I'd like to at minimum keep pace with the class. Individualized coursework counts for 2.5 lessons worth, so if we do that at least once every 2 weeks, we actually stay ahead of the rest of the class. Since we're focusing so much on coursework this week (all three actions), it would be reasonable to focus on other things entirely the next week.
I hope to god this doesn't stay a weekly quest long even monthly would take a long time. Also isn't classwork option you know kind of required unless the others possibly substitute the need?
 
I hope to god this doesn't stay a weekly quest long even monthly would take a long time. Also isn't classwork option you know kind of required unless the others possibly substitute the need?

Classwork is not "required", we can slack off if we're fine not improving our enrollment. Individualized lessons, in exchange for their heightened cost, improve us as much as 2 and a half weeks of coursework. Other options (ex. Exploration), have the chance of improving our Enrollment through stuff we find in the world, along with the chance of allies/artifacts/world events.
 
Classwork is not "required", we can slack off if we're fine not improving our enrollment. Individualized lessons, in exchange for their heightened cost, improve us as much as 2 and a half weeks of coursework. Other options (ex. Exploration), have the chance of improving our Enrollment through stuff we find in the world, along with the chance of allies/artifacts/world events.
But, it literally says we should do it once a week I thought it was more like homework that needed to be turned in.
 
But, it literally says we should do it once a week I thought it was more like homework that needed to be turned in.

I encourage you to read the entire sentence. "At least a single action should be devoted to this each turn, unless you wish to fall behind: more if you wish to excel."

By focusing on individualized lessons we are "excelling", putting ourselves ahead of the class. We then slack off for a week, falling behind enough to where we're slightly beyond the average pace. Repeat as needed, doing more lessons if we want to advance enrollment further, or keep the pace if we want to focus on social/exploration/third eye development.
 
It broke the world. It broke the house. As if a mad scientist had kidnapped you to inject you with an experimental medicine, allowing you to see for the first time. The reassurance of nothingness was gone, stripped away like so much padding, and you were left cold and alone in a dreadful wind. No more refuge from the blinding enlightenment the world offered for those with eyes. No more could you walk slowly, but now you were expected to run ahead, to sprint and compete for advantage.

Solomon, for seconds, felt rudderless, like an engine with all impetus lost, a once-perturbed patch of water returned to perfect silence. He stared at Harrison for what felt like an eternity, but was really only a second.
Here's the Nat 100.

He felt sick, almost down to the bone, as if a string made of pure biliousness were flailing throughout his innards, snarling organs and crushing the fluids out of them. His balance flipped over, he stumbled back and almost fell down like a clumsy skater on ice, before Harrison reacted and caught onto his shoulder and lapel, dropping the self-defense baton to prop Solomon up on his feet. Solomon couldn't see Harrison, as he was far too busy perceiving everything, attempting to adjust to it.
Hello the consequences of overreaching. It was totally worth it though.

It revealed a structure, a hint of the meaning of the color white, and the paint that acted as its medium. It revealed secrets to him, as the barriers of physical reality corroded off. He could not see the individual molecules of the paint, but in a way, he almost didn't need to. Holistically, the structure revealed more about its details than any microscopic analysis ever could. In that wholesomeness, he found answers he'd never dreamt of: secrets inherent to color white, and inherent to ceilings, that if plumbed for even their merest scraps could be utilized to change the course of civilizations: to render every prior invention of mankind utterly worthless and meaningless.
Sol has seen the truth of creation. For some reason I'm getting Shinza Bansho Hegemony God vibes from him now.

"There is no such thing as fate, for men like us," said the Educator, both in that moment, and in a moment several years ago, and then in a moment of his youth, before he was known as the Educator. A hand wavered in the air, and branched off in a million directions, fingers like so much twine, and Solomon could not see the youthful Educator anymore, his existence a hidden thing, a secret beneath the surface of whatever he was viewing. The ones in the present and near-past continued: "Only the sheer hubris of hoping to change God's design to suit our image. And in due time, we may achieve that dream. For now, rest and see what Eden has to offer us."
Okay holy shit what! The Educator is comparing Sol to himself, Sol has seen who the Educator was before he became the Educator, and we also just had a title drop. I'm guessing that the Educator is doing the whole teaching thing to produce more people like himself and Solomon so they can change God's Design, a Diversion of God if you will.

In a ruined city overcast with grey skies and black trails of smoke from pits of fire, an orphaned youth sheltered under a torn blanket, sleeping and dreaming, his face contorting full of hate and hunger. He dreamt of revenge. He dreamt of murder on the man who'd done this to him. He dreamt of the sister who'd died. And in his dreams, the youth and Solomon could both see a black lamb, as fragile and delicate as a newborn baby, its forehead adorned with a blood-red mark, a bestial mark that promised salvation. And behind the lamb stood four shadowy figures, cloaked and clad in seals of honor, all on horses. His coming to power would presage the apocalypse. There was absolutely nothing that could stop this, not even the uttermost efforts of the Olympian, the Educator or Solomon himself. It was needed for the world to move onward.
Okay WTF is happening, so there's going to be something born that's pretty much going to be the Anti Christ and cause the Horsemen to come because the Apocalypse is here. Apparently it's also necessary for the world to move forward so it's likely a fixed point.

