#high mage of katolis

[wheretwofacesmeet]

Breathtaking scenery

[blutopaz15]

timeskip Rayla got really into writing self-insert rpf fanfic about her and Callum, published on Archive of Xadia's Own

[nix-moon]

I got so angry at Callum for leaving Ezran... And I don't wanna think about it or even consider his motivation to do so I just wanna be angry for once without elaborating much

[mollymauksboi]

not ashamed to admit that i have a bit of an obsession with the dragon prince now 👀

i binged all 7 season in 2 weeks while i was hella sick and i am down bad for viren. so ive made a silly little ship edit video for my oc and viren 🤭

[raayllum]

Viren becoming high mage once Kpp'Ar 'vanished' adds new weight to Amaya's critique of "His death creates opportunity for you" to Viren in 1x05 huh

[disney-creations]

mommy rayla and daddy callum

[stardustedstories]

@dragetunge liked this post for The D.ragon P.rince!

"Wait a minute," Callum says, looking over the other person, a young man about his own age, "if you're half-elf…., then what's the other half?" Somewhere Ezran is probably just shaking his head at his brother's cluelessness.

[greenmoons]

The Epic of the Void

In Tales of Xadia it was mentioned there is a song called 'The Epic of the Void' about the Startouch Elves in the library in Evenere. Now I wonder why Callum needed to go to Lux Aurea for information. He was the high mage of Katolis for two years. I know he doesn't like dark magic but he did read about dark magic in those years and he did study it so he could approach to the other high mages in the other kingdoms. Having connectioins is important, he could have just ask for help from the other mages to analyze the stuff in Viren's chambers. I know Evenere is in chaos but Callum could still ask their high mage for help and ask her questions. It's seems off he didn't try and get informations and expand his horizons with other mages. Season 5 proves us he did study dark magic even if he never plan to use it, so he should have done it. In the few days between season 4 and 5 Callum should have sent crows to all the high mages in the other kingdoms to find information. I know the Evenere mage doesn't have a reason to tell him about the poem, but he could have tried the other human kingdoms, he had information about Aaravos in the Katolis library the others might have some books as well. Sure, if they also have books about startouch elves the writing could have disappear anyway, but he should have tried it. Maybe the Evenere mage would have approve for him to go and read this poem. I know the poem is not very informative but he could be important like the book with the ocean sonnets. I think this poem will be important, maybe they will go to look for this poem next season and we finally going to see Evenere, there is a reason it was in the Tales of Xadia for sure.

[theredhairedmonkey]

I feel like most people kinda get the point of the season, but it does seem that there are a handful of people that are either ideologically committed to either seeing dark magic as always evil or seeing Callum as morally corrupt or compromised in a way that Rayla and Ezran are not (not sure how the latter is even remotely possible at this point), so maybe it might be good to spell out season 7's theme for everyone's benefit:

This season's theme is first and foremost about the loss of childhood innocence, a necessary step to becoming a fully-rounded adult. When Aaravos talks about losing childhood innocence, he's referring to the moment when someone realizes the world isn't as simple as they once believed - that good and evil aren't always clear-cut, that sometimes difficult choices must be made. His perspective seems to be that losing this innocence inevitably leads to moral compromise, that understanding complexity means abandoning simple principles.

And he's...actually not wrong. Ezran wasn't pure because he was such a moral paragon, but because he was innocent. He was able to position himself around ethical lines (such as refraining from violence) because he was always protected from the consequences that moral complexity brings. But once that was taken away - Katolis destroyed, facing his father's killer, witnessing Callum's supposed betrayal - it forced Ez into a situation where he couldn't take the same morally rigid stances he once did. 

Complexity invites challenges. Challenges invites compromise. 

Much like Aaravos, Callum is a character who understands all too well what this means. He lost his innocence at a much younger age when both his biological parents had died and he was forced to grow up too fast. When Aaravos says that there is "great affinity" between them, he's right in a certain way - he's recognizing their shared ability to perceive moral complexity - to understand that situations aren't always simple black and white choices. Both characters demonstrate this understanding. Aaravos sees beyond simple good and evil, recognizing that sometimes difficult choices must be made. Similarly, Callum understands that situations can be "complicated," as he says about the Runaan situation, acknowledging that justice and mercy can conflict.

However, Aaravos is also very wrong about Callum because he fundamentally misunderstands what he does with this knowledge. 

