Magic - Book of Basics

Magus

Wizarding Rules & Moral Law

There is a level of morality that most magicians choose to live by and use their magic through, though this is not a rigid structure such as religious morality, as it is subject to the views and opinions of those who interpret it. Not all who practice and use magic follow the Moral Law, and as there is no social standing or law enforcement there is nothing to make a person follow them but his or her own reasoning and moral compass.

Law of Mentors

The first and most accepted moral law is the Law of Mentors. This law states that should a Magician test someone for magic then they are therefore responsible for them should they be seen to possess the ability. For this reason testing others is not something that is performed by a Novice as they do not have sufficient knowledge or power to handle the tutoring of another Novice. An Apprentice level Magician has the right to test others as they are thus proven to have the knowledge and power to teach the basic skill set, but this is frowned upon as they are still considered too weak and unrefined to handle the task of tutoring. Usually those of the level of Skilled or above perform testing as they are competent enough to take on the responsibility and have the knowledge needed for the task. However, this rule does have its boundaries and limitations: once the Novice has passed the Novice grade of testing and shows competent enough in power and knowledge for the tutor to deem them capable of protecting themselves, then the Law of Mentors comes to an end and the tutor no longer has moral responsibility over that Novice. And so, when this time comes the Mentor can simply walk away and leave the Novice to their own education and training, which unfortunately often happens. Preferably, the Mentor will stay with the Novice and continue overseeing their practice, giving tips and lessons and teaching new spells and lore, though there is no obligation and instead they may suggest ways to learn without direct influence. Should a Novice want their Mentor to continue with training and the Mentor be in agreement, then the Novice is sworn to the Magician that has taken on their training. From this point on they are hence referred to as an Apprentice.

Standards & Etiquette

When a Novice is sworn to a Magician and has become their Apprentice they are able to learn new spells and lore to enhance their power and knowledge and further their training. As this is under the guardianship and observation of a Magician, this is far safer than hunting for new spells and lore on one’s own. Any predicaments they come across can be examined and overcome with their Mentor’s help, whilst any dangers they face will also be reduced by the aid of their Mentor. This is obviously not the case when a Novice takes training solely into their own hands. With this new position of Apprentice comes a set of manners and courtesies that the Apprentice should hold themselves to as a sign of respect to their Mentor and as a sign of gratitude for his or her accepting of them. This is not a set of rigid rules and unfortunately I have seen numerous Apprentices fail to follow these standards. What follows are guidelines of courtesies and good manners:

1 – Should a Mentor ask their Apprentice to perform a task for him or her then they should do so. This does not mean the Apprentice should immediately drop everything they are doing as most of us have busy lives. Instead the Apprentice should make time in the near future to perform the task given to them. However if this has nothing to do with their training in any way then the Apprentice has every right to deny the task. But if it does have something to do with their training, even if it is not direct, then the Apprentice should perform the task that is given. The Apprentice should also come to expect a similar level of courtesy from their Mentor, who should not be asking them to perform tasks that have nothing to do with their education. Should a task be given the Mentor should not expect the Apprentice to immediately obey as this is an abuse of standing and shows a lack of patience and respect for their student.

2 – When talking to their Mentor it is a courtesy to refer to them as Master, even if they are not of master grading. However most people feel uncomfortable with this rule and so elect to refer to their Mentor as Senior, a name that is less striking and more humble. This is mostly a courtesy that is used when the Apprentice is in the presence of their Mentor whilst being taught. If the two are together in a social situation rather than a teaching one then this courtesy does not need to be enforced and is rarely used. This courtesy also applies to the Mentor who should refer to their student as Apprentice rather than Novice. But in these changing times most refer to them as students and it has recently become acceptable to refer by name rather than title.

3 – When an Apprentice is not in the presence of their Mentor then they should never insult or talk about them in any ill way, but rather be indifferent or good mannered when conversing with others. Of course, as in any teacher/student relationship, there may be negative tensions between the two and it is fine for the Apprentice to curse about their Mentor when they are alone. And likewise, the same applies to the Mentor, who should not speak ill of their Apprentice behind their back when with others, unless it is about their failings and the Mentor is seeking help from another on how to help their Apprentice overcome them. If this is not followed and the Mentor simply complains about their Apprentice and their failings without thinking of improvements, then this shines ill on the Mentor, rather than the Apprentice, and the negative should always be reinforced with a positive or a possible solution for improvement.

