Failed Apprentices [Ars Magica]

Something I wrote for Ars Magica (likely 4th edition, available from Atlas Games), that was featured in Mythic Perspectives, a fanzine.

Failed Apprentices in Mythic Europe

There are very few failed Hermetic apprentices in Mythic Europe, and much rarer is the one with any real magical power. The vast majority of apprentices eventually become magi or die in the process. Most apprentices who are orphaned are snatched up by other magi, and those who flee are often found. Those whose Gifts are damaged or destroyed find employment with a covenant, making use of what skills they learned to live part of the life of a magus. Given their rarity, what circumstances result in a failed apprentice, especially one not under the close watch of the Order of Hermes? How does the Order produce a talented hedge wizard? Understanding these factors is the key to using a failed apprentice in a Saga, either as a magus or companion player character, or as a Storyguide character.



Leaving the Apprenticeship

Every failed apprentice once had a master. What happened to this master, and why a former apprentice fails to become a magus is the driving force in the rest of his life. How an apprentice leaves the Order determines where he can go from that point forward.

The most common reason an apprentice “fails” is that his Gift is damaged beyond repair, often due to a Twilight experience. A damaged Gift doesn't completely disappear; what remains sometimes manifests as an Exceptional Ability, but can also include partially remaining Hermetic magic. Many failed apprentices with damaged Gifts remain under the Order's control, developing great skill in a single Technique, Form, or even a single Form/Technique combination, but are too crippled to be a true magus. Many others will remain with the Order as alchemists (greatly aided by their knowledge of Hermetic Theory), herbalists, or scribes. Compared to other failed apprentices, these consortes usually attain the greatest degree of power. Since they are still associated with the Order, they can earn access to libraries, labs, and even, occasionally, vis. As they operate with the blessings of the Order, they do not have to fear being hunted down. Some are even able to join the Order as part of House Ex Miscellanea as they gain experience.

Independent former apprentices (those not associated with the Order) are much rarer. Most such are freed because of the death of their masters. The life of a magus is not a safe one, and many dangers in Mythic Europe can threaten even a magus at the height of his power. Powerful faeries, dragons, giants and demons have all made orphans of multiple apprentices over the centuries. An orphaned apprentice will often find himself alone, with both custodes and consortes either having fled or been killed. These apprentices can freely leave, if they wish, and most in the Order will assume them to have been destroyed.

These apprentices have the most freedom of failed apprentices; with no one actively looking for them, they simply need to remain unobtrusive. Some choose to live the rest of their lives without magic. For others, their minor abilities will usually be overlooked by magi, they can often get access to small supplies of vis. They are sometimes even able to enter the Order through House Ex Miscellanea.

Some apprentices attempt to flee from their masters, hoping to be more difficult (and expensive) to find than they are to replace or do without. This method is rarely successful, and usually only with those apprentices who are nearly full magi themselves. It is far too easy to keep and maintain an arcane connection to one's apprentice, and that makes tracking a runaway simple. Only more advanced apprentices, or those who can at least cast Confound the Connection from a text, are capable of escaping easy detection. If an apprentice manages this, the combination of Parma Magica and the Limit of Sight make him difficult to find. They live paranoid lives, however, since they cannot easily re-enter the Order or settle in one place for long. This makes it difficult to gather vis, do research, or lead any semblance of a normal life. Most will be able to settle for a season or two before the local magi take notice, then have to move on; being captured usually means returning to life as an apprentice, a fate that most Hermetic fugitives have no desire to repeat.

The rarest variety of the failed apprentice is the “lost” apprentice. Apprentices are sometimes lost in regiones. These apprentices, often half-trained, will be forced to develop what magic they have in order to survive in the skewed reality of the regio. The usual abundance of vis means that the former apprentice can be quite powerful in a few areas, but as a group these former apprentices are often erratic; their long exposure to the regio's magic, combined with the necessities of survival on their own rarely leave them untouched. If they're able to finally leave the regio, they are usually quickly brought into the Order, though rarely fully trusted. The flaws Sheltered Upbringing, Hedge Wizard, Decrepit (due to partially healed wounds or diseases from when their time alone), Twilight Points, Blatant Gift, Incomprehensible, Poor Reader and Weak Writer are all appropriate; depending on the regio, Student of the Faerie, Faerie Magic, or Plagued by Supernatural Entity can also be appropriate.

