Sanctum of Mastery
Within our Digital Apprenticeship paths you build your foundations—learning the craft through hands on making of full suits of armor. The Sanctum is where those skills are tested in formal Trials or refined through direct expert counsel: a place for honest evaluation, clear standards, and seasoned guidance.
Two paths sit within the Sanctum: the Proving Ground, where your builds are tested against clear standards with ranks from Novice through Master, and the Master’s Counsel, where you can bring your hardest problems directly to Samuel in focused private sessions.
Proving Ground
Submit finished work for structured Trials and earn Novice, Journeyman, Adept, or Master certification.
Master’s Counsel
High-level, 1:1 strategic guidance on craft, workflow, or business directly with Samuel Lee.
Who this is for: makers who are already building—whether through our lessons or your own path—and want formal recognition or direct, high-level guidance. Learn more below.
The Proving Ground
The Proving Ground is where you submit your work to be weighed and measured. You will submit your finished pieces to us, and we evaluate them in person against criteria ranging from cut quality, tooling finesse, shaping, construction, finish, and more. If you meet the bar, you will earn an official Prince Armory certification from Novice to Master.
Trial progression: Novice → Journeyman → Adept → Master
Each Trial will have its own objectives and grading system.
- Expert evaluation & written feedback
- Photo pre-screening before any physical shipping
- Physical submission required above Novice
- Digital & physical certificates awarded on passing
- Special Prince Armory maker’s mark upon Master rank
- Ranks will also be tracked on your account with public acknowledgement.
- Every artisan must start with the Novice Trial, where you will demonstrate your fundamental skills.
- Confident students may select multiple Trials in sequence up to your desired evaluation rank, if the trials are available at the time of signup.
- After choosing your Trial level(s), you will be provided a rubric to reference as you build your trial.
- You will be given a reasonable span of time to craft your trial objective
- You will be expected to submit photos/video for pre-screening and readiness.
- Send qualifying work for final evaluation (where required). Pieces will be judged in our studio by us directly.
- Receive scored feedback and either pass or get clear next steps.
Trials will be conducted on a periodic basis, starting with Novice Trials. Ample time will be given for aspiring students to prepare and practice trial criteria, which will change from rank to rank and season to season. Pricing will be revealed when the first trial is ready to launch.
Look for email, Discord, or blog announcements for the first Proving Ground Trials. In order for a certification to mean anything, scoring must and shall be impartial and strict. There will be clear objectives to follow, and applying for Trials does not guarantee passing, but it does guarantee an honest assessment of your current skills and feedback on how to grow.
Master’s Counsel
Master’s Counsel is for artists and armorers who want direct access to the source. Bring a specific project, design, workflow issue, or business question, and we’ll spend a focused session answering your burning questions or solving your complex problems. With over 20 years of hard won knowledge in crafting and business as a full time fantasy armor smith there is likely a lot of valuable insight that can be shared to benefit your unique situation. However, this knoweldge is also niche and we will screen all applicants to ensure there is a clear path to add value with our session together.
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How it works:
- Take a screening questionnaire to confirm fit and objectives
- If approved, book a one-on-one call to dig into your specific challenges- There is a $50 non-refundable booking fee
- The session rate will be $950 and is completely refundable if you feel your inquiry was not met or the information was not helpful.
- The session duration should last roughly 1 hour where you will be able to ask any questions or extract any information of interest to you. If desired, an additional follow up session may booked within 1 week at half the normal rate.
- You may submit your main questions in advance to get more value out our session.
- You will be entitled to an email follow up at any point in the future.
Is certification guaranteed if I book a Trial?
No. The Trial fee covers the time and expertise required to evaluate your work and provide feedback. Passing a Trial is earned by meeting the standards, not purchased outright.
You will be given clear actionable feedback, so even a failed attempt gives you a clear roadmap of what to improve and how to try again when you’re ready.
Do I need certification before booking coaching?
No. The two paths are related but independent. Some students will pursue Trials first; others will use Master’s Counsel to prepare for a Trial or tackle broader goals in their craft or business.
Both options are designed to sit on top of the learning you’ve already done—they assume you’re already building and pushing your skills forward.