He saw the universe was a spiritual alchemy, a decoction of an elder power, an alien star, started by a primordial flame: his existence a shard of magnified dross, a castaway of the process charred into being unrecognizable and worthless. It was the process of making something out of nothing, an infinity carted from oblivion.
Solomon has seen the true nature of Creation. That's going to have some effects, he's certainly learned a lot.

"I had to seal off a section of your third eye," said the Educator, and it felt almost like a lie, its shade a touch whiter than most such fibs. "For your own psychological well-being, of course. Rest assured, we'll add handling its power to your remedial lesson schedule." That, in turn, wasn't a lie whatsoever.
Sweet, that's even more lessons with the Educator. He'll be watching Sol's career with great interest.

It didn't change the facts of what he'd experienced. Entire universes beyond his own, even if his memories of them were already faded like ghosts, only a couple precious scenes clutched onto like coruscant gemstones. It felt as though his entire life, Solomon had been a fish swimming in a pond, unaware of the world beyond the water.
He has been given Eyes.

To know Solomon was not permitted to do so again was crushing. It felt like having the Gate of Heaven in front of him, its tantalizing entrance studded with cumulonimbi and a fence wrought of silver, only to realize he still had to wait in line.
For all the good that this incident has done Sol it also is messing with him because he got a taste of freedom that he doesn't have yet.

"I hope you can be patient until then," the Educator said, almost as a final warning - softly-spoken yet hiding a depth of fright, as if carrying a portent of doom were Solomon to do otherwise. The Educator turned, in one step, to address the other boy in the room. "Mr. Armstrong, I'd very much like if you didn't harry Mr. Lancaster too much. He'll need some bedrest for the upcoming future. A lot of bedrest and time to contemplate. Healing begins in the mind, after all. And a tired mind is an injured mind."
Welp that's ominous as hell. At least he wants Solomon to be doing better mentally though which is good.

After the incident, you've managed to keep the entire thing on the down-low: Harrison's firmly on your side, so as far as your Class is concerned, you were sick after eating some expired food you brought with you for lunch. No one knows you'll be receiving special lessons unless you tell them.

Aside from that, you've managed to maintain the secrecy of your Role.
Harrison likely only somewhat understands what Sol did but it's enough to earn his respect which is great. Keeping Sol's Role and special lessons secret will be really important since it gives Sol a massive edge.

-[ ] Individualized [-15 Will] - A set of more individualized one-on-one sessions with the Educator, focused almost solely on improving the nature and powers of your Role. Highly preferable. Requires a special dispensation from him, issued only to the best students who excel in standardized examinations. The extra Will cost represents effort spent on studying and cramming to earn these sessions. Awesome advancement in your Enrollment, as efficient as ~2.5 classes of standardized Education.
We really need to do this because it's such a good source of growth for Sol. Also one on one time with the Educator will be great.

-[ ] Remedial Classwork - The Educator invited you in for remedial classwork focused on your 'third eye.' You're free to take his offer whenever. Almost no effort expended on Enrollment, if any.
No Will to take, one on one time with the Educator and helps Sol with his issues sign me up.

Discord musings between questors..


_bw: So we have confirmation that the Educator was a man before he underwent the change. He seems to hold aspects of his human personality too.

"There is no such thing as fate, for men like us, only the sheer hubris of hoping to change God's design to suit our image. And in due time, we may achieve that dream. For now, rest and see what Eden has to offer us."

Dream of changing God's design.. Diverting God?

W: He considers himself and Sol to be the 'same kind of men.'

_bw: He might have been talking about Enrolled, or the exceptional men and women that it takes to take up a Role. This implies... Educator is an Enrolled. If so, what is his Class then? Creator, Destroyer, Sustainer - Educator?

W: It being his younger version and it being Sol's vision just kind of makes it seem more personal. But him just talking in general is also perfectly possible. Would not surprise me if he is an Enrolled as he actually got limits and weaknesses like one, like his power getting lower and lower outside the classroom.

_bw: With godlike power, it would make sense why he is so rigid in a few senses, to follow the path of his Role to the letter.

W:That would beg the question of who was HIS teacher though? And why do all classes start with him teaching them?
_bw: Himself perhaps - like gods create themselves. This might be the Mystery, the source.



I really like the idea of connecting with Ava, but I feel we should do it organically. Link up with her through Harrison (or maybe Penelope?) cause he's on good terms with everyone and when the right situational venue presents itself. It's a first interaction with a new character so things has to be prepped for so everything goes well.

We should save socials for next turn though because we're relatively unpowered right now. And everyone else will be empowering as well. Let's get a handle on Sol's situation first and get more leeway to act with our Role - for safety. And then we can rest and social in peace.

Besides we've already had a very good social with Harrison this turn. Sol trusts him now because he listened - like his neighbour - that's three people in the world now. Him, her and Educator.
Sol has seen the Educator before he became such which gets him a lot closer than most people are to him automatically. We could leverage this to get more Educator social which will be great because I'd love to learn more about him. I agree that we should try and social with Harrison soon though since him listening would be very important to Sol.

