The Zero Equation

by Christopher Nuttall

  When a child is deemed to have reached adulthood (normally, somewhere between eighteen and twenty, although a child can be declared adult at sixteen or as late as twenty-five) they undergo a ceremony. Boys - men, now - normally have a private chat with their father, which often includes discussion of any family secrets and other matters before they don their first wig. Aristocratic girls are generally presented at Court before the king (or his representative) for a formal dance, then they can wear their hair down and be courted as adults. (Courting a girl who has not had her Season is regarded as extremely sinful regardless of the girl’s physical age.) Commoner girls generally have a private party, then wear their hair down too.

  It is unusual for anyone to be denied adulthood past twenty-five. When it happens, it is generally assumed that there is something wrong with the child (i.e. some kind of mental problem) or the parents. However, it is rare for anyone on the outside to intervene. (A child might be emancipated if younger, but almost always with an appointed guardian.)

  Courting is a process that generally involves both sets of parents, although some particularly brave or foolhardy couples will make the arrangements on their own. Parents can and do arrange marriages for their children, but the children have the final say; a parent can suggest a martial partner, but not force one on their children. Marriages are signed by a contract, then considered unbreakable unless the couple decide to separate. This is rare and almost always causes problems, particularly if there are children. (There are no problems when widows or widowers want to remarry.)

  Marriages amongst the aristocracy generally take place between twenty and thirty, with the mother taking time off from her career to have children and then picking up again when the children are born. (Aristocratic women often work from home or hire nannies to take care of the kids.) It is quite unusual to have one’s first marriage past thirty, although it has been known to happen. Generally, wives are encouraged to have children first - while they’re young - and then return to their careers.

  Some of the Great Houses engage in betrothals of their children, as a sign they are serious about a long-term alliance. These arrangements don’t always last when the children come of age, as they are often not disposed to go through with the marriage. It is generally believed that the alliance will still hold together, as both families have had a chance to get used to being allies even without the marriage.

  Inheritance is a complicated issue. The vast majority of a family’s possessions are entailed, passed down from Patriarch to Patriarch. However, it is difficult to determine in advance just who will be the next Patriarch. The family council makes the final choice, after considering all the possible options (technically, any family adult can become Patriarch.) Some families have specific rules - House Rubén only has Patriarchs, for example - while others are far more open. Possessions that are not entailed - money the parents earned on their own, for example - are normally shared amongst their biological children. Occasionally, someone may ask for their inheritance early, taking the money at the price of being excluded from any future division of property.

  As of Year 1993 (the dating system counts from the day the Thousand-Year Empire was formally established), the two most powerful Great Houses are House Aguirre and House Rubén. Other significant houses include Alidade, Bolingbroke, Fitzwilliam and McDonald.

  The forerunners of House Aguirre were native to Saltesh, a kingdom on the other side of the Great Minima Desert. Already powerful magicians, they were ripe for recruitment when the Thousand-Year Empire circumvented the desert and pushed into Saltesh, accepting a subordinate position within the empire in exchange for education in ‘modern’ magic. The core of the family moved to the Eternal City, where they realised that they were unlikely to be able to wield significant power simply because of the sheer multitude of other (well-established) families. Accordingly, they moved to Shallot when the city was opened for trade and became one of the founding families when the city became independent, establishing a patronage network that bolsters their already-strong magic.

  House Aguirre is known for its black skin, dark eyes and strong magic. However, the Heirs Primus (the children of the Patriarch) are regarded as problematic. Triplets; one is cruel, one is lazy and one appears to have no magic at all ...

  House Rubén has a fair claim to being the oldest family in Shallot, with roots that lead all the way back to the early days of the Thousand-Year Empire. Indeed, the current House Rubén is actually an offshoot of the original; unlike House Aguirre, House Rubén chose to move a small branch of the family to Shallot rather than relocate the entire family. (Uncharitable observers suggest that the offshoot was led by the family disgrace, who was ordered out of the Eternal City to keep him from embarrassing the remainder of the family.) It therefore took them decades to accept that the main body of the family had died in the Eternal City, by which point their rivals had established themselves firmly within the body politic. Since then, House Rubén has slowly - but surely - battled to gain the prominence it feels it deserves. The birth of two children - one a skilled magician, the other a skilled forger - seems to promise a new era for the family ...

  Appendix: The Great Houses of Shallot

  It is probably better to look at the Great Houses as clans, rather than families. They are immense, even the smallest having over fifty senior members; they wield vast power and influence, at least in part, because they’re a gathering of powerful magicians. Their power (and patronage networks) often stretch well beyond the boundaries of Shallot itself.

