Right! My connection is strong and steady, I've got lots of things for you all to learn, and tonight we learn about Mages! Be in your seats in an hour, and get ready for some fun!

*enters the classroom*
No strange magical interference? Right then.
*sits in the middle row*

*slides in, takes a seat up front*

Woohoo, my family is dealt with! Maybe I can actually be present!

I'm here and ready.
Second verse, same as the first.

Well we have some time before class. Professor, you mind shedding some light on the upcoming midterm?

1353607
I would second this.

The midterm will be a series of simple questions and hypothetical situations judging your reaction to certain events. Answers will be expected for each question, and they must be thorough. They will give me a great deal of insight into how you think, feel, and act. This will allow me to place you in the proper classes later on. The final will be a test of how you would apply the magical skills you've been learning.

Here!

1353690
For any of these questions would it be out of the realm of possibility that we could be required to think as a magekiller would?

1353711
Yes. Before you kill a magic user, you must become one.

1353721
Well at least that particular qualm has been quashed.

1353733
The questions may seem a bit odd, or overly personal, though of course we ask for no hard data. No names, locations, any of that sort of thing. But we do ask questions about things like your concept of justice, your views on love, that sort of thing.

1353690
So it's all gonna be short answer huh? Alas sleep. I knew ye well.

1353741
On that note then, what sort of timeframe are we looking at to have this test completed in?

1353742
As short or long as you wish. But the answers themselves help the Collegia to determine what you are best suited for.

1353749
Traditionally, a day and a night.

1353754
So we might have this test before us tomorrow morning and are expected to have it in by the following morning?

1353761
No, not at all. The test is Friday, and the results must be in by the following day. Normally, we start at noon or midnight, in deference to the Elder Avatars. But since the lot of you seem to only be available in the evenings, we may choose to start at sunset, in deference to the Evening Lady.

1353690
Love it, I get a very Fallout 3 G.O.A.T. vibe from this.

1353795
Think of it more as a test of worthiness and adaptability. If you should ever find yourself before one of the Avatars, she will undoubtedly ask you some of the same questions before taking you into her employ. The Dawn Maiden in particular is picky about her courtiers.

1353808
Wouldn't they all be picky?

1353808
1353819
Yeah, I can only imagine that an Avatar would only choose the best for her court.

1353819
Allow me to explain. The Radiant Noon employs Paladins in force, and in fact her entire Sunguard is made of Paladins from various orders. She keeps a stable of spellcasters for everyday use, but she rules largely over Pegasi and Earth ponies. Many unicorns choose life in the Evening Kingdom because of their stance on magical experimentation.

The Lunar Mistress take all those who find themselves lost and without recourse. The route to Astropolis is only able to be found by those who have lost their way. Her Mentalists are without peer because they practice on each other, and her kingdom is one of debauchery and ancient magics. She employs the second fewest number of spellcasters, but they are all of them deadly and fiercely loyal. Especially those who choose to compete in the Lucanturs.

The Evening Sage has the finest Mages you will ever see, and her empire is built on the backs of science and magic alike. She employs many, second only to Celestia. To witness her workshop, called by some the Court of Miracles, is a privilege few receive, and none forget.

But the Dawn Maiden employs just thirteen. The rest are courtiers and hopefuls, mercenary captains and free-roaming knights errant who hold themselves to high standards. Her thirteen are known as the Songbirds, and they are magic users without peer or match for one reason alone. The Songbirds all love the Dawn Maiden.

1353825
I would imagine but the way that it was stated that the Dawn Maiden is particularly picky would seem to indicate that the others are somewhat more lax with their choices.

Now, let us begin!

1353883
I like when things are described as "peerless" or "unrivaled". It almost sounds like a challenge.

Firstly, can anyone here explain where the term "Mage" comes from?

1353908
I fought a Songbird once, in an annual event.

1353910
Magician. A performer of miracles or amazing almost unexplainable feats.

1353910
A derivative of an archaic term of magic?

1353915
Close. The term "magician" came from mage, as a matter of fact.

1353914
Sounds like an unforgettable experience.

1353918
Yes. "Mage" is derived from the archaic term "Magus", which is Classic Eqquish for "magic user". Little distinction was made between different types of magic,, back then. Anyone who practiced the Art on a regular basis could call themselves a Magus. Those who lay claim nowadays to the term "Mage" are respecting a very ancient tradition, thousands of years old.

1353883
Luna, I thought you would have higher standards.

1353922
Alright. So "mages" in an older context are the explores and pioneers of magic?

1353941
If you ever make it to Astropolis, you will see just how high her standards are.

1353939
So could it be said that Mage in this day and age might be calling yourself a junior to those who have the right to call themselves Magus?

1353947
Correct.

1353950
Okay.

In the most labyrinthine of the Schools, the School of Mages, there are many different Disciplines, ranging from pyromancy to augury to scrying and everything in between. The School itself is both the most well-organized and most confusing of all the Schools, a product of the curious and fastidious nature of most organizations practicing magecraft. This School is unusual in that the Avatar of Dusk herself often takes a direct hand in the advancement of Magecraft, with stunning results. Her ability and power seem to only increase as time goes by, and we can observe this phenomenon as an example of what Mages can become capable of, given time and dedication.

Mage culture is a unique one, one different from the rest of the Schools. Mages follow the ways of the old Equestrian Empire, calling forth memories of the times before the Celestial Wars. Many of their texts are written in High Equestrian or Magical Runic, and they often take names in Classical Eqquish

1353961
The lucantur of today are not the ones practiced hundreds of years ago. In Astropolis, the games are much more intense. And failure often ends in death.

1353962
Could we have an example of some of their names or ways they follow?

1353962
Augury? Divination and future-seeing sound like dangerous things to mess around with.

1353972
I'm sorry. I saw debauchery and I assumed the worst.

1353977
Certainly. Their dress is different. Many choose to wear tunics or togas, if they wear anything at all. They have taken on the old naming conventions. For example, if one were named Xerxes, second son of House Peleps, your name would be arranged as Magus Xerxes Secundus ex Peleps. This would be used in formal settings only, but others have chosen to name their families according to the old ways and in the old language. Ivy becomes Hedera, for example.

1353997
Oh, plenty of that, too. Wild magic requires wild deeds.

1354011
So what happens in Astropolis, stays in Astropolis?

1353991
My mistake. When I say augury, I mean the practice of using methods to divine events currently happening elsewhere in the world. Scrying glasses help, but they can only focus on things you already know. Augury brings to light current events you don't know about.

1354011
Sounds like a party.

1354020
Yes.