Wizards and Warriors and the oh so strange but alluring black magic- These are but a few of the wondrous and delightful subjects of this weeks latest sketch.

The Order of W.I.Z.A.R.D.S. is an elite grouping of the who’s who of charmers, conjurers, enchanters, mages, necromancers, sorcerers, voodoo-types, witches, warlocks, enchantresses, hags, hexers, sorceresses, warlocks, medicine men, foreseers, fortune-tellers, prognosticators, prophesiers, prophets, soothsayers, exorcists and wizards alike. After the fall of the great medieval kingdoms, the Order came together specifically as a way for like the minded individuals could union-ize. Like any group of people, they wanted to be sure to get the 401k, health insurance, and dental plans just like the rest of us. Before the Order, the Kingdoms, Empires, and other municipalities all took the work of their local mages and wizards for granted.

It wasn’t until a revolutionary pioneer for magicians’ rites stood up for what he believed in. His name was Sir Billiam Izzard. He worked in the royal court for many years and had earned a great deal of respect for his nightly performances. Sir Billiam had performed 12 straight years every night for the King during the dinner feast. Sure all he did was a little more than glorified card tricks, but he was quite the performer. That was until the royal accountant had convinced the King that in order to save some additional cubits on this year’s return that he should do away with the castle staff’s benefits. Sir Billiam wouldn’t have any of it. Sir Billiam refused to perform that night. And it was this action, this stand against authority that sparked a revolution among magicians round the world.

Sure ole Billiam Izzard was guillotined only moments after his refusal to perform, but he had made a statement that magicians had principles too. Word soon spread to everyone else in the field and so was born the Order of W.I.Z.A.R.D.S.

Sadly the Order was all but wiped out after the Order of W.I.Z.A.R.D.S. Convention in 1456. Apparently the story is that some young Wizard cast a tornado spell that effectively murdered the entirety of the population within the expo arena. But here their memory will live on with Sir Billiam and all the other late great Wizards of the world. Join us in the first of many P! Company tributes to wizards.