The Magic Institute
"All those with magical abilities must be given the means to learn how to control those abilities lest they put themselves and others in grave peril. These untrained sorcerers exist in all parts of the this world, and some in regions where locating a trained sorcerer to apprentice them is not possible. A place must be established for those untrainined in their magic to seek out an apprenticeship without fear of being turned away or expected to pay exorbitant sums. Public safety demands this." -from a letter written by the founders to Algoma's King Darcy in Year 206 TE
Structure
The Institute is led by an appointed Head Sorcerer. This is usually, though not always, the most senior resident sorcerer. Every year the resident sorcerers choose the Head Sorcerer at the beginning of the new Trade Year, often re-electing the same one for a number of years.
Under the guidance of the Head Sorcerer are the resident sorcerers, who live and work within the Institute's large building in Algoma City. They are permitted to live and work there free of charge, in exchange for training those who seek out the Institute to learn about their own magic. If they do not take on any students for three years, these sorcerers are required to leave. The only exception is for those with rare forms of magic, such as the Asirim, who may not have the opportunity to work with students very often. There may be as many as thirty sorcerers in residence at any one time, and many remain at the Institute to work and train others for several years.
Each sorcerer must also serve, at least twice a year, on a three-sorcerer committee that examines potential new students in order to assess which resident sorcerer might be the best teacher for them to begin with. Similar committees also work to re-assign students when the original sorcerer is actually not a good match for the student's abilities.
The Institute also employs a number of servants who clean and cook for the sorcerers and students.
Culture
All those who work as resident sorcerers do so, usually, out of a genuine desire to assist those who have no other means of learning how to use their magic. Many have seen the effects of untrained sorcerers using magic improperly and wish to help others avoid such a fate. The benefits of having a place to live and work for free, while receiving meals and a small annual salary, also help.
Public Agenda
As the Institute's motto, "Proper Magical Training Saves Lives!" suggests, the purpose is to train anyone with magic who comes to the Institute in order to ensure public safety. When an untrained sorcerer improperly uses magic, it isn't just their life that is potentially in danger, but innocent bystanders may be harmed, as well. That is why students do not need to pay to enter the Institute unless they are able to.
Assets
The money to run the Institute comes from donations from sorcerers who were previously trained there, gifts from other members of the public, and an annual payment from the royal reserve of Algoma. Some students also pay a fee if they are financially able to, and that fee varies based on the student's (or their family's) means. This allows the Institute to provide for all students and resident sorcerers, and pay the servants who assist in the physical management of the place.
History
The Magic Institute was founded in Year 206 of the Third Era by a pair of sorcerers who had witnessed what was called at the time "The Magical Disaster." During the event an untrained sorcerer lost control of his magic and destroyed not only his own family's home, but nearly their entire village. Six people, including the sorcerer, were killed almost immediately in the magical whirlwind he mistakenly conjured, and twenty others were injured.
These sorcerers, who wished to only be referred to in all documentation as "the founders," found others who had witnessed similar events and wished to do something about it. At the time, the only way for someone with magic to master it was to study it alone, or look for a sorcerer to apprentice to. Finding another sorcerer willing to take on an apprentice was not always easy, and studying magic alone was often dangerous. The founders believed that putting sorcerers who were available for apprenticing in one location would make it easier for those looking for training to find them. They began looking for a place to begin.
They wrote to the kings of Phelin and Algoma first, seeking permission to establish their Institute in either of those countries. Algoma's King Darcy (who reigned from Year 179 to Year 225 TE) responded first and welcomed the planned Institute to the ever-growing capital, Algoma City. Construction began in 206 TE and was completed in 210 TE. In the meantime, the founders brought in more sorcerers to act as teachers. At the beginning of 211 TE, the Institute welcomed its first group of students.
Proper Magical Training Saves Lives!
The Institute's Home
The Institute is housed within a large building in what is now the center of Algoma City. At the time of its construction, the building was on the outskirts of the city due to the royal family's fears of what might happen with untrained sorcerers in a growing city. The building contains suits of rooms for thirty resident sorcerers, including the Head Sorcerer. The rooms in each suit include a bedchamber, workroom, and study. The building also contains fifty small dorm rooms for students with the expectation that some sorcerers might take on two apprentices at a time, as needed. The students are given their own rooms instead of rooms in the sorcerers' suits in the event that they need to change apprenticeships for any reason.
Additional rooms within the Institute include a massive library, an indoor sandy arena for practicing some magics, rooms for twenty servants, a kitchen, and administrative offices. Other communal rooms, such as a privy, bathing chamber, and dining hall, were built for students and resident sorcerers in two separate locations. Residents live and work on one side of the building, while students live on the other. Each side has its own set of communal rooms, with the library, arena, servants' quarters, and offices in the center of the building. Students attend their studies in the rooms appointed to their assigned resident sorcerer, most often in the workroom.
Hearths in each room help to heat the space in colder months, and magic added to the walls over time helps the building retain that heat, and dispel it quickly in hotter months. Magic also keeps the building structurally sound despite its age, resulting in little need for costly upkeep, so long as the space is kept clean and issues caught quickly.
