Benedict Jacka's Blog, page 75

Home Again

Back in the country, editing and writing.

I do the edits for the US and UK versions of my books separately, meaning that each one is slightly tailored to that country’s spelling (and to the copy-editor’s preferences).  The main drawback from my point of view is having to do everything twice!

Encyclopaedia Arcana #45: Master and Apprentice (Part Four)

Before a master and an apprentice can hook up they have to find each other, which is harder than you’d think.  For apprentices seeking a master and for masters seeking an apprentice, there are two problems:  the numbers problem, and the detection problem.

Needle in a Haystack

The numbers problem is simple math.  Mages are a very, very small fraction of the general population – definitely less than one in 1,000, and according to some estimates as low as one in 10,000.  (The exact number is hard to calculate, partly because no-one can agree on the exact definition of a mage, partly because many potential mages never make it past the “potential” part, and partly because a significant number of mages go out of their way to remain hidden, but any way you slice it it’s a very small number.)  On top of that, mages not only look exactly the same as normals, but, if their magic hasn’t developed yet, are functionally pretty much the same as normals.

What this means is that finding a mage in a crowd of normals isn’t like finding a needle in a haystack – it’s like finding a needle in a stack of needles, all of which look physically identical to the desired needle.

Searching, Testing

The next problem is that even if a master does find a potential apprentice (or vice versa), there’s a good chance they’ll end up walking straight past without noticing.  Mages are visually, physically, and biologically identical to normals as far as anybody has been able to determine.

Over the centuries, the Holy Grail of many mages has been to find a quick and reliable way of classifying a human into the categories of normal, sensitive, adept, or mage, without any need for demonstration.  It’s never been found, and many believe that due to the way in which human beings interact with magic it can’t be found.  Although there have been stopgap solutions of varying effectiveness, the fabled “magic test” which can be applied to a human being like a thermometer is, for now, just that – a fable.

The Cooperative Approach

Fortunately, there’s an easier and simpler way to detect if a child is a latent mage.  Instead of administering tests, you just wait for them to grow up and then see if they start casting spells or not.  It’s not sophisticated but it works, and over the centuries this has been adopted as the default method of finding new mages.

The reason that it works is that novice mages have very little control over their power.  They usually don’t have any real understanding of their own abilities, and their early attempts at spells are unpredictable, chaotic, and frequently dangerous.  The exact way this manifests will vary depending on the mage’s type and personality, but it’s usually pretty easy to spot if you know what to look for (especially in the case of elemental mages).

There’s a second reason that novice mages are easy to spot – they don’t yet know enough to be aware that being identified as a mage can be a very bad idea.  A young novice who uses their magic blatantly will draw attention, and it’s a complete roll of the dice whether that attention will be good or bad.  They might be approached by a mage who wants to help them and possibly take them on as an apprentice.  They might be approached by a Council representative who’ll give them an official warning to stop disturbing the peace.  Or they might attract the attention of someone who wants them for a darker purpose altogether.  Every year a certain fraction of novice mages simply disappear without ever making it onto the radar of magical society, and the reasons for those disappearances are rarely good.  While the rest of this article will focus on those novices who do find a master, it’s worth remembering that the ones who don’t have a very real risk of ending up as a missing persons statistic.

Encyclopaedia Arcana #44: Master and Apprentice (Part Three)

Modern apprenticeships don’t have a fixed length.  In the old days an apprentice was expected to study for a minimum of seven years, but this length has gradually diminished over the centuries – nowadays four to five years is more common for Light apprenticeships, and Dark apprenticeships are shorter still.  As a general rule, the younger an apprentice starts, the longer their apprenticeship will last for.  

Life Cycle Of A Mage

Over the course of their lives, apprentices and mages are referred to by the following categories:

• Sleeper:  A mage whose magical abilities have not yet developed.  Also known as a latent or a potential.  “Sleeper” can refer to adepts as well, so mages who want to be specific will spell out which they mean (e.g. latent mage, latent adept).

• Novice:  A latent mage who has begun to develop their magical abilities but who doesn’t yet have any significant understanding or control of them.  Known by many other names depending on culture, including but not limited to neophyte, fledgling, aspirant, FNG, and so on.  Novices using their magic are usually considered a menace to everyone around them, which is slightly unfair but does contain an unfortunate amount of truth.

