World's End Academy

More intrigued than you are anxious, you decide to give the preacher a shot first, and sidle your way over to where she's talking animatedly with a group of other pyromancers. As you approach, they turn to look at you as one... before smiling politely. Looking around the room to see if anybody else new joins. However, you are the only one, at least one newbie looking nervously in her direction.

"Ah! A guest, really nice of you to stop by, you've made an excellent choice of first stop. Are you one of the faithful?"

You decide on being honest enough, here, given that the fewer lies you have to juggle the better.

"No, not yet at least. I'm actually curious about how divine magic works with fire and what your religion is like. I'm kind of from an isolated spot and I never learned about a lot of that."

You quickly realize that one of the effects of religion is being able to smile unsettlingly wide.

"Oh, now THAT is lovely to hear! Well, there are a lot of people here right now, and while I always like to open with a little sermon, this isn't the actual Kharian church in town so I'll try not to take too much of your time," she nods.

"Kharian religion is most often shared through anecdotal stories, with gods and mythological heroes almost all being nameless, instead, they are archetypes. The thousand-faced sorcerer, the maiden of tragedy, the parasitic fool... and its three highest Goddesses are The Warrior, The Witch, and The Waif."

She looks into you with a fiery gaze that seems to bore through you, her expression suddenly VERY intense.

"They absolutely exist. They are real, they act, and they are powerful. I say this now because I respect what you actually asked enough to answer your other question from a more academic perspective."

"In the broadest sense, regular magic is about holding the entirety of a spell or some facet of reality inside your consciousness, while divine magic is about putting your entire consciousness into a spell or some facet of reality. While mortal magic requires some degree of understanding and precise thoughts, divine magic requires some degree of determination and precise emotions. TECHNICALLY some divine magic can be used without the help of the gods at all, but it is much weaker and most theorize that it's actually lesser gods fueling it because when a god provides a... never mind, getting off track."

"Point is, pure, unwavering FAITH can fuel divine magic. And that's what makes Kharian religion especially interesting. The Warrior is associated with fire. Actually, she's associated with THREE fires. The black flame of the future, the bright flames of the present, and the gold flames of the past. Because of this, it's actually been proven that Arterites - Arterism is the religion's actual name, sorry, got ahead of myself - can use spells that affect time as fire spells based entirely upon the true certainty that they really are associated."

Your eyes widen at that, and possibilities start to run through your mind...

"Now, every time I tell somebody about this, they always think it's going to be easy to exploit, but the truth is you can't really just 'make up' a religion and clap your hands if you believe until the spell works. For starters, all sentient races are social creatures and can't believe something if none of their peers support it - and narcissists and sociopaths who CAN do that have an ego so inwardly focused they can't use divine magic in the first place."

"I wasn't!" you protest. You hadn't gotten close to that far.

"Suuure~ But that's not to say it isn't still incredibly useful! I teach a few spells to the society around holidays when it's easier to learn. Probably just something simple to start, though, like, around the harvest festival I teach a spell to cook and shell shellfish. Which isn't much but it's weird specificity makes it good for getting a handle on things."

That actually doesn't sound half bad. You remember hearing complaints from some of your neighbors complaining that shellfish were plentiful, but inedibly terrible, and a way to cook them properly would be fairly relevant. Plus, a start's a start.

"But that's in the future, and there it shall remain until I master the black flame~" she sticks her tongue out, clearly teasing you at this point.

"For NOW, I've got a sermon to tell!"

She does even more talking, and you do a lot of listening. If there's a next time, though, you won't be the newbie anymore.

[For pacing, the sermon will appear in a supplementary post]



You approach the dungeoneering team already a bit discombobulated from your… semi-religious encounter, only to quickly find yourself split off.

"You, over here," a tall human man with a black crew cut immediately directs you to a group of three other people, one of whom is also without a pyromancer's robe, wearing a set of overalls making you both stand out.

"Thank you all for your interest in this season's dungeon run," the… director… continues. "I'm David Miller, and I'll be supervising the first years this time. If you have any questions, please come to me before doing something reckless, as dungeoneering is always most dangerous at exactly two times: when you first start out, and when you master it."

"This school is built on top of the World's End Ravine, and while many of you know it as an enormous, impassible cliff, it is -also- notable for the many, many smaller caves built inside the cliffside. Even if the crafting district didn't do their hardest to keep the dungeon replenished, we would be nowhere near far enough into this school's lifespan to have it cleared out."