[X] Plan: Best Foot Forward
-[X] Classwork: Individualized (-30 Will)
-[X] x2 Classwork: Remedial (-30 Will)
-[X] Consume Coffee Jelly (+30 Will)

Sol has a couple of things going for him there's his talent, foresight, and the fact that the Educator's attention is on him. This is leveraging all three of those things to help Sol improve. The Individualized Classwork will strengthen Sol's already considerable lead on Role Strength. Remedial will help Sol get a handle on his foresight and get him closer to the Educator which is a massive boon.
 
Here's the Nat 100.


Hello the consequences of overreaching. It was totally worth it though.


Sol has seen the truth of creation. For some reason I'm getting Shinza Bansho Hegemony God vibes from him now.


Okay holy shit what! The Educator is comparing Sol to himself, Sol has seen who the Educator was before he became the Educator, and we also just had a title drop. I'm guessing that the Educator is doing the whole teaching thing to produce more people like himself and Solomon so they can change God's Design, a Diversion of God if you will.


Okay WTF is happening, so there's going to be something born that's pretty much going to be the Anti Christ and cause the Horsemen to come because the Apocalypse is here. Apparently it's also necessary for the world to move forward so it's likely a fixed point.


Solomon has seen the true nature of Creation. That's going to have some effects, he's certainly learned a lot.


Sweet, that's even more lessons with the Educator. He'll be watching Sol's career with great interest.


He has been given Eyes.


For all the good that this incident has done Sol it also is messing with him because he got a taste of freedom that he doesn't have yet.


Welp that's ominous as hell. At least he wants Solomon to be doing better mentally though which is good.


Harrison likely only somewhat understands what Sol did but it's enough to earn his respect which is great. Keeping Sol's Role and special lessons secret will be really important since it gives Sol a massive edge.


We really need to do this because it's such a good source of growth for Sol. Also one on one time with the Educator will be great.


No Will to take, one on one time with the Educator and helps Sol with his issues sign me up.


Sol has seen the Educator before he became such which gets him a lot closer than most people are to him automatically. We could leverage this to get more Educator social which will be great because I'd love to learn more about him. I agree that we should try and social with Harrison soon though since him listening would be very important to Sol.

[X] Plan: Best Foot Forward
-[X] Classwork: Individualized (-30 Will)
-[X] x2 Classwork: Remedial (-30 Will)
-[X] Consume Coffee Jelly (+30 Will)

Sol has a couple of things going for him there's his talent, foresight, and the fact that the Educator's attention is on him. This is leveraging all three of those things to help Sol improve. The Individualized Classwork will strengthen Sol's already considerable lead on Role Strength. Remedial will help Sol get a handle on his foresight and get him closer to the Educator which is a massive boon.
Yeah I think the reason we didn't lose or gain will is we basically broke even. On one side seeing that little bit of freedom should of been at least as big a boost as yay superpowers if not more on the other we saw it then it got taken away.
 
I think it would be better if time progressed depending on the needs of plot. Slowing down in certain junctures and time skips implemented when things call for it. I really don't want to speedrun a Birdsie quest for once. This is such a unique world with so much layers and lore. Let's do all the side quests, get to know all the characters and unravel the secrets. 💯 Completion achievement.

Edit: firefrog - Which is why we have timeskips.. instead of adhering to rigid time structures.
 
Last edited:
I think it would be better if time progressed depending on the needs of plot. Slowing down in certain junctures and time skips implemented when things call for it. I really don't want to speedrun a Birdsie quest for once. This is such a unique world with so much layers and lore. Let's do all the side quests, get to know all the characters and unravel the secrets. 💯 Completion achievement.
You know unless we get three years in story we won't even actually see earth right? Even month long turns every single update would take quite a few months to get through.
 
Death, (lore post)

Transformation. Putrefaction and regeneration. Inevitability. Rising again. Reaping and harvesting. The Cycle.
Thirteenth Key, Slayer of the temporary state. The Child of the Great Transformers, Lord of the Gates of Death.



The sacred number thirteen, is a mark of Karma. It is the ending of a cycle, and the evolution into the next. All debris from the old is swept out in this transformation. Empires toppled, worlds scoured so change may begin anew.

As the Sign of Scorpio it is the stagnant and fetid water, where begins putrefaction. For it represents the very change from life into death through death into life - the grass which springs from and is nourished by putrefying carcasses. This flora, in turn sustains the fauna. When they too pass away, they feed the soil. ~As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone.~

Three beasts herald the sign. The aspect of the scorpion is the emblem of the merciless annihilation. The snake straddles the fence and is of deceptive nature, serving alike good or evil. The eagle is the higher and divine nature, the alchemical Eagle of Distillation, the Renewer of life.


A desolate field stretches out beneath a dimly lit sky, the air heavy with the promise of transition. In this landscape life and death blur, the cycle of existence plays out. A pale figure stands reaping a harvest. Their bony frame interwoven with fragments of remaining flesh, like a tapestry woven from memories of life.

