The Masters
Your average citizen may have many personal role models and idols they revere, respect and admire, but few positions enjoy a status as universally regarded as the Masters. The best of the best, the champions of their fields, the paragons who would marshal the realm back to its former glory, the many monikers they enjoy only enforce the public's perception of The Masters as the very pinnacles of mankind. Arguably, their reputation isn't entirely thanks to their efforts, as though many Masters do help where and when they can, not all are similarly inclined to acts of philanthropy. Therefore much of their reputation leans on their status in the society, the privileges they enjoy and what they represent.
The most appealing aspects of becoming a Master can be summarized as follows;
- The freedom of movement between the settlements
- A steady flow of funds to continue your research
- The respect of the majority of the peoples of Achareon, and the benefits that follow
- The seeming independence to do whatever they wish, primarily only answering directly to The League of Mastery, whilst pursuing further knowledge of their field
Considering the somewhat secluded life of relative poverty most of the realm lives under, these perks are often all the incentive they need. But much as many wish to become Masters, the road to Mastery is crowded, narrow and full of obstacles.
Becoming A Master
Whilst not an official step in the process, it can hardly be dismissed what an important role previous studies, tutoring received and other facets of learning play in preparing for the undertaking that is becoming a Master. Assuming proper skills however, the official steps are;
Step One: Regional Preliminaries
So how does one achieve the title of a Master? It should first be pointed out there may only exist a single Master of each field at a time, and after a Master has been selected, they shall hold that position for a minimum of 10 years. After this they are required to return to the League Headquarters in Austero to defend their title if they wish to retain it; failing to show up means an automatic revoking of their status and benefits, a change which is immediately relayed on their personal Portlyons. The only time a new trial for a title is held prematurely, is when a Master dies and the next scheduled trial is more than two years away. The summons for new trials are always enacted by the members of The Brotherhood, a subsidiary organization to the League, who contact suitable individuals, entities and organizations to inform them that an opening in the ranks has been declared. Whether premature or as scheduled, the summons give the invited a year to prepare for the Trials and details of where the winners of the preliminaries are expected to appear, and when. The preliminaries are but a single method by which the selection of potential candidates is whittled down, as each region is only allowed to send a single regional candidate to take part in the Trials. Thus many preliminaries are also preceded by pre-preliminaries where the settlements of each region decide who to send to the regionals. But although many of these events are spectacles in their own right, due to the nature of some of the positions, this does not apply to all, and some preliminaries are a closely guarded secret with limited to no audience participation.Step Two: The Qualifier
After a candidate has successfully pulled through the regional preliminaries (and possible settlement specific ones), they often receive funding from the regional overlord/ruler that covers their travel expenses to the main event; after all regional candidates are often seen as representatives of each region and a certain amount of fame and pride always falls on the region whose candidate manages to snatch the next title.The next step along the way takes the competitors to Custarcorum, one of the northeastern regions of Achareon, bordering the League HQ in Austero. The representatives of the 40 qualifying regions — or those participating — face off in the region's capital, Caer Coelum, where again most of the remaining candidates are eliminated and only a select few are chosen to participate in the last, secretive, phase. They then proceed deep into the depths of Austero, towards the League's Grounds and an audience with The Conclave.The Conclave
by Babymetal
Step Three: The Finals And The Inauguration
What happens during this last phase of the process is anyone's guess, until eventually the winner emerges, title in hand. Some say that once the ceremony finishes, those coming out are somehow transformed, their minds somehow shattered or altered, or their personalities changed. This is however largely considered simply as speculation and misinformation meant to paint the League in negative light for some reason. If anything, the Masters are known to be focused from the get-go.
Numbering In The Unknown
As an additional note, it's also not exactly clear how many Masters exist in Achareon. Whilst the better known titles, such as the Master Healer or the Master Bard, are hardly a well-kept secret, the fact that the League also hosts within its ranks individuals with titles such as Master Assassin, Master Thief and Master Spy, the clandestine nature of these people is often a more guarded secret. The League is sometimes critized for this very reason, some saying it's irresponsible to grant these individuals access to the same benefits as the other Masters, but a case is equally often made in the League's defense, stating they're simply being fair and thorough, and who better to keep such dangerous and highly skilled individuals in check?
Career
Qualifications
There are only a couple set-in-stone qualifications one must meet to become a Master;
- One must be at least 12 summers old in human years (or equivalent for other races)
- One must wish to become one of their own accord, rather than under duress
- One must not have an active warrant out for their arrest
The rest of the qualifications are purely tied to the individual's abilities. The most skilled participant comes out of the tournament with the title, regardless of the number of participants. If, hypothetically, one were to be the only participant, one would automatically acquire the title. Of course, such occurrences are exceedingly rare, much thanks to the hard work of the Brothers in promoting the Trials and spreading the word to potential participants.
