Membership and Initiation

A Master of the chantry reports to the Magister that he has found a suitable candidate, and requests that he may begin his training. The Magister may study the candidate and arrange subtle tests to see if he appears promising. If the Magister gives his approval, the Master can begin magickal training. Otherwise, he is not allowed to teach any secrets to him. The decision of the Magister can not be overruled by anyone, and he may take an indefinite time to test the candidate if he so wishes.

The Master trains the candidate, teaching the basic abilities of magick and lores. He is not allowed to tell anything about the chantry or the existence of other mages, except possibly the danger of the Technocracy. When the Master judges the candidate ready, he will request Magister for a Testing to take place. The Magister may refuse and demand further training, although this is rare. He also decides a date when the Test will take place, and its location.

At the time of the Testing, the candidate is brought by his Master to a place where no sleepers usually go, like a parking lot in a industrial zone or the roof of a big building. At sunset, the Magister and four mages in black robes appear, and the testing begins. The Magister draws a circle on the ground, orders the candidate to step in and instructs him that he may not leave the circle for any reason until sunrise. Then each of the mages tries to make the candidate leave the circle, using their arts.

The exact methods vary depending on the candidate. Some of the most used tricks include:

• One robed mage picks up some gravel, and spreads it with his hand. The candidate feels a horrible itching spread over his body, which only decrease when he moves towards the edge of the circle.
• One mage pours some sulphur and some iron on the ground, and ignites the mixture. It starts to burn fiercely, and a small pile of burning chemicals slowly crawl towards the candidate, filling the air with acrid smoke and sending painful sparks in all directions. The candidate has to evade it without leaving the circle.
• The pile suddenly jumps into the air and explodes into a burning fireball. The fireball is just a very realistic illusion.
• Several birds start to attack the candidate, picking at his eyes and screeching at him.
• One of the mages reaches out in the air, grabs it, and start to move his hand towards himself. The circle appear to move in the same way, but it is really an illusion.

Shortly before sunrise, the Master will appear, happily congratulating him to succeeding the test. He will imply that it doesn't matter that the sun isn't really up yet, and try to make the candidate step out of the circle.

If this doesn't succeed, he will leave the candidate again. Instead the police or some representative of the authorities will appear. They will accuse the candidate of trespassing on private property or something similar, and demand that he follow them. The important thing about this part of the test is not slavishly remaining inside the circle, but to handle the authorities smoothly without revealing too much about the true state of affairs.

If the candidate manages to delay until sunrise, he has succeeded at then test. The Magister and Master will congratulate him, and the Magister has to designate a date within a year when the candidate can be initiated into the chantry.

At the initiation, the candidate is brought to the chantry. All mages solemnly gather in the Banquet Hall, where the Alderman presides together with the Nämdemän and the Magister. The Magister proclaims: "NN, who now stands before the duly gathered meeting of the Guilds of Convivo Holmiensis, has passed the Test. Does the Alderman accept that he will be taken as apprentice by Master NN of the Guild of XX?". The Alderman acknowledges. The Magister asks the Master: "Do you accept NN as your apprentice, to teach him the secrets of your guild and accept him as your responsibility?". The Master acknowledges. The Magister asks the candidate: "Candidate NN, do you wish to join the Guild of XX, with NN as your Master?". The candidate acknowledges. The Magister then asks him to read the initiation oath:

" I hereby swear in the presence of the Guild Meeting, the undivided forces and the Lord of the Universe to follow the statutes, rules and praxis of Convivo Holmiensis.

I swear that I will never reveal the existence of this chantry, name, position or activity.

I swear to obey my superiors.

I swear never to misuse the gift I have been bestowed.

I swear to uphold the ancient protocols:

to respect those older and wiser than me.

to repay my Master and Guild for my tuition.

to never break my word.

to never betray my guild-brothers or the chantry.

to never have any contact with the enemies of Ascension and

to always protect the unenlightened and follow their mundane laws.

I swear that if I ever break this oath in any word or act, I will be expelled from my Guild and Convivo Holmiensis and all the unbalanced forces of the universe will be free to rip my body, spirit and soul apart. This I swear before the Guild Meeting, the undivided forces and the Lord of the Universe by my name and my blood. "

The Magister writes the name of the candidate on the membership scroll, adds any comments about the outcome of the Test in red ink, and then pricks the thumb of the candidate with his quill. He places a drop of blood at the name, and proclaims: "Let it hereby be known, that today NN has become apprentice of the Guild of XX, in accordance with the statutes and praxis!". He gives the apprentice a copper coin, and a general celebration ensues, where everybody congratulates the apprentice and his Master.

To become an Gesäll of the chantry, the apprentice has to prove that he has assimilated the teachings of his Master and Guild. When the apprentice feels he has learned enough, he can ask his Master to become Gesäll. The Master in turn asks the Magister, who (if he agrees) schedules an examination. The apprentice has to demonstrate his abilities (usually through some kind of demonstration) before the Guild Meeting. The three Nämdemän then asks a question each about the theory of magick (usually prepared beforehand, but sometimes they ask their own questions). If the Master and the Nämdemän finds the answers satisfactory, the Magister writes the result into the Membership Scroll and proclaims the apprentice for Gesäll. He also hands over a silver coin with a cross on one side.

To become a Master, a mage of the chantry must have been a member for at least ten years, and successfully defend his thesis. This thesis, which until recently had to be written completely in Latin, is usually the result of much magickal research and labour. By tradition, the mage has to demonstrate his magick before the Guild Meeting (where the Magister, Forcemaster and Alderman presides as judges), defend his thesis from attacks from the appointed opponent and answer three metaphysical questions from the judges. If they finds the result satisfactory, the Gesäll becomes a Master and is given a gold coin, with the seal of his Guild.

Mages from the outside must be formally accepted before they can be admitted into the chantry. To become an associate member (either temporary or permanent), the mage must have at least one, preferably two, sponsors from the chantry. They discuss the matter with the Weaponsmaster, Forcemaster and Alderman, and if they agree, the outsider will be admitted after swearing a solemn oath never to reveal anything about the chantry, and having his name entered into the Scroll of Associates (as in the apprentice initiation). Associates have a bit undefined status. Most are simply assumed to be outside the system altogether, and are given as much respect each mage feels they deserve. However, the Magister can award them additional status, as "Associate of Apprentice's Grade", "Associate of Gesäll's Grade" or "Associate of Master's Grade" (the last type is often called "Elevated Associate").

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