It was time to tutor. Ulos thought briefly about inviting Henrietta, but the reality was that she was ahead of Madavian and Abraham by a significant margin.
A few torturous hours in the Library, Ulos found himself wondering if Madavian would be missed if he killed him. After all, Abraham could dye his hair pink, right?
Right?
"Uloooossssss. I'm so boooorrrrreeed."
Ulos shook his head. The other boy was a friend, but he just wanted to give him a slap, sometimes. He'd worked so hard and given up so much to get here, and Madavian was wilfully trying
not to learn Infuriating. Abraham learned as best as he was able, but Ulos felt he was merely memorizing the formulas and ideas, not truly understanding them.
Still, Madavian had done a lot for him. Helping him out like this is the least he could do.
Later on that day, Ulos took Madavian and Abraham aside. The taller boy looked serious, as he almost always did nowadays. Ulos couldn't blame him. Thomas had tried to get him expelled, ruined his books, and forced him out of his room. Sleeping on their floor couldn't be pleasant, but Abraham hadn't voiced a single word of complaint, unlike Madavian who kept stepping on Abraham and then
complaining about it. Abraham took it all in stride, though.
"We need to get a good map of the dorms. There are the courtyards, but I want to know where
everyone is. Their names, where they come from, and I want to know how to get around. Climable drainpipes, rooftops we can move between if necessary,
everything."
Madavian smiled, his eyes gleaming. He tossed back his pink curls and adjusted his glasses.
"Alright! Finally, we're going to
do something. What's the plan, Ulos? Dose him with itching powder?"
Ulos shook his head.
"Reconnaissance only. Thomas has hit us twice, each time in Magical Theory. He probably wants to sabotage our efforts there so we end up in a lower class than him, keeping us from learning the really useful sorts of magic. It makes sense - if you're going to have enemies, you may as well cripple them. The Grinning Skull had a similar lesson during his wars with the Prince of Bones, though round the other way. The Prince of Bones set him at odds with the Imperial Court, and killed many of his finest scribes and researchers. He had him killed two centuries after that, but he spent his time harassing and weakening the Skull, and eventually assassinated him once he'd pushed him far enough out of his comfort zone. I don't think Thomas will try to kill us, but what he's doing makes sense."
Abraham nodded. They'd had the same Magical History lecture.
Madavian frowned thoughtfully.
"Sure, he wants to weaken us. What's our gambit?"
Ulos looked over at the other boy.
"We're weaker than him, really. Narubar will stand with him, whereas the Five Families are divided and the other Empire students couldn't care less whether I live or die. Deciding on a strategy early would just hurt us, we don't even know where he's weak. We need to get more information, and once we
have more information..."
Ulos trailed off.
"We strike."
Abraham smiled.
"Yes. We figure out how to hit him, find his weaknesses, and exploit them ruthlessly. Now, split up. Check in here every half hour. We'll go individually, and then in a group of three once we're near Thomas's room. It'll unnerve him, at the least."
(
Roll 87 vs DC 65. Success!)
The three boys went through the dorms, mapping things out. Sketches on notebooks at first with names scribbled in, maybe half the Dorms having names filled in. Marks where windows you might be able to squeeze out or in of, lines for where you might be able to scale the building. Useful knowledge, allowing the three to plan ahead. It all went, surprisingly, completely to plan. Even at the end, passing Thomas's door, no-one confronted them, which was a little surprising.
Gained Item: Map of Dorms (Unfinished) - +10 bonus to pranks and similar actions taken within the Dorms.
The next morning, the trio went down to breakfast. Henrietta met them on the way down. Ulos smiled at her, a tentative thing. She once again looked implacable, braids in place and face unmarred, her waifish appearance offset by the porcelain mask she wore for a face.
"Shall we?"
Henrietta looked at them, every inch the Vorstallen merchant princess.
Madavian curtsied, bobbing an imaginary dress.
Henrietta didn't blink.
"Ulos. I have some questions about the Domain of Water. Would you mind entertaining them over breakfast?"
"Um, of course. I mean, I'd love to."
Breakfast was delicious, freshly-baked meat and vegetable pies, coming steaming from the ovens. Henrietta nibbled daintily at one, while Madavian thrust his face into one directly. Ulos shook his head. The closer those two were, the more they tended towards their personal extremes.
