Gifts (Heraldic Mind Magic) tend to run in families. It is also curious to note that there are usually several sets of twins who are attending the Collegium at the same time. Twins are usually Chosen at the same time, but there are rare cases where one twin is Chosen later than the other and where one of the twins is not Chosen at all.
Valdemar has mandatory schooling for children, which is conducted in the temples. Children must attend every morning until they can read, write and solve basic mathematical equations. Most students accomplish this by the time they are twelve-years-old (the age at which they start training in whatever career they will follow as an adult). A hot breakfast is served to the children every morning in these temple schools by order of Queen Seleney.
Upon arriving in Haven, newly Chosen Heralds enter the Palace grounds through a small gate where a Guardsman greets them. The Guardsman has the name of the Companion and the Chosen Herald on a piece of paper on a clipboard. The Guardsman passes the pair through the gate.
Training at the Collegium takes four to five years on average, regardless of what the Herald comes in knowing. There will always be some fields of study that the Herald has not yet trained in, and it takes some time to become proficient in the use of Gifts.
Among the courses taught at the Collegium are:
At the Collegium, the new Herald is greeted by a mentor, who is a third-year Herald Trainee. Depending on the time of day, there may be another Herald Trainee present to see to the needs of the Companion. The Companion goes off to the stable to have his/her tack removed while the new Herald is shown to his/her new quarters. Boys go to one side of the building, girls to the other. Trainees who come to the Collegium at roughly the same time are known as "yearmates".
A Trainee's quarters contain a bed, nightstand, wardrobe, desk and chair, bookcases and fireplace. The floor is bare. Light is provided by candles lit from the coals in the fireplace. If the new Trainee is hungry, soup and honeyed tea will be available in mugs in the room. Soiled clothing will be taken away for the Trainee the first night. After that, the Trainee is responsible for taking care of his/her own feeding and clothing requirements. The rooms are usually private unless there is enough overcrowding to require Trainees to double up.
If the Trainee was a late arrival, the mentor will return in the morning. Otherwise, the mentor immediately starts showing the Trainee around the Collegium.
Lanterns light the halls of the Collegium.
Bells control the Trainee's day, signalling Wake Up, Breakfast, class-change, and so forth.
Herald Trainees wear grey. Full Heralds wear white. Flannel bedgowns are worn for sleeping. The Trainees must make their own bed and bathe daily. There are separate bathing rooms for males and females. These rooms are equipped with indoor plumbing. Each bathing room contains three large copper tubs, several china washbasins, and four "water closets" (toilet stalls). The bar soap is pale green and scented with sage.
The Common Room is where the Trainees, teachers and Heralds who are not out on Circuit eat. The room has two fireplaces, numerous tables with benches, and a pass-through to the kitchen. Trays, plates, bowls, spoons, forks and knives are stacked on a table. Diners put their table service on a tray, then take a seat at one of the dining tables. Some Trainees work as servers as part of their chores, carrying food from the pass-through to the people seated at the tables. The food is known for its excellence. There is also a cabinet in the kitchen where snacks are available if a Trainee should get hungry between meals. Diners bus their own dishes to the pass-through where some Trainees collect and wash them as part of their chores.
The Housekeeper (Gaytha during Talia's time at the Collegium; Seshel following the Mage Storms) provides the Trainee with uniforms and assigns chores. Known chores are:
The typical Herald spends five years training at the Collegium then serves a twelve- to eighteen-month Internship before becoming a full Herald. Typical classes at the Collegium include everything from Etiquette to Survival Skills.
Specific specialties that have been mentioned for Heralds are teachers of law, weapons and logic, Messenger Heralds and Herald Historians.
All Herald-Trainees have chores. Some of those chores include helping in the kitchen, sewing uniforms, and making boots.
Third-year students are assigned as mentors to new Trainees. These mentors take the new Heralds to their rooms, show them around the Collegium, and get them settled into their classes and chores.
Soon after arriving at the Collegium, the new Trainee will undergo an oral examination by the Dean, the results of which will be used to place the newcomer in the appropriate classes.
The Collegium has its own Library. Trainees may use the Palace Library only if they have special permission to do so. Only Mages may use the Library in the Mages' Collegium. The Collegium Library has study carrels. Herald-Chronicler Myste oversees the Collegium Library.
