I know this never would've happened (because then we'd have no story), but hypothetically, would Aeran have been happier with the Wayfarers if his master was Cenric or Sero instead? Does that even matter or would he have resented the Wayfarer masters no matter what?
Also interesting that Cenric grumbled about recruiting Aeran in the first place while Sero really didn't think Varyn should have two apprentices. Why? Were they concerned over Varyn's behavior and judgment and how that could affect Aeran and the MC? Though it would be messed up but interesting if they were like "nah we don't want this kid (Aeran) in particular" lol.
No. A difference in mentor would not have made a difference—Aeran would have been at his happiest without the Order (provided he survived his childhood and still got out of the situation he was in prior to being recruited).
It's non-standard for a Wayfarer master to have more than one apprentice at a time. Cenric's concern comes from tradition and also something else which I will put below a cut due to Episode 3 spoilers. Sero's concern is that they believe more than one apprentice will split the mentor's focus, resulting in poorer training for both apprentices.
I also want to make something clear with regards to Varyn: her training for both Aeran and the MC was excellent, and there was no actual favouritism in her training on her part. Her relationship with Aeran is different to her relationship to the MC due to their circumstances, but different does not mean unfair. How a Varyn-trained MC feels about it (and what their perception of the past has become) is biased—what they feel does not necessarily equate to truth.
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Cenric's concern about Aeran in particular is that he is Avennor's son. Avennor was a handful; he has many illegitimate children, most of whom are magiani and are located in Artanis (it's not uncommon for AMAB Wayfarers to have children they don't know about—they fuck around, move on and don't necessarily find out). Aeran just happens to be the one Avennor knew about and requested Varyn look after before he was executed.
Avennor and his group of Arathian Wayfarers caused the Wayfarer Order a lot of serious problems, most of which took Varyn years to sort out. Cenric is old and tired and not above judging a child by their biological father's actions and deciding that he doesn't want to deal with that again.
wayfarer. mc & amali sero, set post prologue and pre ep 1.
gen, 927 words.
on importance and access to choices.
divider credit
“We can cut it, if you’d like,” Sero suggests. The room is warm; there’s a fireplace and cups of hot tea on Sero’s desk. Yet, the boy sits in one of the grand chairs for guests covered in furs to his chin. They almost miss his response, a slight lifting of his head. “Your hair, Cassander. Have you always worn your hair long?”
Sometimes, they don’t know what to talk about with him. They can feel him watching and measuring their every word and motion. He probably knows they like to press their cuticles when they’re idle and that they like their meals slightly oversalted. There’s an intelligence behind his red eyes, bright and open and radiant, and they’re certain the kid knows way more than he lets on.
If he ever does, in reality. Most of the time, Cassander doesn’t speak much. He seems to take forever to answer a question, if only because he’s measuring something in that overfilled brain of his. It’s unsettling, and if Sero was being honest with themself, it makes them question whether he’s a right fit for their apprentice sometimes.
They’d never say it, though. They’re oddly attached to the unsettling, scrawny elf Cenric dragged from Vodena. Life hasn’t been kind to him there, Cenric said. Be patient with him, Cenric said. And Sero’s heart cracked a little from that walk in the snow, from watching an obviously terrified kid try and put on a brave face for survival, and their mind was made up.
No kid asks to be hurt by adults. Sero’s doubts shame them. They feel Cassander’s eyes sliding over him, and they ask, gentler, “Have you always had your hair long?”
“Yes,” he says. He tries to sound as neutral as possible. “For ease of styling.”
“Ease of styling? From what I’ve seen of Vestra, your hairstyles are anything but easy to do.” Sero reaches out to one of the cups and drinks a sip. “Spire must be a downgrade in that regard.”
“It is easy to style long hair,” Cassander says. He squirms on his seat. A halo of warm, red curls flies about his face, framed by the fire. Sero imagines they were more defined before winter took its toll on them. “Everyone has long hair.”
“Not here, though. Some Wayfarers keep it short for practicality. We’re of a wandering sort and hair gets in the way sometimes. That’s why I asked if you would like to wear it short for a while.”
Cassander shoots his head up and sits a little straighter. Sero almost regrets it; it’s rare to see him relaxed, but this time around, Sero notices, it’s less defensive, held back composure and more curiosity. Like a cat, they think. He schools his face to be neutral but it’s a struggle. His mouth is slightly open, as if to ask something, but he seems to decide against it. His hands grip the big fur coat.
“It is up to you,” they say. Their heart tightens a little. Their nails click against the clay cup. “I’m not trying to force anything, Cassander. If you want it, it can happen. But if you don’t, there’s no harm done.”
