Yeah, I thought of more questions, haha. Knew I would.

Basically, is there an encyclopedia entry on the Academy itself in the works? I'm sure the questions I'm asking would be covered there, though if there already is one and I missed it, I apologize.

How is the school set up? I assume it's like a boarding school, with dorms and stuff, but since it's in the city (and in a neutral area from the looks of the map) would trips outside the Academy be allowed as long as students are back in time for bed/their classes? Or would they only be allowed outside a certain area on the weekends? Are there any specific breaks they'd get off to visit home, or just around the end of terms? How long is each term? Is it like a high school setting, where each year is broken up into two semesters, but the classes don't change until the following year, or more like college where the classes are one semester long and change each term? How long does a mage's training at the Academy typically last, in terms of years? How old are they in general, assuming most mages are found around the age of fourteen, when they graduate? Is there a ceremony? How does one go about getting a job as a mage after graduation? Are there specialty degrees--like after the first few years of the basics, each mage can continue learning only their specialty?

Most of these aren't really vital, just rather points of interest that might be referenced in posts at some point, but what's important for threading purposes is if they're allowed 'off campus', so to speak, at any time or only a specific time, how long the education typically lasts, if there's a curfew for students, that sort of thing.

Uhm... yeah, I think I went overboard with the questions, sorry. >.<

Hey!

Regarding the Academy, there are no fixed...rules. Like no timetables, no real rigid curriculum. In many ways, the Academy is open-learning, with students probably having one Master Mage (a Mentor) they report to. This Master Mage would be their primary teacher, and he or she would set the boundaries on how the child will learn magic. They might favour strict, tabled time frames. They might favour a looser, more Socratic method. They might teach the mage exclusively, or they might send them off to other teachers (or even other students) to learn a spell or two.

The Academy isnt prison, nor is it Hogwarts. When a Magelet isn't in class or doing work/studies assigned by their Master Mage, they are free to go about their way (provided they've done their chores, which is touched upon in the main article on Magic). Thus, they can wander the city, go home, or just hang out with people. However, again, it depends on what kind of Mentor a Magelet has (which would be up to you the player--unless there is a PC Mentor).

As per the article on Magic, training lasts approximately 4 years. Graduation is probably marked by a ceremony, but since children join at different times, there is no 'graduating class'. So the 'ceremony' is probably a simple one. Wing it if you must. I don't think we admins particularly care about the details of something like a graduation ceremony. We trust you. No, really. We do. It's why we haven't really thought long and hard about such details. We've always maintained that this world is yours to fill with details. We just give the framework.

As for what happens after graduation, well thats up to your mage! They can stay on and teach. They can work for the guild to research magic (which would probably be 'continuing education'), or they can become a busker on the street who doesn't even use their magic at all. Your call. It's been established in the article that learning magic is a lifelong process. Again, the details are all up to you. Maybe your Mage has a sponsor that pays your Mage to travel Escova and find spells. Or maybe your Mage finds a job with the guild recoding obscure spells. Your call. Have fun with it.

This is from the article:

Oh, ok, thanks for the quick response!

Just one point of clarification--it's not a boarding school, as in there are no dorms and the students go home to sleep, correct? I think I've just spent so long playing on Harry Potter boards that any magic school defaults as Hogwarts-like in my head, lmao. xD

Also, I think I read somewhere that the mage Gift is connected to a gene, but I just wanted to check something--would it be possible for two people to be identical twins, and yet only one of them have the Gift? Or one of them have the Gift but the other have a passive ability that wouldn't necessarily be scouted for the Academy? Because it occurs to me that it would have been rather difficult to avoid meeting one's mirror image if they both went to the same school, lmao.

Students are provided food and lodging (free of charge) during their time at the academy, and since no twins are completely identical, I'd say it's reasonable to assume that one could be a mage while the other would not be or would have passive magic.

I shouldn't be allowed to ask more questions until I'm done with my character already in progress, but...

What happens to Refugees who are Gifted, but came to Escova when they were above the average age that the Academy usually takes in/considers them to be Magelets (i.e. are older than 14-17)? Supposing they don't have any other formal training (at least by Escovan standards), are they still required to attend classes at the Academy to hone their Gift, regardless of age or prior experience in magic use? Or is it like taking a test with a union -- if they have the necessary control and skill already, do they just qualify for a place with the Mages' Guild?