4 – Everything the Apprentice learns from their Mentor should be written on paper and then re-written neatly in a personal Grimoire so as to be kept as a record of learning and a future resource. The Mentor may ask to see this book in order to gauge learning, though Mentors often like to see written notes so they can suggest revisions and changes before it is written neatly. To this end it is always wise to request the Mentor look over notes and writing before it is copied into the Grimoire.

5 – It is considered a mark of respect to bow to your Mentor. If done then the Mentor should nod as a mark of respect to show they have acknowledged the gesture. This does not have to be done when the Apprentice and Mentor are in a social situation outside of education and so in these circumstances the bow is very rarely given. If an Apprentice comes across a known Magician who is equal to their strength or knowledge then the Apprentice should nod a mark of acknowledgement. And if they come across a known Magician with greater knowledge or power than their own then they should also bow to them, even if just a small one. This latter guideline applies to social situations as well as ones of learning.

6 –An Apprentice should never divulge their learnings to others, whether they be Magicians themselves or Un-gifted. Most Magicians are particularly private about their knowledge and do not wish it to be dispersed without their control lest they use it to their advantage or indeed against them.

Law of Tutoring

As stated in the Law of Mentors, a Novice should not test others for magical potential because of their own lack of power and knowledge. However, there are always those who have been tested and desire to test their friends. Please be aware that this can be damaging, as those who are found to have magic are often then neglected by the Novices that tested them. They will be unfamiliar with the Wizarding Rules and Moral Law, and this is dangerous as being aware of their power and having a desire to use it but not the means to apply it in a controlled manner, means they could harm not only themselves but others too.

Moreover, those who have passed their Novice testing and shown they are ready to move onto Apprentice grade are still rarely allowed to test potential Novices, even though they actually have the right to do so. The reason this is mostly restricted is because of what would happen once the Novice passed their testing. The one who tested them has not gained any further knowledge in lore and spells because their time has gone to teaching and so they do not have the power or knowledge to swear them in as their Apprentice. This results in the Novice having to either find an untrusted stranger to teach them or take their learning into their own hands, the dangers of which have already been stated. So the right to test and teach falls to those who have reached the level of Skilled and above, as they have the knowledge and power to test another and to take responsibility of their tutoring until they pass Novice testing. They are entrusted and sometimes even encouraged to do this as they then have the power and knowledge to take on an Apprentice of their own.

When taking an Apprentice it is usually frowned upon to have more than one, though the tutor’s level of power and knowledge come into play. Should they be in the Apt level then they are often seen taking two Apprentices and those rare few who reach Expert or beyond are encouraged to take on as many Apprentices as they can handle.

When an Apprentice is sworn then they negate all right to take an Apprentice of their own unless they have permission from their mentor and even then their Mentor has the overall say in who they can teach. This is enforced as a necessary ruling because the Apprentice will be teaching the knowledge of their mentor. The Magician may not want their knowledge getting out and being passed around people without their express regulation and control and so this ruling is rarely ever challenged.

A Magician is only named a Mentor (or Tutor) when they have taken an Apprentice, and, surprisingly perhaps, they are not obligated to teach spells and lore, though this usually occurs. The role of the Mentor is to oversee the Apprentice’s practice and help them should they become stuck or meet danger. The Apprentice is, however, obligated to show their works to their Mentor, and should they use experimentation to create their own spells then they certainly have to show these. Consequently, some take Apprentices so that they can learn new spells without having to do the work themselves. This is very much frowned upon by almost all Magicians as it is being lazy and disrespectful, while taking advantage of Apprentices.

Uses of Magic

Many, including Magicians as well as the un-gifted, think the use of Dark Magic is illegal and forbidden - either because of their own belief system or the influential power of media. This is