Sorcery and Dark Magic

In ancient times, a second force of power emerged. Magi and the guardians of good were no longer the wielders of all power. Vennin, betrayer of the Good King, stole the secrets of the deepest powers, perverted them, and taught them to his followers. They created a kind of magic which gave the practitioner immense power much quicker and easier than the Mana and Magic of old. They learned that not only virtue (Mana) can lead to magical arts, but also destruction and corruption, or "Sors." Here is a selection from Alec's Spell book mentioning the Dark Magic:

Sors

"Sors is the energy basis of all Sorcery, or "dark magic." It is the manifestation of vice. The most powerful of Sorcerers, are the most corrupt and destructive of creatures. All energies and things conjured by a Sorcerer are created from and out of his/her personal levels of Sors. When unfocused, it resembles a wispy dark smoke. All speaking beings (including ghosts) bear some Sors naturally, and therefore may be able to do certain simple curses or hexes. Yet it is increased, cultivated and focused through servitude to Vennin, the ancient betrayer. 

"For a being to increase his/her proficiency in Sorcery, he/she must display certain vices to a higher degree. These vices include Greed, Falseness, Pride and many others. All vices correspond to a certain type of Sors, and every type of Sors corresponds with certain curses. To cast certain curses to a high degree of intensity, the applicable vice(s) must be made manifest to a high degree..."

Sorcerers have plagued the Magi for centuries, yet as Alec and his companions will soon learn, there are much more dangerous and deadly forces rising against them than Sorcerers!