Recruitment

~Recruitment can take place at a local Chapter House, in response to a proclamation from the Academy, by direct application to the Academy or by recommendation.  Mage-talents may also be brought to the Academy following identification out in Uen by mage-trainers or Wyn.  At this point, they are known as Recruits.

Student Training

~Recruits on acceptance at the Academy become Students.  They spend around 5 years training at the Academy, though this isn't a fixed duration.  Classes may vary for students dependent on their learning needs.  There is basic education training made available to those who have not received any teaching in the areas of reading and writing and so on.  As the classes are set by learning needs for the individual rather than set classes per yeargroup, it is quite possible to have Students of all age groups attending a class although commonly, a yeargroup will find themselves in many of the same classes.  A full class schedule and pass requirement information can be found here.

Mage-potential Students will spend some of their time in magical learning as well as the usual academic or combat skills training.  In early years this commonly is restricted to the teaching of control and ethics.  Not all mage-talents arrive at the Academy knowing that they have magic potential.  For some, this potential shows itself during their Academy training years.  Once surfaced, they are well-placed for the Academy Wyn Faculty to assist them in coping with this change in life.  This manifestation of talent is commonly known as 'showing' or 'turning' Wynish.  For more information on the Mage-Potentials, see the Wyn Handbook.

The end of the training period may be different for each Student.  Some Students recognise that life at the Academy is not what they want and leave to return to their homes and families out in Uen.  Students may also be moved early on in their training into other lines of learning if they do not show the apptitude to become Roug, gaining assistance from the Academy into their new fields as apprentices in varying trades or sometimes as students at the Royal Institute in Rin Caad.

A Student may last the full five years and have finished Student training and still not Bond or show Wynish.  Their future is then discussed with the student councellors and an alternative placement found for them.  This may be in the 'grunt' forces of the Uen Roug army (combat soldiers and officials who never Bonded or became Wyn but who still wished to serve the Uen Roug) or at the Royal Academy (artists, scholars and medicos etc) or the Csar's palace (Diplomats, scholars, polititions etc).  There are also staff roles in the Academy that may be vacant.

Bonding

~The experience of Bonding has been likened to the experience of falling in love at first sight, but Uen Roug tend to say that this comparison falls a long way short of a true description of the soul-connection that takes place when the Bond happens.  The name for this stage is First Bonding.  First Bondings take place during a particular Unicorn Peaking Cycle and the Y'cha for that set of Bondings may take place within a few days of the Bonding or a few tendays, dependent on the length of the Peaking Cycle.  So a Bonding Group could be singular pair or a large group of pairs dependent on circumstances.  Bonding can happen when a human student is very young - one of the youngest ever to Bond was Commander Amaris herself at around 11 or 12 years of age.  In this case, the Academy Elders generally recommend that the Y'cha is postponed until the student reaches a greater maturity and ability to deal with the irrevocable and intense magical ritual.  It can also happen when a human is fully mature.  For the unicorn however, the event occurs between the ages of 2 and 11-12.

The Academy encourage socialising with the unicorns and well-trained students at this time of Magic Cycle Peaking, although Wyn students must stay away from the Peaking unicorns at this time due to the repellent nature of their magics.  Generally the Wyn teachers arrange for the mage-talents to be taken off-Academy or to the remoter areas of the Academy for entertainments / activities of their own.   Wyn-potentials who have completed their training are also taken offsite and councelled in preparation for their decision on if they will take their Walk into the coming Y'cha.  See the Wyn Handbook for more information about the Wyn Walk.

Following First Bonding, it is very common that a newly Bonded student spends most evenings after that sleeping in the stables with their Bondmate, since they are often very unwilling to be parted.  The Unicorn stables tend to be prepared with extra blankets at Peaking times.  Traditionally, on the evenings after a Bond takes place, the 'corns celebrate by inviting the student and their friends to the stables for an evening of song and dance, jokes and storytelling.  Part of the reason for this perhaps is to stimulate more Bondings where they too might be fortunate enough to secure a Bondmate.  Certainly Bondings taking place during these celebrations is not uncommon.

