As background flavor for my magus, a Tytalus, I had the master's former apprentice be a genius perfect student and the master was attempting to thwart the House of Tytalus by not teaching the boy Asterpatos according to the insanely brutal Tytalus way. So this child prodigy excelled and was brilliant like none other, and the master bragged and bragged. Well this boy was slowly manipulated by a unknown Tytalus, a magus that did not like his filia departing from the code of Tytalus, and so the master's own master and beloved rival, decided to destroy the apprentice.
Long story short, too late, a child indulged and given the powers of a magus at a very very young age is truly a frightening thought. A youth is easily manipulated by a 120 year old master of intrigue and sorcery, and there is nothing like using untraceable mundane means to turn an apprentice into a dagger in the heart of a master.
This aside, I like the idea of the minor and Major Virtue, with the Major virtue coming with a minor personality flaw.
The minor virtue with the apprentice ending within say 3 years of the 15... remember Theban turns out students in 14 years no problem. The Major virtue could give you a trained mage in say 8 or 9 years, but with the draw-back of the personality trait signifying some unhinging of the supple mind. Perhaps over-confidence, arrogance, paranoia, ect.
Of course this originally was posted long before Apprentices....
Trying to remember... are you truly allowed to kill them without repercussions? I know technically you might be able to have one die without there being a issue, but if you actually murder one, wouldn't your Tribunal get a bit pissed? Definitely within the Theban tribunal you would suffer a public reproaching, a issuing of one or more shards, and possibly a forced removal of politi status and been told to leave the Tribunal.
I understand the context of what you are saying, but something in there struck me as worth talking about. How are apprentices treated in different Tribunals. Thread done: