How can there be a White Mage and a Black Mage simultaneously on a character?

[RolandDebreton]

I read what everyone else did and I think you have the right of it. To be perfectly pragmatic about it and working from an RP standpoint on realism, in our own ancient world it would not have been unheard of for a warrior to be excellent in nearly all known martial fields.

A knight would have been trained from a young age in hand-to-hand, grappling, staves, bow, swords, spears, axes, maces, halberds, and would likely have been a meaningfully good shot with a bow, at the dusk of their era they would even have been trained in firearms. They would have sought tutelage in all of these arts from a single or perhaps multiple weapon masters.

Hans Talhoffer is an excellent example; a 15th century fencing master, he trained his students in method over a shocking number of weapons and methods. Eastern and Middle Eastern experts at warfare would be just as likely, if not more so, for such teaching. While there were plenty of fodder style troops only trained with spear (equivalent of our Woodwailers), there were martial masters in their field in every region of the ancient world.

It seems that, in a world where magic both real, practical, and largely not forbidden there would likely be a class of masters that would see it a point to travel to centers of learning and learn from martial masters in these arts. Renaissance magus, sages in their own right who would not be content to only have one aspect of a field of skill. Like our own world there would be evil people who would drive to learn these things for their own purposes and others who simply delighted in the pursuit of knowledge and skill. Also, as Lumei (WellGramarye) displayed, all of these fields, at their heart utilize aether, just as all martial arts utilize the body, why not master them all, or at the base minimum, as another pointed out:

Because we aren't White Mages or Black Mages. We are adventurers that use White Magic and Black Magic to accomplish our goals. These jobs are just another tool in our box or weapon in our arsenal.

[Gurpsmeister]

The only difference between Conjury and Thamaturgy aside from their fundamental differences that is, is that they draw aether differently. A CNJ pulls it from the land around them, a THM pulls it from within. What one does with that aether..well isn't that up to the person drawing it? that's always been my interpretation of it.

[saber_alter]

The only difference between Conjury and Thamaturgy aside from their fundamental differences that is, is that they draw aether differently. A CNJ pulls it from the land around them, a THM pulls it from within. What one does with that aether..well isn't that up to the person drawing it? that's always been my interpretation of it.

its a conflict of ideals, not ability.

while a white-mage may see it good to soothe the trees of the shroud, a black-mage may see it fit to raze them.

but in a sense, wolfandre nailed it...though the silence of my character in almost every single cutscene i come across makes me somewhat disturbed.

i suppose i could interpret it any way i want.

[AspectOfWinter]

Another thought...Papalymo seems to be fighting to protect Gridania/the Black Shroud, even though he is a THM...although he is technically more on the Scions' side than Gridiania's (just like the player character!)