Each graduate of the Academy should get a small monetary reward. Nothing outrageous, but enough to get them well established in SD so they don't start thinking about leaving to earn their own way working for a potential enemy power. 10 or 15 IM should be plenty.
We should also give them all a set of basic magic user's adventuring gear; a backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, blanket, camping gear (a pot & mess kit), clothing (a couple explorer's outfits), dagger, flint & steel, light crossbow (with 10 to 20 bolts), staff or other weapon they are proficient with, 2 waterskins, writing implements (paper, ink, a pen or quills, & scrollcase), a spellbook or holy symbol (if necessary for their type of casting), and a tool kit if they possess a skill that would require or benefit from it (disguise kit, healer's kit, etc).
All of this costs us very little, but it serves to further ingratiate the new mages to us, makes them more comfortable, and increases their likelihood of surviving. The clothing we give them could all be based off a similar pattern and color scheme, to differentiate them from the common folk. Besides engendering a sense of prestige and rank among the new mages, they would also be somewhat easier for spies to target, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, we are setting up an intelligence network, which includes a flock of construct birds and a couple quasi-quasit invisible spy birds. The mages might make good bait to draw out our enemies.
. Agreed on the runic power, though I expected gaining it to be very involved.
