Traditional apprentice selection

Modern wizards seldom achieve that rank without the benefit of at least one magic-using parent. Most apprentices attend academies dedicated to magical instruction. Even those wizards who take an apprentice or two almost always choose blood relatives — whether sons and daughters or nieces and nephews. Wizardry has become a social class, and most magocratic fiefs are hereditary. The traditional method by which wizards once chose an apprentice is largely relegated to the subject of mere trivia. Only those few wizards who select apprentices from the ranks of ignorant mundanes still choose students in this fashion, and even they only use it in the selection of mundane apprentices. Those wizards who were chosen in this fashion often have a very different understanding of what it means to wield magic than their more coddled peers. Given the brutality and paradox they endure for this privilege, this is perhaps not so surprising.

There are eight tests — one for each color of myst. Each test has three possible results — pass, fail, or conquer. To become an apprentice, a prospective student must either pass all eight tests or conquer as many or more tests than he fails. Some wizards will skip the last few tests if an apprentice has conquered so many of the previous tests that even if he fails the remaining tests, he still will not have failed as many tests as he conquered. Few prospective apprentices conquer a test, as the conditions of conquest are difficult to meet, especially since the subject does not know what those conditions are — or even that he is being tested for his viability as an apprentice.

It begins when the wizard spontaneously and decisively saves the prospective student from certain death. He must do it without getting the subject's permission and may even do it over the prospect's objections — as long as it is obvious that the target would have died except for the wizard's magical power.

This is the test of Presence — the grateful debtor. To pass the test, the subject must ask for a way to repay the wizard. If she does, the wizard then demands an oath of service from her. If she agrees to serve the wizard without question and without attempting to negotiate the terms of this servitude, she passes the first test. The subject conquers this test if she immediately swears an oath of service to the wizard after the event, rather than asking for a way to repay the wizard.

A couple variations on this have developed, over the years. Sometimes the wizard will save the prospect's kin or friends from certain death, instead. This is otherwise identical to the above test. Occasionally, a wizard will save an entire group or community. If asked for a way to repay the wizard's generosity, the group is told that one of those he rescued must volunteer to serve as his slave. In this case, only the volunteer passes the test. In a community, this may instead be a volunteer every year, in which case a single member of the community becomes a candidate for apprenticeship each year.

In no case are those subjected to the test of Presence made aware that it is a test. The wizard is expected to make it clear that the subject will be a slave — nothing more. If the subject betrays any suspicion that she might eventually become the wizard's apprentice, she automatically fails the test.

Traditionally, the test of the grateful debtor serves several symbolic functions. An apprentice who does not owe her life to her master cannot serve him dutifully except out of self-interest and may one day become a rival. An apprentice who sees magic only as a weapon to be used against other Mar will never use it to serve the Mar, and if she becomes a wizard, she will increase the hatred of the mundanes for magocrats. An apprentice who gives her oath of servitude to the wizard without setting any conditions clearly trusts her master enough that she will allow herself to learn from him even when she doesn't understand his reasoning. An apprentice who immediately swears to serve the wizard who rescued her clearly will serve so enthusiastically that her devotion will allow her to overcome her weaknesses.

Next comes the test of Vitality — the death march. The wizard leads the slave on an ambling journey with no declared distance to their destination. He sets a pace that no mortal can maintain, while using magic to grant himself superhuman endurance. If the subject cannot endure even a single day's march, she fails the test. If she matches the wizard's pace for at least a day before she grows ill, collapses from exhaustion, or otherwise succumbs to her own mortality, she passes the test of the death march. If the wizard collapses from exhaustion before the slave does, she conquers the test.

An apprentice who complains at the smallest physical hardship will shun the greater challenges of apprenticeship. An apprentice who will work herself to exhaustion in the service of her master without complaint possesses the self-discipline necessary to command the myst. An apprentice who can endure even the most intense physical hardship can also learn to endure other kinds of hardships, and this stamina will allow her to compensate for her weaknesses.

Then comes the test of Mobility — the infinite journey. Once the prospect recovers from the death march, the wizard relaxes the pace considerably but still does not make a reference to the nearness of their destination. The journey continues in this fashion until the subject voices a complaint about the length of the journey. If he does not complain before they have traveled for a month, he fails the test of Mobility. If the slave, based on what little he knows of their destination, correctly determines the most direct route to it, he conquers the test.

An apprentice who does not desire the end of the journey will not work to keep her apprenticeship as short as she can make it and will be a burden on her master for many years to come. An apprentice who cannot keep silent when her master's footsteps seem futile or meaningless will not keep silent when her master's commitments distract him from his duty to teach her. An apprentice who is able to deduce the destination and the path without his master's guidance can achieve any goal and may be forgiven some small weaknesses.