The farmer is patient, working through the undergrowth with a scythe. Occasionally pausing to look at an hourglass that they bear. Crops sprouting from the earth are intertwined with the roots of long-forgotten bodies. A crown adorns one of the severed heads, while the other is nameless, visage now weathered away by the sands. For death is the great equalizer, impartial to all worldly trappings.


The scythe is a crescent-shaped sickle, symbolizing the Moon and The Goddess as well as Death. The moon waxes and wanes, reflecting the eternal change. The gradual fading away, the severing from life. The opening and closure of the Gates of Birth and Death as life is given and taken away. The top of the scythe forming the Tau Cross of Life.

Sickles are also among the oldest tools, of both creation and destruction. They are of Cronus, once an ancient god of harvest. The reaping of the harvest is the fulfillment of a cycle, the gathering in of the matured crop and subsequent wait for rebirth.

The hourglass by Death's hand is timeless, the grains of sand slipping inexorably towards infinity. Each grain signifies a moment in time, both a birth and a death in the continuum of existence. A decree of fate.

It too, like the sickle represents Cronus. The devouring master of time, swallowing that to which he gives life. All his children consumed after birth except for Zeus, and yet each one came to light again like the cycle of the moon. Swallowed by darkness, only to reemerge from the darkness reborn.


Death as the horseman rides through the passage of time atop a dark steed. A king lies outstretched, adorned in riches and humbled before the inevitability of the end. A wizened priest holds out his hands in prayer on the sickbed. A maiden, draped in innocence pleads on her knees, youth cut short caught unawares by Death's wake. Only a small child stands alone, holding out a flower in welcome. For children are not rigid as men and do not fear change. Only they can truly embrace it. The reaper claims them all, picking those whose time has come and leaving the rest behind.


The Egyptians described death as a passage over water. As did the Greeks, where Charon ferried souls to Hades. In the distance, a river flows. A dark blue expanse of stars, under a pale cratered moon mirrored by a blood-red sun. A glass ship sails the white-tipped waves with sails woven from the gossamer of time. Two figures sit inside, they play with the Dice of Chance. One is the Great Mother, the Eternal Eve, Keeper of the Gates of Life. Alba the White Goddess, the All-Loving. With her is her other self, Death who sits in Silence. Transforming from babe to bone, dust to hale in between flickers of an eye. Biding their turn. The All-mother stretches her arms across the horizon, cradling the world. She sings:
~I am the Fish which swimmeth in the Sea of the Great Waters bearing all things in my belly.
The Mother is the Sea wherein swimmeth the Fish, and the Fish and the Sea are one.

That One is the All and entereth into all. And as the Fish is hidden in the Sea,
so is the secret of the One within the semblance of the Many.

A flash of lightning, too brilliant for thy mortal eyes, lighteth the path to immortality,
the secret, whereof the Fish concealeth and revealeth. For the Fish is the Perpetual One.

Change perpetual is at the root of all things, and change hath two faces:
Life and Death. As beads of white and black strung upon a thread.


This thread of perpetual change is mine own changeless Life, which bindeth together the unending series of little lives and deaths.~

 
Last edited:
Actually thinking about it with the metaphysicist possibly delaying an apocalypse I'm unsure we'll actually have time to get to earth. or more than a very little amount of time on earth. Does sorta make it seem like the quest is on a time limit.
 
So we need to think of a solution before its too late?
 
Actually thinking about it with the metaphysicist possibly delaying an apocalypse I'm unsure we'll actually have time to get to earth. or more than a very little amount of time on earth. Does sorta make it seem like the quest is on a time limit.

If anything the metaphysicist delaying the apocalypse is a reason we'll be able to have time to get to earth. He delayed it after all (assuming he succeeded).
 
The Chariot: The Wheel Turns

This was something Harrison never expected to happen. He'd dreamed of becoming an Enrolled as a child like all children did but it was something he never expected to happen. No Harrison had long since learned if you wanted to change your life the only changes that could come would be of your own will.

Harrison was someone who believed in hard work if didn't work hard he'd have never even gotten into the school he's in or have gotten a scholarship. At one point he'd even dreamed of showing his brother that he could be just as smart as him, sure he didn't have his innate intelligence but Harrison was smart and could work hard enough to make up the gap. But he'd carved a place for himself not through his intelligence but his physicality.

His body was a well maintained machine that was forged through discipline, hard work and through knowledge of bodies and the fuel put into them. It was a temple forged not through instinctive effort but through controlled well-thought out actions. His hard earned physicality was maintained and improved upon through constant effort. Self Improvement was Harrison's drug of choice and while he was aware he wasn't always healthy in his pursuit of it but it was something that brought him success and fulfillment.

The Enrollment was the opportunity for Harrison to go even further than he ever thought possible. The various people where starting to argue over the various Roles they wanted and what they should do. So Harrison thought about the various Arcana and which ones would fit him the best.