"Fortunately, through the use of powerful barriers, we don't have to worry about monsters in the school proper, but there are still many benefits to fighting them," he concludes his speech with confidence… but it's a bit tautological. You try to bite your tongue, you don't want to question what everybody knows… but you have to ask.

"Like what? Why should we fight monsters?" You say, trying very hard not to sound confrontational.

David looks at you and raises an eyebrow, "Well I assumed you wanted to light things on fire given that you came over here, and monsters are obviously better than most, but I suppose I could mention the specific rewards. Dungeons are always full of treasure. This is a known fact. It used to be considered a blessing from the gods to reward fighting evil, but recent research has shown that the same phenomena that create monsters - that being an excess of wild magic in an area - also creates natural magic items. And all of you will, of course, be allowed to keep any items you find in the caves."

You hear a snicker and something that sounds suspiciously like "Phat loot" from one of the robed figures in your group and decide not to push it by asking anything further. Starting to tune the director out as you muse.

You get the gist, anybody who goes on the expedition will be split into teams of four - although you miss why exactly that is. You will get to know your group, love them, rely on them, buy them a pony… that last one might have been you conflating two things when you realized the other new girl smelled kind of like horses. The trip begins in three weeks, hold the magic gubbins passed out so you don't die…

But you're kind of distracted by your own thoughts. Is it fair to go slay monsters for loot? You are a monster, after all, and you're still not entirely sure what that means, except that apparently magic just spontaneously generated you at some point.

That might explain why you had a dad but no mom.

"Hey," you're attention is grabbed by the new girl next to you, an enormous mane of shaggy red hair trailing down her back and catching the corner of her glasses. "I get what you mean about monsters. Back on the farm we had some sandworms, we wouldn't dream of getting rid of, there's a lot you can do besides murder, right?"

That wasn't what you meant at all… but it is the first bit of monster-friendly sentiment you've heard.

"Yeah. Yeah, they were never particularly aggressive where I was from, and were better neighbors than some humans, so it feels weird to me," you whisper back.

"Hah! Yeah. When the whole town found out I had Wilder powers, it weren't the MONSTERS that chased me out with pitchforks," the girl coughed, before looking down.

"I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that," you answer automatically.

"No… no I did. I burned a lot of stuff down, cost a decent portion of the harvest. People could have died. That's why I'm here. I want to do everything I can to CONTROL magic, not just experience it," she grinned sadly.

You weren't sure what to say to that, but were immediately distracted by David looming over you and clearing his throat.

Apparently, if you wanted dungeoneering with safe oversight to be an option, you'd better shut up and spend the rest of the time learning the basics.

Studiousness check Learning Catch Flame Breakpoints 20/40
38+13=51

Catch Flame is mostly used for lighting torches or campfires but in a pinch, the flames it makes are hot enough to burn most monsters should they be close enough to be hit by it.

It comes to you naturally, as true flame burns within you, so letting out a spark takes almost nothing to master.

[Spell Learned Catch Flame
School: Generation
Cost: 1 mana
Cast Time: 1 second
Creates an intensely hot burst of flame from the casters's hands. Lasts only for a moment before fading away though any mundane fires it starts will remain.]


Still, throwing fire with somebody who felt about as warm as you did… it made it easier.

As you practice, you realize you never properly introduced yourselves.

"Jackie Bright," a tanned, calloused, and currently on-fire hand, shakes your own.

"Macabre. Er, no last name," you return the grip.

It's a little tricky finding the right squeeze when having a real hand is new.

But you don't mind it.

[The three members of your assigned dungeoneering team will get a chance to introduce themselves each week before your first excursion if you continue this route. For now, Jackie is added as a friend with a relationship of 2/10
Known traits: Commoner, Open-Minded]

Friends
Beatriz Teles
One of your roommates, a young soldier from Kharian passionate and driven. Possess a great many swords and is fond of doing whatever she can in the most daring and unusual ways possible.
Known Traits Battlemage, Soldier, Sword Nerd, Brave, Overconfident
Relations 2/10

Ada Oyler
The older of your two roommates, a widowed clockmaker from Lezterhalt. Kind and stern in equal measure when dealing with others her personal goals seem to be focused on improving her life and craft.
Known Traits
Witch, Commoner, Diligent, Sarky, Vengeful
Relations 2/10

Rose Ferrier
The daughter of a low noble from Herzia, an incorrigible gossip and dearest friend of Laurel Lender. You provided her a way to address many of her fears and concerns.
Known Traits Gossip, Nobel
Relations 3/10

Jackie Bright
A farmgirl who came to the Academy to learn how to control her natural flame magics. The first person you found to at least sympathize with monsters. Currently part of your dungeon team for the Pyromancy Society's expedition.
Known Traits: Wilder, Commoner, Open-Minded
Relations 2/10

Notable Teachers
Archmage Hana
A Petal Elf master of illusions and one of the academy's Deans.

