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School of Sorcery

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Week One, Day Four
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    • Chandagnac said:
    'I wouldn't know about that,' Isolia admits. 'Maybe that's what happened. But still, isn't that exciting!'

    'It is, rather,' you say, smiling at her enthusiasm.
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    Warmach1ne32 said:
    I think this sentence wasn't finished yet?
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    I don't see the problem. Isolia said, "Isn't that exciting!" and Dorian replied, somewhat Britishly, "It is."
    (The "rather" on the end could mean "a bit" or you could see it as a British idiomatic sentence filler.)

    *

    Week One, Day Four ​
    The next day, you go to your second Ritual Magic lesson. This time, Professor Glossoloria teaches you a cantrip which can be used to mend broken objects, seal a bleeding wound, or stick two things together as if with a strong glue. One of your classmates, Aurilee Berenza, already knows this spell. The professor asks her to demonstrate it to the rest of you and offer suggestions to anyone who is having difficulty with it. Aurilee seems to blossom in the light of so much attention.

    I decided that Dorian should roll a Magic check (2d6+3). I rolled the dice and got a total of 13. Great success.

    You don't need any help. The spell comes easily to you. However, there is something which bothers you about it. Although you can use it to repair broken objects, there will always be a visible seam where they were joined together: a weak point which will easily fracture when subjected to any kind of pressure. You remember what Professor Witt said about it earlier in the week, when Aurilee tried to use it to fix a broken slate: "If you break something, it'll never be the same again, even if you repair it with magic. You can't win against entropy."

    It would seem that perfect repair is not possible, at least not with this spell. If you suffered a serious injury, you could use it to close a gaping hole in your body, preventing further blood loss, but – and this is important – it wouldn't actually repair the damage. It might buy you some time, but you'd still have to wait until you healed naturally. Or, much worse than that, it could mislead someone into thinking that everything was fine while in fact they were dying of internal bleeding. Better use it with caution, you think to yourself.

    Actually, it makes you wonder if there is a better way to go about this. When you have more knowledge and understanding of magic, will you be able to learn a more powerful repair spell, something which could put up more of a fight against entropy?

    Dorian just learnt the Mend cantrip.
    To cast this spell, you need to roll a Magic check and get 7 or more. (Later on, when you learn how, you can choose to make this a Ritual Magic check instead.)
    This spell can be used to mend broken objects, seal a bleeding wound, or stick two things together as if with a strong glue.

    Your cogitation is interrupted by a scuffle between two of the other pupils. Evidently, Phil used his new spell to stick both of Vyron's hands to his desk. Vyron was able to wrench himself free with great difficulty, knocking over the desk and leaving behind several layers of skin. He then launched himself at Phil, intent on giving him a "richly-deserved thrashing". Flailing, Phil tried to fend him off, hitting him on the nose and making him bleed.

    Before you're able to do anything, Professor Glossoloria immobilizes both combatants with a simple gesture. She assigns one of Vyron's teammates, Nelani Callows, to escort him to the infirmary. Then, she stares coldly at Phil.

    'If you can't take this seriously, I don't want you in my lesson,' she says. 'Go and stand outside.'

    She makes Phil stand outside for the rest of the lesson, until it's time for everyone else to go. Afterwards, you wait while she gives him a stern telling off.

    'Are you all right?' you ask him, a few minutes later, when he joins you in the corridor.

    'Yeah. She says if I do anything like that again she'll give me a detention,' he says.

    'So… you're not going to do anything like that again, are you?'

    'No promises,' he mutters.

    You've gained 2 experience points towards learning Ritual Magic.

    During today's study period, you continue to read the Ritual Magic textbook you were given earlier in the week. You are gratified to note that the magic circle which you drew on the back, sustaining the illusion, seems to be working well.

    Professor Glossoloria mentioned two things you need to cast a spell: power and will. The textbook mentions a third: focus. Power is magical energy, the fuel for spells. Willpower is what enables a wizard to bend the laws of reality. Focus is needed to make sure that a spell does exactly what it is meant to do, without any nasty side effects. The purpose of rituals is to make it easier to cast spells, by helping a wizard to gather power, maintain focus, or bolster their will. Alternatively, there are some rituals which achieve similar effects by different means: by reducing the amount of power needed to cast a spell, obviating the need for focus by clearly defining the rules of the spell, or weakening the laws of reality to make it easier for a wizard to bend or break them.

