Virtue Mastery
To All Students Pursuing Mastery of a Virtue:
Since a number of you will be receiving your first Virtue Rings at the beginning of next Practicum, this seems an appropriate time to make you aware of what lies ahead should you choose to pursue Mastery.
Choosing Mastery
Those who attain Mastery in a Virtue are generally those who have a particular dedication to a single Virtue. While it is possible to stumble into a Ring in a Virtue by having a natural inclination for it and passing the test, Mastery requires a combination of truly deep understanding of the Virtue, the ability to embody that Virtue in your actions and act as a model of that Virtue for others, a willingness to place that Virtue in the service of those who need it and not just of your own ends, and hard work and initiative.
Many (in some clases, most) students choose to pursue several Rings rather than Mastery, and this is an equally valid path. It may be that you are strong in multiple Virtues and do not feel a particular dedication to one; in this case, you may find that Mastery is not for you.
Mastery Requirements
Mastery is not a simple matter of gaining Facets (in fact, Facets are largely irrelevant to Mastery). While the School is relaxing its Ring and Mastery requirements somewhat in light of the Mahori invasion, there are several requirements you must complete to be considered for Mastery:
Mastery Project
Every student pursuing Mastery must complete a project which both demonstrates their fluency in a Virtue (while hopefully also advancing their understanding of it in the process) and embodies the Virtue by being genuinely helpful and productive. In the past, Mastery Projects usually took years to complete, but given the current pressing emergency, we urge student to attempt to design projects that can be completed (with luck, skill, and dedication) in two full Practica. We further encourage students to waste no time between earning a Ring in the Virtue in which they intend to pursue Mastery and commencing work on their project.
School faculty must approve your project, though it is acceptable to begin work on your project before getting approval (not least because, since all projects must be worthwhile, even if your project doesn’t get approved, hopefully your good efforts will not be wasted). While it’s all right to include others in your project (and, indeed, sometimes necessary to do so), you must be the key orchestrator of the project for it to count towards Mastery, and group projects are rarely approved (each Mastery candidate must have their own project, even if they wind up collaborating on another Mastery project).
Examples of some past Path of the Hero student Mastery projects:
- Slaying the Storm Bear of Kilconnor (Courage)
- Salvaging remnants of records lost in the burning of the great Library at Enniscrone and collecting them in a published volume (Wisdom)
- Laying to rest the Ghost of Blackmoore Castle (Compassion)
- Mediating and resolving a violent dispute between the Hargraven and Ullfrey clans (Honor)
- Gaining Scartha’s acceptance of certain clauses in the Treaty of Koningstadt (Grace)
- Setting up the network of signal fires in Torheim known as Asgird’s Necklace (Note that the student in question was not Torhi and allowed all public credit for the project to go to a political rival in order to get it done. The signal fires are estimated to have saved thousands of lives in the Second Mahori Breakthrough.) (Selflessness)
Student Mentoring
In order to gain Mastery, you must also take on a student who is new to or struggling with your Virtue, and help them gain opportunties to advance in the Virtue and better understand it. The idea is not to teach - you are not Path of the Teacher - but to help the student get more deeply involved in the Virtue, work through any issues they face with the Virtue, overcome obstacles in their way, and get a chance to take center stage and truly shine in the Virtue while you step back and clear the way for them.
It is most impressive to the faculty if you choose to mentor a student with whom you do not necessarily already have a close association. Your ultimate goal is to help them achieve a Ring in the Virtue.
Improving Weaknesses
We all have areas of strength and weakness in our Virtues. Part of attaining Mastery is identifying your areas of Weakness in your Virtue and making significant progress in overcoming those weaknesses.
This is not a question of identifying skills often associated with your Virtue that you do not possess (for instance, if you are a Grace student who is better at dealing with traps and locks than with politics). This is a matter of identifying obstacles that hamper your ability to reach true and complete Virtue within (for instance, a hunger for personal glory that interferes with your pursuit of Selflessness or Honor, or a fear of social consequences that hampers your Courage or Grace, etc).
This is a matter you can work on with your advisor, Professor, or other faculty; it is also something you may find it extremely helpful to discuss with your fellow students. Often it is your fellow Heroes who understand you best.
Classes, Exercises, and Tests
There will be assignments, classes, excercises, assignments, and/or tests associated with attaining Mastery of each Virtue. The form and nature of these may vary widely by Virtue, and may even vary by individual in some cases.
Faculty Review
Ultimately, as with Virtue Rings, the School faculty must make the final decision on whether to award Mastery. It is our hope that our faculty can work closely with Mastery students to help them acheive their goals of Mastery in a reasonable amount of time, given the pressing threat.
Mastery Proposals
You may find it convenient to submit a brief note to your Professor outlining your plans for Mastery: your project idea (in brief), any ideas you have for what student you might mentor, and your thoughts on what issues/obstacles you might need to address to overcome your weaknesses in your Virtue. This enables our Professors, Advisors, and other faculty to be better prepared to discuss such matters with you at the Practicum.
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You don’t have to submit a Mastery Proposal before this event, certainly, but if you feel inspired to do so, you can send them to info@sevenvirtueslarp.com. We’re making sure you get all this info now because we don’t want to hold you up in your pursuit of Mastery if you are eager to start working towards it this event!