From the shattered warpgates at the poles of the world raw energies of Chaos flow into the world, powering works of sorcery and sustaining Daemonic entities. This is magic in a pure but unstable form. Thanks to the wise counsel of Teclis, greatest of the High Elf Mages, Human wizards have learned to draw upon a single facet to work with a form of sorcery which is relatively safe, but still capable of feats of vast power. These isolated strands of raw magical energy are known as the Winds of Magic.

Winds of Magic is a comprehensive guide to the practices and traditions taught by the eight Colleges of Magic. As well as providing background to the development of magic in the Empire it includes details of a multitude of magic practices, creatures, and places.