    At bottom, rituals are tools which wizards use to make spellcasting easier for them. If they had unlimited power, an unbreakable will, and perfect focus, they wouldn't need to use rituals.

    You spend a few hours reading about this. By the end, you're not entirely sure that you've understood everything you've read, but you feel better about it than you did before.

    You've gained 2 more experience points towards learning Ritual Magic.

    It's surprisingly difficult to find a place where you, Phil, and Venta can talk privately, but you persevere. There are a few empty classrooms which no one seems to be using. Eventually, you lead your teammates to one of them and say, 'All right, we can talk here.'

    Phil looks uncomfortable, but he's had time to think about this and it seems like he knows what he needs to say. You don't have to give him much prompting. 'I'm sorry if I upset you, Venta. I didn't mean to. Like… I joke around all the time, it's who I am, but I never intended to hurt you.'

    'Maybe I have been overly sensitive,' Venta murmurs.

    'And maybe I did intentionally rile you up when I saw how easy it was,' Phil admits.

    'We're teammates. We have to look out for each other,' you say, echoing Professor Kunrath's words. 'Can you do that?'

    'Yeah, I reckon so,' says Phil, offering a grimy hand to Venta. 'Friends?'

    She accepts his offer of a handshake, brushing her dainty hand against his, very gingerly. 'It's got to be worth a try.'

    'How did you get so grubby, Phil?' you ask with some amusement. 'What have you been doing?'

    'Oh, Simony wanted to show me something,' he says vaguely. 'Actually, forget I said that.'

    Venta shakes her head exasperatedly. 'Fine. Whatever.'

    'As long as it doesn't cause any trouble for us, I suppose that's fine,' you say, a trifle uneasily.

    'Um, do you need me for anything?' Isolia asks anxiously.

    'Well, you're a member of our team,' you say. 'This is team stuff. Therefore, you should be part of this.'

    'All right. In that case… I wanted to thank you all for helping me learn how to read. I'm very grateful.'

    'Thank us later, when you've learned enough to impress Professor Lackwitt,' Phil says gruffly.

    'I hope he doesn't hear you calling him that,' says Venta, glancing at the door.

    'I'll keep practising,' says Isolia with a solemn nod.

    'Right. Excellent,' you say, clapping your hands together. 'I think this team meeting has gone rather well. Let's do it again sometime.'

    'Yeah, but next time, let's do something fun,' says Phil.

    'Like what?' asks Venta.

    'Bladderwrack, of course! Four players, that's enough for a full team. We'd need to get some practice in before we could take on the league, but… come on, at least think about it!'

    You groan, but there's no real ill feeling behind it. In fact, you're very pleased with how well that went. Philander and Venta both seem like reasonable people, you're happy to be on a team with them, and you don't think there'll be any trouble between them in future.

    It's been a good day. You head outside to enjoy the last of the evening sunshine.

    You've gained 1 experience point towards gaining Awareness and 1 experience towards improving Social Skills.


    That's another day gone by. What do you want to do on Day Five?

    Action Slot 1:
    [X] Lesson: Literacy

    Action Slot 2:
    [X] Study Period: Literacy
    (According to your timetable, that's what you've planned to do. But you can change that if you wish. See the options below.)

    [] Study Alchemy (read pamphlets, gain 2 xp towards Alchemy)
    [] Study Ritual Magic (read illusory textbook, gain 2 xp towards Ritual Magic)
    [] Get together with Cadre 1F to practice Literacy (gain 2 xp towards Literacy, help Isolia gain Literacy)
    [] Do something else (write in).

    Action Slot 3:
    [X] Study Literacy
    (Again, that's what you said that you wanted to do. Again, you can change that if you wish. See the options below.)

    [] Do some more gardening. (+2 Durability xp, +1 Knowledge xp)
    [] Attend to the Music Club
    [] Attend the School Choir
    [] Do some extra studying (+2 xp towards chosen subject)
    [] Find Simony Boole. Sell your dahlias to him. (Note: this won't take very long. You can choose another action as well as this one.)

