School for the Rich

Put simply, the Institute of Carson, also called the Carson Institute, or simply the Institute, is a school where children are sent to learn magic, as opposed to learning the "normal" way in what are reffered to as "world schools". It was founded in remembrance of Sage Carson in the year 4989BD, who died in 4990. Though Carson never made any specific requests for there to be an academy built which would teach all that he had learnt to aspiring mages, his friends agreed that it would be a great way to honour the man. So it was that a grand building was erected in Venzet, which took 24 years to build. This became the Institute of the West. Over time, two more were built. One is in Alacas, and another is in Phedailin.

Members of the Institute

All three institutes are run by a single principal, who is usually a mage of extremely high skill and magical knowledge. The principal is seen as a centre of information. All ranked members of the institute must be very good mages. There is one headmaster for each Carson Institute, and he has responsibility only for his own school and the people who reside there. Master scholars are the ones who actually arrange the majority of classes and teach a minority of them. There are two in each institute. High scholars are generally teachers who are either studying or teaching. They are the lowest staff rank of the institute. Scholars are pupils who have been studying for five years or more, and graduation is generally after the tenth year. A scholar either becomes a mage or moves up in the institute and becomes a high scholar. A pupil is a student of magic who has been studying for under five years. Carson's Book, On Magic, is what the fundamentals of the teaching are primarily based on.

There are usually two reasons for one to learn magic. The first is to gain the rank of high scholar so that they may teach others magic. Many dream of spreading the knowledge of magic in this way. The second is to become a mage. Though the term mage is used for anyone who uses magic, a proper mage is a magic-wielder who is not a member of the Carson Institute because they have passed. Sometimes they sell their skills like mercenaries, only within the confines of the law, as mages are generally respectable people. Many people do not see a benefit in studying so many years to become a mage, but mages get work all over the place -- sometimes military, other times domestic, and more.

First Class

Magic Introduction.

To become a pupil, one must be 8 years of age or over, have sufficient enrolment funds, have show a keen interest in magic. All potential pupils are interviewed by a board of master and high scholars. It is not expected that any pupils have any magical knowledge at all. During the first year, pupils are introduced to On Magic, and they cover introductory aspects, such as exactly what magic is. Because this can be a difficult topic to grasp, a long time is spent on this area. The first year has the highest dropout rate of all years.

Second Class

Magic theory 1. Casting.

The second year is spent researching and grasping the concept behind casting. They are taught the three areas of casting (essence, gestures, and channelling), and then taught the four steps to channelling (selection, channelling, linking, and projecting).

Third Class

Magic theory 2. Limits.

Of course, before any pupil is allowed to cast magic, they must first be taught the limits that magic has (physically, politically, and within the confines of the law). It is usually at this point that most students have an idea which element they wish to concentrate on.

Fourth Class

Fire or Water magic.

It is after three years of study that a pupil is allowed to practice magic. Passing the fourth year involves passing a complex test about either fire or water magic. It is up to the student to decide which one they wish to learn. Clever students sometimes learn both elements, but this is quite difficult.

Fifth Class

Earth or Wind magic.

Fifth year is similar to the previous year in that a student can choose from either earth or wind magic to learn. Again, it's possible to learn both in the same year, but this is difficult.

(When a pupil becomes a scholar after the first five years, this is known as achieving a half-grade.)

Sixth Class

Previous elements.

Assuming the student has earned the rank of scholar after five years of learning, they are then taught all about previous elements they did not cover. For example, if a student learnt only fire and earth magic, in sixth class they are taught about water and wind magic. If the student is already knowledgable on all four basic elements, they can take a test and proceed directly to seventh class.

Seventh Class

Ice or thunder magic.

In the seventh year, the student can now choose either ice or thunder magic to learn. Whatever is not learnt here is covered in ninth class.

Eighth Class

Organic magic.

Because organic magic is so much more involved than other elements (animals and toxins take lots of time and study), it takes a year to teach it.

Ninth Class

Previous elements, and magic theory 3.

The ninth class is a combination of any previously unlearnt elements, plus the last part of magic theory, which concerns the difference between artificial and pure elements. It is a complex area of magic to understand.

Tenth Class

Light magic.

The tenth year is spent learning light magic to a basic level, and at the end of this year, students take one practical and one written test. If they pass, they become high scholars.

Additionally, there are special names for a mage if they decide to specialise in a certain element. The titles are based on the old Vastin language.

Ttweilhd'raeccer = fire mage

Aemnlhd'raeccer = water mage

Shoulhd'raeccer = wind mage

Cfoumlhd'raeccer = earth mage

N'guilhd'raeccer = thunder mage

Cciaqlhd'raeccer = ice mage

Reialhd'raeccer = organic mage

Tluihblhd'raeccer = light mage

A zhwialhd'raeccer is a shadow mage but this is illegal in all humanly civislised areas. A more common form of this title is a shaldrazer, which is roughly how the Vastin word is pronounced.