The Students are then known as First-Bonded Students.

Y'cha

~Y'cha takes place as an evening ceremony in the Chapel of Light.  The Y'cha is always conducted by an Elder and his/her Bonded.  No other Academy staff, instructors, or Roug are allowed within the Chapel during the Y'cha.  Everyone is robed in white.

The Cermony consists of the pairs of First Bonded circling the Seal with the Elders in the centre.  The Elders recite a short 'spell' to invoke the Light.  Usually Redtip will do this, but if some other Elder is conducting the ceremony, the Elder's "spell" will call upon Redtip who will in turn invoke the power.  The spell itself is a formality and strictly ceremonial since Redtip does not need words to invoke his magic.

Each pair are called, one at a time to pledge acceptance and welcome of the complete Soul Bond.  This is spoken as a vow and the words are those that were spoken by the very first of the Bonded pairs, back down through history.  This is no common ritual.  Acceptance of soul-sharing for the unicorn means that they accept that their lives will be so bound to the human Bondmate, that should that Bondmate die, they themselves will no longer wish to - or be able to - live.  The human Bondmate accepts this burden and this pledge of love and returns their own soul-pledge in return.  Despite the weight of the price of Bonding, the soul-sharing is a joyful experience and one which the pair accepts as the price they pay for their unity.

On acceptance, they touch the Sacred Seal and the Soul sharing takes place.  The experience is commonly followed by a feeling of euphoria as the First Bond is deepened and made permanent.  The group experience a sense of kinship in the shared ceremony that makes them Cha-mates.

Wyn-potentials may try to join the Y'cha group after the ceremony has taken place.  This is achieved by the Wyn attempting to Walk into the Y'cha ceremony.  A deceptively simple task but very few are able to breech the repellent magic in place.  In order to reach the small circle of Uen Roug, the Wyn-potnential must be Accepted by the Light into that circle, and this too is a lifetime committment.  Any Wyn-Potential who is Accepted by the Light into the Y'cha becomes part of the 'Cha-group.  Any who manage to enter the circle will be called forward by the Elders, circled by their new-made Cha-group and, in honour, bound by the Sacred Seal to this Cha-group.

The entire group is blessed by the Light and the ceremony is completed.

The Y'cha is followed by an intimate celebration of thanks-giving - generally held in the quiet Firelight Hall - attended generally only by teachers, Elders and some select Roug.  It has become a tradition that the next highest class prepares a luncheon usually in the tower common room for the students who are about to take their Y'cha so that the preparing group can have the option of peace and quiet and quiet conversation rather than the hussle and bussle of the dining hall.  Preparing students may wander in and out of this buffet style lunch at their leisure since many will have other things they wish to do to prepare themselves for the ceremony.

The Bonded Students are then known as a Graduating Class.
 
 

Pre-Circuit Training

~Following the Y'cha ceremony, the 'Cha-group receive further training to enable them to maximise the benefits they gained from the deeper Y'cha Bond and also to prepare them for the Training Circuit (or First Circuit) that they are going to be assigned to.  The Wyn members of the Cha-group also receive training and much of this is done in conjunction with their Cha-group members - teaching them to utilise all the skills as a unit that they possess as a team.  The Academy often tries to send the full 'Cha-group onto this First Circuit together to enable the group to cement the 'Cha-group Bond even further, but this is not always possible and sometimes, the group is split up for their First Circuit or part way through that circuit.  The duration of this training varies due to constraints on Academy personnel and the needs at the time.
 
 

Graduation

~Following the Pre-Circuit Training and on the authority of the Senior Tutors, the students receive their graduation merits.  On receipt of these, the Student makes their oath to serve as an Uen Roug and gives up all rights and inheritance that they may have had.  This is followed by an Academy-wide celebration to which the family and friends of each graduated student is invited.  Following graduation, the Students are New-made Uen Roug and become known as Trainees.

