Magickers and the Law

[Marauder Moe]

Possible, but unlikely.  Though, remember that ignorance isn't likely to spare you a templar's wrath.

[Larrath]

Pretty much everyone living in Allanak or in the villages around it would know what a gem means, just like they know what a templar's robe looks like.
Magickers are very dangerous and are greatly feared, so everyone should know what the gem looks like.

That said, it's still possible to not know it, it's just extremely rare and weird.

[Cale_Knight]

Is it possible to be an Allanaki citizen and not know about the gem?

I don't think it would be possible at all. Not even in the villages, which are complete with their own templars and soldiers.

[Marauder Moe]

To elaborate some, I think it'd be plenty possible for a villager to have never seen a magicker gem.  Also, it's possible to not know the exact law regarding magickers and gems.  One might only have been taught "magickers have gems" and wouldn't know that law compells you to seek out a templar and get one upon discovering your power.

To not know about them at all would require extreme isolation and lack of any education.

[Anonymous]

Out of the 500k+ people in Allanak I think it's likely that plenty of commoners have never seen a magicker gem and, furthermore probably have no clue about the gem.

Think about it.  If you play a game of telephone with 50 people by the end the phrase is probably going to be different than when it started.  Now magnify that game of telephone by like 100 times.  One commoner finds out that magickers wear these little black gems and by the time this travels via word of mouth it could have been warped to mean a dozen other things.  What's more a small gem worn about the neck isn't instantly recognizeable from more than a few dozen feet away.  Plus I get the impression a large portion of Allanak's magicker population keeps to themselves in the elementalist's quarter.

Compared to a Templar whose passing is probably a spectacle even if it's along the lines of 'Billy, get out of the way there's a templar coming!' and those blue and red robes would be distinguishable from a much further distance than a gem.

[Anonymous]

I am pretty damn sure that every Allanaki knows what a dull black gem is and what it looks like.  We are talking about a population that is terrorized by thoughts of magik all of the time.  There is an entire quarter devoted to magikers.  You might not walk into the quarters, but you better believe that people look in as they walk along the main drag.  I don't see how you could live your life in Allanak and never once look off the busiest street in all of Allanak and not see a creepy ass magiker with his little gem.  Even farms from outside of Allanak will know of the gem, even if they might not recognize it.  

Being able to spot a magiker is FAR too important of a piece of information for your average Allanaki to not get it right.  In a city where the gem has been tradition for hundreds (thousands?) of years, you can rest assured that the idea of "dull black gem = magiker" is burned into the minds of every Allanaki in the empire.  The gem is a part of Allanaki culture in such a deeply rooted way that you would have to cut off from Allanaki culture entirely to not know of it.

The only people in Allanak that I could possibly imagine having not seen a gem in their entire life are perhaps some 'rinthers.  If you have lived your entire life in the 'rinth I suppose it could be reasonable that you have never seen a gem.  Even then though, I imagine even 'rinthers at least know of the gem, even if they might not recognize it.  Remember, Allanak is a REALLY ancient and the gem has been around for as far back as anyone can even imagine remembering.  The gem is deeply burned into Allanaki culture and the knowledge of what that gem means is of the utmost importance to most citizens.  Failing to recognize a gem is a damn good way to make yourself a social outcast as you get too friendly with a vile magiker.  Such an ancient and deeply ingrained culture would never fail to teach the lesson of what that gem is.

[Angela Christine]

I believe that if you asked most Alanakis "what does a single black jewel worn around the neck mean?" they would all know it is probably an elementalist's tag.  You ask the question, they think about it, they tell you the answer.


However those that don't deal with mages might not see the gems very often, you might not have ever seen one at all.  If you see someone in mage robes in/near Allanak you'll naturally look at the throat to check out the gem.  But if you see someone in regular clothes, you might not notice the gem.  It isn't "a large blinking fuschia gem (glowing) (buzzing)" it is "a dull black gem".  Obsidian jewelry is fairly common, so a small black stone won't necessarily jump out at you.

I think the defining point would be whether you have dealt with mages before.  If you have seen mages wearing the gem, then you will automatically notice it in the future, regardless of whether they are wearing mage robes or not.  If you have not seen or dealt with mages in the past you might not notice the gem on a mage in ordinary clothes, and therefore not recognise it as significant.

"Amos you ol' kankfecker! Why was you markin' time with that magicker?"

"Me?  Malik, you krath-struck bastard, I ain't never gone near no magicker no way no how!"

"That redhead at the bar, the one with wit' the gem on 'er throat.  I saw you with my own eyes."

"Shit!  I didn't notice no gem!  OMG!!!111"

Angela Christine

[Tuannon]

I was thinking today about the gem..

Okay, you have the gem, which is as I understand it.. a dull obsidian bead on a piece of string right?

Can we have some embellishments on gems? For example.. mister muckity muck Oash has a gemmer who has been with the family for years, born into the family's service.. 100% loyal.. very useful.. knows his place..

Why could said gemmer not be rewarded with a fancier collar?

[Larrath]

Why could said gemmer not be rewarded with a fancier collar?

First of all, though I hate to say it, you should find out IC.