    [] Ask to speak with Green Flame
    -[] Tell her that you're worried about whoever paid your school fees for this year.
    -[] Tell her that you're worried that some of the school meals are having a strange effect on your mind.
    --[] Ask her how you can protect your mind.
    -[] Ask her for help with teaching Isolia how to read.
    -[] Tell her about the bindweed problem in Isolia's garden. Ask her for help.
    -[] Say something else to her (write in).

    [] Do something else (write in).
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Huh, that went surprisingly well. I guess we didn't need Green Flame's help with them. However, I do feel that we need her help with teaching Isolia to read, and that we can ask her about other subjects while we're talking to her.

    I think Phil might be used to starting trouble to stand out in his large family.

    Action Slot 1:
    [X] Lesson: Literacy

    Action Slot 2:
    [X] Get together with Cadre 1k to practice Literacy (gain 2 xp towards Literacy, help Isolia gain Literacy)

    Action Slot 3:
    [X] Ask to speak with Green Flame
    -[X] Tell her that you're worried about whoever paid your school fees for this year.
    -[X] Tell her that you're worried that some of the school meals are having a strange effect on your mind.
    --[X] Ask her how you can protect your mind.
    -[X] Ask her for help with teaching Isolia how to read.
    -[X] Tell her about the bindweed problem in Isolia's garden. Ask her for help.
     
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    [X] Get together with Cadre 1k to practice Literacy (gain 2 xp towards Literacy, help Isolia gain Literacy)
    [X] Find Simony Boole. Sell your dahlias to him. (Note: this won't take very long. You can choose another action as well as this one.)
    [X] Ask to speak with Green Flame
    -[X] Tell her that you're worried about whoever paid your school fees for this year.
    -[X] Tell her that you're worried that some of the school meals are having a strange effect on your mind.
    --[X] Ask her how you can protect your mind.
    -[X] Ask her for help with teaching Isolia how to read.
    -[X] Tell her about the bindweed problem in Isolia's garden. Ask her for help.

    If we're going to study Literacy, we might as well do it as a group and help Isolia at the same time.
     
    Action Slot 1:
    [X] Lesson: Literacy

    Action Slot 2:
    [X] Study Period: Literacy

    Action Slot 3:
    [X] Ask to speak with Green Flame
    -[X] Tell her that you're worried about whoever paid your school fees for this year.
    -[X] Tell her that you're worried that some of the school meals are having a strange effect on your mind.
    --[X] Ask her how you can protect your mind.
    -[X] Ask her for help with teaching Isolia how to read.
    -[X] Tell her about the bindweed problem in Isolia's garden. Ask her for help.
     
    Chandagnac said:
    Action Slot 2:
    [] Study Period: Literacy
    [] Get together with Cadre 1k to practice Literacy (gain 2 xp towards Literacy, help Isolia gain Literacy)
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    What's the difference?

    Edit:

    Action Slot 2:
    [x] Get together with Cadre 1F to practice Literacy (gain 2 xp towards Literacy, help Isolia gain Literacy)

    Action Slot 3:
    [x] Ask to speak with Green Flame
    -[x] Tell her that you're worried about whoever paid your school fees for this year.
    -[x] Tell her that you're worried that some of the school meals are having a strange effect on your mind.
    --[x] Ask her how you can protect your mind.
    -[x] Ask her for help with teaching Isolia how to read.
    -[x] Tell her about the bindweed problem in Isolia's garden. Ask her for help.
     
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    Action Slot 1:
    [X] Lesson: Literacy

    Action Slot 2:
    [X] Study Period: Literacy

    Action Slot 3:
    [X] Ask to speak with Green Flame
    -[X] Tell her that you're worried about whoever paid your school fees for this year.
    -[X] Tell her that you're worried that some of the school meals are having a strange effect on your mind.
    --[X] Ask her how you can protect your mind.

    A slight change to the vote. I'd rather focus on problems and get a more thorough answer.

    I liked the plants in the update, they were weird and interesting.
     
    Indivisible said:
    I think Phil might be used to starting trouble to stand out in his large family.
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    Possibly. He is one of seven children. (Hubris, Envy, Acedia, Simony, Philander, Ferocity, and Indulgence)

    Nevill said:
    What's the difference?
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    You get the same amount of xp either way, but it might affect your relationship with other members of Cadre 1F. It's a choice between "study literacy while sitting alone" and "study literacy while working together with the other members of your team to help Isolia."