(***Non-Roug or Wyn graduates also receive their honours at this Ceremony, but they do not form part of the next activities for the Cha-groups or travel on the Circuit mission.  They are placed at once into trainee positions either out in Uen or locally in Pallahade.  Academy Graduates form a large part of the Csar's personal forces and hold many of the administrative positions of the government.***)

First Circuit

~This involves the Trainees going out of the Academy as a Cha-group on routine training missions that may take them on a wide or local circuit of Uen.   The very first journey of the First Circuit may be relatively short - a matter of a few ten-days or it may be extended.  A troop leader undertakes a mission that allows the Trainees to see something first hand of the work of the Uen Roug but which is generally not perceived to be hazardous or mission critical.  On successful completion of the First Circuit, they may then return to the Academy or to other parts of Uen to take up further training posts as part of this continuing Training Circuit.

Training Circuit

Following First Circuit, Trainees all serve under a Lieutenant in separate Uen cities, possibly carrying messages to and from various branch offices or other activities. While training, the Trainees also have time to study an auxiliary skill of their choice. (This may be anything from swordsmanship to healing to bardsmanship.)  The Academy aims to place Trainees where they will be most able to pick up the skills they are seeking and which will make them the most useful to the Uen Roug Forces. After a period of time, when the Lt in charge determines the Trainee is ready, they return to the Academy to gain the rank of Private.  If there is a Roug of suitable rank available locally, they may not need to return to the Academy for this promotion.  It is possible that even following First Circuit, that other higher ranks can be gained by the Trainee, although this tends to be rare.  There have been incidents however, even on the First Circuit, where the Trainees have faced trials deserving of promotion.

First Assignment

~This involves the first active duty assignment of the Private.  From this point, the Private is a fully operational Uen Roug officer with accountability for their job role.  A First Assignment is a point of great pride to the Uen Roug Soldier when they often feel they can start real active service, making use of the thorough training they received to this point.  Rank can be earned on superior performance.

Assignments

~Following the First Assignment, there may be a number of other assignments in varying parts of Uen as suited to the Private's talents and apptitudes.  Otherwise, the Private may gain a more long term post somewhere in Uen.  Generally the Academy prefer to have their new Privates gain a broader experience of Uen and the duties of an Uen Roug before placing them in a long term post, but this isn't compulsory.  Uen Roug serve in a combined role of police/judges/spies/scouts/diplomats and so on.  It should be noted that generally a Roug may discuss with their senior officers the postings they are offered and that have the option to decline or accept offers of assignment or promotion.  There are some exception to this however.  Here are some common assignments for Privates:

Escort Duty - this involves the Private escorting new recruits from Chapter Houses around Uen back to Pallahade.

Chapter House Duty - this involves serving under the Chapter House Captain or Lt, servicing the local area as a present Uen Roug.

Csar's Palace - honourary placement.

Messenger Duty

Trouble-shooter (need a better name for this one!)

Mage-Trainer support - involves keeping in contact with the outposted Mage-trainers.

Border Patrol -- Maintaining the security of Uen's borders by riding patrol along them.  Usually in small groups of two or three led by a PFC or larger groups led by a Lt.  This occures mostly along the Uen/ Zadiago border, but there are also patrols along the coastal borders as well (most likely due to Yana's arrival...the Academy doesn't want to be surprised again).

Uen Highway Patrol -- Similar to escort duty, except protecting anyone who seems to need it.  Making sure the roads are safe for general traffic.

Waystation Duty -- Being assigned to one of the various waystations throughout Uen that provide emergency support for areas too far from the main HQs.  "Weeks of peace and tranquility followed by hours of fear and excitement...in that order."

Scout -- Checking out unknown territory/people, or updating reports on known territory/people.

Some of these might be sub-assignements for Chapter House Duty or Troubleshooter.

Those who have made Lt will often move onto positions of higher responsibility, which may include the training and development of other upcoming Uen Roug Soldiers, management of Uen Roug operations, higher order diplomatic activities and so on.