The Kindergartens

**The Kindergartens** were an experimental educational program developed by Zweihander and employed in military academies throughout the German-speaking states in the period from 1883-1918. The programs used brainwashing and violence to get the most out of their students' magical potential. The Kindergartens were extremely inhumane, with many of the students dying before graduation and the survivors permanently scarred, often exhibiting ultraviolent tendencies.

## Methodology

The Kindergartens were based on the theory of Social Darwinism proposed by the scientist Herbert Spencer. The idea was that if the students were made to fight amongst themselves, only the best magicians would emerge from the program.

To this end, the Kindergartens, aside from teaching magic, promoted an atmosphere of hyperviolence. The instructors frequently abused the students both physically and emotionally, causing them to become unstable and sometimes even resulting in death. The intended effect was to heighten the students' emotional states, causing them to fight each other.

They also worked to build up an atmosphere of paranoia, planting fake students in the ranks of the real students to sow conflict between them. Because of the students' heightened emotional state, these conflicts often became violent. While the instructors killed many Kindergarten students, far more were killed by other students in fits of fear or rage.

## History

### Foundation

The Kindergartens were at first founded by Frederick von Zahringen as a response to a similar failed program instituted by The Silver Twilight called The Silver Dawn School of Etiquette. Where this program was deemed a failure by The Silver Twilight and never replicated, the Kindergartens spread throughout Germany's military academies. The biggest programs were located at the Prussian War College in Berlin, The Cadet School in Plon, and the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt.

The first generation of Kindergarten students attended from 1883 to 1887. The program's success or failure would be determined by this generation of students.

### First Generation of Students

Educating the first generation of Kindergarten students was a process fraught with difficulties for Zweihander. Aside from the difficulty in finding and selecting students with magical capabilities, many of the instructors quit early on due to ethical objections. While the program was successful in causing the students to fight each other, the complications seemed for the most part to outweigh the limited and unclear rewards. The program was almost dropped in 1886. However, an incident at the Theresian Academy changed all that.

### Incident at the Theresian Academy

In 1886, an incident occurred in which all of the students at the Kindergarten at The Theresian Academy were killed. The incident involved a highly complex and technical spell cast by Dominic von Waldstein, then a student there. Identified early on as a prodigy, Von Waldstein was convinced that his other classmates were trying to kill him. In a fit of anger and fear, he caused the systematic deaths of all of his fellow students by forcing their own blood to tear them apart inside.

The next morning, when the bodies were discovered by the instructors Von Waldstein was brought in fore questioning and beaten almost to death by his instructors. However, the incident caught the attention of Von Zahringen, who personally came down to the academy to help oversee Von Waldstein's education along with Johann Reuchlinn. Von Waldstein came out of the program one of the most powerful magicians in Germany, a Templar of Zweihander, and a Major in the Austrian military. After the success of Von Waldstein, it was decided that the program would be continued, taking in another generation of students.

### Post-1887

The Kindergartens continued to churn out students for over thirty years, most of the survivors being brought on as Templars of Zweihander. Many powerful magicians were created during the time, and many more talented young magicians died in the process.

With the disbandment of Zweihander in 1918, most of the Kindergartens were shut down as well, though the theory behind them would later by used by maigicians within the U.S.S.R. to train the Gradists.

## Important Students

* Dominic von Waldstein, Reverend of The Silver Twilight