Next came the students like Arhan, of which there were now ninety-six, laid out in thirteen tables, eight students to each. Arhan recognised some of the other students’ faces, and even knew quite a few by name. But since schedules and assignments varied widely, he had actually met very few, besides the members at his own table.

Just a row beyond him sat a full fourty true technomages; some relatively young, some very old indeed. Each one was a living example of intellectual and technological accomplishment; holders of incredible secrets that even he, as one about to be tested, did not yet know. The technomages sat according to their specialisations: a few tutors who did not teach classes here, scholars who pursued pure intellectual studies. There were the civics, who would assist with law and government, smiths who manufacture items, and the unmissable and fearsome mercenaries, who would lend their skills to almost any task, if the price was right.