In there end there was only two real options, Strength and The Chariot. Between the two the one Harrison wanted more was Strength because of it's capabilities with social skills and compassion. He'd be able to live up to his dreams of becoming someone's Gandalf much easier with that Arcana. Strength's Upright position symbolizes strength, courage, persuasion, influence, compassion. Strength's reversed position symbolizes inner strength, self-doubt, low energy, raw emotion. The Chariot Upright position symbolizes control, willpower, success, action, determination. The Chariot Reserves position symbolizes Self-discipline, opposition, lack of direction. Harrison preferred Strength because it dealt with more than just a person's abilities and success, after all Harrison wanted to be a kind person in addition to being one who lives up to his potential.

Harrison was reasonably popular and well liked among the class so he'd almost certainly get one of his preferred options. Everything wasn't all peachy though, the other Enrolled would be a problem mainly Josh and Frankie. Harrison remembered when he tried to stop them from bullying people, Damien Nash in particular was a favorite victim of theirs and it wasn't something Harrison could stand to allow. People like Josh and Frankie with the power of Enrolled would be really dangerous. He almost lost his spot on the football team and his scholarship with it the last time he tried to stop them, but this time there wouldn't be anything stopping him from helping.

There was also the nuclear option of Penelope, the reason people didn't tell her before was because she'd beat the shit out of both of them which would've been disproportionate given she was trained by Superheroes. Harrison just needed to tell Penelope about the bullying and between her Role's abilities and the evidence she'd eventually learn the truth even if she didn't initially believe him because Josh was a slippery bastard.

Eventually the discussions slowed down and the various Roles where defined and assigned. Harrison had ended up with The Chariot and the other notable people where Carol who got Strength, Damien who got the Hanged Man, Penelope who got Justice, Frankie who got Judgement and Josh who got The World.

The Chariot had a really broad set of powers with abilities over Willpower, vehicles, strength, prowess, and other miscellaneous things related to the Arcana. It may not have been Harrison's first option but it was still a potent Arcana that Harrison had a large affinity with.

The Educator smiled and moved to stand in front of the Class, wiping the blackboard with the motion of a wrist.

"I am happy to announce our first lesson is over, my students," he announced. "You'll feel a strange sensation in a second, as your Roles are affirmed. I believe we'll start our first proper lessons tomorrow at eight, although a more precise schedule shall be handed out soon. Ms. Parker can show you to your quarters, I've given her a map."

And with that, the Educator disappeared. There was no event, no sound, not even a poof of smoke to punctuate the disappearance. He was simply standing there and then not standing there the very next moment. It was something Harrison wished he'd be able to do one day.

A feeling that was simultaneously metallic filled Harrison's mind, body and soul. From his skin, to his organs, and to the tiniest cells in his body the strange blood like sensation flowed throughout his body. His carefully cultivated awareness and control over his body made it even easier to understand the feeling, which made it feel even more strange. He felt a feeling of clarity he'd never experienced before in his entire life, like the body he had crafted and the skills that he had learned could go so much further than the previous limits than the world had chained him with.

He felt his Role in his mind and soul and it's form was that of a wheel. He only needed to place his hand upon it and steer and he could go wherever he wanted as long as he hand the Will to do so. His Role would follow him for through the twists and turns of life now and forevermore. The next three years would be him finishing the foundation that would serve him for the rest of his life and learning how to improve himself in ways he never thought possible.

Harrison had the machine that would take him wherever he wanted to go in life, but it was up to him to steer it.
 
Code:
Yellow and Green Button, RP


Yellow: There are 100 genies trapped in lamps, each offering 3 wishes.
You get a notebook with clues to the locations. When near your vicinity, you see the lamps outlined in Yellow.

Like 3 your Wishes, 3 your cardinal Rules. Seared in Yellow,  burned into your mind:

1) No Wishing to alter free will, for further genies or Wishes, infinite wealth, superpowers beyond reason, or world-altering changes allowed. Scales of Balance must not Tip.

2) Wishes must be specific, cannot greatly interfere with natural processes or manipulate time. No wishing for death or resurrection. Let the dice dictate the leeway you get with Wishes.

3) Acquiring excessive knowledge is prohibited, and Wishes cannot be revoked once granted. Neither can other Wishes be affected or undone.

Roll: 7 to locate a lamp, 5 for it to be accessible with 14 for without-difficulty. And, on success, a d30 roll for when in the next month the lamp was located. Without a genie a Lamp will not outline itself in Yellow.


Green: You get paid a million dollars a month to do what makes you happy. It's legal and tax free.

It must be for something that genuinely makes you happy. You collect the money at the end of each month provided you finish your task. Less than a Roll 10, you don't earn enough to get the Million.

The Greens seeks to destroy the other seekers of Yellow in Green. Should any of you expire, just usurp a new character bestowed with the Green and Yellow. Long enough silence means the character might have expired.


There is no guidance. Limit yourself by your will. Let anarchy reign.

Discord - Group Chat That’s All Fun & Games

Discord is great for playing games and chilling with friends, or even building a worldwide community. Customize your own space to talk, play, and hang out.
 