A Census of Failed Apprentices, by House
Who goes renegade? Apprentices for different houses have different reasons for leaving, and some houses are more likely to have renegades than others. Here is a breakdown, house by house, of who goes renegade, and why.

Bjornaer: If the apprentice has mastered a Heart-Beast, most Bjornaer will let them leave, no matter how incomplete their Hermetic training, or whether or not they have formally sworn the Oath. On the other hand, Bjornaer magi with possessive natures will often spend years searching for an apprentice who left. Many Bjornaer are passionate and more than a few apprentices will split with their parens over a feud. Such personality incompatibilities often arise from differences in Heart-Beast; a wolf-hearted apprentice will not lightly take instruction from a sheep-hearted parens, after all. Some heart-beasts take poorly to being tied to one place; it is not uncommon for those migratory or nomadic heart-beasts to disappear for a time, only to return later. Some Bjornaer parens encourage this form of getting in touch with their inner beast, but it infuriates others to no end.

Bonisagus: House Bonisagus has a surprisingly high number of runaways, and many of those runaways succeed. Most of these runaways are “acquired” apprentices who do not wish the honor of joining House Bonisagus, or simply young men and women who fold under the high pressure of their lifestyle. Many magi of Bonisagus do not have a wide variety of abilities, they find it hard to locate their apprentices when they flee. They can, however, enlist the help of other magi without having to worry that the apprentice will be claimed by another member of House Bonisagus.

Criamon: Criamon magi rarely lose apprentices. The type that they seek for apprentices usually have a deep fascination with secrets, and the riddling and intrigues of a Criamon magus become like a puzzle-box for them. Criamon magi regularly peer into their apprentice's minds, winnowing through thoughts and feelings to understand the Enigma which is another person. This makes hiding plans to leave difficult. An apprentice who is about to get bored is often presented with a new puzzle or riddle to work with, or given subtle “nudging” towards the correct attitudes with Mentem magic (either Rego or, more commonly, Creo to introduce new thoughts).

Ex Miscellanea: Not surprisingly, House Ex Miscellanea is the largest source of runaway apprentices. Their reputation as Hedge Wizards often makes it difficult for them to get aid for locating their apprentices, their exotic magic makes them attractive “acquisitions” for House Bonisagus, and their specialized nature means that few have the resources for a sustained search. This is tempered somewhat by the fact that most magi ex Miscellanea are cautious about choosing their apprentices, selecting only those who fit the criteria set by their tradition. That caution makes their apprentices less likely to flee due to stress or conflict, but once an apprentice flees, there is little chance of being recaptured.

Flambeau: Flambeau magi are not as picky as others about their apprentices, and not all their choices are good matches to their own personality. House Flambeau has few rogue apprentices, though. Flambeau magi impress on their apprentices that leaving would be a quick route to a violent end. Most “lost” apprentices that House Flambeau has are in the form of casualties, not rogues, and most free Flambeau apprentices were released by the death of their masters.

Jerbiton: House Jerbiton does not lose many apprentices. While as mentally rigorous as any apprenticeship, the extensive social contacts that most Jerbiton parentes provide their apprentices with mean that the apprentices are better able to deal with the pressure, and find more outlets for their frustrations. The House does, however, have one type of attrition that other Houses do not often see: apprentices who leave the Order to join the Church. Jerbiton magi have frequent contact with both the regular clergy and the universities of Europe, and a few Jerbiton apprentices find a scholastic life far more attractive than a magus's lifestyle. House Jerbiton tries to discourage this as much as possible, but once an apprentice has joined the Church, Jerbiton will often send someone to remove or alter key portions of the apprentice's memory; any Arts they may know, and key portions of the Parma Magica. While this is not always successful, the House feels it is necessary to protect the Order's secrets.

Mercere: House Mercere has the lowest apprentice-loss rate of any of the houses. Much of this is due to their nature; while their magical members lose apprentices to stress and magical disasters, those who are “damaged” are usually funneled into the House's message-carrying activities. The Order does not track Mercere's non-magical apprentices, and the House as a whole is not overly concerned when they choose not to complete the training.

