Pueritia and Adolescentia Magi

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

It's been said a couple of times in the books that it is a crime to keep an apprentice to long, but it still does happen. It made me wonder if the opposite is true. That some parens finish the training and pass an apprentice through a gauntlet early. This also may not be legal. (Though it may still happen regardless)

Now there are statements to the effect that apprenticeship is legally required to be at least fifteen years. Though HoH:Tl mentions that adult Hedge Magicians inducted into the order are an exception. So it may not be a law without loopholes. Canonically both Criamon and Bjornaer often recognize apprentices as full magi well before their 15 years are up. But this is apparently only official within the respective houses as they still pay lip service to the 15 year rule. But House Tytalus does officially recognize a Tytalan apprentice as a full magi if he slays his parens. So there may be some path around the peripheral code they've already navigated.

Though I admit it should be rarer then stalling a gauntlet there reasons a Master might try to rush an Apprentices graduation legal or not. The Parens might not have been as ready for the commitment as he thought. The Apprentice might have flaws that make him unsuitable as a lab assistant (Like they're an idiot). The Apprentice might be a political liability, or the master needs one more loyal voter at the next tribunal. That Bonisaugus the master hates might be threatening to take the student. Heck a Parens might just think the Apprentice is ready to be a full Magi and doesn't feel the need to keep them around as their lab monkey.

This could lead to some interesting characters and plot hooks.

A sheltered Criamon child living in the Cults Domus Magna. She holds some vital piece of information but expects to treated as a full Magus.

A young magi released after only 10 years of training suing his former master for the leasons he missed out on.

After that character's successful case a Hedge wizard inducted into the order demands his fifteen years of training from the Magus who invited him.

The nine year old Tytalus who managed to incinerate his drunken Parens with the man's own wand.

House Tremere requiring Parens to power train their apprentices two seasons a year but gauntleting them after eight years. Swelling their numbers without using fast time regios.

One thing I thought of after reading the Tytalans tradition of inducting other Magi (whether they want to be or not) into their house if a Magus defeats a Tytalan in some spectacular way. What if an Apprentice of another Magi defeats or kills Tytalus mage in a worthy manner. And the house inducted the Apprentice as a full member as they would one of their own Apprentices.

2

You forgot to mention the Thebes Tribunal, where standard apprentices ships are 14 year - from tribunal to tribunal to tribunal.

3

Despite the few mentions of the legal requirement of a 15 year apprenticeship, IMS, we say it varies from tribunal to tribunal, with the 15 year apprenticeship just being a guideline.

For example, my saga, set in the Provencal Tribunal, the Peripheral Code of the Tribunal only mentions the legal requirement of 1 season per year, and makes no mention of how many years of training are required. The Quaesitors of the tribunal may refuse to swear in an apprentice for any reason, mostly they do this if they feel the apprentice is dangerously under-trained. Of course, the master of said apprentice may appeal this decision at Tribunal.

I recently ran a side story for the Quaesitor IMS where he was called to swear in a young apprentice who's Eremite Bonisagus master was skirting the edge of Final Twilight. Once the master realized that he was coming close to his end, he abandoned his own studies in favor of cramming as much of his knowledge into his apprentice as he could, as fast as he could, instead of passing his apprentice off to another magi.

When the PCs (the Guernicus, a Bonisagus who was to conduct the Theoretical Interview, and an Ex Misc to act as witness) arrived, they found a 14 year-old girl who was at least as well trained (Hermetically speaking, that is) as any of them had been at 25! However, the girl was terribly sheltered, only vaguely aware of the outside world and painfully gullible and naive.

The players had a nice long bit of roleplaying as they agonized over what to do. The master of the girl offered them substantial rewards for swearing the girl in on the spot, and the PC covenant was hurting for vis, as they'd very recently nearly depleted the stores on updating their library, so they were sorely tempted.

So they came up with the compromise of swearing the girl in, but taking the girl and her soon-to-be-inherited home (a large, fortified manor house) and attendant resources as a chapterhouse to their own covenant, with a clause in the charter that the chapterhouse contract would dissolve after 7 years, with an option to renew, as well as many restrictions on what kind and how much control the mother covenant has over the chapterhouse.

It was a fun session, full of good roleplaying that earned the PCs some minor but interesting resources (this old Bonisagai has some interesting things in his personal library that I'm tying in with some of the PCs backgrounds and/or future goals).

4

Well Sundered Eagle is still on my to buy list. :frowning: