Expurgation

Expurgation was the ultimate punishment meted out by the Rasian Academy for the crime of malefaction: the use of thaumaturgy for evil and harmful ends.

Expurgation involves four steps. Firstly, the criminal's familiar (or 'prime source'), the elemental which is the source of his power, is cut away and destroyed.

Second, a curse-elemental is permanently bound to the criminal's bones. The main purpose of this is to prevent the criminal being able to engage a new source, and to repel any other elementals from him. This has the effect of both preventing him from ever being able to master an elemental again, but also protects him from magical assault. The curse-elemental also allows the Masters to know the criminal's exact location, so he can easily be kept under observation. In certain cases the masters added some other, crueller curses, but is itself a form of malefaction and frowned upon.

Thirdly, the criminal is forever banished from Rasia. The closer he comes to the Rasia the criminal feels pain, and if he enters the Academy, the elemental would stop his heart.

Lastly, all record of his achievements, writings, published works, anything to do with his very existence, are removed from the Archives and destroyed. His name is utterly eradicated and forbidden from ever being spoken again.

Historically, full expurgation was a rare occurrence, since the Magisters and Oughtists demanded strict loyalty, and students showing spiteful or malicious tendencies were either expelled before gaining their power or kept under tight control. In fact since the existence of malefactors is totally expunged from Academy records, it is impossible to know exactly how many expurgations ever took place. However for those few cases, the criminals were usually given passage overseas, or went to live in isolation.

The notorious Grand Master Belikast is a famous case of expurgation.