I think proof of anything about the Assessors will be hard to come by, but I should really ask Fabian and Dread about that....
Proof "Do the Assessors have to learn these rules then?" Fabian looked over the remains of the meal and decided that he wasn't too full that he couldn't manage one more of the ribs; he pulled one from the pile of three remaining and then pushed the plate towards Dread, who shook his head. "Not exactly," said Dread. He stared at the wall for a moment. "I'm going to tell you this," he said carefully, "but you have to forget I told you. It's... it's not exactly secret knowledge, but there are people who would kill you if they knew you knew. And that includes the Assessors." "I'm not sure--" "The Assessors don't have training on the rules; when someone wants to be an Assessor and they're accepted into the programme, there's a magical training course they go on. The book of rules is embedded in their brain by magic, and then there's an enforcement spell that goes on to make sure they don't deviate from it. Then there's training after that, as I understand it, for the particulars of the Assessments they'll do." Fabian chewed thoughtfully on his rib and then set the bone aside. "Why would people want to kill me for knowing that?" he said. "I mean, the only thing different to any training course I've been on would be the way you get the knowledge. I mean, I'd be grateful if I could just have a whole new knowledge block put in my head like that!" He frowned at Dread who was leaning back in his chair looking satisfied. As the silence lingered Fabian thought more about Dread had said, wondering what he was missing. Then, "What do you mean by enforcement, exactly?" Dread said nothing, but his lips quirked in a tiny smile. Fabian read that as meaning he'd found the right detail and thought some more. "Enforcement... you mean, that they're not able to disobey the rules, right? The magic makes them follow the rules... but then that means there's a spell that makes people do whatever you tell them to... oh!" "Now forget I told you that," said Dread. "That's the bit the Mages really don't want people thinking about."
"How many Mages are there?" Fabian considered that there were, according to census figures, several million people in the Empire and was already wondering how easy it would be for the Mages to control everybody. "Officially 203," said Dread. "Figures are published annually in the Empire Statistics Report. Unofficially, I think it's about 250, give or take 10%." Fabian felt himself relax a little; so few Mages against so many people seemed much safer. He shivered a little at the thought of being magically forced to do things against his will, but then he reminded himself that no-one had tried that, and it seemed unlikely he'd meet another Mage who wasn't Dread, so he was probably safe. "Ten percent is 2.5," he said, feeling more comfortable. "You've got half a mage somewhere?" Dread poked his tongue out at Fabian. "Give or take," he said. "I'm not ruling out that some idiot somewhere didn't manage a spell that's reduced him or her to some kind of half-life." "Why is it so important that the Assessors follow these rules, though?" asked Fabian. "It seems a bit aggressive to magically force them to. Dread sat up and shrugged. "I'm not involved with Assessment," he said. "Except when I'm on the receiving end of it. Anyone in the Navy can apply to be an Assessor, but I don't think I've seen a single application this year. Or in the last five years if I really think about it. I don't know where they draw their recruits from, so I don't know much about standards and discipline and anything else that might be a factor." Fabian nodded. "So if they're bound by these rules, how come one of them isn't 'Don't steal'?" Dread now spread his hands, pushing plates and boxes aside. "Either there's no such rule," he said, "or the Assessors have found a way round it. But neither is something I'd like to believe. But what they've done is the start of proof that something is wrong, and that makes me think you need to be very cautious." "Me? Not we?" Dread's eyes twinkled. "We," he affirmed. "Though if anyone comes looking they won't find any proof that I agreed to this."
Greg - hah, I was wondering about your math there for a moment :)
These are some intriguing developments. So did an Assessor break a rule, find a way for it not to apply to them, or did they receive instructions from someone who's command is above the rules?
I. Am. Intrigued.
(also I won't be terribly surprised if it's some other possibility that I haven't even considered)
4 comments:
I think proof of anything about the Assessors will be hard to come by, but I should really ask Fabian and Dread about that....
Proof
"Do the Assessors have to learn these rules then?" Fabian looked over the remains of the meal and decided that he wasn't too full that he couldn't manage one more of the ribs; he pulled one from the pile of three remaining and then pushed the plate towards Dread, who shook his head.
"Not exactly," said Dread. He stared at the wall for a moment. "I'm going to tell you this," he said carefully, "but you have to forget I told you. It's... it's not exactly secret knowledge, but there are people who would kill you if they knew you knew. And that includes the Assessors."
"I'm not sure--"
"The Assessors don't have training on the rules; when someone wants to be an Assessor and they're accepted into the programme, there's a magical training course they go on. The book of rules is embedded in their brain by magic, and then there's an enforcement spell that goes on to make sure they don't deviate from it. Then there's training after that, as I understand it, for the particulars of the Assessments they'll do."
Fabian chewed thoughtfully on his rib and then set the bone aside. "Why would people want to kill me for knowing that?" he said. "I mean, the only thing different to any training course I've been on would be the way you get the knowledge. I mean, I'd be grateful if I could just have a whole new knowledge block put in my head like that!"
He frowned at Dread who was leaning back in his chair looking satisfied. As the silence lingered Fabian thought more about Dread had said, wondering what he was missing. Then,
"What do you mean by enforcement, exactly?"
Dread said nothing, but his lips quirked in a tiny smile. Fabian read that as meaning he'd found the right detail and thought some more.
"Enforcement... you mean, that they're not able to disobey the rules, right? The magic makes them follow the rules... but then that means there's a spell that makes people do whatever you tell them to... oh!"
"Now forget I told you that," said Dread. "That's the bit the Mages really don't want people thinking about."
"How many Mages are there?" Fabian considered that there were, according to census figures, several million people in the Empire and was already wondering how easy it would be for the Mages to control everybody.
"Officially 203," said Dread. "Figures are published annually in the Empire Statistics Report. Unofficially, I think it's about 250, give or take 10%."
Fabian felt himself relax a little; so few Mages against so many people seemed much safer. He shivered a little at the thought of being magically forced to do things against his will, but then he reminded himself that no-one had tried that, and it seemed unlikely he'd meet another Mage who wasn't Dread, so he was probably safe.
"Ten percent is 2.5," he said, feeling more comfortable. "You've got half a mage somewhere?"
Dread poked his tongue out at Fabian. "Give or take," he said. "I'm not ruling out that some idiot somewhere didn't manage a spell that's reduced him or her to some kind of half-life."
"Why is it so important that the Assessors follow these rules, though?" asked Fabian. "It seems a bit aggressive to magically force them to.
Dread sat up and shrugged. "I'm not involved with Assessment," he said. "Except when I'm on the receiving end of it. Anyone in the Navy can apply to be an Assessor, but I don't think I've seen a single application this year. Or in the last five years if I really think about it. I don't know where they draw their recruits from, so I don't know much about standards and discipline and anything else that might be a factor."
Fabian nodded. "So if they're bound by these rules, how come one of them isn't 'Don't steal'?"
Dread now spread his hands, pushing plates and boxes aside. "Either there's no such rule," he said, "or the Assessors have found a way round it. But neither is something I'd like to believe. But what they've done is the start of proof that something is wrong, and that makes me think you need to be very cautious."
"Me? Not we?"
Dread's eyes twinkled. "We," he affirmed. "Though if anyone comes looking they won't find any proof that I agreed to this."
[Ten percent should be 1% in the above; that's annoying!]
Greg - hah, I was wondering about your math there for a moment :)
These are some intriguing developments. So did an Assessor break a rule, find a way for it not to apply to them, or did they receive instructions from someone who's command is above the rules?
I. Am. Intrigued.
(also I won't be terribly surprised if it's some other possibility that I haven't even considered)
Post a Comment