Upon completing classwork at the Collegium, the Heraldic Circle (see below) reviews the student's work. With their approval, s/he is given his/her Whites. The new Herald then enters into an internship for one to one and a half years with a Full Herald. (Regardless of how long the Circuit takes, the period is called the Herald's "Internship Year".) Upon the completion of the Internship, the Herald Intern becomes a Full Herald.
If a Herald cannot resolve a legal dispute, the parties involved may take the matter to the Law Courts.
These are the classes known to be part of the average Herald's education:
Essays are handwritten on paper. There are no typewriters. Books are produced on vellum or parchment, which lasts longer than paper. Because books must be produced by hand, they are very rare. Students at the Collegium have basic text books for their use while they are taking classes, but it is unlikely that they keep them after they graduate. Students in Temples must share books, and the Temples themselves share texts, with one book being read by students at one Temple then being sent to another Temple where other students read it, and so forth.
The teachers at the Collegium are often Heralds, but some non-Heraldic scholars teach as well. (This latter type usually comes out of the ranks of the Blues.) The Herald teachers usually rotate, doing a stint teaching and then riding a Circuit, but there are a few fixed positions, such as Weaponsmaster. Known teachers at the Collegium are:
Retired teachers include:
The Mages' Collegium has its own teachers, who are called Mage-teachers:
Bardic and Healer teachers staff the Bardic Collegium and Healers' Collegium, respectively. Regular Heralds do not usually see much of Bardic, Healer or Mage-teachers.
There are several ranks among the Heralds. The ones we know about are:
The Heraldic Circle is sometimes used to refer to all Heralds, but when it refers to a specific group, these are the people who are indicated:
All Monarchs of Valdemar must be Heralds. A Monarch's child must be Chosen before s/he can be named as Heir.
Companions are otherworldly Guardians who appear as white horses. All Companions have Mindspeech. A Companion will always Mindspeak with a Herald when Choosing even if the Herald does not have Mindspeech. A Herald--even one without Mindspeech--can aslo enter a trance to Mindspeak with his/her Companion. Companions may speak with anyone who is Gifted with Mindspeech, though they usually do not Mindspeak with anyone except their Chosen Herald. Companions communicate with each other using Mindspeech. Some Companions can communicate via Mindspeech over great distances. Grove-Born Companions can use Mindspeech at greater distances than ordinary Companions can. The Monarch's Own Companion Rolan is especially talented at using Mindspeech over great distances.
The original three Companions were Grove-Born, that is they appeared in a sacred grove in Haven. They were sent in response to a prayer to "all benign Powers" (The Valdemar Companion 2001:85) by Baron Valdemar. Companions continued to be Grove-Born until enough of them existed for the herd to reproduce. After that, Heralds could choose to become reincarnated as Companions (although currently living Heralds do not realize that that is what is going on).
The Monarch's Own Companion is always Grove-Born. There are only four Monarch's Own Companions, and they take turns serving Valdemar. The MO Companions we know about are:
Companions live in the Companion's Field at Haven when they do not have a Chosen Herald or when they are not out on Circuit or some other duty.
Companions wear silver and royal blue tack. They have a hackamore instead of a regular bit. The saddle has a high cantle and pommel, stirrups, and skirting, which has snaffles and ties that can be used to secure the Herald in the seat as well as to fasten packs and so forth to the saddle. Each saddle is marked with the Companion's sigil, which is the written form of the Companion's name minus the vowels. For formal occasions, a dressier type of tack with silver bells is available. Heralds often braid blue silk ribbons into their Companions manes and tails on such occasions as well.
There are Herald Waystations scattered throughout Valdemar. These are stand-alone-buildings that contain supplies and provide shelter for Heralds and their Companions. They usually consist of an outer room/stall area for the Companions and a one-room living area for the Heralds with two bed boxes, table, chairs and similar simple furnishings. They have grooming supplies, grain, simple foods that store well, wood, and a water supply. Heralds will fumigate the stations before using them. Heralds are expected to replace the wood they use before leaving. Nearby villagers and such are contracted to supply the perishables on a regular basis. Heralds will often stay in Waystations rather than partake of the hospitality of townfolk when they are riding Circuits so as not to show favor to anyone in particular. Here are some that we know about:
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