Wild Practitioner

Wild Practitioners are those that have been inducted into the Practice directly by an Other or Others, who provides them with power and knowledge in exchange for service. (Rather than the more usual ways: being inducted by their family, other Practitioners, or stumbling upon magic themselves.)

Reputation

Wild Practitioners are unusual in the modern era and not very well-known.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">“Okay, now I’m bothered. What’s your deal?” Yadira asked. “Who are you guys? What’s the arrangement? Who sponsored you into the school? And who’s your patron, since Mr. Belanger said you’re wild practitioners. And I had to go look that up. I know they’re powerful, because there have been a few times you guys showed off some casual power. Not Mrs. Durocher power, obviously, but power like I know Raquel’s cousin has, or like the Vanderwerfs.”

Verona exchanged looks with Lucy and Avery.

“It me,” Snowdrop mumbled, face buried in her arm, other hand raised. “I’m the all powerful sponsor.”

“Somehow I don’t believe that.”

“I’m a top tier Other. Very menacing. Apex, like my shirt says.” - Excerpt from Cutting Class 6.3</ref>

They're usually fairly powerful, given the backing of their patron(s).<ref name=":0" /> But will also tend to have gaps in their knowledge based on the quality of their teachers; some Other will just assume knowledge inherent to them is shared by the newly awakened humans.<ref>“I think [the blue heron institute] reinforce it at the start of every class, when they’re teaching students to open gates and portals. This might be more of an issue of, uh, learning like you guys seem to have learned.”

“How’s that?” Avery asked.

“You’re learning lots of individual, little things from specific Others. Maybe some of this is second nature to them, to the extent they think you should be able to feel or know some of this already. But more likely, they don’t run into it because they work with a single discipline. Lost stuff for your Lost Other, spirit stuff for Edith, Oni stuff for the… well, she’s more likely to be cross-discipline. And they don’t open the big doorways or pathways in the way we do.”- [Excerpt] from Summer Break 13.1</ref>

They're regarded as tending to be "unruly".<ref name=":0" />

Notable Examples

History

In past eras, before the Seal of Solomon, Wild Practitioners were the norm.<ref name=":0">“Alexander,” Mrs. Durocher said. “You do know where they come from? I’m not the only one who’s put it together?”
[...]
“They’re wild practitioners.”

“Hm.”

“What’s that?” Zed asked.

“Practitioners of old ways, Zed. Patron Others and practitioners who are tied to them. The way things were done before Solomon, when they were formalized. Which leads to questions about who and what spearheaded the organization of this little triad of practitioners.”
[...]
Alexander smiled. “Knowing that you’re wild practitioners with multiple patrons helps me to make sense of you. It tells me you’re probably strong, with a wide base of power. It means I can expect you to be… interesting students.”

“Unruly and interesting,” Mrs. Durocher amended. - [Excerpt] from Leaving a Mark 4.4</ref> As humans grew more powerful, many Others tried to bargain with or exploit them, but humans often managed to twist even the most formal deals and concessions to their advantage.<ref name=":1">“To try to formalize deals. To hitch their wagons to that of humanity, by striking deals that would establish them as Patrons. They teach their secret knowledge and ways of manipulating the world, in exchange for servitude… until mankind begins sharing that knowledge in ways few Others can stay ahead of, on paper and in tomes. Knowledge, instead of being taught from patron Other to Practitioner, becomes something kept in families. Others try to formalize a kind of equality, such as the familiar bond, and to make firm agreements about oaths, lies, and declarations, out of fear of being tricked again. But these things become their own weapon that humans wield. Humans sprawl, they work with concerted effort, and they establish and mutate patterns. [...] The Seal of Solomon, as it exists now, was essentially intended as one last concession. Or it was meant to be the last. A binding that would not be mutated further, that would be universal enough that it could be trusted by the Other, instead of having hooks and more traps attached to it. And as part of it, there was a deal that practitioners would manage the affairs of Others but select, powerful Others would have some say over the movements and dealings of Practitioners. Lords and judges. Roles above all other things.” - [Excerpt] from Back Away 5.d</ref>

With the creation of the Seal of Solomon, the modern Awakening ritual was established as the means of going from Innocent human to Practitioner, and things were formalized.<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1" /><ref>“Suleiman Bin Daoud took the first steps to establishing a new relationship between human and Other,” Miss said. “A lasting compact between human and Other. There are forms of this ritual where we recite old words in your language and in Suleiman’s. There are forms where we conduct old traditions. At the heart of it, however, lies an invitation. For you to join our world, and for us to cooperate with you in interacting with the world of man. Would you invite us in, Verona, Avery, and Lucy?” - excerpt from Lost for Words 1.2</ref> With the new relationship established, the once-standard Wild Practitioners became rare and increasingly little-known.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2"/>

References