He nodded at Henrietta after they'd finished eating.
"We could talk about theory here, or go upstairs and study?"
She smiled at him, a simple curving of the lips that in no way reached her eyes.
"Of course. That might be best."
They returned to the Dorms, heading back to their room briefly to get books, and then went to Henrietta's room.
(Training Roll: (5+2)x4 = 28, Gained +1 Magical Theory. Current +20 Lore: Magical
Theory (21/30 next level))
Hours went by like nothing, the three laughing and enjoying themselves, odd for a study of pure magical theory.
Henrietta looked at Ulos intently.
"Are we friends, Ulos?"
"Um...."
Ulos thought. Being put on the spot like this was hard.
"Well... maybe? I mean, if you want?"
She looked a little surprised.
"If I want?"
"It's like.. you seem nice, and you like the same stuff I do. I feel like we'd be good friends, or maybe okay one. I mean, I don't know. But I understand if you don't want to be, what with the Thomas stuff."
She looked at him intently, and suddenly reached out her hand, leaving it in the air before Ulos.
"Yes. I think we shall be friends. Junotrin aside, you boys seem quite nice, and... it's better to have friends and enemies than no-one, after all."
Ulos shook it.
"Friends, then."
(
Relationship Rolls - 57 + 30 = 87 vs 80 DC (Abraham), Relationship Maintained (extra Relationship points do not improve Relationship, but do reset decay counter), 87 vs 80 DC (Henrietta), Relationship Improved by one step! Two more steps to Friends!)
Last came his Runes tutoring. He'd made an appointment with Radalscalp for the end of today. Walking into the city, the little wizened man welcome him in.
"Hello, Ulos. I think today we'll focus on the theory of slow runes, or runes that lose their charge very, very slowly. One of the essential truths of runic crafting is a rune loses power over time proportional to two things. The first is the effect power. The second is the complexity. Well, there is a third factor. It's not really a
factor, though. Runic knowledge lets you build better runes, runes that bleed less power or have other effects. It's difficult to pin down the perfect rune, but a rune that's constructed well enough in terms of both skill and theoretical knowledge might last for centuries. I mean, Old Vorstal has runes that have lasted longer, so it's definitely possible."
He drew a breath.
"Hello, Radalscalp."
The little man wagged a finger at him.
"Sit down, Ulos. No time for pleasantries, we need to learn. Now, you'll note for this sort of thing, each rune has an optimal form, one that bleeds less power. However, runic construction is still centuries if not millenia behind the science of sigils - runes are simply not as interesting for most, as they are easier to copy. Runic research is hampered by the fact that the most talented runesmith in the world has no way of protecting his work beyond physically protecting it, whereas copying a sigil is nearly impossible if you know nothing about it, and copying an alchemical concoction is quite literally impossible without seeing the Alchemist create it. So runes are rudimentary at best, excepting of course the runic arts of the Undying, but I don't think they're giving those up anytime soon."
Radalscalp chuckled, and then coughed.
"Anyway..."
(Runes Tutoring: (5+2+2)*4 = 36 . +3 Lore: Runes. Current is +10 Lore: Runes (8/20 next level)
A few hours later, Radalscalp looked at him.
"Ulos... hm. I have a deal for you, if you care for it. A bargain, shall we say, hm, between mages."
Ulos looked up from his notebook.
"Yes?"
"I'll teach you... hmmm.. a rune of your choice from a few useful runes I know, and some skill at crafting it. In return, though, you'll teach me two runes I find useful in a year or two. You're a bright lad, and I think I'd benefit from this. And you'll benefit from it now, so it's win-win..."
Ulos frowned thoughtfully. What to do?
[ ] Accept - If you vote Accept, please vote for one of the three sub-choices. Note that Accepting will require Ulos to teach Radalscalp two Runes in future, and each will take an Action to teach him.
Taking Accept gains one of the three Runes below, as well as an additional two Craft: Rune rolls on your next Runes Tutoring session. Note you will not gain the Rune in question until Tutoring is taken again.
[ ] Slumbering Brick (Clay) - Unseen and inactive until the command word is spoken. The rune is engraved on a brick left nearby, and when the word spoken, the brick shatters into a cloud of dust and particulate matter, clouding the air for the better part of a minute. Useful for ambushing enemies or escaping from an unfortunate encounter. Takes 4 Magic Points to charge, requires recharging weekly. DC 40 to craft.
