Disclaimer: The following document fragment is presented from an in-character perspective, it should not be taken as the truth of the setting.
Context: Mages cling together for mutual protection and support. But yet, there are those who find themselves outside of the pack. Those born from affairs with the non-magical folk, or who live in those parts of the world where, even in the modern times, mages lack a strong presence. Those who are often consigned to unavoidable death through their isolation.
In the discourse surrounding demi-mages and hedge wizards, a commonly brought up statistic is the high mortality rate among both groups, correlating with their disconnect from the broader society of mages. One may thus wonder what is the nature of this correlation and if there is anything that can be done to prevent it. The simple answer is, unfortunately, that the correlation is causative, and there is little that may be done about it.
This a cruel judgement, but let us elaborate on the problem.
We all understand that there are entities in the wider Cosmos and within the Dream that either predate upon mages or see us as a danger that must be eliminated. We developed systems and structures to ensure our safety within this society we have built for ourselves over the millennia. At the base, the parents protect their progeny, and we congregate into small groups, encouraging mutual protection of the group members to maximise the possibility of our legacy (genetic and memetic) being maintained in the future.
But the magically gifted living outside of this structure must fend for themselves and face three issues that lead to fatal consequences.
First, the trivial issue, the lack of a support network in cases of emergency. This is, of course, the consequence of being essentially forced to fend for themselves, or rarely in small groups that, by chance, managed to find each other. Such outliers are the most susceptible to predation.
Second, without access to the knowledge we accumulate, these individuals are oft doomed to repeat the errors of our past, to not heed basic safety guidelines of which they know nothing, and thus trespass into dangerous boundaries.
Third, without guidance in their young years, these outliers, in particular hedge wizards, do not match the arcane aptitude of a traditionally trained mage. This makes them not only the most vulnerable from the perspective of visibility and group support but also the least capable of defending themselves.
As such, they are often deemed to be self-correcting errors.
It was our mistake to allow them to be born into this world and not find solace and protection under our wings.
And so, they die.
Esoteric Musings... 