  It’s fairly simple to define a Great House. It must be a large and powerful faction of magicians, one that cannot be ignored by the rest of the city. In theory, smaller families and guilds can possess the power of a Great House (and demand seats on Magus Court) but in practice they tend not to have much staying power.

  A Great House is generally divided into four sections. The greater family consists of the senior members nearest to the core bloodline; the lesser family consists of the senior members further away from the core, the children consist of the underage family members and the clients consist of unrelated magicians who have accepted the family’s patronage and sworn themselves to its service. It is unusual for a member of the lesser family to have any say in the family’s internal affairs, but it has been known to happen; children and clients, of course, do not have any say at all.

  The typical Great House is led by a Patriarch or Matriarch, who is elected by the family council (the greater family) and serves for life unless the council decides to remove him from his position. A Patriarch wields considerable power over the family, although there are some limits; he is also expected to spend most of his day tending to the family's affairs, seeing to the education of its children and nurturing the family’s network of clients. It is rare for a Patriarch to change things radically, as most Patriarchs come from the greater family and tend to regard tradition as inflexible.

  The Patriarch’s day starts with breakfast, which is generally shared with his wife, children and closest relatives. Once he has eaten, the Patriarch will converse with clients or work with his apprentices to further their magical studies a task that consumes most of the morning. A Patriarch will then share lunch with his senior clients (an invitation to dinner is regarded as a great honour) before attending Magus Court (or the lesser law courts) to discuss city law or plead for his clients in a courtroom. Dinner is shared with close family and rarely interrupted; the evening is free.

  Lesser family members are either trained to serve the Great House (as servants, for example) or encouraged to go into positions that will allow their family to expand its influence. This isn't necessarily a bad thing: the family butler, for example, wields considerable power in his own right. Others go into teaching, where they tutor the family’s children, or join the family’s private armsmen. The family will also provide the funds for a lesser family member who wishes to open a business or something else that may enhance the family’s position.

  The fami
ly’s children (greater and lesser) receive private tuition in magic from the age of six, as well as an extensive education that covers everything from accident languages to law and family history. A child is expected to be able to recite his or her entire family tree by the time they reach ten, allowing them to position themselves as heirs to ancient traditions. Particularly clever and promising children are singled out for further training, which can be offered privately (and secretly). A handful of children are sometimes dispatched to foreign schools, allowing them to make overseas contacts and keep abreast of magical developments outside Tintagel.

  As they grow older, children are expected to attend formalised gatherings (and less formal parties) with children from other Great Houses. This allows them to get to know their fellows before they go to Jude’s, while their parents can show off their magical progeny to their peers. Courtly manners are drilled into them, to the point where making a mistake in etiquette can haunt someone for the rest of their life.

  By law, children are effectively the property of their family (and effectively the family’s clients). The Patriarch has vast authority when it comes to shaping their lives, although wise Patriarchs understand the dangers of being too strict or indulgent. Magus Court (or other outside authorities) do not have the legal power to intervene, if they feel a child is being abused; that said, parents can be (and often are) held accountable for their child’s behaviour.

  It is extremely uncommon for a family member to either betray the family or simply leave. The vast majority of family members believe in the family, even if they don’t always like it. Many of them wouldn't know what to do outside the family (and wouldn't have access to family funds.) Indeed, the Patriarchs often try to help the discontented find a place where they will be happier, rather than forcing them to stay somewhere they’re unhappy. That said, someone who wants to leave completely will often be given a severance package and formally disowned from the family. They will no longer be considered part of their former clan. A person who betrays the family, on the other hand, will be declared outcast. They will have little hope of finding a safe place within the city.

  Appendix: Jude’s Sorcerous Academy

  Jude’s Sorcerous Academy - more commonly called simply Jude’s - is the largest school of magic within the Kingdom of Tintagel and one of the largest on the continent of Maxima.

  Jude’s was founded as a basic school of magic shortly after Shallot was incorporated as a city within the Thousand-Year Empire, a place designed to train magicians and identify students who might benefit from a scholarship to the Eternal City. It was considerably smaller in those days, although the school purchased vast tracts lands around the original building (accounting for its presence within South Shallot). It wasn't until the civil war that put an end to the Thousand-Year Empire that Jude’s started to take on the character we know today; one of the premier magic schools within the continent.

  The original building was relatively small. However, as the school grew, more and more wings and buildings were added to the mix, giving the school a somewhat chaotic appearance. Other buildings were swallowed up by the expanding school or pressed down and used as the base for other buildings. The interior of the school is a maze, an absolute headache for new students who find it hard to navigate. Now, vast swathes of the school are disused and, technically, sealed off. However, bright students can and do find ways to explore the disused sections of the building.

