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The Trial and the Tribulation is a test that wizards must pass to reach new levels of tutelage in the Magic University. The Trial refers to the test the mage is subjected to, and the Tribulation refers to the peril that is part of the test. If a mage passes the Trial, she is deemed an Adept, and may begin tutelage under many more mentors within the secret libraries of the Guild of Magic elsewhere in the world, before going out to test her knowledge. This period of study may take many years.
Details of the Trial
The Trial itself consists of a series of dangerous tests designed to evaluate a mage's worthiness as a wielder of the arcane arts. The specific details of the Trial are kept secret by the Guild: it is believed that every test is designed specifically for the mage taking it. The Trial is typically conducted with groups of mages all at once.
It is a closely held secret what becomes of mages who fail the Trial (the consequences are both deadly and ostracizing). Of course, this may be simply because such wizards do not survive the Tribulation to bear the mark of failure. Sages at the Library of Ambion believe those who do not pass are twisted by the very power they failed to control and are rendered incapable of progressing any further in their art. Either way, apprentices who fail the test are exiled from the Magic University and barred from joining the Guild of Magic. This prevents them from gaining the knowledge necessary to progress in their studies, so they can never achieve a rank of wizardry above that of mere mage.
The Path of Ascension
Beyond the Trial, the path of ascension for a mage leads to mastery and grand mastery, levels of power attainable only under the tutelage of still more powerful wizards: Grand Magicians, and Archmagi, respectively. But these titles are not attained by progress, but only through experience and by recognition of that experience.
There are few Magisters in the world, and fewer still Grand Magicians, though those present in the halls of the Guild represent but a small fraction of those living elsewhere in the world, who bear equivalent knowledge. It is said in the Guild there are only nine Grand Magicians appointed to the instruction of the Schools of Magic, and only three Archmagi presiding over them. Even so, the number of Archmagi in the world can be counted on two hands, for such a level of understanding of the arcane arts takes many lifetimes to achieve, therefore only the brightest minds in all of history can hope to achieve it in one.
Wizard Titles in the Guild
- Apprentice
- Mage
- Adept
- Magister
- Grand Magician
- Archmage
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