    Tascion said:
    I liked the plants in the update, they were weird and interesting.
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    They're all real plants.

    This quest is an obvious riff on the Harry Potter series, so I think it's interesting to consider some of the differences. In JK Rowling's books, there's a Herbology lesson in which young witches and wizards study magical plants. In this quest, there's no Herbology lesson, but tending non-magical plants is something the main character does as a hobby, firstly as a source of income, but also because there are many plants with medicinal or symbolic properties which make them useful in spells or potions.

    Also, Alchemy taught by Professor Kunrath has replaced Potions taught by Professor Snape, but Alchemy is quite a lot more wide-ranging than Potions. You won't just be making potions in that lesson, I mean. ;)
     
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    Chandagnac said:
    He is one of seven children. (Hubris, Envy, Acedia, Simony, Philander, Ferocity, and Indulgence)
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    Surprised you kept it Envy instead of a synonym. Wonder if it's some kind of magical deal that has them act according to their sins, if so we might have to be wary of ole lusty Philander in the future.
     
    That plant is scary!

    Also wholesome developments, yay!

    [X] Get together with Cadre 1k to practice Literacy (gain 2 xp towards Literacy, help Isolia gain Literacy)

    [X] Buy pots from the Gardening Club, borrow a cart, go out to one of the city's main markets, spend the rest of the day selling the dahlias. (More difficult, will cost 2 action slots, can only be done at the weekend, will get you between 20 and 35 silver shards, but you'll have to pay 1 silver shard to the Gardening Club for the use of their cart, pots, etc.)

    [X] Ask to speak with Green Flame
    -[X] Tell her that you're worried about whoever paid your school fees for this year.
    -[X] Tell her that you're worried that some of the school meals are having a strange effect on your mind.
    --[X] Ask her how you can protect your mind.
    -[X] Ask her for help with teaching Isolia how to read.
    -[X] Tell her about the bindweed problem in Isolia's garden. Ask her for help.

    I wanna help Isolia.
     
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    Sickul said:
    [X] Find Simony Boole. Sell your dahlias to him. (Note: this won't take very long. You can choose another action as well as this one.)
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    Nevill said:
    [x] Find Simony Boole. Sell your dahlias to him. (Note: this won't take very long. You can choose another action as well as this one.)
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    Zam said:
    [X] Find Simony Boole. Sell your dahlias to him. (Note: this won't take very long. You can choose another action as well as this one.)
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    All right, if that's what you want to do.

    However, I think I should remind you that there is an alternative:
    Chandagnac said:
    Either:
    1. Sell your Dahlias to Simony Boole. He offers you ten silver shards, which he says is a fair price. (Easy money, costs no action slots, gets you 10 silver shards.)
    OR
    2. Buy pots from the Gardening Club, borrow a cart, go out to one of the city's main markets, spend the rest of the day selling the dahlias. (More difficult, will cost 2 action slots, can only be done at the weekend, will get you between 20 and 35 silver shards, but you'll have to pay 1 silver shard to the Gardening Club for the use of their cart, pots, etc.)
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    It's up to you to decide whether you want to take the money now for a quick and easy payout, or wait until later, spend a bit more time, and potentially make a lot more money.
    (If you chose "Find Simony Boole. Sell your dahlias to him" because you thought that was the better option, that's fine, but I wanted to make sure that you were aware that it wasn't the only option.)

    Warmach1ne32 said:
    Those are their names?... why tho?
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    That is the question. Would you like me to add that to your list of tasks to complete?
     
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    Fine, removed Simony from the action list. We don't need the money right away, and the action economy is not so sparse as to pay anywhere from 10 to 25 silver pieces for an extra action.
     
    Chandagnac said:
    All right, if that's what you want to do.

    However, I think I should remind you that there is an alternative:
    It's up to you to decide whether you want to take the money now for a quick and easy payout, or wait until later, spend a bit more time, and potentially make a lot more money.
    (If you chose "Find Simony Boole. Sell your dahlias to him" because you thought that was the better option, that's fine, but I wanted to make sure that you were aware that it wasn't the only option.)
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    Thanks for the suggestion I have changed my vote, I hope it still works, sorry I am tired and bad at allocating points XD
     
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    Dorian's Budget Plan
  • Informational
    • On the subject of money:

    Dorian's upcoming costs/wants:
    1) Gardening Club Membership fee (1 shards per month, so about 10 shards)
    2) Next years tuition (126 shards)
    3) Paying back this year's tuition (126 shards +interest)
    4) Fees for other Clubs (?)

