It is a bit extreme! But I think it's probably pretty reasonable for a country that has NO other defence against mages; Vanyel knew he was the last one, and he didn't have time to train anybody even if he could find an apprentice who was/would be Chosen.
It would feel a lot more dystopian if the circumstances were different -- if Valdemar had any mages at all, or if the Vrondi were instructed to be hostile (or a more hostile/powerful elemental had been used). For something as mild as "watch them", though, I'd hesitate to say it's dystopian; there's no punishment or harm involved -- the Vrondi don't even alert the nearest Herald to mages' presence, much less, say, attack mages if they don't leave. There doesn't even seem to be any provision for mages who are doing Very Bad Things -- any blood mage who passed through Valdemar, for instance, would still only get stared at till he left. Even if he killed people, or was a Karsite spy!
So as the spell stands, in both the circumstances it was made in and the conditions it sets, I always thought it was a pretty cautious system. In fact, I've often wondered if there weren't a mage or two somewhere in Valdemar anyway, who just grew up thinking that feeling of being watched was normal! :)
I'd certainly love to read a story that presents it in a darker way, though. Convince me! :D
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It is a bit extreme! But I think it's probably pretty reasonable for a country that has NO other defence against mages; Vanyel knew he was the last one, and he didn't have time to train anybody even if he could find an apprentice who was/would be Chosen.
It would feel a lot more dystopian if the circumstances were different -- if Valdemar had any mages at all, or if the Vrondi were instructed to be hostile (or a more hostile/powerful elemental had been used). For something as mild as "watch them", though, I'd hesitate to say it's dystopian; there's no punishment or harm involved -- the Vrondi don't even alert the nearest Herald to mages' presence, much less, say, attack mages if they don't leave. There doesn't even seem to be any provision for mages who are doing Very Bad Things -- any blood mage who passed through Valdemar, for instance, would still only get stared at till he left. Even if he killed people, or was a Karsite spy!
So as the spell stands, in both the circumstances it was made in and the conditions it sets, I always thought it was a pretty cautious system. In fact, I've often wondered if there weren't a mage or two somewhere in Valdemar anyway, who just grew up thinking that feeling of being watched was normal! :)
I'd certainly love to read a story that presents it in a darker way, though. Convince me! :D