• Initiate:  An initiate is more than an novice, but less than an adult mage.  They’ve mastered several spells which they can use reliably, and can be assumed to be able to look after themselves.  You can think of them as like a penultimate- or final-year student, or maybe like an older teenager:  they’re reasonably competent, but aren’t generally allowed to handle important jobs without supervision.  The line between a novice and an initiate is a blurry one.

• Apprentice:  A novice or initiate who has been taken on by a master.  Being an apprentice is a matter of legal status, not ability – an initiate who’s an apprentice isn’t necessarily any more competent or skilled than an initiate who isn’t, but they’re treated very differently by the Council.  An apprentice is legally recognised as such regardless of whether their master is Light, Dark, or independent.

• Journeyman:  A mage who has passed the Council tests qualifying them as an adult mage.  To take their journeyman tests a mage must be at least eighteen years of age, and must be sponsored and vouched for by their master.  Journeyman tests vary in difficulty and in format.

• Master:  “Master” has two meanings in magical society:  it can refer to the teacher in a master-apprentice relationship, or it can refer to an experienced mage who has attained a high level of skill.  The various graduations of master rank are complex, and will be dealt with in another article.

In general, when members of magical society use the word “mage” without qualification they’re usually talking about a journeyman or a master.

When to Start

There’s no restriction on an apprentice’s age – they start learning when they’re taken on, no matter how old they are.  Before they can find a master (or be found by one) they must come into their power, ie go from latent mage to novice.

It is generally accepted among mages that the average age at which magic develops in a new mage or adept has increased over the last few hundred years.  Prior to the Industrial Revolution, records show new novices beginning their apprenticeships at ages varying from 10 to 15.  Nowadays mages tend to hit the novice stage somewhat later, which puts a lower limit on the age at which they can practically begin their apprenticeship.  The exact point at which magic develops is hard to measure (and argued over) – mid-teens is generally believed to be the average age, but some develop much older or much younger.

Just because a novice has come into their power doesn’t mean they’re lined up for an apprenticeship:  for many, it means their problems are just starting.

Happy Birthday To This Site

This website’s now a year old, give or take a week!  In that time I’ve written and posted 43 Encyclopaedia Arcana articles, 6 Ask Lunas, 3 new book announcements, and who-knows-how-many interviews, reviews, and other bits and pieces.

I’ve also picked up a fair few readers.  I have a program called AWStats which I use to track website activity, and as of last December I’m averaging around 130,000 hits a month.  I’m not really sure whether 130,000 a month is a lot or a little, but from the comments and emails at least some people seem to be reading what I post up here, which always cheers me up.

I’m planning to keep going with the Encyclopaedia Arcana and the Ask Luna series for at least a while more, or at least until I run out of things to write about and questions to answer, respectively, which doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of happening just yet.  In the meantime I’m working away on Alex Verus #5, editing Alex Verus #4, and waiting for the next release date!

Encyclopaedia Arcana #43: Master and Apprentice (Part Two)

Part One of this article covered a Light apprentice’s obligations under a standard Light apprenticeship:  this second part will cover the master’s responsibilities.  

Master Obligations

• Instruction:  The first and most basic obligation of a master is to train his apprentice.  This can take the form of one-on-one tuition with the master or with other mages, or participation in larger classes.  For Light mages (and for many independents) it’s taken for granted that the apprentice will be enrolled in the Light apprentice program.  Masters may take training more or less seriously, but it’s rare for a master not to put serious effort into it.  An apprentice’s skill is a reflection on the master, and an incompetent apprentice is a major embarrassment to their teacher.

• Support:  In a lot of ways being a master is similar to being a parent, and just like a parent a master is expected to provide their apprentice with food, shelter, care, and so on.  The way masters deal with this particular responsibility varies.  It’s common for masters to take apprentices into their household and give them a room in the master’s home – this saves on rent and has the advantage of placing the apprentice where the master can keep an eye on them.  Masters who place a higher value on their privacy (or who just don’t want the apprentice underfoot) will put their apprentice up in a flat somewhere.  Other lodging options include shared apprentice accommodation, for the apprentice to carry on living with their parents (common for very young apprentices, or those that were already family friends), Council-owned property, or even a place in the mage’s personal shadow realm.

• Responsibility:  A Light master is legally responsible for the actions of their apprentice – if their apprentice breaks something and can’t pay for it (which they usually won’t be able to) it’s the master who has to foot the bill.  This, more than anything else, is why masters are careful who they take on.  Simple property damage or financial loss is easy enough for a master to fix (a mage taking on an apprentice is unlikely to be poor) but serious crimes and breaches of the Concord can get a master in very serious trouble.

