> Mikko asks:
>
> > I'd like to hear how young are people apprenticed to learn sorcery /
> > wizardry? How long does it take for a student to reach Adept level on
> > the average? Is the training in the best "all-day, every-day" style, or
> > will the young characters have a chance to learn other things?
>
> "All day, every day," for an apprentice. You maybe have a slim hope of
> keeping a hobby (or a girlfriend) on the side, but no real chance of taking
> a day (or week, or season) off to "do your own thing".
I'm reminded of the comment in one of the earlier Discworld books, about an apprentice quitting because of "a lingering taste for heterosexuality" :P
> If you're a generous narrator, you might allow your apprentices to study for
> traditional "terms" or "semesters", with "vacations" (for adventuring, etc.)
> in between -- although this is more than a little corny, it could fit with
> the "University" model for teaching Sorcery which is found elsewhere in the
> West, cf. Sog City (as well as Unseen University / Hogwartsing things up a
> little). Have a look at the Ars Magica RPG for lots of ideas about what goes
> on in a very lengthy wizard's apprenticeship.
I should. But actually I'm propably going to look into the workings of the earliest universities (well parhaps not Plato's, but early still), and monasteries. I'm leaning in favor of a sorcerer academy in favor of a Wizardly monastery at the moment, though both have their attractions.
> > Also, is it possible to learn simple spells before actually mastering
> > the paradigms and principles of the school of sorcery? Is the first x
> > years just learning the principles before the student can cast his/her
> > first spell?
>
> I hope not! Glorantha would be very boring without Sorcerers' Apprentices
> cocking things up magically (like Mickey Mouse, or Sparrowhawk from
> Earthsea).
:) I agree. I think the ability is already there, but it's strictly forbidden because they don't have the required control and mastery over their emotions. A teenage mageling doing spells without suprevision is a dangerous and unpredictable thing (and a great storyhook!). There's all sorts of strange and hungry memetic entities (essenses) ready to exploit a young fool ripping the veil open accidentally.
> FWIW, I've just finished a lengthy article on Arrolia (including several
> bits on Arrolian Sorcery) for the last issue of Tales, which is going into
> layout as I write. The two major Arrolian schools are the Minderkind
> Philosophers of Riverjoin (cf. past Glorantha Digest posts by Peter Metcalfe
> for their beliefs), and the College of Many Arts at Eastpoint (more cruelly
> known as Eastpoint Polytechnic). I haven't done grimoires or spell lists for
> either of them. The Eastpoint guys are more "evil atheist Lunar sorcerers",
> while the Riverjoin bunch are weird.
>
> Cheers, Nick
I'll have to look into that. My campain is a bit earlier than most, and the background around Riverjoin differs somewhat, but I'm sure your material will inspire me to write my own.
-Adept
Powered by hypermail