”The Awakening” refers to a series of events stemming from the mass realization of magic in society. This period was largely characterized by violent uprisings both in support and opposition to magic use. The severity of these uprisings ranged from small riots to acts of terrorism.
The Awakening marked the final shift of sorcery from being practiced only in secret to being able to be practiced openly. While it remained less than commonplace, the average person would not be shocked to see the occasional spell cast in public.
Mythikos had long been working to civilly integrate magic into the everyday. On the government side, he did this primarily through the behind-the-scenes work of Chief Warr Arrna, assisted by Rich Williams and others. At a grassroots level, his goal was to train as many as possible in the responsible use of magic so that they would be equipped to understand, if not respond to, arcanely-enabled threats.
The passing of Mythikos left a void of authority, as Josh Macintosh understandably did not command the same level of fear as his predecessor. This void emboldened certain elements that were reluctant to make themselves known while the all-seeing Mythikos was alive.
The most destructive actor during this time was an organization known as the Inheritors. Largely composed of magically adept youth left stranded after the collapse of the Elect, this group primarily organized through anonymous online forums. The Inheritors were responsible for numerous attacks on public buildings throughout the U.S., with the stated objective of abolishing existing society and establishing one dominated by magic users. The majority of their actions were ultimately tied to a single figure, known only as The Beacon.