Mage Meadowbrook lived a simple life in the marshes of Hayseed Village. Her house doubled as a clinic for the residents, and would also see ponies and creatures from outside the village visit. She was taught by her mother how to make potions and salves from the incredibly diverse plantlife the Hayseed marsh provided. Mage grew to be very familiar with all the tools her mother used. By the time the earth pony was asked to take up the mantle of village healer, she had already become more skilled than her mother. She inherited the family’s mostly decorative plague mask as a young adult, and would continue pushing the healing artes she was taught.
The history books and a large number of sorcerers know Mage Meadowbrook as the founder of White Magicks and the first White Magician. However, the reality is that she was nothing more than a pony with a strong dedication to her craft. Her clinic was already famous by the time she started to run it, but her skills would bring in more and more people seeking help and medical attention. Life in their era was dangerous as there were not many advances in the curative magicks. Basic healing magicks were created, but beyond that no one felt it needed to be explored. Meadowbrook though it a shame that those who had the power to heal simply left it alone in pursuit of other interests like the arcane. Every few days, she would leave the clinic in her mother’s capable hands to go to nearby cities, learn about new plants she could use, and dabble in studying healing magicks. She was met with sneers and laughter when visiting magick libraries to read up on known theories for curative spells. The unique properties of those spells called upon the body’s own ability to heal in specific spots as well as rejuvenate the body so they could return to the battlefield quickly. Her medicines and salves could not keep up with the efficiency magicks could output, but they could heal damage from devastating wounds vaster than could be casted if they were properly made beforehand. Much like the lessons her mother taught her when she was young, Meadowbrook was quickly coming to understanding what healing spells and its school of magicks entailed, as shallow as it currently was. She came to the conclusion that she would never be able to overcome healing magicks, but she could more than easily cover blindspots spells could not.
In studying theory books, she did come across that it could feasibly be possible to bring back someoen from the brink of death, or even someone who had recently parished if the right curative spell were cast. However, such feats were best left forbidden since if the spell were miscast, a zombified corpse could be raised instead since it was near impossible to focus magicks that intense to the area that suffered the most damage, like a grievous wound. Nothing in her repertoire of medicines could even come close to bringing back the dead. However, there were a few stories told to her as a child by her mother about the Phoenix and it’s amazing plumage. There were tales of processing its down feathers a certain way could yield the same outcome as the life giving magicks theorized. Not many were dumb enough to approach a Phoenix since battling them was a pointless venture resulting in either endless death and rebirth for one or death and still death for the other. They were left alone by all except the most daring adventurers since they would often be found nesting near lands scorched by dragons claiming it. Making trouble with one would often mean trouble with the other even though the two don’t interact very often.
Much to her surprise, Mage Meadowbrook found the Phoenix to be quite amicable. Finding them proved to be easier than anticipated since she learned they thrive near dragons. There were large dragon settlements outside what would become the Lunar and Solar lands, but a few small patches of land scorched by isolated villages with equally miniscule burns of Phoenix near their territorial borders. After traveling to the closest one, and doing her best not to draw attention from the dragons, she unknowingly became one of the first ponies to befriend a Phoenix. She offered some food at a safe distance from the nests and simply gathered what feathers were available.
With the assistance of her mother, Meadowbrook successfully treated the Phoenix feathers into what reflected in those stories, but a unique problem had presented itself. How would they know if the feathers worked. Currently the villagers were quite healthy, and none of the residents were reckless enough to need this drastic of a treatment. It was almost half a year later when traveling to one of the great libraries when the grim opportunity would arise. Mage Meadowbrook had been traveling with some of the treated feathers in case something happened, but prayed that no situation would show itself.
One of the decorative statues crumbled due to being ill maintained and critically injured two pedestrians. Many fled to a safe distance in case the other five statues on what would be come Crescent’s Great Library also fell while calling out for any who could help. Meadowbrook immediately dashed towards them and administered what first aid she could before understanding they needed much more than that. In a moment of desperation, knowing any help would come too late, she unpacked her Phoenix Down feathers and placed them on the two victims, and made history. Within seconds with one and minutes for the other, their major wounds sealed, and they were sitting up. They were weakened and exhausted, but out of immediate danger.
When some sorcerers came to patch up the recovering ponies, Meadowbrook was questioned about the curious event that occured. She told them about her profession, the feathers, and their effects. Soon she found herself repeating herself to higher level wizards, and then even higher ones. Eventually she found herself talking to what appeared to be a counsel. As it turns out, the processed Phoenix feathers (nicknamed Phoenix Down by laymen even though most feathers could be used) provided the needed inspiration to understand life restoring magicks. From this, a renaissance of the newly dubbed White Magick began. With her consultation, new White Magicks were born. The most significant being Raise derived from the treated feathers, and Esuna coming from the same Life Magick principles instead of Curative ones used in Poisona and Cursena, combining them all into a rather costly cure-all spell. She had no ability to use Magicks, but Mage Meadowbrook established a whole school of it by advancing healing magicks in a short amount of time.
Her trip was unexpectedly extended due to this, and came back a month later, instead of a few days. After explaining all of what occurred while in the city through letters, the extended stay was prepared for. When she did finally make a return, she was accompanied by many aspiring White Mages hoping to learn this exciting new branch of magicks. They were all rejected repeatedly, but followed her home anyways. Meadowbrook sternly told them that anyone who wouldn’t work at her humble clinic couldn’t stay. From those half dozen informal students emerged the first White Mages as they are more or less known in the current era.
Shortly after her “disciples” left, Meadowbrook was approached by a gloomy Unicorn looking to recruit others for a unique task. One that would lead to another, and then another. Ultimately she and the group she joined would find themselves on a journey that would span a millenium in the blink of an eye.
White Mage’s Garb – Recorded in the history books as the uniform chosen to allow people to know who to seek at a glance from a crowd. In truth, it was simply the clothes chosen by the clinic. The cloak is treated to be partially water repellant to keep liquids off, and for ease of maintenance. The first true White Mages were also wearing treated cloaks, but that “tradition” was lost to time.
Mask – The unusual mask worn by Mage Meadowbrook is something she’s known for. Her face may have been lost in the details as time marched forward, but the mask she wore made her easy to remember. It works much like a plague mask does by keeping bad air away from the face. They knew enough to understand that this doesn’t help too much, if at all, with the ill, but it came in handy for keeping harmful dusts out of the eyes and away from mouths. Her protoge’s all silently agreed that it made her look really cool when she wore her cloak and mask.