Balance of Power

Although a Light apprentice is free to decide whether or not to accept the apprentice contract, once they’ve actually signed up then the scales of power are weighted heavily in favour of the master.  As long as a master fulfils his obligations, he’s free to treat his apprentice pretty much however he wants.  On the positive side, it’s very rare for masters to shirk their teaching duties – there’s little point in having an apprentice if you don’t train them.  However, it’s common for masters to use their apprentices for cheap labour and dangerous tasks, and cases of outright abuse are far from unknown.

An apprentice who feels they are being mistreated by their master doesn’t have many options.  They can put up with it, they can run away, or they can approach the Council to have the apprenticeship dissolved.

Divorce Proceedings

To dissolve an apprenticeship, the apprentice (or other petitioner) must prove to the satisfaction of a Council court that the master has failed to fulfil his obligations under the apprentice contract or has otherwise acted unacceptably.  The master can oppose the motion (in which case it’ll be his word against the apprentice’s) but doing so means that the master’s dirty laundry will be aired in a highly public way.  In practice, a master will rarely oppose a dissolution:  it involves too great a loss of face, and an apprentice not loyal to their master (and who is known not to be loyal to their master) is a liability.

If the apprentice just runs and hides, then the apprenticeship is still considered legally binding, meaning the master still has authority over the apprentice (although whether he can actually do anything about it is another matter).  In either case, the apprentice will have great difficulty finding another master afterwards.  As a result, most apprentices unhappy with their master choose in the end to stay.  Having a harsh master is bad, but having no master at all can be worse.

Fated in Sweden, and Happy New Year!

So, I probably should have put this on the website earlier, but Fated has been published in Sweden by Fenix.  Just got my author copies of the Swedish edition – here’s what they look like!

There’s going to be a German edition, too, though I don’t yet know much about it – more info on that when I find out.  For now, have a happy New Year and I’ll see you in 2013!

 

Encyclopaedia Arcana #42: Master and Apprentice (Part One)

The master-apprentice relationship has been at the core of mage society for a long time.  It’s the way in which new mages are trained, and the way in which the culture and knowledge of magical society is passed down to the next generation.  The system is very, very old, and has survived in varying forms for thousands of years.

The Basics

An apprenticeship is a contract made between two parties:  the master, and the apprentice.  The exact form and content of the contract depends on the apprentice and the master (mostly the master) but at the time of writing in modern Britain, the “standard” apprenticeship contract has become the one used in the Light apprenticeship system.

A Light apprenticeship is voluntary.  The master must agree to take on the apprentice, and the apprentice must agree to enter the service of the master.  The Light Council traditionally requires two mages in good standing to witness the apprenticeship for it to be deemed valid, as well as a second to put forward the apprentice’s name, although in practice only the most legalistic of mages would consider this a sticking point.  If the apprentice is very young, the consent of a parent or guardian may be required.

Like all contracts, the Light apprentice agreement involves consideration from both parties.  The consideration from the apprentice is obedience, labour, and allegiance;  the consideration from the master is instruction, support, and responsibility.

Apprentice Obligations

• Obedience:  A Light apprentice is under the legal authority of their master, i.e. they have to do as they’re told.  There are limits:  a master can’t order their apprentice to violate the Concord, go against the Council, or do anything else blatantly illegal, but for the most part, what the master says goes.  In theory an apprentice’s obedience isn’t expected to extend to things not involving their apprenticeship, but this isn’t actually spelt out in the contract and masters can define an apprenticeship pretty broadly if they want to.

• Labour:  A Light apprentice is expected to work.  They have studies, for a start – apprentices get classwork and homework just like regular schoolchildren do, although the material does tend to be a little more interesting.  However, on top of that, apprentices also get pushed into the role of magical assistant, ingredient gatherer, messenger, intelligence provider, housekeeper, lab tech, janitor, cook, gofer, and just about everything else – basically, if a mage wants something done, it’s a good bet that an apprentice will end up doing it.  Reasons for this are varied, ranging from a desire to put sensitive jobs in the hands of a trusted subordinate, the belief that work builds character, or the simple bloody-minded attitude that the master had to do dog-work when he was younger and the next generation shouldn’t have it any easier.

