Ranks
Newly Fledged Fire Mana
People can be born with the ability to use fire mana from a young age, or develop into it. Those who have newly acquired the ability to use this form of magic are called 'Newly Fledged', as with all other forms of mana. Newly fledged fire mana are most often children born in regions dominated by the Fire God, though adults who have come into learning fire mana are not particularly rare either.
Newly fledged fire mana are given a choice when they present their new ability- they can be trained and keep it, or lock away their fire mana. Those who choose to train become trainees. Usually, a person is given a waiting period of at least three months to come to a decision.
Trainee
Trainees are all fire mana users with less than one year of training. Until arriving in Shanai, trainees have their mana blocked to prevent accidental use, and will remain mana blocked until scheduled training sessions. Trainees are given a uniform to wear at all times while training, marked by white gloves, a white haori style jacket, and red accents.
For the first three months, trainees are taught primarily in control of their emotional state and focus in order to control their flames. Some small tricks are often taught, especially in child trainees, to help focus their efforts. Most often, a trainee's progress is tracked by the amount of soot on their gloves, with it expected to lessen over time.
Around 6 months into training, a trainee will begin to learn skills in using mana for daily life such as cooking, sanitation, art, and games. Exceptionally fast learners may be permitted to leave the training program at this point, graduating early. On completion and scoring in proficient in control, safety, and skill, usually around one year, trainees may leave the program with a permit to use mana in daily life or continue their training outside of Shanai.
Year 1
Year 1 trainees are those who seek to continue their fire mana training, most often with work oriented goals. Completing the next few years of training allows fire mana to earn work permits for the use of fire mana, requiring them to excel in safety, control, skill, and where they may begin to specialize in different forms. The work permits given by Year 1 programs allow fire mana users to work in lower risk jobs utilizing fire mana, such as food service, arts, or manufacturing, but do not allow for higher positions such as supervision or leads in manufacturing jobs or as mana chefs without further training. Trainees in these programs are given a uniform that is nearly identical to the trainee uniform, however, with green instead of red accents. Those in 1 year programs also are permitted to wear their uniforms, or part of the uniform, outside of training sessions, but generally are still barred from using their mana outside of permitted areas such as training grounds and the schools themselves until graduation from the program or earning a proficient mark in safety and control.
Culinary fire mana schools are the most common, and where most fire mana will specialize. Differing from the skills taught to trainees, culinary fire mana schools are as rigorous as other culinary schools in food safety and technique. Almost all fire mana schools require at least one two month course of culinary training.
Industry is the second most common specialty, training mana for use in manufacturing, creation, and alteration of materials through the use of fire mana. A wide array of industry schools exist, from glass blowing, industrial cleaning, smithing, to everything in between.
The third most common specialty is in the arts. Often, this specialty heavily crosses with the industrial and culinary schools, and will generally require one month courses in each specialty. Arts fire mana often specialize into creation arts such as mana glass sculpture, pottery, dance, or other creative fields. Differing from the industry school, fire mana users trained in the arts do utilize many of the same skills, however, focus on higher quality creations and individualistic aspirations rather than consistent production of the same items.
5 Year
5 year training programs consist of all previous forms of training, and are generally reserved for those that have a clear goal in mind for their training. Generally, it is usually adults who find themselves in 5 year programs, seeking them out to shape their careers for the rest of their lives. The work permits obtained upon graduation from a 5 year program allow the mana users to pursue jobs such as supervision over lower ranked mana, to become training assistants themselves, and to work in much higher risk jobs such as fire fighting. Those in a 5 year program will wear a more complex patterned uniform with orange accents and like one years, are given black gloves instead of white.
Fire fighters, rescue workers, and chefs are the most common career paths of 5 years, and the first ranking in which fire mana are permitted to train outside of Shanai. Training programs exist to teach fire mana users combat techniques for these programs, but only outside of Shanai's borders due to local law forbidding the practice of it for combat within the nation's borders. This law is speculated to change however, due to the passing of
Fire God Vega and ascension of
Maka, God of Fire. Athletes often go into 5 year programs.
On graduation, those who have completed a five year program also may find themselves assisting in the training of lower ranked fire mana themselves. While not permitted to grade or certify others, they can use their own skills to assist others and their teachers in managing other students. 5 years are also permitted to use their mana for ceremonial use, such as in festivals and holiday celebrations.
10 Year / Master
The ranking of a Master Fire Mana is slightly different than other ranks in that one does not have to complete a 10 year program in order to become a certified master, but all that complete a 10 year program will be certified as a master user. Masters who earn the ranking early are those who are exceptionally talented and show remarkable skill far above their peers, and oftentimes are those who develop and master new or uncommon techniques independently. All mastery certifications are performed in Shanai itself, almost always supervised directly by one of the God of Fire's high priests if not the god themselves.
Mastery exams for certification are much more rigorous than that of all other programs, said that any mistake at all can nullify one's chances at graduating until the next year, and draw on every single skill and form taught over the user's career. Specialties still exist in mastery programs, but all require perfect scores in safety, control, form, and to pass all of their specialty course's requirements with perfect scores as well.
On graduation, masters are given a black and white uniform, signifying their exceptional skill. Masters can wear any part of their uniform or the entire uniform itself freely at any time, and its a commonly accepted practice that all those in the master rank will wear the majority of the uniform on the
Midsummer Fire Festival and Festival of Fire at the end of the year. Masters are also permitted to perform the certification exams of lower ranked fire mana users, and granted the special privilege of opening their own schools.
Recertification
For all fire mana users trained to a level of at least a 5 year program, it's required that every 5 years, they complete a recertification exam in order to continue holding active permits to continue using their mana unless the user in question is under 20 years of age, at which recertification is done at 20 years old. Recertifications can be performed anywhere in the world at an approved fire mana school, and do not require travelling back to Shanai.
Master recertification is done every 10 years, similar to standard recertifications. Master recertifications can only be performed in Shanai, under supervision of the God of Fire themselves. This renews the person in question's mastery permits, provided they pass, and also allows old masters to learn new techniques that may have been developed in the meantime. Oftentimes, master recertifications are held during the
Midsummer Fire Festival as part of the festivities and are a public event in of themselves. It is not uncommon for many of the minor gods to attend these exams as guests and even as personnel, such as the case with
Soliairs Taeyang, who often participates as staff.
Yung Pagoni, God of Peacocks, is a frequent guest, having grown up on Shanai and is a fire mana user himself.
Minor gods themselves are not exempt from recertification.
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