[ ] Radiant Blade (Steel) - A careful rune engraved onto a knife or other piece of steel. When activated (usually by touching human flesh to the side of the blade), the blade shines incredibly brightly towards whatever it is pointed at. Usable as a temporary flashlight or to blind your enemies with a high-powered spotlight. Takes 40 Magic Points to charge, and requires recharging weekly. Light lasts for five minutes after activation. DC 90 to craft.
[ ] Aqua Barrier (Water) - A simple low-powered defensive rune, the Aqua Shield is a rune that must be reverse-carved onto a piece of wood, metal, or stone, and then tossed into the water. It will create an obscuring shield made of rushing water up to three metres high and ten wide (depending on the size of the body of water it is tossed into), facing in the direction the rune was tossed from. The Aqua Shield will not stop most powerful spells, but will slow down physical impacts such as crossbow bolts considerably, and the rushing of the water will make you essentially invisible. It will be impenetrable to human beings while standing unless they attempt to break through with the assistance of magic. Lasts for fifteen seconds. Takes 15 Magic Points to charge, and requires recharging weekly. DC 60 to craft.
[ ] Decline - No effect. No favours owed to Radalscalp, though, which means not having to give up any precious future secret Runes.
You presently have 2 Willpower. 2 Willpower is locked behind your Locked Action, Tutoring Session: Magical Theory. 1 Willpower is locked behind Tutor Your Friends, giving Ulos a total of 2 Willpower per week. The pool will not regenerate this turn.
Ulos will take 4 Actions, but one of these is locked in as Tutoring Sessions: Magical Theory. You cannot unlock this without abandoning the Tutoring Sessions entirely. As such, only 3 Actions will be taken from this list.
Temporary/One-Off Actions:
[ ] Appraise your Artifact - Sure, you can't do it, but you can find someone who can. Knowing what that Artifact does might be key to either keeping it or selling it for a good sum.
Roll Cha vs DC (Moderate). Success offers information about Artifact. Failure offers no information. Critical failure offers completely false information. Roll will be hidden. Action is removed once either a success is rolled
or a critical failure is rolled.
Offensive/Defensive Actions:
[ ] Scout out your Rivals - Pretty standard. Go spy on your enemies.
Roll vs your Rival's roll to avoid being scouted. If you beat their Roll, gain +20 on all Actions against them (defensive or offensive) for the remainder of the week.
[ ] Launch an Assault! - You have Itching Powder now, you can do something terrible (ly amusing)! Make your enemies itch in class to humiliate them, douse their clothes in it to force them to miss valuable learning sessions, or even convince onlookers they have some sort of disease.
Roll vs your Rival's roll to succeed. A regular success will cause an automatic failure on their next Action. A major success will cause an automatic failure on their next Action and their classes for that day. A critical success will cause both these effects and cause them to be humiliated, reducing all Relationships with anyone who observes this humilation by one step.
Training Actions:
[ ] Start Studying (Write-In Subject) - You have your textbooks. Next step is reading through them. Sort of nerdy, but hey, aren't you here to learn?
Gain a Training Roll associated with the subject you choose. Willpower upgrade - spend 1 point to gain 2 Training Rolls. -1 to all Training Rolls of this sort due current roommate penalty.
[ ] Relentlessly Practice Magical Combat - Use some of your little magic to practice your Spellweaving. Abraham will help you, using his progidious Magic Pool to help you deal with, avoid, and retreat from spells.
Gain a Training Roll on the lower of Combat: Evasion and Combat: Retreat, as well as a Training Roll vs Channeling. This will help Abraham practice his own Magical Combat. Willpower Upgrade offers a second Training Roll for the applicable Combat Skill. Shooting at you with fireballs is not easy for Abraham, who will spend 1 Willpower undertaking this Action.
[ ] Study Group - The Study Group needs to get going if you're going to dominate your subjects. Get your books, get your bag, and head on over to the Library to get the librarians to let you into a study room.
Gain a Training Roll for Lore: Theory of Magic. 20% chance for Relationship improvement (DC 80). Willpower upgrade - spend 1 point to two Training Rolls. Can only be taken twice per Week max.
