Dracul's Distinction

First Amongst Equals

The Dracul's Distinction is a title given by the Dracul to his or her top pick of the incoming Solomonari class. This pick is entirely the Dracul's choice, and each Dracul's criterion for their pick is their own. However, it's widely understood that the title is the Dracul's highest stamp of approval and that the magician it is bestowed upon will most likely be chosen as their class's Immortal.
The Dracul's Distinction is able to pick a magician from any state, so there is always two from a state in any Solomonari cohort. This cohort's current Dracul's Distinction is Sarai Amira, the second Solomonari picked from Ieglia (along with Leeza Lazar).
This rank is considered an enormous honor and even those outside the Scholomance recognize the honor and treat the Dracul's Distinction with tremendous respect (especially in Ieglia).

Qualifications

There are no concrete qualifications needed to be the Dracul's Distinction. It's widely understood that the rank is given to one that the Dracul feels is the most competent at magic even at the young age they're admitted, and that person will be likely to be picked as their cohort's Immortal. However, it's not always academic prowess that the Dracul considers important, and sometimes, the reasoning for the pick is a mystery to everyone except the Dracul.

Requirements

There are no requirements to be picked as the Dracul's Distinction; the magician is allowed to be from any state and at any age. The person is almost always the top of their local magician school and are expected to be academically gifted amongst their cohort. However, some Draculs have considered qualities outside of academics, and the incoming Dracul's Distinction may not be the top of their class.

Appointment

The Dracul's Distinction is invited to the Scholomance by the Dracul themselves. The parents of the pick are notified prior to the future Solomonar, and so the family often invites other family and friends to see the Dracul offer both admission and the Distinction to the student.
The student is also gifted an elaborate pin of the Dracul's design that they wear every day; this is also given when the Dracul offers admission.

Duties

There are no specific duties for this rank; it's considered an honorary rank earned before the student even enters the Scholomance. However, the Dracul's Distinction is often considered a sort of de facto leader of the current Solomonari cohort.

Responsibilities

There are no specific duties for this rank; as mentioned, it's considered an honorary rank earned before the student even enters the Scholomance. However, the Dracul's Distinction is often given the most assignments directly from the Dracul, which is considered an honor as well.

Benefits

The benefits from being the Dracul's Distinction are all intangible things: there is no financial or material gain from obtaining the rank.
However, there is a certain amount of prestige and power that is granted to the Distinction. Especially in Ieglia, where the Solomonari are seen as semi-divine, the Dracul's Distinction is treated with a mixture of awe, respect, and utter deference. Especially with the current Dracul's Distinction being from Ieglia, the current holder is treated as a living divine walking amongst them.

Accoutrements & Equipment

As mentioned, every Dracul's Distinction is gifted a specially designed pin that they wear every day to denote their rank (although most around Ieglia, where much of the Solomonari spend their free time, would simply know who it was by their name).

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

The removal of the Dracul's Distinction is considered an extremely rare event; the only time a new Dracul's Distinction has been named as been due to the death of the current one, or, in one case, the current rank holder betrayed the Solomonari and was both expelled and removed as the rank. Removal of the Distinction is up to the Dracul entirely.

History

The rank of Dracul's Distinction has been around almost as long as the Scholomance. It was originally created to ensure that an academically gifted student whom was unable to afford the tuition could still attend. Now, the Conclave of Magicians and the Thenian Society jointly fund the Solomonari's education, so the scholarship aspect of the rank has disappeared.
Over the centuries, the prestige of the rank has only occasionally wavered and continues to hold a lot of prestige to the current time.

Cultural Significance

Some states of Thenia give greater importance to the rank than others. For example, Ieglia, who considers the Solomonari to be semi-divine, consider the Dracul's Distinction to be a divine member walking amongst them. Ghazeen, Skanzia, and Keshea also tend to look very favorably if the current rank holder is from their state. On the other hand, Kezig, Votha, and Trece Isla tend to not place as much importance on the rank, as they are not as supportive of the Scholomance (for various reasons) as other states.

Type

Academic, Honorific

Status

Extant

Creation

Approx. 2400

Length of Term

7 years

Related Locations

• Scholomance