    Sources of Money:
    1) Selling Dahlias (20 shards minimum if sold in town)
    2) Selling marigolds (3 shards per flower to Prof Kunrath, 4-5 shards per flower in town (good salesmanship)
    3) Other garden products (?)
    4) Selling alchemical stuff (?)


    The Dahlias can likely cover costs for the Gardening and other clubs.

    The Marigolds can cover next year's tuition if we plant at least 42 of them, though we won't see the money for months and will want to plant extra to account for losses. We currently have 5 garden squares of marigolds, so we will likely need to spend some of the Dahlia money on more marigold seeds.

    We still have a lot of other garden products that we can sell, but we don't know who to sell them to or for how much. I have no idea how much money this can make us.

    The Alchemy idea is more of a summer plan. Prof Kunrath went into how alchemy can be used to make a lot of money, so the idea is to use our extra garden earning to buy an alchemy set-up/recipe books, and then make and sell potions over the summer.
     
  • Informational
    • Sickul said:
    Surprised you kept it Envy instead of a synonym. Wonder if it's some kind of magical deal that has them act according to their sins, if so we might have to be wary of ole lusty Philander in the future.
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    Warmach1ne32 said:
    I don't know, I guess if in-character Phil told us all of the names of his brothers we could display confusion and ask why they are named that way.
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    All right, I think this is probably something you're going to want to investigate sooner or later. I've added some notes to your "RPG Journal", which I hope you will find helpful.

    See here:
    Chandagnac said:
    You've heard some peculiar things about your teammate, Philander Boole, which you may wish to investigate at some point.
    – His surname is rather unusual. "Boole" certainly doesn't sound like a Sambian name. Where did it come from?
    – He is one of seven children. His siblings are named Hubris, Envy, Acedia, Simony, Ferocity, and Indulgence. What's up with that? Should you be worried that they are named after various sins?
    – Evidently, he comes from a wealthy family. So far, they have been able to afford the fees to send five of their children to the Tyrepheum Academy of the Magical Arts. However, Philander has mentioned that in the past he's been forced to eat rat. Why was that?
    – His brother, Simony, seems to be involved in some shady dealings, but to what extent? Is he a criminal?
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    Hmm. Have I missed anything?

    Zam said:
    Thanks for the suggestion I have changed my vote, I hope it still works, sorry I am tired and bad at allocating points XD
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    All right, thank you. Get some rest and I hope you'll feel better soon.

    Indivisible said:
    On the subject of money:

    Dorian's upcoming costs/wants:
    1) Gardening Club Membership fee (1 shards per month, so about 10 shards)
    2) Next years tuition (126 shards)
    3) Paying back this year's tuition (126 shards +interest)
    4) Fees for other Clubs (?)

    Sources of Money:
    1) Selling Dahlias (20 shards minimum if sold in town)
    2) Selling marigolds (3 shards per flower to Prof Kunrath, 4-5 shards per flower in town (good salesmanship)
    3) Other garden products (?)
    4) Selling alchemical stuff (?)


    The Dahlias can likely cover costs for the Gardening and other clubs.

    The Marigolds can cover next year's tuition if we plant at least 42 of them, though we won't see the money for months and will want to plant extra to account for losses. We currently have 5 garden squares of marigolds, so we will likely need to spend some of the Dahlia money on more marigold seeds.

    We still have a lot of other garden products that we can sell, but we don't know who to sell them to or for how much. I have no idea how much money this can make us.

    The Alchemy idea is more of a summer plan. Prof Kunrath went into how alchemy can be used to make a lot of money, so the idea is to use our extra garden earning to buy an alchemy set-up/recipe books, and then make and sell potions over the summer.
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    Thank you for this helpful guide to Dorian's potential income and outgoings, Indivisible. Looks good so far. ;)

    (Of course, as this quest goes on, Dorian will see other things which he might want to spend money on, and he'll find other ways of making money, but this is useful as a starting point.)
     