When Aaravos talks about "compromise," he means compromising moral principles to achieve desired ends. His view is that since the world is morally complex, we're justified in doing whatever serves our purposes. This is where he's wrong about Callum.

Callum's recognition of moral complexity actually leads him to become more principled, not less. When he understands a situation is complicated, he doesn't use that as justification for moral compromise. Instead, he looks for solutions that acknowledge the complexity while maintaining clear principles about who should bear the costs of difficult choices. His final plan with Aaravos demonstrates this perfectly - he recognizes the need to use dark magic (showing he understands complexity) but ensures he bears the cost himself through sacrifice (maintaining his principles).

The situation with Runaan foreshadows how he handles Aaravos - Callum's recognition of complexity leads him to find more creative ways to do what's right, while maintaining principles about who should bear the costs. Whereas Viren/Claudia would sacrifice others (i.e. creatures, people, etc.) to achieve their ends, Callum's main sacrifice is himself - he will block Aanya's arrow with his body, or resign as High Mage the second he think it would be necessary to do the right thing.

This explains why Aaravos becomes so furious when Callum reveals his sacrifice plan. Aaravos believed their shared understanding of complexity meant Callum would eventually follow his path of moral compromise. Instead, Callum shows that understanding complexity just motivated him to find other ways to stay true to his principles, even at the cost of his own life. He proves that recognizing the world isn't black and white doesn't have to lead to corruption.

By the end, he demonstrates a simple truth that forms the core of this season - the loss of one's innocence is inevitable, but the loss of one's character is not.

[m4rs-ex3]

i love callum being all "erm actually i'm the high mage of katolis so yeah" like bestie you're the only mage of katolis

[wheretwofacesmeet]

[otter-and-terrier]

a mage and an assassin.

a human prince and an elven warrior.

the first human in history to connect to not one but two Arcanums and use magic, and the elf who took a stand against the most powerful (at the time) dark mage.

the high mage of katolis and the last dragon guard.

remember this scene in the Great Bookery, with callum lighting the arrow with a spell and rayla firing it?

...what a power couple.

[momentov1vere]

Prince Callum, High Mage of Katolis⚡️💙

for TDPtober day 25 (Sky)

[lawchan89]

Soren: Viren, you have to do something to save the people of Katolis from this attack. I’d ask our current High Mage to do it, but he’s——

Callum: *currently sucking Rayla’s face off at some inn on their way to the Moon Nexus*

Soren: ——not around.

[raayllum]

callum potentially uncoining kpp'ar is the funniest thing to me, cause you have this human in a coin right, and you assume anyone who's in there has to be at least a decent human being-ish to get on viren's bad side. and then you let him and out and discover 1) he's a dark mage, or 2) at least he used to be, while you yourself have now opened that door back up after years of trying to keep it closed, 3) he taught your predecessor just about everything he knows, including, presumably, how to coin people in the first place, 4) and he also used to have your job. so suddenly you have a man who's committed crimes on your hands, but not as many crimes as he could have (viren backstory bass boosted) and then you take him back to katolis and boom, who's there? viren, who now has to live with the consequences of your actions for a change. check and mate

[inamindfarfaraway]

In the first episode of Season Six, “Startouched”, a white-haired girl in her late teens has emerged from a body of water onto a beach lit by the sun, and seen her not-actually-dead father who she lost two years ago restored to complete life with a dark magic spell that demands blood be spilled. She’s distraught after the intense trauma of killing another member of her family. Her father made peace with passing on, but she selfishly couldn’t bear losing him and acted to keep his spirit tethered to the mortal world, hurting him in the process. She stands, then falls. Someone she loves dearly, the male former high mage of Katolis with brown hair who has repeatedly used dark magic but solemnly sworn off it, embraces her and she returns it. But then he abandons her. She is unbalanced, despairing, directionless and lost.

In the last episode of Season Six, “Stardust”, a white-haired girl in her late teens has emerged from a body of water onto a beach lit by the moon, and is about to see her not-actually-dead father who she lost two years ago restored to complete life with a primal magic spell that demands blood be spilled. She’s relieved after the intense catharsis of enabling other members of her family to die. They made peace with passing on, and she selflessly accepted losing both of them and acted to heal and free their tethered spirits. She falls, then stands. Someone she loves dearly, the male high mage of Katolis with brown hair who has repeatedly used dark magic but solemnly sworn off it, embraces her and she returns it. He will never abandon her. She is mature, hopeful, purposeful and found.