In the Age of Darkness, magic worked quite differently in comparison to its now-codified rules. The magic wielded in ancient Sosaria was far less versatile; mages were very busy rediscovering the limits of sorcery, since magic had been outlawed in Sosaria for many generations due to a general distrust by the populace. The coming of Mondain forced its return, in the hopes that a knowledge of magic might help to combat the evil wizard. It was an interesting time, before the rules for magic were finally set in Britannia.