Magical Apprenticeship Agreements

While many Master Artisans require an apprentice to sign an apprenticeship agreement upon beginning their training, none hold the power that a Wizard forges with his new aspirant. This treatise attempts to explain the ramifications that such contracts entail.

In many respects, the magical apprenticeship agreement appears no different in structure to those of their non-magical brethren. They typically contain similar language, spelling out what is expected and required of both parties. The main difference is that if a common contract is broken by either of the parties, the only recourse is to appeal to the law of whatever land the contract was written in. The mystic contract is far different in that it forms a bond of sorts between the master, the apprentice, and the scroll itself. While the contract is a spell scroll, the scroll only contains the magic until signed by both parties, and the scroll is not destroyed so long as the contract itself holds. Destruction of the scroll itself does not necessarily break the contract, only the physical artifact of the contract.

The contract must specify at least these items for a proper agreement: the duties & responsibilities of each party, conditions for completion of the contract, conditions under which either or both parties can end the agreement, length of the contract (maximum of a year and a day), and conditions for when and how to renew or extend the contract if desired.

The contract operates much as a bi-directional geas spell. Neither party makes a saving throw, as each party voluntarily signs such a contract. Attempts to cause a person to sign such a contract while being charmed or compelled (such as while under a charm person or another geas spell), will cause the person who maintains such a spell to immediately suffer the damage of this spell, and will continue to be affected until they release their power over the person. A person being influenced by such a spell will have no desire to sign such a contract unless that is the intent of the charmer. A dispel magic, remove curse, or greater restoration spell will not break such a contract unless explicitly declared as the target of said spell.

Except in special circumstances (detailed below), a person can only be subject to one Agreement at a time. Attempts to sign another contract before releasing the first will subject the potential signer to the effects of this spell.

The means of releasing this spell vary somewhat depending on the specific language used in the scroll, but at least one of the following methods must be a part of the contract. Attempts to write such a contract without a voluntary means of release will cause the spell to fail.

• Either party can declare an end to the agreement. The declaration must occur where all parties involved are able to hear and understand, and the effects will end 24 hours later. The declaration must be in accordance with the specific terms of the contract.
• All parties involved can agree to dismiss the spell. If no additional conditions are made and agreed upon, the spell ends immediately.
• All copies of the contract must be destroyed. This is only allowed if so specified in the contract, and if this is a permissible means of ending the contract, multiple copies will generally be created.
• The time listed in the contract elapses (maximum of one year) without both parties agreeing to extend or continue the contract.
• Either party dies, and has not been resurrected or by other means restored to life within seven days.
• Either party travels to another plane of existence, and remains there for seven full days, unless such travel is specifically addressed in the contract.

As stated above, a person can normally only be the subject of one agreement at a time. The sole exception is if the apprentice of the first contract themselves take an apprentice. This is an exceptional circumstance, and can only occur if the first contract explicitly allows it, and specifies conditions under which the apprentice may take an apprentice. The master of any such a contract must be able to construct a geas-like spell scroll, and must also be able of casting a higher level spell than the highest level an apprentice may cast.

Both parties signing the contract will know a general direction and distance to the other party at all times. If either party dies, the other will have some sense of where death occurred, and if it was in a place the survivor is familiar with, a reasonable idea of where the body fell. Both parties will also know the general condition and location of all contracts, so long as the contract(s) have not been destroyed.

Contracts of Students of the Guild Arcanum

All students (and instructors) actively enrolled at any of the schools that fall under the auspices of the Guild will sign an apprenticeship agreement. The agreement allows those under its influence the ability to enter most areas of the school (all schools are under powerful wards that prevent entry by unauthorized individuals). The agreement prohibits individuals from intentionally causing harm to others also subject to the agreement, and generally contains other strictures.

These strictures will commonly include:

Intentional harm (physically or by spell) of other students, instructors, or staff.

Adhereance to all Guild regulations.

Cheating, or attempting to help others to cheat during sanctioned examinations (particularly examinations by an official Board).

Intentional destruction, defacement, or theft of Arcanum property.

Adherence to local law and customs.

Prohibition of research or practice of unsanctioned magics.

Attempting to circumvent Guild regulations or strictures of the agreement.

Proper control of familiars.

Payment of required dues and fees.

Any stricture not included in the agreement is likely covered by official Guild regulations.

An Arcanum Agreement applies to an individual, regardless of whether or not they are on Guild grounds.

Completion of a Guild Apprenticeship Agreement generally occurs with one the following conditions:

Graduation and completion of a registration board.

Acceptance of an approved Practurn.

Thirty days after abandonment of studies.

One year and a day from the signing of an agreement without signing an extension.

Expulsion from the school.

Death

An Arcanum Apprenticeship Agreement is signed by the apprentice and by a senior member of the school staff, but the apprentice is binding themself to the Guild Arcanum, and not to an individual. This binding is to the Guild as a whole, so students from different schools (such as the School of Illusion and the War College) are prohibited from harming one another.

Type

Manuscript, Magical (Tome/Scroll)