[ ] Practice Spell (Write-In From Spellbook) - Time to practice a spell. Get better, cast faster, cast cheaper.
Roll against DC (??? depends on Spell). Takes ??? Magic Pool, where ??? is equal to a Spell's cost times 5. Character gains an additional Training roll if they still have more mana after practicing. Willpower upgrade - spend 1 point to gain an additional two Training Rolls if you have enough mana for it.
[ ] Tutoring (Lore: Runes) - That horribly expensive Tutoring you paid for.
Each Action provides 3 (!) Training Rolls to your Lore: Runes. No Willpower expenditure possible or required. Can only be taken one more time. Will gain extra bonuses depending on the result of the above vote.
Diplomacy and Discovery Actions:
[ ] Hang Out With A Friend (Write-in Friend) - It's good to spend time with people you know. Maybe take a break, and hang with one of your friends.
Available options include Madavian Junotrin, Henrietta Aufstadt and Abraham Quincey. Increase Relationship by one step. Roll against DC (Variable, depending on friendship level). On success, increase Relationship by another step.
[ ] Madavian's Speed Dating Agency - With Madavian here to help you, you'll have an easier time of meeting new people. Gain two Diplomacy Rolls. Madavian's presence also offers one reroll, mitigating any unpleasant social consequences (reroll will be taken after both rolls, reroll will prioritize Critical Failures over regular Failures). Willpower upgrade - Spend 1 point to gain a third Diplomacy Roll.
[ ] Go Exploring - It's a big campus, and you haven't seen the half of it. Who knows what you could find? Roll 1D100 vs ???. Success offers ???, failure offers ???. Willpower upgrade - spend 1 point to gain a second roll. Spend 2 points to gain a third roll.
[ ] Study your Magic Pool - You need to learn to meditate, focus, and understand what is happening in the Ether, and in yourself when you draw from it.
Gaining such inner understanding may shed light on your Curse's functionality. Gain a Training Roll for Skill: Meditation versus Willpower.
[ ] Suck Up To Inukar - Figure out what they like. Do the research. Then suck up. Not hard in theory.
Roll against DC 40 (depends on teacher) vs Cha and Lore: Magical Theory. Success increases teacher's Relationship by one step and future DC of this Action sharply. Locked for all teachers who are not Inukar (insufficient Relationship).
Crafting, Gathering & Shopping Actions:
[ ] Gather Mushrooms - Unlocked by your knowledge of the Secret Mushroom Colony. Self-explanatory. Roll against DC ??? using either Lore: Alchemy or Lore: Magical Plants. On success, gain ???.
[ ] Go to the Marketplace - You have money to spend and items to sell. You need to spend some time gearing up, finding tutors, spells, artifacts, items, and more. Activates Shopping Mini-Turn with more Actions within it (including "Find a Buyer" for your items), allowing the buying and selling of items and services.
[ ] Search for Ingredients - You don't know about a whole lot of Alchemical Ingredients, but you can go looking. Even if you don't find exactly what you're looking for, you can scout out good places.
Roll against DC ???. On success, find Ingredients. On critical success find a Location with Ingredients.
[ ] Map out the Dorms - So you've got a pretty decent map of the Dorms. You can do better, right? Get the more obscure students' details, look at their timetables as best you can, figure out what routes people take... really get the map going..
No skill gains. Roll against DC 75, on success gain Item: Map of Dorms (Finished). +20 bonus to pranks and similar actions taken within the Dorms. Replaces Map of Dorms (Unfinished).
[ ] Family Money - Madavian would be happy to send away for money on your behalf (or spend some of his money on you and then replenish it later). However, he'd need a good reason to do so. Reason must be written in if no reason has come up in the thread.
No Skill gains. Madavian rolls Cha vs DC (Variable) to gain a Variable number of Coins.
Locked Actions:
[ ] Craft Alchemical Recipe (Write-In) - Time to get your Alchemy on! Get in there and make something useful!
Roll against DC ??? (depends on Recipe). Success adds Recipe to Inventory. Locked. Requires at least 1 rank in Craft: Alchemy. Requires access to Alchemical Equipment.
[ ] Craft Rune (Write-In) - Time to create the greatest Rune ever! Well, maybe a normal Rune. But a useful one! Locked. Requires knowledge of at least 1 Rune. Requires access to the Materials needed to engrave the Rune.