Merinita: House Merinita is almost a revolving door for apprentices. Many apprentices are “borrowed” by the fae, for a year or a decade, and many Merinita bargain for Gifted, mortal children stolen by the fae. Several apprentices every century get lost in regiones, only to be rediscovered later and their training completed by parentes, fratres, or other members of the House; unlike other Houses, Merinita apprentices who return from faerie regiones are completely accepted by most of the House. The chaotic magics of the fae mean that Merinita magi also produce many apprentices with damaged Gifts and skills in one or two magical Arts or faerie powers.

Quaesitoris: House Guernicus does not lose apprentices save to magical mishap. Those who go rogue are tracked down without mercy, using any means necessary. Some members of House Guernicus do make extensive use of those with damaged Gifts. These former apprentices are not members of the Order, so they can do magical scrying on members of the Order without violating an Oath they never took. It is dangerous work, since the former apprentices lack the protections of the Code if they are discovered, and anything learned from the scrying can only be used for leads, lest the Quaesitoris themselves be accused of scrying, but it is a valuable tool in difficult investigations; a different perspective on cold facts.

Tremere: House Tremere have relatively few rogue apprentices, though they have their share of crippled and lost apprentices. Magi of Tremere choose their apprentices carefully, and most find that the life of a Tremere magus agrees with them. Their rogue apprentices usually follow the House's methodical planning, making very sure of their escape plan before putting it into motion. They are seldom successful, as Tremere parentes are far from shy about using Intellego Mentem spells to explore their fili's minds, and using Muto Mentem to give them more agreeable dispositions.

Tytalus: Most apprentices of House Tytalus attempt to escape their apprenticeships at least once; their parentes encourage this with harsh conditions and scant praise. When apprentices attempt to leave, the parentes will either immediately track them down to prove their superiority, or will toy with them, only to reclaim their apprentice when the time comes. This tendency means that House Tytalus produces many rogue apprentices, but also that they know how to deal with them, and recapture them, when necessary.

Verditius: House Verditius loses relatively few apprentices. Their magic requires an immense investment of time and energy, and their lower ability with formulaic magic makes fleeing a more difficult prospect; it also makes hiding from a possessive parens simpler. Verditius apprentices who do flee can often disappear quite effectively, hiding as alchemists and amulet-makers in the larger cities. Many who suffer from damaged Gifts remain talented in the field of alchemy, bringing Hermetic knowledge to bear on normal alchemy, and some even remain talented enough to be called Hermetic magi; their deficiencies usually manifest in spell casting weaknesses, which some Verditius parentes do not consider that important of a deficiency.

Life on the Run
How do independent apprentices manage to avoid detection? Most do not. Those who are assumed dead usually slip up, or wind up going back to the Order. Life on their own is hard, and only those who were older when they became apprentices will be even partially prepared for life outside the Order. Most apprentices do not plan to be on their own, and so their magics are rarely well-suited to it, and many do not think about what it means to be a renegade. Those who flee the Order do not often have the power to elude their masters, and it is hard for an apprentice to eliminate every trace of himself from his master's sanctum. One or two do manage to survive every decade, though, and it is helpful to understand why.

It helps these renegades that the Order may be a single body, but it is hardly monolithic or universal. There are many places, especially in Eastern and Northern Europe, where the Order simply does not reach. Apprentices who run can often find shelter in the wild places of Novgorod or Loch Leglean, or they can leave the lands of the Order altogether, going to places not frequented by Europeans, such as Cathay or the Moorish states. There are even rumors of a Bjornaer apprentice fleeing to Greenland and beyond.

A major obstacle to the Order recapturing renegade apprentices is the sheer size of Europe, even where the Order is powerful. It is difficult, even for magi, to coordinate their efforts to find renegades across a wide area. The political nature of the Order, and even the Code itself, also makes magi less likely to ask for help in finding their apprentices. Drawing the attention of a Bonisagus magus who thinks you're obviously unfit to have an apprentice is a quick way to lose your invested seasons of training. This usually means that no more than the parens himself, perhaps with the aid of his amici or familiar, will be searching for the runaway. With less eyes and spells looking for them, the former apprentice has a better chance to escape.

