[Krsqk]

Arthur "Hello, Jack. I'm doing fine, I guess. Yes, we were arguing about a ring. I need it to further my training."

Jack "Your training?"

Arthur "Mages from my family are bound by several odd rules. One of them requires an apprentice to secure three signet rings before he can officially begin his training. He can receive some education after receiving each ring, but is forbidden to seek training beyond a certain point. The rings are arbitrarily distributed by the master when a student applies for apprenticeship. The apprentice must then obtain the rings from their owners; this usually involves some sort of trial or quest before the owner will surrender the ring."

Arthur "I obtained the first two rings fairly easily. My father, who held the third ring, died before I was able to return from the second quest. It passed to my older brother, who is now the master wizard here at Lago. He refuses to give me the ring under any circumstances, probably because we've feuded since childhood."

Jack "Can't you take the ring from him?"

Arthur "I could, although it wouldn't help me. In fact it's sitting on that table." Arthur gestures toward a table in the corner of the room. On it sits a ring. The signet appears to be one third of a shield. "According to our rules, the ring has to be willingly surrendered by the owner. I would forfeit any possibility of further training if I took it by force. In fact, he could accuse me before the Guild and have me put to death."

Jack "Can the Guild intervene in a situation like this?"

Arthur "The Guild is old and stuck in their ways. They have the authority to do anything they wish, but they never exercise it--they prefer to stay huddled up in their library, debating over the meaning of dusty old tomes full of rules and regulations. Even if I appealed to them, John could simply say that I was not yet ready for further training, and they would buy it. In fact, they would probably view my appeal as proof of my immaturity and impatience." Arthur pauses a minute before continuing. "The master is permitted to intervene if he feels a ring is being unjustly held. Unfortunately, my father was my master. After his death, my brother became executor of my apprenticeship as well as owner of my father's third ring. I would not have to study with him, but I am forbidden to seek apprenticeship with another until I can present the entire signet of my previous master as evidence of my ability and trustworthiness."

Jack "How have you been able to study, then?"

Arthur "After it became clear that my brother would not return the ring, I began to study on my own. I am forbidden to seek or accept training, but self-study is not prohibited. I visited libraries everywhere and I watched wizards and mages performing their various spells. I could not ask or answer questions; and if there's one thing mages and librarians hate, it's being ignored when they've spoken to you. My knowledge is broad, but limited, because I've been run off from nearly everywhere I've visited as an arrogant young upstart. I had to leave other places because the people I was studying caught on to what I was doing and started to try to teach me. Refusing help isn't looked kindly on, either, and I was back to being a know-it-all youth." He stands, streches, and walks over to the window by which he entered. "After about fifteen hundred years of self-study and being run out of town, I decided that it would be better to get the third ring and seek training. Not that finding training will be easy--most teachers don't appreciate students with broad, shallow knowledge. It's seen as a lack of commitment, or worse, an inability to study. I'll probably have to get a Guild board appointed to teach me, which hasn't been done in seventy-five thousand years or so--not since Rellath began his formal apprenticeship. Of course, that's not a bad sign--Rellath was the Last Grand High Master Wizard we had in our family."

Arthur "Not to change the subject or anything, but what's your take on this?" Arthur relates to Jack the particulars of his readings from the northern underground.