:::As you begin to unpack, a rather sheepish young wizard informs you that he has a letter for you from 'The Professor'. He gives you the letter and then runs off to do whatever else it was he needed to be doing. It is sealed in the same crimson seal of Saul, which you recognise well, now that you've gone through the application process and made your way to his House. Wisely, you open it and find a map of the grounds as well as a letter from your new Master.:::
Welcome, young witch or wizard. You seek to learn what you can from me, and in a way I am humbled. But rest assured, this will not be an easy task. The craft you wish to learn is that of sorcery - learning to tame demons and make them your own, and I'm sure also you intend to learn some Dark Magick. This latter will not happen, and you would do well to put it from your mind. If you truly wish to be an apprentice of mine, I will treat you as one. I will give you tasks that you will not understand and that will test you in ways you cannot comprehend. My rules will seem arbitrary and unfair, but I will expect you to follow them, regardless.
Here are the rules of my house:
1) There will be no guests of any kind. No family members, no childhood acquaintances, even your pet cat will have to stay home. You are coming to me as an apprentice, and that means that anything you were, anyone you knew, and most certainly anything you've ever been taught is now gone. You come to me as a fresh mind. Many of you will be stubborn and insist on bringing your pasts with you, but I'll get rid of them soon enough. To start, you will have no visits, no familiars, and no souls from your past will be allowed to step foot on my grounds.
2) You will not leave these grounds under any circumstances unless directly ordered to do so by myself. These grounds are consecrated for our purpose, and there are a number of devils and nasty things that are contained here, and if you let them out on the world, you will be damning your own soul as well as the souls of countless innocents for your foolishness. Your entrances and exits will be closely monitored, and I will be aware of any transgressions of any kind in this regard. There will be times when I will give you leave to pursue one of your 'occupations' out of my grounds, but you are expected to come and go precisely when you are told, or be expelled.
3) You will be given an occupation. What occupation you will be given will be at my discretion, and I assure you, you won't like all of them, and in fact, you will hate some of them. I will change your occupation according to my fancy and how well or poorly I think you're doing in that occupation. Each occupation has something to teach you, and you are encouraged to learn your lessons quickly and kindly, because the only one who will be hurt otherwise is yourself. And likely the charges you are instructed to care for. Your occupations will bring you a kind of currency that you will use during your stay here for anything you may want or need, but any transgressions on your part that require a fixing of monetary value will be taken from these payments. You would be wise to do your occupations well and without fuss, and be appropriately awarded.
4) Meals will be served promptly at 7a (breakfast), 12p (lunch), 2p (afternoon tea), 6p (dinner) and 9p (supper). You are not required to dine at every meal if you do not wish to eat, but the kitchens will not be open to you except at these times. Each mealtime will be an hour long, and you are expected to be prompt. Once the dining hour is finished, you will be shooed ingloriously from the room by the kitchen staff, and you are prohibited from eating elsewheres on the grounds, with the rare exception should a meal be arranged to be eaten out of doors, in which case the location will be given to you ahead of time. Breakfast will consist of coffee, juice, tea, a kind of bread or pastry, eggs, sausages and ham, and a selection of fruit. Lunch will be light fare, generally sandwiches of some kind and a salad and fruit. Tea will also be light fare, with finger foods, fruits, and pastries. Dinner will be a meat of some kind, with vegetables, rolls, juice, tea, beer and wine. Supper will also be a meat of some kind, with vegetables, rolls, beer and wine. I don't much care about how old you are as you drink, but if you know you have a problem with alcohol, do not waste my time with your foolishness. If you are vegetarian or vegan, be sure to tell the kitchen staff and I'm sure they'll be happy to accomodate you. But on the other hand, I have hired a professional cook to tend to meals, and he sets up a precise menu for each meal. If you don't like what he's cooking, you're rather out of luck, because that's what he's cooking. Eat it or go hungry.
5) Lessons will be Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 11:30. We will generally have a three hour lecture, in which you are expected to be on time and attentive. Our lessons will build on each other, and since you're here for the express purpose of learning, there is no reason for why you should not be present at every lesson. The hour of 1p-2p every day will be an hour of silent meditation. You are encouraged to walk through the grounds or study in the library, but you are just as welcome to nap in your rooms. But be sure you are quiet. If I have my meditations interrupted because someone is up to tomfoolery and break the code of silence, rest assured you will be punished severely. After tea, you will be sent to your occupations or to your studies. On weekends, you will be encouraged to work on your magick when you are not working. I will be open for questions and personal conversation any time after tea if you are not working. Likewise, you are encouraged to socialise with your peers.
6) My libraries are open to you, but I will give each of you a recommendation of where I think your level of magick is, and how far I think you can handle. If you feel the need to go beyond my discretion, you are practicing at your own risk. I have systems in place that, should you blow yourself up, will keep the rest of the world from crashing down because of it. If you survive the encounter, be prepared for a further punishment at my hands.