• Allegiance:  Finally, a Light apprentice is required to serve his master’s interests.  This is the most nebulous and the least clearly defined of the apprentice’s responsibilities.  In crude terms, the apprentice is supposed to be on the master’s side – work to their benefit, avoid doing anything that would be against their long-term goals, and act in their best interests.  Vague though it is, this duty is considered perhaps the most important of all, at least by masters.  A disobedient or lazy apprentice is a nuisance;  a disloyal one is a menace.

Merry Christmas!

Hope you’re having a happy 25th, wherever you are!

I’m going to be out of the country from the 26th of December to the 17th of January, so replies to emails and so on are going to be spotty.  There’s a new series of Encyclopaedia Arcana ready to go, though, this one on apprentices within the mage world – the first entry is this Friday and it’s scheduled to run all the way through to the end of January.

In other news, the title for Alex Verus #4 is confirmed to be Chosen.  I’ll be doing copy-edits on that over the New Year, but for now I need to get started on Alex Verus #5!

Ask Luna #6

From: Alex Walker

Dear Luna,

There are, or were, many types of magical creatures. Can you name all the ones you know and what you know of them? (Including the extinct ones)

Also is there the possibility that creatures like Demons exist?

And is it possible for a Life Mage to bring someone back from death?

 . . . Are you serious?  You’re expecting me to list EVERY SINGLE magical creature I’ve ever heard of and then tell you everything I know about them too?  I do have a day job, you know.  I only answer these questions in my spare time, and right now I’m not feeling like spending every evening out of the next week writing the real-life edition of Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them.  

About life mages, I think so, but I’m not sure.  It’s a bit harder to ask Anne about stuff these days.

From: John

Hey Luna, Alex has a kinda contract with Starbreeze whos a Air Elemental. What other kind Elementals are there? And if you could make a contract with one, which would you choose? Thankyou

Don’t think he has a contract with Starbreeze right now, but yeah, it’s a nice idea!  I think if I got to pick, I’d want an air elemental too.  I only got to fly with her once, but it’s the most amazing feeling.  You’re up there and can see the whole city beneath you, but you’re not just flying on the air, you’re part of it.  I miss Starbreeze, wish Alex could get back in touch with her.  

From: jade

Hello, Luna!

I’m wondering where mages usually get one-shots and focuses from, and also who invents them, as Alex says he’s the only mage who runs a shop. Alex seems to have a lot of these handy weapons to fight battle mages.  

And, this I’m asking out of pure curiosity: do you know how old Alex is? He called a certain guy in mid-twenties a kid (or, given the situation then, he’s just annoyed?) , so I’m guessing he’s much older than that. 

Thanks!

On the one-shots, mages make them.  I think the way it usually works is that the ones who can do a particular spell are the ones who make it into an item.  I definitely know that Alex gets those condenser spells he always uses from a water mage, because I’ve met the guy.  Alex actually suggested that I try doing it too, but I’m not sure I want to – I’ve got the feeling anything I made would just end up working like a targeted bad-luck curse and I’m kind of iffy about putting something like that out there.   

Alex isn’t actually that old – he only turned 30 this year.  I think he sometimes tries to act older than he really is, though he does it less now than when we first met.   

From: Orion

Dear Luna, what are some commonly accepted types of ‘hybrid’ mages?

I never really got this whole ‘hybrid’ thing.  I mean, everyone’s magic type is supposed to be unique, right?  So if everyone’s magic is different, then how can some people be ‘hybrids’ and some not?  I would’ve thought either all of them are or none of them are.  

Anyway, I guess snow magic would be the kind of thing you’re looking for.  They have ice- and cold-related abilities, but some of them can also send flurries of wind or fly the same way that air mages can, so they get thought of as ice-air hybrids.  Or maybe water-air, or cold-air, or ice-water, who knows.  

From: Orion

Dear Luna, what are the capabilities of a gravity mage? also, is it possible for time mages to travel through time?

Gravity mages do pretty much what you’d expect – they can increase weight, decrease weight, reverse the effect of gravity, that kind of stuff.  They’re really rare though, I don’t think I’ve even met one, much less seen them in action.

I asked Sonder about the time travel thing, and he said yes, but it was kind of confusing and there were a lot of ‘buts’.  That time-hop thing they do is straight-up time travel, and so’s timesight in a way, but I’m not sure they can go back to the Roman Empire and stay there or something like that.  

Taken on Locus bestseller list

The December edition of Locus magazine’s sci-fi and fantasy bestseller list just came out, and the US edition of Taken is on there under the ‘Paperbacks’ category!

First time I’ve ever been on a bestseller list.  It’s a good feeling!