Lore
The Magic of Imarel - by T.A. Saunders ©2009, revision v2.9, 12.16.14
The pursuit of sorcerous knowledge is an often sought but rarely attained practice. While true that the Shar'Vaire and Quar'Vess societies are both based on magic (A Shar'Vaire king or queen must be a magic-wielding individual for that house to remain the ruling one and to sit on the Farwind Council of Magi, one must also be well-versed in arcane knowledge, though being Quar'Vess is not a requirement) there are large portions of both populations that do not practice magic at all.
In fact, perhaps ten percent of those total populations know enough magic to be considered a mage, or a wizard though in both societies all people know a small handful of spells. In the Elvish populations, it varies but the numbers are similar to the Shar'Vaire and Quar'Vess in ratio of magic-wielders vs. generally non-magic oriented individuals. In Human societies, the number plummets to merely three percent of all people are capable of wielding magic.
To be taught any of the methods of spell-casting, one must have the deepest commitment to arcane studies and discipline. While the knowledge comes easier to some races more than others, all must spend decades of their lives understanding the principals, theories and dangers of the power they are attempting to control. To that end, there are schools across Imarel that teach different methods and further, center around different kinds of studies. These schools are listed on the Schools of Magic article.
By and large, one gets into a School of Magic much like they get into any other prestigious university. There is an application process, interview and an entry test to check the competency of the applicant. The difference is the students accepted into these schools are much younger in order to properly develop the mind to wield magic properly. While there are always exceptions, studying at a school of magic is done instead of going to normal school, rather than an extension of it. That means students are children for their race's lifespan, when they attend. Adult students, who have chosen to study magic or an aspect of magic later in life are taught separately from the student body as a whole.
This process can take several decades to finish and at the end of it the spellcaster in question becomes a journeyman, where they are expected to go out into the world and gain a practical understanding of how their knowledge applies to the real world. A journeyman spellcaster may remain so for several years before being granted the title of mage.
It should be noted that other kinds of magic are taught at Schools of Magic as well. Such cases include Witchcraft and Ritualism, which are part incantation and part draw from otherworldly powers. Only a seer's coven may allow him or her to join a School of Magic, whereas a Ritualist must prove their competence and have the coin, as magi must. The process remains long and grueling regardless of how it is attained.
Advancement ranks are listed on the article devoted to them . It should be noted that specialists that follow a less divergent path, like necromancers and illusionists, use the same advancement ranks as a wizard, but will add the appropriate suffix to the rank, ex. Adept of Fire, Arcanist of Conjuring, etc.