Last edited:
Architectural Lessons
Architectural Lessons

After that started the dreadful drudgery of daily struggle. For a number of reasons, hard work was anathema to Solomon; his most despised bane, the annihilator of mortal will; the distinctive allicin of his brand of vampirism. It was almost impossible to work himself out of the comfortable rut, even though he understood on an intellectual level that the formation of positive habits was the basis of diurnal progression. After all, once a groove was cast, it could only deepen.

Still, even with the dangling carrot of controlling the Secret Structure of the World and no longer being accursed with secret knowledge everyone seemed frankly contented to ignore, he found the demands asked of him downright excessive. Not merely to study and pull himself along with the rest of the crowd, but to excel above and beyond them? It was insanity at its finest. Just the thought was enough to make him shudder and blanch as he ate breakfast - which, in turn, caused several concerned parties to separate themselves from him by several centimeters, as they recalled the purported events of last evening.

"I'll need something to motivate me," he decided, clutching the spoon.

After returning to his room, Solomon opened the stash. He'd intended to reserve all of them for a time of real need and never expected the desperation to come so soon.

He consumed a whole packet of coffee jello, allowing its bittersweetness to roll over his tongue. His eyes cried small tears of joy. He made a silent promise, not to eat more until he'd earned it, and then, with a sense of deep and discerning purpose, Solomon got to work.

And so - in an awe-inspiring feat of courage, bravery, and determination - almost the entirety of the first week of September was spent entirely on nothing but slacking off. Alas, Solomon's steel-clad willpower had hopelessly wilted into a corpselike pallor almost within moments of entering the classroom.

However, even with the dregs of motivation, Solomon was capable of inventiveness and unusual perspicacity. He still managed to osmose enough information through his own form of half-hearted listening to completely ace the entrance examination on Friday with a score of ninety-nine out of a hundred. The Educator didn't even have to check the papers, as they were self-grading, providing accurate breakdowns of answer accuracy and incisively soulful commentary on knowledge demonstrated, often with one or two humorous or snide remarks, and at least one encouragement to keep working hard.

"Hey, Sol, what did you get?" asked Damien, whispering at his back.

"Hrm, ninety-nine," he answered, half-mumbling in his midday nap.

"What?!" Damien yelled out, such that it drew attention even through the buzz of the class. He immediately snapped forward and snatched the paper from Solomon's desk, and started reading it with a progressive distortion of facial features and an orchestra of emotions. As if sensing the unfolding drama, half the class flocked immediately behind him as spectators, with a shocked Josh snatching the test out of Damien's hands in sheer disbelief to read it himself closer up. An eruption of mutters, congratulations, disbelieving remarks, and quiet screams proceeded. It drew the attention of their erstwhile teacher.

"Indeed!" said the Educator cheerfully, clearly in good spirits. "Mr. Lancaster has certainly earned every special privilege this month."

"Can I have candy?" asked Solomon, at the volume of a mutter. "That's my privilege."

The Educator appeared next to him, extending a gloved hand with a number of foil-enveloped dark amber cabochons, each of them almost opaque to light.

Solomon's right eye widened slightly. "Huh?"

"Honey candy," the Educator said, with deep, profound, fervent, emotional encouragement. "Organic and healthy!"

After Solomon failed to extract them from his hand, the Educator deposited the candies on the desk and patted the boy on the back, and then addressed the Class. "Excellent news! This overall level of performance is sufficient to earn each of you a special dispensation. Everyone, write down a modest wish and pass it on to me by Sunday. I'll fulfill anything that's not too egregious, although I'd appreciate it if you focused on educational - or at least, not too fatuous - ventures! I shall be in my office."

Swaying his cloak, he disappeared. As if sensing easy and defenseless prey, Grace and Stella immediately moved forward and sweetly spoke to Solomon about his candies, asking if they could have a couple. And before he even bothered to answer, Stella, playing dismissively with a hair - as if attempting to be seductive but not caring enough to put any effort into it - said, "It's okay to take a lot, right? You like us and we're friends, right? Cool. I like you a lot, Solomon. You're a cute boy."

And in the end, they stole all except one of Solomon's candies, believing they might have secret powers. After a minute, Solomon reclaimed his paper from Damien's desk and decided to attempt even harder next time. If he was so close to a downright perfect score, it was worth it.

"What are you reading?" he asked Damien, looking over to see he'd withdrawn a book with a light gray cover.

"Uh, Murkborn." At Solomon's flat look, he added, "Y'know, by Sander Finn Branderson? Acclaimed fantasy and science fiction writer?"

"That kitsch?" hissed Samantha from a nearby desk, as if she were a cat sighting a water sprayer with a nozzle aimed at her. "Yikes."

Damien shrunk at the castigation. It was fated to happen anyway, Solomon thought. Although, he was forced to at least give himself a point for trying to prevent it.

After that, a mostly uneventful weekend passed, spent largely on sleeping and loafing. Harrison started to participate in exploratory activities of the outside, and attended a couple of social gatherings for the younger Enrolled, organized by the Bible Class. Solomon visited the Educator on Monday for the individualized lessons.

