The Test
An aspiring wizard who reaches a certain skill level must take The Test to move on to the higher, more powerful areas of magical study.
In some cases the Conclave sends an invitation to the apprentice, setting a date and time for the presentation.
The Test is used to determine who is worthy to wield the considerable power of High Sorcery; those who fail the test die, as it is considered a necessary price to pay to keep the power out of the hands of those who would abuse it, use it recklessly and endanger the existence of magic and the Orders. Those who pass the test are inducted into one of the three orders: White Robes (aligned with Solinari and practitioners of Abjuration and Divination magic), Red Robes (aligned with Lunitari and experts in Illusion and Transmutation magic) and the Black Robes (aligned with Nuitari and delvers in Enchantments and Necromancy).
The Test puts the life of the wizard in danger. Failure usually means death. Thus, those who do not accept the risks of the Test (by not taking The Test) remain relatively unskilled and, therefore, not a major threat to the Conclave of Wizards. Wizards who continue to accrue power without having joined the Orders are branded as Renegades and hunted by the Orders, to be given two choices: take the Test or die.
Test sessions are private and cannot be shared between apprentices.
The Test itself allows the Conclave to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the applicant. It is carried out in one of the Towers of High Sorcery, most times through very realistic illusions. It may affect the apprentice's mind and body permanently.
The apprentice wears a color of robe they think suitable. However, it is in the Test that the real allegiance of the apprentice is found. At the end of the Test, the Wizard is presented with new robes of their chosen order.
Read more about this topic: Wizards Of High Sorcery
Famous quotes containing the word test:
“The test of an adventure is that when you’re in the middle of it, you say to yourself, “Oh, now I’ve got myself into an awful mess; I wish I were sitting quietly at home.” And the sign that something’s wrong with you is when you sit quietly at home wishing you were out having lots of adventure.”
—Thornton Wilder (1897–1975)
“This, then, is the test we must set for ourselves; not to march alone but to march in such a way that others will wish to join us.”
—Hubert H. Humphrey (1911–1978)