize that a new chapter of her life was opening. When this one woman tapped into the strength of the mortal heart to heal a dying dwarf, she opened the door for the world to explore the power of the spirit. Whether she was actually the first person ever to experience such a power is irrelevant. What matters is that she became the first individual in the new age to explore these powers and teach them to others. Since that day more than twenty-five years ago, the magic of mysticism has spread across Ansalon. Some mystical knowledge has gotten into the hands of those who would use it for Evil ends, such as the Order of the Skull of the Knights of Takhisis. Others use the power of the spirit for the common good: healing the ill or injured, defending others against harm, and improving the lot of their communities. Some people believe the Fifth Age will be among the most magical of all the Great Ages of Krynn's history. This speculation arises less from the potential power of sorcery and mysticism - although the limits of modern magic have yet to be tested - and more from the possibility that nearly everyone might one day wield some sort of magic. As knowledge of mysticism and sorcery spreads, more people have access to arcane powers than ever before. In the Fourth Age, mages and priests had to make the study of wizardry or religion their life's work, committing themselves to a lifelong study of their field in order to work their miracles. In the Fifth Age, some claim, an innkeeper can tap into the power of the spirit as easily as the Revered Daughters and Sons of Paladine. Farmers might improve their yields by using animism, warriors their combat skills through channeling, and physicians their healing skills through the assistance of mystic magic. Most philosophers, however, consider the notion of this "Golden Age" of magic little more than a dream. Reality cannot approach these speculations, they remind their colleagues, while there remains the little matter of surviving the predations of a dangerous world.
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