Clever! I really liked that ::wipes an imaginary tear:: It made the sacrifice so much more poignant.
I have three Apprentices in my game - it will be hard to use that ruse on them unless I get them separated. Or perhaps, if one "makes it" before the others, then he can survive the procedure, and smile wickedly as the next Apprentice twists in the wind.
Thank you for the story!
If you have a simpler test, after the first one makes it, he has to figure out an appropriate test for the next one, and so on.
In the game I was in, I was going to conduct an Admissions Test for some NPCs, and I was going to do some quick and dirty tests of Evocation and Tham, with the goal of having them demonstrate a range of powers and flexibility.