User blog comment:ThisIsXenon/Novaspawn Info/@comment-36159587-20190703211449/@comment-32273133-20190703233131

Priests are absorbed into religious/theological life as soon as they’re old enough to start magic classes [age 15] because the type of magic they learn is different than the nonreligious. Honestly, the priesthood is kind of like a cult; they have a very structured and hierarchical lifestyle, even more so than the rest of the novaspawn [prayers at certain times, ways to address those of higher and lower ‘rank’ than you, forbidden actions/activities, special rituals, etc.] Parents of a priest or priestess don’t see their kid very much, if at all, after they start training.

Novaspawn kids are pretty self-sufficient by age three, since most parents are labourers and craftspeople, trying to sustain the village. Parents teach basic morals and common sense things [be respectful to your elders, don’t touch fire, etc.] Kids flock together and play in the streets and fields until they’re of schooling age, where they start basic school.

Novaspawn education starts at age seven, and it’s basic cultural and practical teachings:  basic math, science [bio, chem, ecology, all focused on how the novaspawn world works], grammar, history, astronomy, and magic theory. School is pretty intensive; there’s no ‘homework’ but school can last from sunup to sundown. There’s only eight years for most of these kids to learn all the basics, so the teachers cram it in.

At age fifteen, Novaspawn can officially enter runeweaver training, and their education shifts to magic-exclusive topics. This lasts for a year, and then they take a placement test to see if they can continue learning magic. 85% pass and continue; those who don’t can choose whether to go back to traditional schooling and become a scholar or become an apprentice to an artisan or craftsperson.

Runeweaver training lasts as long as you can pass the placement tests, which get increasingly harder. At a certain point, you’re a Runeweaver for life and spend your time training and getting stronger, for tournaments and defense. Almost like sports stars? They’re sorted into “classes” based on age, because younger novaspawn clash often with the older ones.