Since it looks like wizard is going to win by a landslide I thought I would make a list about what College Mandred might end up being sent to with the pros and cons of each, keeping in mind that we know next to nothing about his temperament these are mostly going to be broad political considerations:
Amber College:
Pros:
- Would allow one to be a peerless rider, even of beasts that are normally very risky to ride and which thus have a hell of a cachet among imperial nobles like griffons and hypogrifs
- Would probably get along well with the nature cults like Taal and Rheya
Cons:
- Has Arcane marks that makes one uncomfortable with the trappings of civilization, granted that does not mean they cannot work in a city, look at Dragonas, but that would still be a personal and professional strain
- Not a lot of political backing from the Order. Dragonas aside I do not imagine Mandred would be able to get as much leverage from the order politically
Amethyst College
Pros:
[Not Relevant]
Cons:
- Must give up wealth and inheritance, dead in the water
Bright College
Pros:
- Associated with the military with likely military training included
- It is a straightforward kind of magic which wold likely scare the nobles less than many others
- It cane make one more inspirational in battle
Cons:
- The Bright Wind tends to make one more impulsive and hot tempered, that does not just mean anger, but also things like lust, problematic to say the least for a feudal lord who is already going to be working under prejudice from his lords
Celestial College
Pros
- The power to see the future is a hell of a thing for a lord, especially when you can do it yourself and do not have to trust your seer not to shade things to their benefit
- As Hubert shows throwing lightning is almost as good as fire when it comes to showing off on the battlefield
- Connections in the Order with the most noble contacts
Cons
- There is a CK2 event about the ruler paying more attention to the stars than to his lands and for good reasons, someone with his eye on the horizon might miss what is under his feet
- They have a mark that gives them terrible omens when they miscast, not sure how bad that is but paranoia is not something you want to see in a ruler
Grey College:
Pros:
- Trained in Intrigue and diplomacy, as far as we can see (and admittedly it is shaded by the fact that we cannot see inside the other Orders) it is probably the best training for a leader in peace time.
- Decent battle magic, as long as he is willing and able to get there. Smoke and mirrors alone is more than just a tool for assassination, it is a way to get away from assassins
- Potential Mathilde training when we get done with Eike, with all the benefits that come with that (dwarf cred, elf connections etc..)
Cons:
- The secret police is scary, news at eleven
- The order will not be able/willing to help him out as much as others might because any appearance of favoritism would damage their reputation
- Some really bad arcane marks if he gets unlucky. Being supernaturally forgettable or having everyone think you are untrustworthy would be really hard to overcome for a leader
Jade College
Pros:
- Healing magic, which is both a boost to personal survival and to one's image
- Pretty good combat magic including one of the only means to reduce miscasts in the imperial arsenal
- Relatively benign mental effects from the wind
- Good relations with the nature cults
- Likely to have children, which given than he is likely to be an only child himself would be good for the succession
Cons:
- Might end up in some kind of theological scuffle within the order
- Bound to the seasons would be a bad arcane mark to have in case there is some sort of attack or emergency in winter
Light College
Pros:
- Anti Chaos and Necromancy College, that is likely to get him some nods even from those who naturally distrust magic
- Access to healing and poison resistance, very good against assassins
- Decent relations with the cults of Sigmar and Shaylla
Cons:
- For much the same reason as the Greys the Order is unlikely to give much help, they too are a sort of secret police
- Literally has Paranoid as an arcane mark, that would be worse than either of the Grey Ones
Gold College:
Pros
- After the Celestials likely the order which is most in contact with the nobility, including a very savvy patriarch
- Likely to have good classes in things like math and finances which are very important to the leader of one of the Empire's richest provinces
- Would be able to cast in armor I think which would make him look like more of a 'normal' lord on the field of battle
Cons:
- The Golds likely made as many enemies as friends while getting very very rich
- Probably does not get to gild himself if he is so minded, no one wants an immortal lord
So looking at the above it looks like Celestials, Jades and Golds have an edge. What do you guys think?