"The Magician!" started the Educator with an excited exclamation, on what was slowly becoming known as one of his signature educational soliloquies. As he went on, he was shuffling a tarot deck, and every card he pulled out came out to be something from the arcana of wands. "Ah, yes, a Role of potential and mystic wisdom! The discerning, unplumbed depths of knowledge and mystery! It's such an exciting Role, I simply adore the magical ones. I assume, Mr. Lancaster, that given your asocial proclivities, you did not ask your peers or upperclassmen more about Enrollment?"

"No," he answered. It was difficult to predict the Educator. The man's visage was oblique both metaphorically and literally, every forecast of behavior soon distorting beyond recognition until the actualized event was almost completely different. However, the fastest answer was often contained in a single word.

And, accurately, it was the fastest to continue the conversation.

"In short, for the convenience of students and myself, it can be said that Roles are often divided into Aspects. These aptly-named devices are convenient shells of contained and narrowed Thematic essence. Do not misunderstand!" He raised an index finger, and waved a hand, as if dispelling any notion arising at the idea. "It's entirely possible to Enroll without Aspects and contrive theoretical devices even more apt and fitting for an individual's desires and purposes. However, Aspects have served all of us faithfully ever since the times of the Superheroes, and seen the highest popularity among the Enrolled."

"Aspects," muttered Solomon, a hand supporting a cheek as he mumbled and considered. It slowly dawned on him. "I think I'm starting to understand. It's like... The Knight has an Aspect that makes him better at wearing armor, and one that makes him learn knightly skills, and one that lets him conjure up weapons? Each one a different Aspect."

"Precisely." The Educator nodded in eager agreement. "Now, as I've said, Aspects are convenient and most efficient! However, they are hypothetically unnecessary for Enrollment. If you prefer another basis for advancement of your Enrollment, we can discuss that."

"Huh... well, I dunno, how good are these Aspects? Can I have like a case example?"

"I'll assure you even the likes of my Metaphysician attempted to invent a more efficient device and failed," the Educator said with something resembling smug pride. He took on a more discerning air, as he continued, "There were some cases in which other constructs were attempted, and while I won't call any of them failures, it is difficult to say they are inherently any superior, even if individualized. In my personal opinion, it is often only slightly better if successful. And rarely without tremendous risk! Standardized Education is most reliable, Mr. Lancaster."

Solomon nodded in understanding. More of a curio than an acceptable path, then. It'd take a serious idiot to go for anything other than Aspects, based on the convenient description. After some more discussion of the merits and demerits, they settled on the first Aspect of the Magician that Solomon would attempt to study. And the remnant of the week was, in large, spent on practice to achieve that Aspect, to develop its features, to demarcate its capabilities. These lessons were in equal part a refinement of the lens that Solomon could utilize to access the Magician's power and a discussion of what he should be capable of achieving once done.

In due time, he started to see the first signs of progress, the Aspect starting to come into fruition and shape. Having already experienced the individualized modus, Solomon carried some expectations for his special private lessons. However, the remedial lesson was much different than expected.

For one, instead of his ostentatious Thematic outfit, the Educator was dressed in a common professor's attire: a brown tweed jacket and dark pants with polished shoes, and a red bow. His face continued to be indiscernible, and he stood facing the window of the office as Solomon came in.

"Solomon," said the man in calm welcome, instead of Mr. Lancaster, already setting off a couple of alerts. "Good to see you. Take a seat."

He did, and without further ado, the conversation started. The Educator's paradigm shift was an unsettling experience, although his straightforward demeanor as he spoke was almost more so.

"I assume you have questions."

"I do," Solomon answered. "How can I predict things so well?"

"You don't make predictions," the Educator answered correctively. "The universe is a structure. Elements of that structure correspond on an abstract and metaphysical level. It'd be accurate to say you're extrapolating. Your sight is acutely attuned to perceiving this structure. Perceiving one element, you can deduce the others, much as a man can make a calculation that two plus two is four."

Although Solomon was about to ask yet more questions, the Educator suddenly took out a Newton's cradle, with its many clackers, and then firmly positioned it between them. The metal balls shone in the slight light coming from the window.

The Educator pulled away the rightmost clacker and released it, starting the reaction. They clacked for a couple of seconds, a pendulum carried through the medium of small metal spheres, almost hypnotic, like a metronome.

"The reason why your advice falls on deaf ears so often, my boy, is simply because the structure doesn't account for the ability to perceive it." The Educator stopped a clacker, pinched between two fingers. The sound, too, arrested, leaving the room empty of anything save breath. "Giving advice to a man to change his actions, you are momentarily stopping the cog he represents in the grand mechanism of everything. The moment your hand lets go..." He released the clacker and the cradle restarted its action.

"The mechanism continues on as it was," Solomon said in realization. "But how?"

"It doesn't matter," the Educator answered with a shrug, seeming more honest and straightforward than usual. "The structure is all-overriding. The universe is merely its component. It'll achieve its shape without intervention. Maybe your words simply dim within the minds of whoever's listening to you, until they forget or discard them as irrelevant. Maybe they simply start to dislike you for no reason, because it is easier. Brains and complex systems are subject to significantly more chaos. It's easier for the structure to alter an unfolding thought than an event already set in motion."