Archmagister Klaus Ibert
A seemingly young-looking man who burns with phoenix fire. Dean of the Verity school

Archmage Aya Bungin
A cat Beastfolk, misanthropic and blunt to a fault, but skilled enough to be the Farsight Dean.

Other
The Rider in Black
Someone who will one day destroy your home, and the reason you came to the academy. At the moment you know next to nothing about them.

Constance Brinet
A third-year student, an outwardly sweet girl who may? will? turn to dark magic and human sacrifice.

Laurel Lender
The girl that you saw in a prophecy that depicted her being sacrificed by Constance Brinet. The daughter of a rising noble family and best friend of Rose Ferrier.

Is this the nature of humanity? To have every fiber of your being tormented by a constant dull ache? To watch as your senses slip and fail you? To lose your thoughts of the world with nothing but a fleeting distraction?

"Bree you're being overly dramatic." Ada scolds you, her voice distant, even though she is right next to you.

Ugh. Well, at least you learned enough last week to multitask.

[You can stalk Laurel Lender by attending the same classes she does and being careful with no additional action cost. Actions that give you the opportunity to make contact with Laurel will have it mentioned next to them.]

[You have discovered: Overworking, by doing actions beyond your normal limits you get a stacking debuff, stage one 50% chance of getting -10 to any roll, stage two -15 to all rolls, stage three lose two actions. Stacks take effect a week after the actions are taken, and are removed one at a time either when a rest action is taken or at the end of a week]


[Swamp Fever: Week 2 of 3 -1 Actions before overwork this week]
[Overwork Status: Stage one]
[Choose eight seven actions. ]
[Reminder whatever classes you take on turn four will be the ones you are "officially" taking for the year.]
Focus Classes, the Eight Schools of Magic [you MUST take at least one of these, and taking less than two eventually is ill-advised]

[ ] Introductory Illusions
Half magic and half art, illusions will teach you the tricky art of achieving your goals with magic that doesn't technically do anything unless somebody lets it. The discipline is neither easy nor predictable, but it is fun, and will get you started on the path to much more popular sub-disciplines such as Mirror magic and Shadow magic. Teacher: Professor Fritz

[ ] Starting Soulsight!
You are a piece of clay, yet to be formed, yet to be fired. Soulsight is the way to make yourself into the best you, you can possibly be both in body and in mind. There is nothing more to it and nothing less. With what you did to your soul it might be wise to keep up with this class. Teacher: Lawrence McOss

[ ] Farsight for Incompetents.
Farsight class is proving to be unique, and you are learning something in it.
Teacher: Archmage Aya Bungin

[ ] The Fundamental Foundations of Refutation
Refutation is power, the power to deny the flow of magic through force of will. Undoing is usually easier than doing, and in a battle between two mages, the better refuter will most often win. In a survey, seven out of eight archmages say Refutation is the school they'd least want to be completely without (besides their specialty). Teacher: Gorg of the Gilded Hammer [Archmage Suzu of the Shortstaff guest lectures week four]

[ ] General Generation
Magic inherently runs parallel to the physical world. So we'll teach you how to hold it down and MAKE it intersect, permanently altering physical reality in the form of true creation! Well, okay, at entry level we'll mostly be having snowball fights, but you have to start somewhere. Teacher: Mr. Pfeffer Archmage Thunderhoof has declined to guest lecture

Minor Classes

[ ] Guidance for Magisters
To be a Magister is to engage with magic on a deeper level than anyone else, the fusion of instinct and understanding stretching spells beyond their normal limits. [Mandatory pick for this semester]

[ ] Magical Safety and You
Proper safety procedures for magical experimentation and testing. Part of the spell invention minor. [Taught by Steven Coridae]

[ ] Adult Magic Magic for Adult Magic that is Useful for Adulthood
A special early practical course teaching some very cheap and eclectic spells that are extremely useful for day-to-day life, along with a brief history of civilian magic use. Learn the coveted secrets of the spell World's End Elixir. [Taught by Archmage Hana. First semester only class.]

