[X] Practice Magic
[X] Talk to the TA about the diagram and your insights into it.
[X] Talk to Sammy
You quickly leave the TA's room, ushering Ruby along with you as you notice her massaging her temples vigorously. She looks a bit pale actually, but as if sensing your concern she just waves you off and tells you to be loud somewhere else. You don't really feel any particular desire to be loud at all, and head off to the library to talk to Sammy instead. You're itching to get all the ideas you have out of your head and do something concrete with them, but you want to talk to the TA about your insights first so you reluctantly put it off until she feels better.
The halls of the college are surprisingly busy as you walk towards the library, Ruby trailing closely behind you. The student body seems to animatedly be discussing the revolution going on outside the college's walls. The general tenor of the chatter seems to be one of entertainment and excited speculation as to how to City Council will crush them and what they'll do to the ring leaders. Especial attention is given to what kind of parties will happen after the inevitable public executions, with more upper crust noble scions also wondering if anyone with an estate will be found to be involved and debating who any such properties would be most likely to go to in that event.
It's all a bit... surreal. It feels strange that these nobles can be so carefree and unconcerned even as streets are turned into charnel houses and littered with the bodies of lawkeepers. You walk faster. You had thought about trying to find Henry and talk to him but... No. You don't want to listen to all of this. It's disgusting. At least in the library it will be quiet and you won't have to listen to people making bets with enough money to feed a family for a year on how long it will take before the City Council finishes the rebels off.
About half way there Ruby seems to notice how much this is affecting you and starts throwing menacing glares at clusters of students as you pass by to get them to shut up. You appreciate the thought at least, even if you're not sure how you actually feel about the gesture.
Finally, you reach the library and it's blessed quiet. You don't even have to go looking for Sammy- she's very obviously at a window, desperately peering out on the tip toes of her menacing armored boots. The image is almost comical actually. She's really straining to see anything more than plumes of smoke rising in the distance.
"Gah, I give up. These Rebels are real teases. Never getting into a proper fight."
She turns away as you and Ruby approach.
"Oh? What do you mean?" You ask.
She gestures vaguely at the window and, you presume, the city beyond.
"All these guerrilla tactics. It's so pointless and annoying. They would do much more damage if they stopped running away every five seconds."
"Wouldn't they get crushed if they did that though?"
This time, surprisingly, it's Ruby who answers, shaking her head.
"I can't really speak to what exactly is going on out there, but if they're having success against the lawkeepers, they should have almost free rein for a day or so at least before the City Council comes down on them."
Sammy is nodding in agreement, so you assume Ruby is right, but you don't know why. So you ask as much.
"Because that's about how long it will take for the City Council to meet, complain at each other for several hours while they accomplish nothing, and then give military control to Wrath like they were always going to in the first place."
You tilt your head at that response, bemused at the description of the City Council as being so mundanely petty.
Ruby flushes at your reaction and continues. "That's the kind of thing Viola is always complaining about whenever Diana has her go to a council meeting for her anyways. She always makes it sound like they're a bunch of squabbling children."
Sammy laughs at that, a bit uproariously. "Hah, what I wouldn't give to be able to hear some of that. It would definitely brighten my day up."
The next couple hours pass quickly as Ruby tells some second hand stories about various city council members quietly. You're pretty sure people would be executed if some of these got out. You would have thought they would be more dignified, but apparently a bunch of enormous egos in one room led to a lot of squabbles.
---
Eventually midday becomes afternoon, and you being hungry leave with Ruby to go get some food. The discussions along the way and at the dining hall from the other students are just as bad if not worse than they were before, but Ruby's glares and a few hours of laughing about the City Council spending days using some random farmer's request for more land to snipe at each other while the poor man had to sit there listening to it in fear for his life make up for it. And besides, the lucky bastard had apparently ended up being awarded a noble estate by the end of it with no one seeming to be quite sure how things had escalated so much.
After an early dinner and some chatter with Ruby, the two of you head off to check on the TA. When you knock, you hear a muffled "Come in" that was more groan than actual speech. The TA was at her desk, quill lain neatly over a closed book and herself leaning far back in her chair with her eyes closed and her head practically lolling back.
"Do you want us to leave?" Is the first thing you ask. She groans out a negative response, instead asking you if you've figured out the diagram yet. When you reply in the affirmative, she quietly asks you to describe what you felt was the key thing you had learned from it.
[] That everyone before her had been doing Dimensional science wrong.
[] That there was always a better way to do something.
[] That there was still so much more to learn.
Special: (All of these cost 100 points, but are considered to have a rank of N/A)
[] That Which Dwells:
"My research has hit an irritating stumbling block. In the space between planes I have found a creature (many creatures?) that exists as a living warp in space. The implications of it's existence are fascinating, but studying it requires an irritatingly time consuming number of precautions. Will need to notify TA I am further increasing her hours. I can't be bothered dealing with idiot children while working on this." -Research notes of Dishevel Vino
Your deep insights into dimensional science have lead you to discover a living warp in space that exists between worlds. Though you as of yet have no control over it, opening a portal to it and allowing it to protrude into this reality is potentially a terrifying weapon as it will fracture and twist any space it enters into.