The extensive training of Hermetic apprentices means that they're aware of their own weaknesses. Those who do plan to run will seek out “Confound the Connection”, and relatively simple (second magnitude) Intellego Corpus spells will determine what arcane connections there are to apprentices. Those who manage to buy some time before they run (or not be missed for a season) have an excellent chance to negate their own arcane connections, making them harder to track by that means. It takes more complex (fourth magnitude) Intellego Vim spells to find arcane connections that a parens might have built to his apprentice, and finesse to break those connections with Perdo Vim. With a season of preparation (not hard for often-ignored apprentices to gain), a prepared apprentice can foil the simplest methods of detection, and the Parma Magica provides some protection from the more complex.

It is a hard life, but it can be rewarding; with carefully applied magic, free of th Order's restrictions, a moderately talented apprentice can make a comfortable living. Many will apprentice themselves to other hedge wizards, learning bits and pieces of other magical systems to supplement their incomplete Hermetic knowledge. Former apprentices can even produce breakthroughs that would be the envy of Hermetic Magi, though without the ability to share it with the Order, any discoveries they make are lost.

Creating a Failed Apprentice Character
There are two routes to creating a failed apprentice. Those with extensive Hermetic training should usually be created as members of their Houses, but with flaws to represent their lack of official membership; Stingy Master, Dark Secret and Enemies (variable, according to how avidly they are sought). If you train any apprentices, then they will automatically have the Discredited Lineage Flaw. No Sigil does not usually apply, unless the former apprentice is trying to “pass” as a full magus.

It is also possible to generate a failed apprentice as a companion by selecting the proper Virtues, Flaws, and Abilities. Of course, the Companion Social Class virtue of Failed Apprentice is necessary, and the virtues of Educated and Further Education are both appropriate. Companion Failed Apprentices are able to take some Hermetic Virtues and Flaws; in fact, Hermetic Flaws are very appropriate, since their training is often incomplete, and even Arts they have some skill in might be somewhat crippled. To represent your character's magical talent and Hermetic abilities, however, there are several new virtues and flaws available, below.

Every failed apprentice with remaining Hermetic abilities should have either the Damaged Gift or Manifest Gift virtues. Those with the Damaged Gift have had their magical abilities stunted, and cannot gain new magical Arts or skills; they can, however, expand any abilities that they do have. Those with a Manifest Gift simply lack training; they could learn any magical Art presented to them, or could even move on to some variety of Hedge Wizardry. Another virtue to consider is Latent Magical Ability; in this case, the character has the potential for the Gift, but their parens did not bring it out of them. A failed apprentice without any of these has likely had his Gift almost completely destroyed; any Exceptional Talents they have are (and will remain) the extent of their magical abilities.

Most Failed Apprentices have some level of the Hermetic Training virtue. This represents the amount of training they gained before leaving their masters. Any Art which has been opened can be used in the formation of spontaneous magic, learning and casting formulaic spells, or in lab work, just as if the character were a magus.

Other virtues and flaws for failed apprentices can run the gamut, including many House-specific virtues (except as noted below). If the character has any level of the Gift (except for Latent Magical Ability), then all their virtues and flaws must be purchased as a magus, not a Companion. Many will have the flaw of Enemies, representing their former master and any others who might be looking for them.

Forbidden Virtues and Flaws to Companion Failed Apprentices:
-Discredited Lineage (no matter how spotty your lineage, it does not matter as a renegade apprentice)
-Extra Arts (subsumed into Hermetic Training)
-Extra Spells (subsumed into Hermetic Training)
-Hermetic Prestige
-Infamous Master
-No Sigil (you are not a magus; no sigil is fact, not a flaw)
-Promised Apprentice
-Quaesitor
-Tormenting Master (this is subsumed into the Enemies flaw, assuming your parens is still looking for you)

New Virtues and Flaws:

