Volans, the founder of the Colleges of Magic, was one of the first men to learn magic from the High Elves and the greatest of the human pupils of Teclis. It was he who instructed the patriarchs of the colleges to commit their newfound knowledge into a single tome so that Teclis' teachings would never be lost. In all the Empire, it is the only source of arcane knowledge that does not distil the secrets of magic into one of its eight separate winds. However, the human mind is unable to master the full spectrum of sorcery, and every wizard who has attempted to read from the tome has been driven out of his mind. A magical seal was thus placed upon the book to protect anyone else from a similar fate, a lock that only Volans' ring can open. This ring has ever since shared a mystical connection to the forbidden tome, and both resonate with raw magical power. The Ring of Volans is carved from a single emerald, capable of storing a spell and the magical energy to use it. A warrior who possesses the Ring of Volans is able, for a small time at least, to harness a tiny fraction of one of the eight Winds of Magic.