“That’s possible?” Cassander says, all too quiet, like he’s asking for some sort of permission. Sero is suddenly hit with a gods-awful reminder how young he is; Cenric’s asked around and the kid is ten. Ten years old, on the cusp of eleven, and they’ve seen many ten year olds running around and grabbing the world by the throat. Sero suddenly stands up, like something physically pushes them upward, leaves their cup on the table and walks over to Cassander, mindful of their step.
Like approaching a spooked cat.
“Can I hug you?” Sero asks. Their voice feels heavy in their throat. Cassander looks up. There are freckles on his nose and on his neck, faint in the winter. A moment passes, and Sero is just ready to step away, give him space, when he says a small, barely there yes.
So they kneel a little to be on his eye level and wrap their arms around his small shoulders. He burrows his face against their neck and they feel his breath hitch and then even out. His hands grab Sero’s shirt and he holds tight, as if he wants to get under their skin. And Sero would let him. Part of them wants to card their fingers through his curls.
“Has your hair ever been your choice?” Sero asks quietly.
“No,” Cassander responds.
“From now on, it is,” Sero says with determination. “I can teach you to take care of it. I can teach you to style it. But it is on you how you want to wear it. It’s on your head. The look of your hair is not that big to me as it is for you to become a good Wayfarer.”
Cassander swallows, thickly. “I–”
“There’s no need to make your choice now. Think about it. Should you come to any decision, let me know.”
He simply nods and furrows back into Sero’s embrace. Sero has little heart to let him go just yet. Fire cracks behind them as the wind blows harshly outside. It doesn’t matter though, does it? Sero feels awfully out of their depth, but they know that this kid is theirs.
Oh how Cenric would laugh if he saw them. Laugh, yes, but also hide a happy little smile that one unfortunate magiani child has found a home in their Order.
While I really like the mage hunter sword lore, I think I gotta go with the fated since Kai nearly died in Rona. Mabey Kai will break the trend, or maybe not.
It def feels like the kind of sword Sero would gift their apprentice. Is it a warning? A challenge? or just a superstition? Kai doesn't know. Maybe even Sero doesn't know.
hello! i have a worldbuilding question for you, if it's not spoilery :>
in the days before the spire fell, how and why did the wayfarers bring reports to sero and the other grandmasters? was it like an oral report - "i went there, i did that, here's how that went" - or was it a full written report? and what did the grandmasters do with them?
and on a sero-specific note.. how often would the mc who didn't train with them see them? what was their leadership style like? i hope you know how much they have enchanted me and i want to see not only the skeletons in their closet but them again.. they're my eccentric mentor your honor
Wayfarer reports are typically written so Cenric can archive them later. Wayfarers don't have to wait to be recalled to submit reports; before the fall of the Spire, part of their duties were to be in active communication via letter. However, if something was extremely sensitive then they would wait to be able to give an oral report.
Cenric is doing most of the firsthand communication with Wayfarers out in the field; he then passes anything important along to the Grandmaster and the Council. He also is responsible for retrieving fallen Wayfarers and their alassar. Technically some of this responsibility should fall to the Grandmaster, but Cenric's been doing it this way for a couple hundred years so no one is going to change that.
Wayfarers who weren't trained by the Grandmaster were still very familiar with them. Sero likes to know people; they have a good sense of what is going on in all areas of the Order—who gets along with who, who is troublesome, who may be a source of conflict, who can't be trusted in the field. They tend to be everywhere, but an exact pattern of their habits is difficult to make sense of.
do the Masters trio have any particular feelings on if their student takes their surname over their original one? Is that a common tradition for Wayfarers? Thank you so much for your game I'm excited for the future
I'm going to have to check my notes but iirc taking your mentor's surname is an old tradition (as many Wayfarers have come from families they want no connection to), but it's not very common within the last generation of Wayfarers.
Cenric has taught (and raised, in some cases) many apprentices over the course of his life and he remembers each one. His apprentice taking his surname is the kind of thing that will make him cry if he thinks about it too long. I can't remember if this has come up anywhere, but Cenric inherited his surname from his mentor, and his mentor from theirs, so there's a line of unbroken history here going back a few generations. He is the most paternal out of the three and the most likely to consider his apprentice family.
Sero is filled with a great sense of pride, but they don't linger on it outwardly. It's the kind of thing where they'll be going about their regular day and then it'll hit them and they'll feel mushy for a minute and then continue going about their day.
Varyn deeply respects her apprentice, but she sees their choice either as a formality or a practicality (if they are Child of the Streets or otherwise wish to have no lingering connections with their birth family) more than anything else. She is the least familial out of the three - her apprentice is her student, not her adopted family.
