Mage Titles

Jumping on the naming bandwagon....

I'm looking for suggestions for a title for mages in my fantasy WIP. The titles I've got so far are Apprentice, Journeyman, and Spellmaster (Master for short). A beginning student starts as an apprentice and becomes a journeyman after demonstrating a basic knowledge of magic. The journeyman then studies under different masters to learn their specialities. To become a master, the journeyman must perform a series of horrendously difficult spells. Success in the master trials yields access to great power. Failure yields insanity or death. Not every journeyman is willing to take the risk to become a master, so some journeymen remain at journeyman level for their entire lives. No shame is attached to not attempting the master trials, and some of the older "journeymen" are quite powerful. Also, most journeymen who are trying to become masters don't attempt the trials until middle age.

What I'm looking for is a title to call a "journeyman" who has made the decision not to become a master. His "journey" has ended, but his career in magic continues.

Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions!

Thanks for the suggestions. Some good ideas, but no lightning yet.

Jewel101, I like the idea of "learned" but I'm already using that word in another capacity. In this world, some people have the natural gift of magic, so they are either "gifted" or "magic touched". Others have the potential to learn magic, so if they become mages they're referred to as "learned" because they had to learn how to use it. Natural mages tend to be more powerful than learned because the magic is part of them, but they're also more dangerous. A natural mage always needs to keep control to prevent magic from getting loose. Getting a natural mage drunk is a very bad idea.

Yes, mages are organized into a guild like other crafts but they are much more strictly controlled. A couple hundred years ago a group of mages tried taking power. The ensuing war nearly decimated society and they've been rebuilding ever since. After the war mages were shunned since the common folk saw all mages as the cause of their troubles, but their society requires magic to survive. Controls were imposed upon mages forcing them to wear specific colors and marks so they can't hide their magic. At the point my story takes place mages aren't lynched on sight anymore and the inquisition type trials into the ethical uses of magic are over, but mages aren't really welcome.

So from a common folk perspective, a Spellmaster is treated with respect and fear. Who knows if another master will spark off a new Upheaval? Thank the gods there aren't that many masters. A journeyman can set up shop to perform everyday tasks, and if our village didn't have a journeyman level mage we'd be vulnerable every time a magic storm struck. And that "journeyman" over there? We know he's safe because he doesn't have the ambition to become a master. Ambition in a mage is dangerous, you know.

From a mage perspective, they're trying to rebuild magic's good image in the eyes of the people. The mage guild needs a certain number of masters, but they'd rather have lots of live "journeyman" mages than dead master aspirants. Some journeymen are not capable of succeeding in the master trials no matter how much they study. Spellmasters look upon them with sympathy, almost pity, since they can never reach the heights. Other journeymen are capable but afraid or unambitious. It's considered bad form to ask a "journeyman" why they aren't aspiring to be a master. How does the journeyman feel? Well, that's another story.

In this world, names and titles are important. Magic is one of the fields where a commoner can advance based on ability rather than lineage. I can't see them not wanting a specific title.

A formal introduction will tell a great deal about the person's place in society. Everyone is given a single name at birth. Someone born into one of the Great Houses will take the house name as a surname. Someone taking oath to a Great House will add "este <GH name>" to the end of their name. Only the Lord and Lady of a GH can use the house name alone.

A master mage chooses a self surname to distinguish themselves from the political ramifications of being part of a House. Usually they choose something reminiscent of the type of magic they wield. I'm considering giving this option to the "journeymen" mages as well, but I might keep it as one of the perqs of being a Spellmaster.

The suggestion of "spellcaster" or "caster" is growing on me, but I'm concerned about the similarity to master. "Master Parle Flamestrike, may I introduce Caster Declan?" Too close?

Also, does anyone have any suggestions about how to address a commoner, or a noble whose lineage you're not certain of? "Mister" sounds out of place, but I need something better than "Hey, you."

Thanks.

"Fellmage" is intriguing, but unfortunately the word "fell" also has negative connotations. Fell is a synonym for "inhumanly cruel" or "capable of destroying" (according to Webster's). Mages are trying to improve their image and don't want to remind people of the horrors committed by mages during the Upheavals. BTW, the evil mages who started the Upheavals were called the Darkenscalds.