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    Action Slot 2:
    [x] Get together with Cadre 1F to practice Literacy (gain 2 xp towards Literacy, help Isolia gain Literacy)

    Action Slot 3:
    [x] Ask to speak with Green Flame
    -[x] Tell her that you're worried about whoever paid your school fees for this year.
    -[x] Tell her that you're worried that some of the school meals are having a strange effect on your mind.
    --[x] Ask her how you can protect your mind.
    -[x] Ask her for help with teaching Isolia how to read.
    -[x] Tell her about the bindweed problem in Isolia's garden. Ask her for help.

    Yeah I was valuing the action slots over the money. Maybe that's a mistake as we do have some pressing monetary needs.
     
    Week One, Day Five (Part One)
  • Threadmarks
    • You know, in this fantasy setting, I'm just going to name the days of the week after their numerical position within the seven-day period. So, Monday = Oneday, Tuesday = Twoday, Wednesday = Threeday, Thursday = Fourday, and so on. How very Convention nationale of me. :p

    *

    Week One, Day Five (Part One)​
    Your last lesson of the week is Literacy, taught by Professor Apollinus Witt. (Philander calls him "Appalling-us Witt" or "Lackwitt", but not to his face.) To his credit, he seems to be trying hard to control the class and teach everyone something which will be useful to them, despite the wide range of pupils of different abilities and levels of skill which he has to cater for. However, when events deviate from his lesson plan, he has a short temper and very little patience. You keep your head down and try to focus on the work you've been told to do.

    Like most of the other pupils in the class who are able to read and write to a basic standard, you've been asked to write a short essay about yourself. Using a stick of chalk, you will write on the slate layers of slate on top of your desk. Meanwhile, Professor Witt will gather together those pupils who, like Isolia, didn't know how to read and write before they came to this school; he will begin teaching them.

    Adjusting your desk to a more comfortable angle, you raise your stick of chalk and think about what to write. First, your name. Your age. Where you come from. That's a good start.

    My name is Dorian Valens. I am eleven years old. I was born in the city of Tyrepheum in the Sambian Empire.

    What should you write next? You pause, considering your options. About your elven blood? About your parents?

    You overhear the professor berating one of the boys for being slow to understand. Apparently, he had to explain something to him three times.

    It would probably be for the best if you weren't caught eavesdropping. Lowering your head, you concentrate on your writing.

    I have elven blood. I suppose I must have inherited it from one of my parents, but I don't know which. Both of them look human. Apparently, I'm a throwback to a distant ancestor. It happens sometimes.

    My father's name is Theophyllus Valens. He is a government official. It is his job to uphold the law and to make sure that people are treated fairly. However–

    You hesitate. The chalk in your hand makes an ugly little squiggle as you hurriedly cancel what you were going to write, but it doesn't take much to rub out the mistake. Almost too late, you've realised that it would be better not to write about your father's illness – his shortness of breath, his permanent phlegmy cough, the fact that he seems to be slowly wasting away despite a good appetite – or the expensive magical healing which has kept him alive so far, but seems to be doing less and less for him over time. Apparently, a body can develop resistance to magical healing: the more it's used, the more powerful magic is needed to have the same effect.

    No, you don't want to write about any of that, or the fact that there have been an increasing number of days when your father has felt too ill to work, a situation which has compounded your family's financial woes. Before they sent you away to school, your mother said something about having to find a way to earn some money herself. She's sold off her jewellery and her more valuable dresses already. The fact that she was able to be a lady of leisure was something your family took pride in: in Sambian society, it's a mark of high status for a woman to be able to stay at home, keep house and play hostess. But soon it seems like your family will have that pride and status taken away from them.

    'Where did they get the money to send me to this school?' you wonder, not for the first time, blinking back tears. 'What bargain did they have to make?' Of course, you don't say that out loud, only in the privacy of your own mind.

    Rubbing out that last "However", you continue writing, starting a new paragraph.

    My mother's name is Carmenta Valens. She has many friends among the prominent noblewomen of this city. She is a supporter of worthy charitable causes. Also, she taught me how to read and write. She taught me numeracy. She is a good housekeeper and cook. Her hazelnut biscuits are the best.