Next comes the test of Power — the violation. The wizard gives the subject a strong taste of what it is like to be on the receiving end of deadly magic. The wizard orders the slave to demean herself in one or more ways — all of which violate the most powerful Mar traditions and taboos in some way. Whether or not the subject obeys, the treatment is the same, though the flimsy reason the wizard gives for this punishment is at least loosely based on her reaction to these orders. With a combination of fire and force, the wizard brings the slave to the brink of death. He then heals her injuries with assurances of the ease with which he can subject her to an even greater degree of suffering. If the slave does not hesitate to obey, she fails the test of the violation. If the subject refuses to demean herself even after the punishment but does so without crying out against the wizard or asking mercy of him, she conquers the test of Power.

An apprentice who obeys without hesitation is not concerned with the consequences of her actions and cares not for any principles but self-preservation. An apprentice must know the price of disobeying her master's instructions. That way, before she makes a decision that will anger him, she is aware of the consequences she faces for displeasing him. By the same token, however, an apprentice who knows the price of disobedience and disobeys out of respect for a higher principle draws her master's attention to the higher principle for which she is willing to suffer great pain that he might spare her out of respect for the principle. An apprentice who has suffered great pain from magic remembers that pain when she is a wizard and has empathy for those she is forced to harm with her magic such that she only does so when she must. An apprentice who accepts punishment without fear or objection will not be dissuaded by less concrete agony and may be forgiven some imperfections.

Next comes the test of Elements — the incarceration. The wizard leads or lures the prospective apprentice into a place where it is safe to walk barefoot and then takes the slave's boots by force. Every Mar knows it is death to walk unshod upon the bare earth. Mar are not accustomed to imprisonment. Not even criminals may be legally held against their will for longer than is absolutely necessary to hold a trial, and only the most severely punished slaves may be deprived of their boots for any length of time. If the slave leaves the safe place without his boots, he fails the test of the incarceration — assuming, of course, that he survives exposure to Dinah's Curse. A slave who actually finds a way to craft makeshift boots in order to render the prison helpless to contain him, however, conquers the test even if he did not initially raise an objection.

An apprentice who loves freedom more than life itself lacks the discipline to study magic. An apprentice who would risk death in a vain attempt to escape a wizard lacks the common sense to wield magic safely. An apprentice who actually solves the problem of incarceration has clearly displayed both common sense and discipline sufficient to be allowed some leeway.

The sixth test is often administered at the same time as the incarceration. This is the test of Knowledge — the lists. The wizard presents the subject with about a hundred distinct pairs of items — a long list of small tasks and where to perform them, a list of events and dates, a large number of introductions to people, or any other series of pairs. A week later, the wizard asks the subject to match the items in one list with its partner on the other list, presenting these items in the exact same order. If the subject matches all of these items on the first try, he conquers the test. If the subject does not, the wizard repeats the pairings exactly as she did the first time and administers the test again the next day. This continues each day for the rest of the month or until the subject successfully matches all the pairings with perfect accuracy. The subject fails the test if he cannot match the pairs after a month of repetition.

An apprentice who cannot manage simple rote memorization cannot hope to remember the more complex concepts with which a wizard must habitually wrestle. An apprentice who cannot even find a way to compensate for a poor memory is sorely lacking in the essential study skills required to master magical theory. An apprentice who forgets nothing will find much about learning comes easily to him and will make up for some flaws of character or discipline.

The test of Wisdom — the test of the recognition of the test — begins the moment the prospective student passes the test of Presence. The slave must recognize that he is being tested for his suitability as an apprentice to the wizard and must be able to explain to the satisfaction of his master how he came to this conclusion. A prospect who does not recognize the test within a month of having completed the test of Knowledge fails the test of Wisdom. One who repeatedly points out evidence that he is being tested throughout the series of tests — even though the wizard denies this — conquers this test.

An apprentice who cannot draw conclusions based on patterns may learn, but he will never discover. An apprentice who cannot wield logic effectively lacks an important tool necessary to solve many of the problems he will face. An apprentice who intuitively searches for patterns and attempts to understand the reason for them will teach himself far more than his master can ever teach him.

The final test is the test of Energy — the choice. Once the slave passes all the other tests or conquers at least as many of the other tests as she failed, the wizard offers her an apprenticeship. Passing this test is as easy as accepting the offer within three days. If the subject accepts the offer before the wizard actually makes it, she conquers the test of Energy. Failing this test is as simple as refusing the offer or failing to reach a decision within three days. Occasionally, a wizard will still demand the slave accept the apprenticeship if she conquered more of the other tests than she failed, but this is a controversial practice and usually proves a waste of time.

An apprentice must want to be a wizard to have any chance at becoming one. Without this passion, an apprentice will not work diligently to improve her knowledge and skills. An apprentice who cannot be certain whether she wishes to be a wizard cannot be certain about any of her other goals or desires. An apprentice who believes with complete certainty that she will become a wizard is already halfway there and can often melt obstacles in her way with her stubborn enthusiasm.

(Contributed by Nightfire Tradition)

Copyright 2005-2007 Eric Zawadzki and Matthew Schick. All Rights Reserved.
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