Nine Circles

In Imperion, magic is a gift that is only granted to women. It usually manifests itself when a girl enters into puberty, but in some rare cases it can appear any time during a woman's life before she goes through a menopause. No matter your age, social status or other circumstances, should you find yourself a witch, you have to report to the Forbidden City, where they will decide what to do with you. All magicians in the empire belong to the crown and that usually means, you will be sentenced to receive some education under the watchful eye of the best magic wielders in the land. Behind tall, steep, crimson walls that devide your new world from your old mundane one.  

Nine Institutes

  Only part of the Forbidden City is devoted to the study of magic. The school itself is commonly known as Nine Circles - named after the nine different institutes that have their palace in the inner court. At the head of each of them is a minister, who answers directly to the emperor and no one else. They also get to sit on the government meetings with the other officials. Ministers are considered to be the most knowledgable and powerful sorceresses in the realm.      

Ranks & Status

  While everyone with at least a little bit of a magical talent must report to the capital, not all of them are actually worthy of the resources and time that goes into turning someone into a full fledged magician. In order to make sure that nothing that the Forbidden City has to offer is wasted on the unworthy, there are many ranks and categories that the prospective witches get sorted into, to differenciate their talents and skills.   After the admission process, where everything significant and insignificant gets recorded about each individual entering the Forbidden City, you will become an Adept and get sorted into one of three categories:  

Rank 1: Talented Adept (You most likely belong to a noble family and went through some sort of an education so far in your life. You know how to read and write and are well-versed in classics and other important topics in life.)

Rank 2: Promising Adept (You come from a low class family and can read and write at least a little bit. You also most likely have some sort of a trade skill experience.)

Rank 3: Dilligent Adept (You are illiterate, come from an unfavourable background or came upon your magic gift by some nefarious purpose like theft or a curse.)

  Adepts wear a simple grey uniform and keep their hair in a single long braid - for that reason (combined with a lot of high pitched voices of excited teenage girls) they are commonly called "mice" by the other inhabitants of the palace complex. Adepts' main task is to get used to the rules and customs of the Forbidden City and fill their gaps in education to be able to keep up with all of the other pupils. They need to prove that they will be able to contribute in a meaningful way to the everyday business of the empire in order to be promoted to a Student.   Some Adepts, especially those form poorer family backgrounds or of a weaker magical talent, never to aspire to be promoted to a higher rank, choosing instead to become highly skilled servants that know the Forbidden City inside and out. Those ladies are usually referred to as Matrons, even though they are still officially considered to be Adepts.