    Idly, putting down the chalk for a moment, you wonder if your mother could make a living selling hazelnut biscuits. You'd be willing to pay.

    Then, to your dismay, you hear Professor Witt yelling at Isolia. 'You stupid girl! Haven't you been listening to a word I've said?! If you can't even do that, how do you expect to get anywhere at this school?'

    She wilts in the heat of his anger. 'I… I'm trying,' she sniffles.

    'Well, you'd better try harder, then! Or you may as well go back to the gutter where you belong!'

    You note that this is the second time this week that Witt has shouted at one of the girls and made them cry. And you've only had two lessons with him so far. A perfect 1:1 ratio. Professors Kunrath and Glossoloria might be better teachers, but they'll never be able to beat that.

    Although you feel strangely calm, you're not sure what to do, or even if you should do anything at all. Professor Kunrath told you that while you're at this school your teammates will be like a second family and that you should look out for them. However, you're not sure if he would approve of you leaping to her defence against one of his fellow teachers. He might think that was disrespectful. Or he might applaud your courage. You don't know which, not for certain.

    On the one hand, standing up to Professor Lackwitt is likely to get you into trouble. He might give you a detention or hit you with that cane he likes so much. Your parents will not be happy if you get into a lot of trouble during your first week at school.

    On the other hand, Isolia is very upset. She's a member of your team and she needs your help. Since Phil and Venta have stopped arguing, your team has started to come together nicely. You don't want to do anything to jeopardize that.

    What is the right thing to do here?
    [] Stand up to Professor Witt. Tell him that Isolia is trying her best and she has been working very hard.
    OR
    [] Remain silent. Carry on with your written work. Hope that Professor Witt loses interest in Isolia or that someone else will go to her aid.

    As usual, I will accept write-in votes. In particular, if you want Dorian to stand up to Professor Witt, it would be very helpful if you could 'write in' suggestions of things he could say to him.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [x] Carry on with your written work. Hope that Professor Witt loses interest in Isolia.
    -[x] Distract the teacher with a question.

    He shouts at everyone. Just a few minutes ago he berated a boy for being too slow. If we give him something to talk about, he'd forget what he was angry at and get back on topic.

    Just talk to Isolda later and help her with whatever she is having trouble with so she would be spared furhter notice.

    Don't enter a direct confrontation with a teacher, it is pointless. Work around them instead.
     
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    I got an in-genius write in idea. For now I vote we remain silent or provide a distraction so long as we don't directly confront him. After the lesson we have a group meeting and tell them this plan.

    1st we have Isolia ask a teacher for a voice recording spell (the Ritual teacher would know what we need). Isolia tells her that she can't read so Dorian suggested a ritual to record what he says as he reads the book aloud so that Isolia can study in her free time whenever the the others have other work to do. If she suggest a text to speech spell, say that he suggested a recording device instead so that she can hear the tone of his voice as he pronounced the words (Making a text-to-speech ritual with tone will be way to complicated for 1st years to apply to a book with a chance of it going wrong so the much simpler recording ritual into a piece of paper or something is much easier to maintain and easily replaceable).

    Once we have the recording ritual, we stress test the ritual (how long can it record, how far away/loud does the speaker need to be heard, etc.) Once the next lesson with Prof Witt begins we activate the ritual to record whenever he starts to go in a fit. Once he gave us the rope to hang himself with, we go to Green Flame or Professor Kunrath and show them the evidence before listening to what the best course of action would be.

    What do you guys think?

    edit: this is the nuclear option.
     
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    [X] Stand up to Professor Witt. Tell him that Isolia is trying her best and she has been working very hard.
     
    [x] Carry on with your written work. Hope that Professor Witt loses interest in Isolia.
    -[x] Distract the teacher with a question.

    Until we know if this guy considers cooperation a pointless cover for weaknesses like this, I think assisting directly is to much of a risk.

    Warmach1ne32 said:
    Once we have the recording ritual, we stress test the ritual (how long can it record, how far away/loud does the speaker need to be heard, etc.) Once the next lesson with Prof Witt begins we activate the ritual to record whenever he starts to go in a fit. Once he us the rope to hang himself with, we go to Greenfire and show her the evidence.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I don't think anybody in the administration will care. The recording spell is a neat idea though.

    Text to speech is probably too complicated as a spell though for first years.
     
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