Solomon then slumped in his chair. "This entire time I've been pushing against a machine."

"Indeed," said the Educator. "But."

With a motion of the hand, the clackers stopped, as if frozen in time - the leftmost at its furthermost extension away from the cradle, about to begin its return movement that'd conclude with it slamming into its closest neighbor.

"As you know," the man continued, "With effort, the structure can be changed by those who understand it. I'll teach you to perceive its totality without going insane. Once that's done, you'll no longer be a slave to it. It'll bend to your predictions as they become a part of its chain of logic. The machine will move and stop at your will. And in due time, you'll understand the true shape of the world."

"Let's start then," Solomon said, looking down at the frozen clacker.

He understood it didn't freeze because of the Educator's control over physical matter as a result of his title. It came from the Educator's control over the universal Architecture, so precise and extreme he could even stop physical matter in its tracks, a level of mastery that seemed almost impossible.

"First, you must understand the world's inherently anthropocentric."

"Anthropocentric?"

"Human," the Educator answered, as if the fact were axiomatic: self-evident. "The world is a human being."

"I..." It didn't happen often, and so when it happened, its effect was magnified but Solomon was truly confused. "I don't understand."

The Educator considered for a moment, hand slowly tapping out a rhythm on the surface of the desk. He started, in slow, arching tones, "To use an apocryphal example, the Bible says that God created man in his image. That man's name is Adam. A manifestation of God in the flesh. His counterpart, the uppermost manifestation, is 'Adam Kadmon' or 'Adam Elyon.' You and I are both imperfect reflections of God, created in his image. In other words, we are the splinters of his totality. And what is God? In simple terms, God, Solomon, is the Architecture of the universe. The universe is God, and we are God's spitting image, and what do we have in common?"

"We are human beings."

"Ergo, God is a human being, and so is the universe, because God, being omnipotent and in everything, is the universe," the Educator concluded. "Adam Kadmon, coincidentally, is the kabbalistic name for the structure we are discussing."

"I see."

"A perfect encapsulation of what we do," agreed the Educator. "God is infinite and perfect. We, being mere fragments, are not. Still, we can alter parts of him - emanations of him, to be more accurate - to suit our needs, if we are sufficiently wise in understanding how the universe works. There are helpful diagrams and lesser structures we can utilize to visualize this process. To look at the Architecture is to look at everything, and to use yourself as a mirror for that process. One is contained in all, and all in one. It'll be some time before I can teach you the actual depths of the process. Before you even start to learn the techniques of looking, you must learn to not go insane."

"You've mentioned that, I think," Solomon said, finding himself uncertain. "That I could go insane."

"It's only natural, when one is exposed to everything," concluded the Educator, as he stood from his chair. "We'll start with a meditative exercise. You'll like it. It requires almost no effort."

---

It'll be some time before your control over the Architecture is anything resembling good enough to control circumstances.

For now, select an Aspect to focus on. It'll be some time before you can fully develop it. Regardless of your chosen Aspect, you can put minor focus into the others, diluting your progression in a proportional fashion.

Aspects can synergize, and cover broad or narrow domains. For instance, Arcanum provides some combat-oriented capacity of its own, so having Arcanum 2 and Destroyer 1 allows you roughly equivalent combat power with your spellcraft: in other words, Arcanum 2 is equivalent to Destroyer 1. Other Aspects can be invented.

[ ] Aspect: Sanctum - The ritualistic creation of a sacred space: a wizard's tower, a thaumaturge's temple. In a devoted sanctum, you possess fewer limits as a magician: energy constraints loosened, generation redoubled, efforts quintupled. Although outside you may be a mere magus, within you are the King of Magi, every wonder of the world availed and accessible. It can be moved with effort, eventually.

Current Level: n/a
Next Level: 1

For now, a single month of study lets you demarcate a single room-sized space in which your spells are almost twice as strong, and you have slightly more laxity in what your spells can do. As you don't have many spells yet, aside from cantrips, this isn't as great.

[ ] Aspect: Arcanum - Invocation and spellcraft, orthodox. Also the magical processes of enchantment and alchemy, albeit to a lesser degree.

Current Level: .01
Next Level: 1

A single month of progress allows you to reach an appreciable degree of basic spellcasting: a ray of fire that can set curtains on fire across a room, a clod of earth fired from your hand with the strength of a slingshot, minor arcane invocations and utilities, and maybe a single animal familiar.

[ ] Aspect: Hermes the Destroyer - A combat-oriented Aspect, all relegated to ensuring security and capabilities in combat. Focused on releases of pure destructive energy and entropic shielding. A more powerful Aspect.

Current Level: n/a
Next Level: 1

Allows you to maintain an aura that shreds enemies within a couple of meters from you, and fire rays that present the same amount of danger as a longbow.

[ ] Write-in
 
Last edited:
We're running on something like Kabbalah, then. Could Solomon derive the Name of his Role? It seems there should be a connection there.
 
[X] Aspect: Arcanum

Sol is smart enough to get good use out of utility, and if it can let him be lazy in some ways with QoL spells then he can use that to be more wilful where it counts
 
Back
Top