In North America, the hidden world of magic and the arcane is known as the Magimundi (magical world). Magimundi is plural because it acknowledges that there is no singular type nor tradition of magic. The term came into use in the late 17th century, as wizards from various European and African continents took up residence in North America, where diverse magical traditions among the First Nations and indigenous peoples had existed for centuries and continued to flourish. Magimundi is often used to refer to the magicians within the world. It is a term that encompasses the magical culture and norms among magic-practitioners in North America, and is a unifying word.

The world of the Magimundi co-exists with the Mundane world, and mages may patronize Mundane establishments, though they seldom see need to. Much of the Magimundi is not visible to non-magic users, who are simply referred to as “Mundane” or “Mundanes.” Mundanes do not see, or interact with, the world in the same way that mages do, making certain knowledge and even certain structures and beings largely invisible to them. In addition, magical structures, buildings, farms, and communities are protected with wards, charms, and creatures (such as scarecrows and golems), to keep them away from Mundane senses. These wards must be maintained, and this is the duty of employees in the Bureau of Mundane Separation & Secrecy.

Magimundi tend to live near each other, in communities or subdivisions or urban buildings comprised solely of magic users. This makes it possible to practice magic more openly within these zones. It is forbidden by the Edict of Separation & Secrecy to practice magic on or in front of Mundanes. A New York City skyscraper full of hundreds of Magimundi families, living in individual condos overlooking the Hudson, might look to Mundane eyes like an warehouse, an empty lot, or a statue garden. A hidden entrance would allow access to the Magimundi residing there. Likewise, Magimundi primary schools, known as the Primascholae, are also warded. Flower Mountain Escuela Mágica, for example, appears to Mundane eyes to be desert rock formations, and Great Plains Institute is a group of grain silos rising from the prairie, according to Mundanes.

Anyone can manifest magic at any time in their lives, though it typically appears during adolescence. Once one manifests magic, their eyes are opened, and what was hidden before is revealed. The fact that magic can spontaneously appear in any person tends to thwart Unsoiled Heritage arguments that magical ability is passed through bloodlines, but that doesn’t stop them from steadfastly adhering to that idea. Unsoiled Heritage families have the inherent advantage of having always been aware of the Magimundi, of access to Leeuwendaalders, and of early access to magical education.

The mage’s natural lifespan is thought to be approximately 300 years, though this is a figure based on taking reasonable, lawful, and affordable measures to prolong one’s life. For a variety of reasons, mages may forgo life extension, in which case, they are thought to live to be approximately 150 years old. Mages’ appearance, in terms of age, vary wildly. A venerable appearance by a Wizard of any gender commands respect.