[ ] Good Study Habits and You!
Learn how to learn. Read about how to read. Before jumping into scholarship, receive expert instruction on what it means to be a scholar. [Teacher: William Ferrier. First semester only class.]

Backlogged Classes [These classes have a minus five penalty per week, the penalty will be removed if you spend a homework action for each week you have not attended the class]
[ ] Vivomancy
Life and magic both flow through all things, vivomancy allows one to harness both in the creation of the greater whole. Within this track, one shall learn how to manipulate the natural form, analyze and understand the natural world, and unleash the inherent qualities provided by nature. Teacher: Lance Ironfrog [Guest lecture date TBA]

[ ] Necromancy, which is just as good as vivomancy we promise
Negative influence is just as necessary as positive, and the magic of death has just as much of a home as that of life. We teach spells for preserving, healing, strangling, disintegrating, and so much more than just zombies. Note: We also don't teach how to make zombies, that's illegal.
Teacher: Hatti Bladestone [Laurel is here]

[ ] Verity 101
Both opposite and identical to illusion, while illusion channels magic to create anything you want with no presence at all, Verity channels MORE magic to create things of magic itself. Most spells known to the ignorant such as lightning and fire can be found in Verity, and while a rare mage would want to specialize in it, a rarer one would ignore it entirely! Teacher: Simon Briarcatch [Archmage Ibert guest lecture third week.]

[ ] Principles of Magic
Learning your weave from your wave the truth of the highs and lows and the importance of rain filling the ocean. Part of the magic history minor. [Taught by Lawrence McOss]

[ ] Starter Self Defense
How to not get killed in your first fight and other critical skills. Testing out is allowed. Part of the combat-trained minor. [Taught by Regina Longears]

[ ] Algebra
Esoteric math knowledge with significant use in magic and research! This can lead to the advanced mundane science of calculus. [Taught by Corrine Fisher]

[ ] World Politics
Learn about the world, its politics, the important movers and shakers, and where you can and can not expect a warm welcome for certain spells and why. [Laurel is here]

[ ] World History
Learn about the PAST world, it's etc. etc.

[ ] Bestiary 101
Biology class with a focus on monsters, how they relate to magic, and how they may be survived.

[ ] A History of Notable Mages
The history of mages and their impact upon the world around them from the ancient civilization to the modern day. Part of the magic history minor.[Taught by: Sir Danrick] [Laurel is here]

Social

[ ] Hangout with Beatriz
Beatriz has found a Kharian Approved Chaplaincy among the various shrines and temples in the market district and has invited you to check it out and hear a few of their stories.

[ ] Hangout with Ada
Ada is working on something and mentioned that she could use an extra hand.

[ ] Hang Out with Jackie
Jackie has been going out and foraging for wild plants just outside school limits, you could go with her for a morning.

[ ] Hang Out with Rose
Rose mentioned something about a costume that would be perfect for you? You could what all that is about.

[ ] The Pyromancy Society
There are regular weekly meetings of the Pyromancy Society, With all the upperclassmen there it should be easy to pick up a few things, and you should probably check in with the other two people that were assigned to your dungeon group

[ ] The Apprentice's Troupe
A shadowy paper tells you that the pre-eminent dramatists, which you're assuming means 'hammy performing arts aficionados', of the academy are looking for market district natives who can really wear a mask. You're not sure what that means. Looks like if nothing else, they have an entire theater in the market district they've made a deal for free reign of, and it's fairly popular. [Laurel is here]

[ ] The Order of the Unknown
A very pompous letter on completely normal parchment invites you to solve all the mysteries of the academy, the first of which appears to be 'What mysteries does the academy even have.' The return address is from the library district, but they promise they have members 'all over'. Despite the grandiosity, they kind of seem like a bunch of dorks whose actual hobbies at the moment appear to consist of dungeon delving and gossiping about powerful wizards. Though their letter is the most overall pleasant of the bunch.

[ ] The Mage's Macaw
The student-run newspaper of the World's End Academy, currently they are looking for junior reporters. It is part way between a club and a job that promises access to various events and compensation for your time, but you'd be dedicating social time to pursuing people with goals in mind and at others' behest.

[ ] Check out The Wild Forum
A coffee house that comes highly recommended by Professor Ferrier and a number of other students you have met in passing, and is known for a wide range of impromptu lectures.