There have also been cases where previous Masters have chosen a student for themselves, someone they personally trained and helped acquire the skills needed to achieve Masterdom. Of course, even such individuals are called to participate in the Trials, like everyone else, and as such their success is by no means automatic.
Career Progression
There's no real career progression for Masters, as they are viewed as individuals practically already at the top of the food chain. In fact the entire organization of the League is understood to consist of primarily three bodies; The Brothers of the aptly named Brotherhood, The Masters and The Conclave. As such, the only natural next step for Masters would be to become members of The Conclave, but there's no record of this ever having happened. To that effect, the members of The Conclave are little more than a mystery to even the Masters themselves and far as anyone's aware their ranks have remained unchanged for more than 600 years, for as long as the League itself has existed.
Payment & Reimbursement
As mentioned previously, The Masters receive a steady flow of income from the seemingly endless coffers of the League, distributed via the Bastions operated by the Brothers; a fixed sum to which the Masters are entitled to once per month. Any additional funding they receive as payment or as thanks for services rendered is their business, and one of the only forms of income in the entire realm that is completely tax-free. Being Masters of their respective fields, they are often asked to tutor, help, or observe and inspect different proceedings related to their area of expertise, if they make their presence known to the citizens of the settlements. As such, acquiring additional income is a typically but a trifle matter.
Alternative Names
The Paragons, The Know-It-Alls
Type
Research / Scientific
Related Locations
Used By
Perception
Purpose
The purpose of Masters, and the League, is a somewhat disputed topic. Others simply view the League as an ultimately philantrophic organization that promotes learning, acquiring knowledge and using it to the good of all mankind, and the Masters as the operative means by which the League aims to accomplish this. Those disagreeing however vow there's something not quite right about the whole setup, and whilst even the critics recognize — and often covet — the perks of Masterdom, they are nevertheless on an endless crusade to dig deeper and find out what it is they are actually tasked with doing. These critics refuse to see the League as a simply altruistic entity, but insist it's hiding its true motives behind this facade.
As previously stated, many Masters do help where and when they can. Whether they demand a payment for their services is also often just a flavourful formality which hardly does anything, as most enlisting their aid are more than happy to pay for the services rendered. Some even for the honor of getting an audience with such esteemed people. The Masters may provide assistance in many ways, advisory or operational, with relative freedom. Naturally even the Masters are bound by the local laws and can't go around committing crimes — at least ones that can be pinned on them — and as such their status does not make them immune to legal proceedings. If they do, however, break the law, it's usually the role of The Inquisition sent by The Institute of the Magi to catch these rogue actors and bring them to justice.
Social Status
Again, as previously stated, The Masters and The League generally enjoy reverence from the people of Achareon; sometimes to a surprising extent. Even regional rulers bow their heads when a Master trods through their keep to meet with them, which sometimes raises eyebrows and causes audible murmuring among their servants and advisors. Again, those with a favourable view of the League simply jot this down as a show of respect, but the critics have been known to express their disagreement; stating such allegations as extortion or credible threats of violence as the primary motivator for the strange behaviour of their liege. Whatever the case, the effects of the status of the Masters is ever-visible, and nigh on as widely recognized as the worship of Minerva.
History
When The League was established, very shortly after Anno Minerva began, it didn't take them long to start sending out Brothers to settlements, in order to establish bases of operation throughout Achareon. Initially the relationship between The League and The House of Minerva was far from amicable, bordering hostile, but the mentality of live-and-let-live soon took over and the two entities stopped the active acts of hostility, agreeing to disagree with their approaches to the acquisition of knowledge. And so, within the first 50 years of Anno Minerva, the League was already bosting its first line-up of Masters. From thereon their influence and the reputation of the Masters has only gotten stronger and spread wider.
Dangers & Hazards
Due to their status the Masters do attract a lot of attention, some of it unwanted and even outright dangerous. Those wishing to take the place of a reigning Master have, occasionally, been known to make daring attempts at their lives, but most such attempts have failed miserably. However, exceptions make the rules, as they say.
Some critics of The League also see the Masters as enemies, things to fear and hate and loathe, and such individuals have occasionally grouped up to confront a lone Master, but such encounters, again, often end rather poorly for the assailants.
Typically though, being a Master is just about the safest status you can acquire for your continued well-being. Rarely alone and/or without means to defend themselves, it's viewed a fool's errand to cross a Master of most any area of expertise, no matter how seemingly calm, mellow or pleasant their exterior and field.
In fact, to that effect, the last nine years have proven rather strange for The League, as a steady number of their Masters has suddenly gone missing, or get reported as having died. Whilst an occasional death is hardly an abnormality, the steady pacing of these disappearances and deaths is cause for concern for The League and its affiliates. Something, or someone, seems to be targeting Masters specifically, but to what end?
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