Silver Age

The Silver Age describes the historical period immediately after the withdrawal of John Uskglass from the throne of Northern England.

The cause of his withdrawal is still unexplained but its effect was almost instantly obvious. The practice of magic, till then in a flourishing state, began its decline. When the King left the more gifted magicians of the day followed in his retinue. Those who remained continued to work magic as before, but a gradual decay set in which, like a blight upon a blooming plant, more and more encroached upon their art. Soon it was clear that English magic had entered its twilight. Slowly, as perfectly reliable spells began to fail in their effect, the common people lost confidence in magicians. Honest men, dispirited by failure, gradually abandoned their practice and cowans, charlatans and mountebanks stealthily took their place. Decline was complete when it was universally accepted among gentlemen that anyone claiming actually to do magic was either an obvious rogue, or merely deluded.

That unhappy era of transition is generally known as the Silver Age.