The story
of the guildtutor Karavey
"Apprentice! Get down here right now!"
"On my way, uncle!"
Spicer Karavey knew he was in trouble, he was always in trouble. Ever
since his parents left him with his uncle and aunt to learn the
tailor's trade, his name was trouble. He hated sewing clothes and
measuring people for fine outfits he would never afford. Worst of all
were those half-ogre berserkers. Oh, how the stank! What he really
wanted to be was a Mage. To learn the magic of the realm, the secrets,
to have adventures. But that was not his lot in life, his fate was to
take needle and thread and..
"NOW!!" He could tell his uncle was about to lose his patience again
"Yes sir" He said quietly as he walked to the other room.
"Where is the other glove?" his uncle demanded
"ah, what other glove?" he said sheepishly
"you KNOW which glove, the black one made from silk, the baroness'!"
"I don't know uncle" He said. It was a true enough answer. He had been
practicing on it, it was his uncle who told him to practice his mending
skills. He just probably shouldn't have been practicing on a baroness'
expensive glove. He was carrying it around and dropped it running from
some strange creature.
"You were day dreaming again! Weren't you? Bah! You are going to make a
miserable tailor. Why did I ever agree..... oh never mind. That will be
a dock of a month's gold allowance!....."
Did his uncle always have to shout? .... being from the elvish part of
his family, he assumed they be a bit quieter than his human father. He
figured shouting must be a talent in every race. ... Didn't listen to
the rest of his uncle's ranting. He sat there and nodded his head, shed
a tear to make it look good and day dreamed of casting spells.
"Spicer get to work and get that silly dream of becoming a Mage out of
your mind! You're not bright enough! You failed even their simple
entrance quest! Now go downstairs and help you Aunt make those robes."
He uncle stormed off leaving him alone. He slowly sauntered down the
stairs to the work room. His aunt was no where to be seen, but a pile
of witches robes were sitting there on the table ready for delivery to
the....
Mage's Guild!!
Spicer quickly decided to deliver them himself, it might be his only
chance to actually see inside the wonderous guild. He speedily gathered
up the robes and ran through town to the entrance of the Mage's guild.
"You can not enter, son. Just drop the robes here and the guild master
or one of her lieutenants will come get them." The Arch Magi at the
entrance then waved him away.
"I can not leave these robes here, I have explicit orders to hand them
personally to the guild master!" Spicer wasn't one for telling the
truth, but what was he supposed to do! He wanted so badly to be a mage,
a sorcerer.
Spicer had spent years learning a few spells and learning them well.
His uncle was right though. He wasn't much of a bright mind. He tried
to learn naturalism spells and magic, but his mind couldn't handle it
all. So he decided to learn a few sorcery spells as best he could. Even
at that, he wasn't too good at the actual casting of them. He had every
word and movement memorized perfectly. Each spell down pat. But when he
tried to cast them, the place always filled up with daisies or
tadpoles. He just didn't have the ability to focus. He was sure he
would do better if only he could enter the Mage's guild.
"Sorry, unless you have a scroll of knowledge, you can not enter here"
The magi barked.
Just then a shadowy figure whispered something in Spicer's ear. "I've
got a scroll for you, it'll only be 5000 pieces of gold. Just go to the
east and I'll sell it to ya"
Spicer was estatic. He knew he couldn't find it on his own. He went
east away from the entrance and a strange looking gnome came out of the
shadows. He chuckled "here you go silly elf" and handed him the scroll.
"that'll be 500 gold" he demanded.
"How do I know that this is really it?" Spicer was a little concerned,
this gnome thief chuckled a lot, but didn't seem too friendly or
trustworthy.
"You don't silly! but what do you have to lose?" he chuckled again.
Spicer payed him the last and only gold he ever had, gold he had saved
up for his training. He took the scroll and the gnome withdrew to the
shadows.