JUST CURIOUS.

I could be mistaken -- so I could add this as a question in here -- but I thought the rules for magic applied in the Mainland, too. So you still have to go to academies there, to study your craft. So they would technically have some kind of training that qualifies you for the Guild, especially since there's a great discrepancy between levels of training anyway (since education is by far inferior to what we have today).

Just an assumption. XD

It was my understanding that the Mages' Guild was an Escovan organization, not applicable to all locales outside of the nation or on the Mainland -- at least, that's what I've surmised from the article about Magic? It only seems to address the foundations of the Guild and its Academy in Escova/Maristheum.

Which isn't to say that there aren't mirroring or equivalent collectives/places of education in nations that have followed a similar path of development as Escova. There could very well be other academies, but the Mainland so far has been depicted as more of mixed bag of cultures with a variety of social structures. I don't know if they'd necessarily have the same rigorous standards all around, especially among more tribal/nomadic cultures, which might view magic and its source in a different light. I'd assume that the basic principles/rules of magic apply to everyone, but the way they're interpreted/instructed could vary between nationalities, if that makes any sense?

But, this is just a guess from my reading. I could also be totally wrong.

I'd assume there would be a process mages would have to go through to get accepted into the guild. Judging by the mentality of the time... they'd maybe see if the person has the same view on magic (for example) that the Guild, on the whole, holds. I wouldn't even go as far as to say that. I'd just say that they would have 'standards', but it would depend on who's in charge of it all:

a. Nice 'let's all be friends' person: every mage is welcome in Escova!
b. Elitist person: Escovan mages above all the rest.

The Guild's assembly probably has a mix of these people charged with accepting/denying requests and they all convene and decide a person's membership.

That's how I'd see it done. (Again, just a hypothesis.)

Hm....

Good question.

When I envisioned the Guild, I envisioned it as Escova-centric. However, in some regards, I do see the Guild having branches in the Mainland. Nothing huge, but a slight infiltration for various reasons (knowledge, espionage, influence, power). I don't see why this Guild wouldn't then create smaller Academies out in the Mainland. This all depends on which jurisdiction they are in. Magic exists on the Mainland, and the Guild is probably on the hunt for new Spells, new knowledge, and new places to thrive.

However, we're also right in assuming that different countries have different ways of going about stuff. Magic is an important element in this world, so I can see there being some kind of training Academy/mentor/apprentice program within most countries and cultures. Escova's is obviously 'the best', but the rest might fall anywhere from decent to actually kind of good.

The Mages who do not have any of the above, and no training of any kind...are technically not Mages. They have the ability, but lack the knowledge.

As for what happens when Mages arrive. Unless you are of the age to be taken to the Academy, you won't be given formal training. That means every Refugee Mage that comes to Escova over the age of 17 (18 at the oldest), is on his own with regards to being taught. However, membership in the Guild is a must, and I assume the Academy has Seers stationed out in Kyha whose very jobs are to sieve through the Refugees for magic potential, get them registered, and give them a quick 'what is allowed'--Guild rules, basically. No test or otherwise formal examination. That's the Seer's job to gauge potential and aptitude.

Guild Membership is Mandatory for all Mages (excluding passive ones). It's not an option. The Guild is a big registry board, and membership is like a contract in some regards. Since it's like a Club, the more effort, work, and connections you put into the Guild, the more you will get out of it. If you're just registered and then do your own thing, you'll won't go very far within the Organization. But if you take the time, attend Guild events, and network, you can rise fairly quickly (unless you're a dirty Ref). It's almost like a hybrid Business/Union.

Of course some Mages can slip through :}, and there is room for that (smuggling, inept Seers, etc etc). But it might be dangerous if they are detected.

I did not know this.

Cool.

Yeah, it's kind of buried in the write-up, but here's the exact point in case you were wondering:

Senator Kelly passed that law.

*such a loser*

Agreed.

XDDDDDDDDD

That joke was mainly for Lina, anyway.