Breaking the rules has consequences, but if you follow the rules and tend to your duties and studies dutifully, you will find that life here can be very rewarding. I look forward to working with you, and hope that we can make some beautiful magick together.
~Professor Saul, proprietor and Head Sorceror of the House
Welcome, young witch or wizard. You seek to learn what you can from me, and in a way I am humbled. But rest assured, this will not be an easy task. The craft you wish to learn is that of sorcery - learning to tame demons and make them your own, and I'm sure also you intend to learn some Dark Magick. This latter will not happen, and you would do well to put it from your mind. If you truly wish to be an apprentice of mine, I will treat you as one. I will give you tasks that you will not understand and that will test you in ways you cannot comprehend. My rules will seem arbitrary and unfair, but I will expect you to follow them, regardless.
Here are the rules of my house:
1) There will be no guests of any kind. No family members, no childhood acquaintances, even your pet cat will have to stay home. You are coming to me as an apprentice, and that means that anything you were, anyone you knew, and most certainly anything you've ever been taught is now gone. You come to me as a fresh mind. Many of you will be stubborn and insist on bringing your pasts with you, but I'll get rid of them soon enough. To start, you will have no visits, no familiars, and no souls from your past will be allowed to step foot on my grounds.
2) You will not leave these grounds under any circumstances unless directly ordered to do so by myself. These grounds are consecrated for our purpose, and there are a number of devils and nasty things that are contained here, and if you let them out on the world, you will be damning your own soul as well as the souls of countless innocents for your foolishness. Your entrances and exits will be closely monitored, and I will be aware of any transgressions of any kind in this regard. There will be times when I will give you leave to pursue one of your 'occupations' out of my grounds, but you are expected to come and go precisely when you are told, or be expelled.
3) You will be given an occupation. What occupation you will be given will be at my discretion, and I assure you, you won't like all of them, and in fact, you will hate some of them. I will change your occupation according to my fancy and how well or poorly I think you're doing in that occupation. Each occupation has something to teach you, and you are encouraged to learn your lessons quickly and kindly, because the only one who will be hurt otherwise is yourself. And likely the charges you are instructed to care for. Your occupations will bring you a kind of currency that you will use during your stay here for anything you may want or need, but any transgressions on your part that require a fixing of monetary value will be taken from these payments. You would be wise to do your occupations well and without fuss, and be appropriately awarded.
4) Meals will be served promptly at 7a (breakfast), 12p (lunch), 2p (afternoon tea), 6p (dinner) and 9p (supper). You are not required to dine at every meal if you do not wish to eat, but the kitchens will not be open to you except at these times. Each mealtime will be an hour long, and you are expected to be prompt. Once the dining hour is finished, you will be shooed ingloriously from the room by the kitchen staff, and you are prohibited from eating elsewheres on the grounds, with the rare exception should a meal be arranged to be eaten out of doors, in which case the location will be given to you ahead of time. Breakfast will consist of coffee, juice, tea, a kind of bread or pastry, eggs, sausages and ham, and a selection of fruit. Lunch will be light fare, generally sandwiches of some kind and a salad and fruit. Tea will also be light fare, with finger foods, fruits, and pastries. Dinner will be a meat of some kind, with vegetables, rolls, juice, tea, beer and wine. Supper will also be a meat of some kind, with vegetables, rolls, beer and wine. I don't much care about how old you are as you drink, but if you know you have a problem with alcohol, do not waste my time with your foolishness. If you are vegetarian or vegan, be sure to tell the kitchen staff and I'm sure they'll be happy to accomodate you. But on the other hand, I have hired a professional cook to tend to meals, and he sets up a precise menu for each meal. If you don't like what he's cooking, you're rather out of luck, because that's what he's cooking. Eat it or go hungry.
5) Lessons will be Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 11:30. We will generally have a three hour lecture, in which you are expected to be on time and attentive. Our lessons will build on each other, and since you're here for the express purpose of learning, there is no reason for why you should not be present at every lesson. The hour of 1p-2p every day will be an hour of silent meditation. You are encouraged to walk through the grounds or study in the library, but you are just as welcome to nap in your rooms. But be sure you are quiet. If I have my meditations interrupted because someone is up to tomfoolery and break the code of silence, rest assured you will be punished severely. After tea, you will be sent to your occupations or to your studies. On weekends, you will be encouraged to work on your magick when you are not working. I will be open for questions and personal conversation any time after tea if you are not working. Likewise, you are encouraged to socialise with your peers.
6) My libraries are open to you, but I will give each of you a recommendation of where I think your level of magick is, and how far I think you can handle. If you feel the need to go beyond my discretion, you are practicing at your own risk. I have systems in place that, should you blow yourself up, will keep the rest of the world from crashing down because of it. If you survive the encounter, be prepared for a further punishment at my hands.
Breaking the rules has consequences, but if you follow the rules and tend to your duties and studies dutifully, you will find that life here can be very rewarding. I look forward to working with you, and hope that we can make some beautiful magick together.
~Professor Saul, proprietor and Head Sorceror of the House