  Technically, the school is run by the Triad; three magicians, appointed by Magus Court, who make up the school board. Practically, the school is administered by the Castellan, who generally has the final say in everything from class timetables to discipline. Below him, each subject has two to four teachers, who sort out their own pecking order.

  Students generally enter Jude’s at twelve, after they pay the admission fees (or win a scholarship). Upon arrival, they are sorted into single-sex dorms - roughly ten students to a dorm - which will be their home for the next year. (Jude’s does not admit day pupils.) The students will be resorted every year, ensuring that each student will know nearly everyone of consequence within his or her year. Most students will remain friends with their dormmates even after they are separated by the re-sort.

  Socially, students are divided into lowerclassmen (12-16) and upperclassmen (17-19). The upperclassmen are expected to keep an eye on the lowerclassmen, teach them how to be students and maintain discipline, although some upperclassmen take the duties more seriously than others. Fifth Years are often assigned to supervise First Year dorms, at least for the first five months. After that, the students are expected to elect their own dorm supervisors (although the elected student can be stripped of position by the staff, if they prove to be a bad choice). Upperclassmen have authority to order the younger students about (sending them to fetch or carry, for example) or administer punishments - writing lines, detentions, etc - at will, though it must be noted that abuse of this power draws serious consequences. It’s generally agreed that drawing the attention of the teachers - particularly the Castellan - is a bad idea.

  Most social groups congregate around the children of the aristocracy, mimicking the patron-client relationships that shape the city outside the walls. Aristocratic children often trade help and support to common-born children in exchange for their service, although such patterns don’t always continue once the students have graduated. It’s rare for a patronage network to include older or younger students, which can be a shock to the leader when he/she graduates and discovers that he/she is back at the bottom (although someone with the right birth is already quite high up the ladder.)

  Friendships between the years are rare and friendships between upperclassmen and lowerclassmen are almost unknown. Even older siblings will generally ignore their younger siblings at school.

  The typical weekday starts with breakfast, which is held between 0700 and 0830. Classes start at 0900, each one normally an hour or two long. Lowerclassmen take their lunch at 1200; upperclassmen have theirs at 1300. Classes end for the day at 1630, followed by homework, private study and afterschool detentions. Students generally take their dinner between 1700 and 1900; Lights Out is at 2100, whereupon all lowerclassmen are expected to be in their dorms. Sneaking out after Lights Out is an old tradition, but so is unpleasant detentions if caught.

  Lowerclassmen generally study a number of subjects, including Charms, Potions, Forging, Protective and Defensive Magic and Ethics of Magic. Each student is required to show both an understanding of the theory and practical skills before they pass the class. Assuming they pass their end-of-year exams, they will be allowed to go on to the next level. Upperclassmen have more focused studies, depending on what they want to do with their lives. A prospective Potions Master, for example, will limit his studies to useful classes.

  Lowerclassmen have relatively little freedom. They are not allowed to leave the school during term time, save in emergencies. They do attend dances and suchlike, but such events are designed more to teach the social graces than have fun. Upperclassmen have considerably more freedom - they can leave the school to attend social events, for example - yet they are almost always chaperoned within the school. Student romance is not precisely discouraged, but it can be scandalous if it gets out of hand (particularly as very few student romances last once the students graduate).

  Students are generally expected to uphold the ethos and traditions of the school at all times. On an open level, this includes practicing magic and pushing the limits of the possible; on a more covert level, this includes upholding traditions and practices that seem a little odd to the outside eye. Students are expected to solve problems themselves, instead of tattling to the staff; students push and pull at each other all the time, testing what they can and cannot do (or get allowed to do.) Some of these traditions are weird, but harmless; students often discover a rival in their dorms they can match themselves against. Others can be dangerous, if - when - such a relationship gets out of hand.

  A student is e
xpected to be honourable and keep his/her word at all times. There may be no contracts or oaths worked into patronage relationships running through the school, but a reputation for dishonourable behaviour - not repaying favours, for example - can haunt a student long after leaving school. An upperclassman who makes use of a particular lowerclassman for errands is expected to repay the lowerclassman, perhaps in scholarly assistance or education in the social graces. Most consequences for exploitive behaviour are unofficial, but non-the-less real.

  Despite its location, Jude’s is meant to be politically neutral. The Great Houses do vie for power over the school, as it gives them the chance to identify promising newcomers and recruit them, yet it is generally agreed that such power will not be exploited too far. Family feuds do sometimes cast a long shadow over Jude’s, but the Castellan normally keeps them from getting too far out of hand. Hexing one’s family’s enemies is traditional and allowed, actually trying to kill them is not.

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