+0 Damaged Gift: You possess the Gift, but it either was not strong to begin with, or has somehow been damaged beyond repair. You are capable of serving as a lab assistant in any Art that you have proficiency with, can accurately scribe magical formulae and texts, and likely maintain a few magical powers and skills (though you must possess a virtue which gives you access to Hermetic and Arcane abilities). You suffer the full social penalties of the Gift, equivalent to the flaws Magical Air and Offensive to Animals. Your Gift can be Gentle or Blatant, with the appropriate virtue or flaw. You may take the +1 Virtue Hermetic Training, and Hermetic Virtues and Flaws; because your Gift is damaged you can only improve on what you already know; you may not learn any new Arts or magical systems after character creation. Additionally, any Magical Deficiencies or similar flaws must be in Arts that you possess; you may not have a major deficiency with Ignem if you are incapable of using Ignem magic in the first place.

+1 Hermetic Training: You have 10 experience points to spend on Hermetic Arts, Spells, or skills. Arts must be opened before they can have experience points applied to increase their score; this costs 1 point per Form, and 2 points per Technique. This virtue requires the Gift (either by being a hedge wizard, magi, exotic magus, or possessing either the Damaged Gift or Manifest Gift virtues), access to Hermetic training (either by being a magus or having the +1 Social Class virtue, Failed Apprentice), but may be taken more than once.

+1 Manifest Gift: You have the Gift, and with training could be a fully capable magician (either a Hermetic magus or some other variety). You may take Hermetic virtues and flaws, though these will often only represent potentials; without training, your ability to use any aptitudes will be uncertain (and wholly up to the Storyguide). On the downside, your magical nature means that you suffer the full penalties of the Gift (equivalent to the flaws Magical Air and Offensive to Animals), unless you also purchase the +1 Hermetic Virtue “The Gentle Gift” or the -1 Hermetic Flaw “The Blatant Gift”.

+1 Not Hunted: This virtue is exclusive to failed apprentices who have Hermetic Training (others could take it, but the Order isn't interested in them). For whatever reason, you are not currently being hunted; the Order is not aware of your status as a renegade. This may be because your parens died, and you were assumed dead, you have been lost in a regio for some time, or you simply managed to completely elude your pursuers, who have now given up. This can change at any time, however, so you need to be on your guard.

+2 Magical Affinity: Single Technique/Form Combination: Your magical skills are specific, to where you have an Arcane Talent, Affinity with Technique/Form, at an initial score of 1. You may add your affinity to all spell rolls and Lab Totals involving this kind of magic. You may increase this rating just as you increase other Talents – by spending experience points.

Moderately Competent Indepedent Apprentice
This example apprentice fled a master whose diabolism was beginning to threaten the apprentice's own life. Unable to master the rituals of demon-summoning, he was to be given to the demons as a sacrifice. Knowing little of the Order, and with only the barest of magical knowledge, he is constantly hiding from all who practice magic, afraid they will be like his parens.

Age: 20

Int: +2
Per: +1
Str: 0
Sta: +1
Pre: 0
Com: +1
Qik: +1
Dex: 0

Failed Apprentice Virtue +1
Manifest Gift +1
Educated +1
Further Education +1 *2
Hermetic Training +1 *5

Diabolic Upbringing -2
Enemies -2 (A parens who is interested in your return, but is not investing a lot of time into the search for you; likely less than a season every two years)
Hedge Wizard -1
Incomprehensible -1
Lack of Concentration -2
Limited Magic Resistance -2

Abilities:
Speak Own Language 5, Speak Latin 4, Scribe Latin 3, Theology 2, Artes Liberales 1, Disputatio 1, Parma Magica (Corpus) 2, Single Weapon 2, Awareness 3, Stealth 2, Disguise 2, Magic Theory 3, Occult Lore 2, Faerie Lore 1, Legend Lore 2, Guile 2, Finesse 1, Penetration 1, Survival 2, Swim 1

Magical abilities:
Opened Arts:
Perdo 2
Muto 0
Rego 2
Corpus 1
Ignem 2
Mentem 4
Vim 0

Spells:
Tip of the Tongue (PeMe 5; 7 casting total)
Call to Slumber (ReMe 10; 7 casting total)
The Many-Hued Conflagration (MuIg 5; 3 casting total)