curiousdiscoverer

"I am going to be charitable and assume that you don't mean hating for social reasons," Ezra says "powers have built in protections and often mages have complimentary powers to themselves. There is a six month period where you need to learn to control them, but even the worst powers are voluntary enough that we don't expect a new mage to kill by accident. You don't choose what you get, but it will somehow fit you enough to have some use. If you still get something horrible... you can just make a deal with a Trader and not care about aging in exchange."

"We have a few magical charms," Franklyn says "to spend or deposit magic, if the new mage power is really bad he can just spend most of his mana so the power lacks fuel."