Spicer took the pile of robes and a scroll back to the mage's guild
entrance and offered the scroll. The Magi guard gave him a staff and
taught him a few lessons. "Welcome to the guild son!" he barked.
He was in! He was a mage! If only his uncle could see him now! Spicer
was so excited. He entered the guild and was in awe. Such an incredible
building and the people walking through were so awe inspiring.
It took him about half a day, but finally he had the courage to ask
someone the question most on his mind. He stopped a small sprite that
was flittering through.
"Excuse me, but where can I leave these robes? I am supposed to deliver
them"
"I'm not sure" the sprite answered "but welcome to the guild! You are
new here aren't you?"
"How can you tell?"
"Well.. you've been standing there for all day with that staff" the
sprite giggled.
Spicer pouted a bit "I know, I'm not sure what to do with it"
"Turn it" the sprite smiled and waved goodbye saying she had something
to attend to urgently, but offered help if necessary later.
Spicer turned the staff and before he knew it he was whisked away to
another part of the guild. Looking around the new area, he was excited
and overwhelmed by all the new skills and spells he was able to learn
there.
Yet, alas, Spicer wasn't to bright and it was taking him months to
learn simple tasks. Nearly daily, his uncle and aunt showed up at the
Mage's guild demanding he return. He had to find some place within the
guild, some reason to stay, or he would have to return to a life of
sewing robes and measuring smelly half-Ogre berserkers.
He went to the Guild master with his plight.
"Maam, I am none to bright. I know that now. Nor can I cast well. But I
truly wish to stay in the guild. Is there a place for me here?" he
pleaded.
She looked at him sypathetically "There is a place for everyone who
wish to be a Mage, dear. There is no need to leave, nor will we kick
you out just because you are slow of learning"
"I know, but..but, I want to give somewhere that I am most useful. My
tithe is very low, and I don't help anyone with my magic or sorcery"
Spicer was feeling quite down and useless.
"hmm" the guild master pondered "I have an idea. I've heard you know
some spells well, though your focus does not seem good enough to cast
them"
Spicer nodded slightly hopeful
"but you know them by heart and you have a good heart"
Spicer nodded a bit more hopeful
"you also know how to make robes do you not? you were once a tailor's
apprentance?"
Spicer nodded with a slightly dissappointed look.
"Then I have a position for you. We have need of someone to tutor our
young sorcerer's in the basics of most of the spells you know so well.
Perhaps you can be our guild tutor for the basic sorcerer spells. And,
the tailors we contract with now are a bit expensive. Last time they
charged 5000 gold for 10 robes! We can't afford that"
Spicer blushed feeling slightly guilty at his overcharge, but he did
have to recoup the gold he payed for the scroll.
"So, here's the deal for you dear. You can tutor our young mages, if
you promise also to make and distribute robes for our mages. You can
charge a bit if you wish, to make gold. Just don't charge 500 gold for
each, our young mages are not that rich"
Spicer wasn't too excited about the robe making part of the deal, but
teaching and tutoring other mages sounded like a wonderful idea. It
would be his dream, and less dangerous than fighting off trolls.
He was given a room to set up in and began tutoring. He loved it! They
were all so grateful and went running off excitedly to tryout their new
learned spells. He loved teaching them and felt he was in heaven. Just
one thing. He really hated making robes. Finally he went to his Uncle
and explained to him that he had become a mage and would never come
back to be a tailor.
"I'm a tutor uncle!"
"I'll be... well, congrats I guess. Your father is going to have to pay
for the loss of help though" his uncle shrugged his shoulders.
"No, I've got an idea. Since I am 'in' with the guild higher ups, why
don't I make you the exclusive supplier of the basic mages' robes. That
should make up for any loss you get from my leaving" Spicer proposed
just a little slyly.
"How much will the Mage's pay per robe?" his uncle asked after
pondering it for a minute.
"How about 24 gold per robe?" Spicer said with visions of wealth in his
head.
"You know it
costs 25 to make them! 50 and no less" his uncle said turning just a
bit red.