[] The Firmament:
"Are all of you truly so blind? This world is rotting. I will be idle no longer. I will change the world myself if I must." -Glory
You can hear them. The echos of the words that shaped the world. In the spaces between everything they resound still, as perfect as they ever were. Too perfect to grasp in truth. Still, the echos of creation call to you, and even if you are unable to understand the simplest syllable they understand you. Gain a once a week Divine Fiat, allowing you to create any mundane items you wish so long as they do not exceed 1 meter cubed in volume and do not exceed the density of a cube of lead that size. This fiat ignores the normal limitations of Planar creation, allowing you to create perfect replications of mundane items.
[] Etherealness:
"A mage who can be killed by a knife to the ribs is not worthy of the name." -The Archmage
If dimensional magic is all about stepping from one world to another, than why not stand in between? At will you can choose to stand between where you are and Nowhere, becoming intangible and immune to any attacks that do not pass dimensional boundaries. Any non-dimensional magic you cast will have no effect on the real world and though you will be able to use dimensional magic as normal, it will create vulnerabilities that could be used to attack you.
[] The Twisted Path:
"I have walked a thousand roads. Unlike you, I never lost my way." -Colm of the Solemn Vale
With a bare handful of steps Somewhere or Nowhere you can cross vast distances in the real world, bypassing any physical obstruction. It is possible to guide others along your path and take them with you. Though physical barriers are no obstacle and your exit can be determined either though visualization or measures of distance, powerful magical barriers will prevent you from exiting into spaces protected by them. You cannot appear inside objects.
[] Methodology-Ver1.7:
"The theory is sound. My adjustments have allowed me to bypass the Archmage's wards on the outer walls, though not without cost. I am unsure what can be improved however. Indeed, I do not think my spell work is at fault. Rather, the spell work of the Archmage is simply so exceptional that even though I am operating on what should be an entirely different paradigm, his spells still function. It felt as if magic itself turned against me for a moment, loathe as I am to personify the feeling." -The TA
You have grasped and incorporated the TA's theories on Dimensional Science fully into your spellwork. Conventional wards, countermagic, and dimensional intrusion will fail entirely against your Dimensional magic, though it seems that at least the Archmage's magic can work around this to some degree.
Generic:
[] Multicasting (2X): Can maintain X extra spells at the same time.
Superior Speed Casting (20): Additional components such as stabilization and previous ranks of spells no longer count towards casting time for spells.
Flawless Haste (50): A Spell's base casting time has a maximum of 10 seconds before adding on additional components such as stabilization.
Maximization 1 (15): You may push at the limits of your abilities. At the cost of making a spell unstable, you may greatly enhance one aspect of it.
Quickening 1 (25): At the cost of making a spell unstable, you may reduce it's casting time by up to 5 seconds, to a minimum of one second.
Careful Casting (10): When casting unstable spells or spells with wide areas of effect, you are far less likely to injure yourself or your allies.
Dimensional Science:
[] Planar Portal Size 3 (10): Opens a portal to nowhere 10 meters square, requires Planar Portal Size 2.
-[] Planar Portal Size 4 (25): Opens a portal to nowhere as large as a small building, requires Planar Portal Size 3.
[] Planar Creation 2 (3): You can now open portals to as many Somewheres as you can remember, and reopen those portals at a later date. The inside of these portals is still airless and lightless, requires Planar Creation 1.
-[] Planar Creation 3 (25): You can now open portals to a Somewhere that is identical to a location with which you are familiar and spend a great deal of time. Details which you do not know or cannot recall perfectly such as the inside of books cannot be copied. Requires Planar Creation 2.
[] Planar Control 2 (15): You can now use planar control to create small rudimentary structures or furniture, create light sources of varying though not extreme intensity, and noticeably effect temperature. Requires Planar Control 1, Planar Creation 2.
[] Planar Teleport 2 (15) The range of Planar Teleport increases to sight range. Requires Planar Teleport 1.
-[] Planar Teleport 3 (75) Planar Teleport can be used on yourself and willing allies, and now can be used on non-exceptional magical items. Requires Planar Teleport 2.
[] Elemental Planar Portal 2 (25): You may create a portal deeper in an elemental plane, unleashing effects equal to the Expert rank of Elemental Control. When Speed Cast, becomes incredibly unstable and dangerous to yourself. Even when cast normally, the effects are so extreme that without precautions it is likely to be fatal.
No super complex vote for what you do next, because I don't want to split discussion from what I'm betting will be a hotly debated spending vote. I'll be here to answer any questions you have so feel free to ask.