[ ] Gathering at Night
As night falls over the academy the amount of gatherings barely decreases but also takes a turn in their character. Rambunctious parties, moonlit dances, and morbid meetings all can be found though most need some level of invitation or recommendation.
[Charisma DC 40]

[ ] Scour the Markets
Countless things pass through the academy's market stalls each and every day as merchants come and go… though at the moment you don't have any money you might be able to work something out and you never know who you might meet.

[ ]Ear to the ground
Everywhere you go there is a cacophony of voices so much so that most don't even consider they could be overheard. The markets are filled with spots where you can just stop and listen to the tide of civilization.
[Intuition Scaling]

[ ] Lesser spirits
Most solitary spirits are small feeble things below notice and lacking power, but you are sensitive enough to see them and interact with them and they tend to be desperate for interaction.
[Charisma DC 20]

[ ] Outsiders Looking in
Usually, extraplanar beings don't actually pay much attention to affairs of mortals except in the broadest of pictures. Luckily you are in an academy with a whole track dedicated to Warlocks, so more than a few are sure to be paying attention.
[Intuition DC 60]

Work
[ ] Work at ???
You may have met Cervus in less-than-normal circumstances but his job offer still stands and it isn't a full commitment yet.

[ ] Look for general work
While the academy covers basic room and board, you are going to need money if you ever want to throw a party, get some exotic materials, or get a copy of a book made. You just have to go out there and find something you can do, right? [Steady amount of funds, will require an action each turn. Charisma DC 20/40/50/60/80]

[ ] Search for intermittent work
Though trying to fit doing something regularly when you don't even know how many of the nine days in the week you'll be free could be a bit hasty. Maybe finding something you can pick up as needed would work better?
[Income and availability of work will vary. Charisma DC 10/30/50/70]

Library

[ ] Books of common knowledge
The number of things you don't know about human society could fill stacks upon stacks of books, luckily those very same stacks of books exist somewhere in the library.
[Studiousness DC 20]

[ ] First-year cantrips (General)
The utmost basics when it comes to magic, (almost) everyone has to start somewhere
[Studiousness DC 30]

[ ] Browse the Shelves
Wander around the library for a while and see what books catch your interest, who knows what you might find and what inspiration might strike you.
[Studiousness scaling]

[ ] Homework
So it turns out what instruction you receive in class isn't the end all be all of learning, to keep up whenever something slips, you have to take the time to learn things on your own. [Every one action spent on homework translates to three sub-actions that can be used to learn about a subject or retry a failed class check]
Pick 3
-Modern Geometry
-General Math
-Safe Casting (Minor)
-High Society Manners, Basic
-Snowball
-Force Bolt
-Overcharge
-Aiming
-Identify Magic, Basic
-Go to a teacher's office hours
-Catch up on a class.
-Research Cervus's business

[ ] Rest
The best way to record is to take time off from things and just rest. It sucks and is boring but your health is shaky at the best of times so better not risk it.
[Gain two Resilience rolls to shake off any diseases or wounds and reduce overwork by one stage for the turn]

Prophecy

[ ] A rider in black
Your vision of the black rider is hazy and indistinct leaving you almost nothing to go on. If you could just claw out one or two more details no matter how small would help narrow things down.
[Intuition DC?]

[ ] A four spired staff
The one clear defining feature you are certain of was the rider's staff, its design was unlike any you had seen before or since.
[Studiousness DC?]

[ ] A spell of ash
Your entire tribe was destroyed by a single spell, everyone from the weakest to the strongest, and even the homes built into the trees and pools were turned to ash in the span of a heartbeat. Try and find out what that spell was and if there is some way to counter it or at least how powerful someone would have to be to cast something like it.
[Studiousness DC?]

[ ] Laurel Lender
You know honestly more about Laurel than you probably should, approaching her is going to be simple as can be…even though her classes really don't overlap with yours.

[ ]Observe Constance Brinet.
Constance Brinet is one of the prim and proper queen bees of the academy, yet there is something that is just off about her...
[Intuition DC?]

[ ]The Magic of Sacrifice
The amount you know of dark magic could fit on the back of a person's hand, but what you saw could not be mistaken for anything else. If you can identify the spell then you would know what you are dealing with.
[Studiousness DC?]

Watch the Markets:

As a market student district, it's very simple to keep an eye out for any bargains, thrown-out goods, or special deals.
[Free Action based on location, less impactful than Scour the Markets:]
[ ] Finding which bookseller has the best deals
[ ] Picking up a little extra cash as a gofer
[ ] Listen to the comings and goings of traveling merchants.