To more practical (if vague) answers:
Many magickers would probably resent being given a new, fancier gem.  It might also create a second social tier among the gemmers that could prove to be a bad thing for a variety of reasons, such as marking the important gemmers and thusly make them easier assassination targets.
The Templarate might be hesitant to make any alterations to the currently used system and/or to replace or remove the gems from magickers.
It would make the gemmer harder for the populace to recognize as a mage, and that can potentially cause trouble.

[Pantoufle]

Many magickers would probably resent being given a new, fancier gem. It might also create a second social tier among the gemmers that could prove to be a bad thing for a variety of reasons

Hey, good point!

I think the idea is that the 'dull black gem' is not a mark of pride but one of registration.  If you're wearing one, it means you've been institutionalized.  It's not there to look pretty.  When you're in the military, whether you're a Private or a General, you have the same dull looking set of dog tags.  You don't get a fancier pair just for heroic deeds.

If an employer wishes to reward their "gemmed" servant, they'd likely do so with a multitude of gifts and favors.  They might put their servant in a prettier aba or grant them jewelry, but in the end all of the city-state's legal elementalists are on the same level with regards to what they are: registered mages -- nevermind how high up the political ladder they may be.  The gem is an identity card, not a badge of honor.

I won't belittle you with the condescending, stock phrase "Find Out IC".  Instead, I'll suggest that, provided you have an IC reason to do so, you try to learn the IC circumstances of these gems.  If you did that, you'd likely understand even more why your idea will probably never come to fruition.

[spawnloser]

Think of it like this...the dull black gem is the flair that Nazis made the Jews wear.

[jhunter]

Think of it like this...the dull black gem is the flair that Nazis made the Jews wear.

Yeah, except the Jews weren't capable of shooting fire out of their asses and frying the Nazis unfortunately. So, I'd say that southerners would kinda be on the look out for them even more.

[Pantoufle]

I don't think the gems are comparable to Jewish ghetto insignia at all.  The only similarity is that it's required to wear and that the elementalists are, in a sense, segregated insomuch as they have their own district (but not one which they are confined to).

What is publicly known and help file/documentation accessible is that the gems are for the purposes of registration.  Again, it's an identity card, but I think attempting to parellel them with Nazi Germany is innacurate.

[Boggis]

What is publicly known and help file/documentation accessible is that the gems are for the purposes of registration.  Again, it's an identity card, but I think attempting to parellel them with Nazi Germany is innacurate.

I'd agree with that. The Star of David symbol that the Jews were required to wear was something that actually took all their rights away - they were no longer citizens of Germany, they could not work with non-Jews, could not run their own business, etc. The gem on the other hand actually affords a magicker rights in that they are recognised as a citizen of Allanak (and the miniscule amount of rights that entails) and are allowed to work alongside other citizens if an organisation decides to permit it such such as Oash or the Templarate.

[spawnloser]

You all are reading WAY too much into what I'm saying.

My point was that it is what keeps them seperate from everyone else.  An undercover magicker can walk into Nak and make friends with just about anyone.  A gemmer can NOT.  

The gem may be what gives them their legal rights, but it takes away so much more too.

It is also like the Star of David that the Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany because both are required by their fascist oppressors

...

Plus, none of you are any fun.  Not a single one of you caught my Office Space reference?

[Olaf]

Plus, none of you are any fun.  Not a single one of you caught my Office Space reference?

What ... you want me to wear 15 light absorbing necklaces?

[Anonymous]

I don't think the gems are comparable to Jewish ghetto insignia at all.  The only similarity is that it's required to wear and that the elementalists are, in a sense, segregated insomuch as they have their own district (but not one which they are confined to).

What is publicly known and help file/documentation accessible is that the gems are for the purposes of registration.  Again, it's an identity card, but I think attempting to parellel them with Nazi Germany is innacurate.

Gem is identity card all right, but it reveals your certain social status of pariah, not your guild_magicker alone.

From your other posts I've figured that you had some experience playing criminal types. So, you could have heard of possibility to attain dull black gem even if your PC has nothing to do with magick. When your rinthi elf pickpocket gets branded with black gem it's a punishment, that throws him further down the social well, bringing him to the status that registered magickers have as given. The fact that he still havn't unnatural powers to compensate his sub-human status is a different matter.

Speaking of documentation, I'd suggest you to read this:

Registered elementalists are forced to wear the gems, ostensibly to openly display their profession. Speculations, although not made in front of the templarate, suggest that the gems may be used to monitor or police elementalists as well. Some have gone so far as to suggest that Tektolnes uses the gem to siphon elemental power from magick users, although this seems far-fetched.

Specualations given are probably not exactly accurate, as well as parallel with Nazi, yet I somehow doubt they were put into documentation for entertaining purposes alone.

As for the rest of the docs, word "hated" is used on par with "feared" when commoner's feelings towards elementalists of Allanak described.
Hatred and fear is dangerous mixt, you never know which will prevail when you push it on your opponent. That is why said docs suggest to  registered magickers keep low profile, instead of roaming taverns with "don't you fear me" look and attitude.

I've seen elementalist forgetting they are hated pariahs for what is called 'playability issues'. To me they still fall under category of kank-riding elves and Barrel-living Tor nobles.