Umi-san
Procrastinating.
- Location
- ꙮ
assuming we succeed for both, people who become positive acquaintances still take further rolls to provide a return, whereas the skill is just there, in our hand.
Also, we have higher Int and Will than Cha
Vorstallen Magic Preparatory - The Third-Best School for Young Mages in the Nation! Enrol Today!
- Thread starter occipitallobe
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Also, we have higher Int and Will than Cha
- Location
- Straya
The dexterity here is more muscle memory, and partially being good at doing really precise movements with your fingers. It doesn't really improve your overall Physical Ability as such. It does however decrease casting time and reduce casting failure, both of which are pretty much crucial for combat (and practicing spells more generally). Spellweaving has a lot to do with doing precise things fast.
That being said, being able to cast spells fast and accurately is crucial for spell practise later on. When Ulos saw the combats he noticed that the combatants used shorter-duration defenses towards the end, when their Magic Pools were nearly depleted. Being able to cast lots of short-duration defenses is a viable method of defense for a low Channeling character, so Spellweaving has utility here as well. Or if you decide to go infiltrate somewhere - repeated short-duration scrying is a lot cheaper than the cast-and-forget version.
Not really. Runes don't really need speed to be cast. Nobody really creates a rune in combat, so it's not a big deal. While Alchemy requires some dexterity, it has more to do with being precise about timing, temperature, stirring - keeping an eye on a bunch of disparate factors for a boringly long time and not fucking up once.
Umi-san
Procrastinating.
- Location
- ꙮ
@occipitallobe Are you keeping track of separate aspects of our Physical Ability to result in a summed PA?
Speed isn't necessary for Runes, but presumably Dex would help carve, draw, etc. the Runes with accuracy, efficiency, and grace. Is the power of a rune affected by how accurate and elegant it is? Is it affected by the size?
Also, how many people are in our character's family?
What is his opinion of the various classes? Of his friends? His financial situation?
What can he recall of the ritual that transplanted his power?
Speed isn't necessary for Runes, but presumably Dex would help carve, draw, etc. the Runes with accuracy, efficiency, and grace. Is the power of a rune affected by how accurate and elegant it is? Is it affected by the size?
Also, how many people are in our character's family?
What is his opinion of the various classes? Of his friends? His financial situation?
What can he recall of the ritual that transplanted his power?
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- Location
- Straya
Not really, it's all abstracted away. Since Dex + Con + Str altogether were a slightly underpowered stat compared to Int, Channeling, Will, I didn't want to bother with it too much.
The sort of dexterity increases you might get from Spellweaving are probably somewhere in the 0.1 to 0.2 range at absolute best, which at best offers +0.5-+1 to rolls.
That being said, Spellweaving and Runes share lots of similarities - Runes and Sigils are visually very similar, so if you have no ranks in Craft: Rune (or your Craft: Rune is less than half of your Spellweaving) you'd be able to apply half your Spellweaving rank because you've got a good notion of how precise these lines need to be, and how to draw those sorts of lines.
Umi-san
Procrastinating.
- Location
- ꙮ
Is the power of a rune affected by how accurate and elegant it is? Is it affected by the size?
Also, how many people are in our character's family?
What is his opinion of the various classes? Of his friends? His financial situation?
What can he recall of the ritual that transplanted his power?
- Location
- Too Deep in the Midnight Sea
[X] Check on Abraham (Willpower)
[X] Hang Out With A Friend - Madavian
[X] Scout out the Library
[X] Start Studying (Magical Theory) (Willpower)
Checking on Abe is a must and we'll probably need the reroll, hanging out withMealticket our first friend is something I want to do at least once a week, scouting the Library has a 60% chance to happen and the sooner the better and Theory seems like what we'll need to ace to make our counterspell.
[X] Hang Out With A Friend - Madavian
[X] Scout out the Library
[X] Start Studying (Magical Theory) (Willpower)
Checking on Abe is a must and we'll probably need the reroll, hanging out with
- Location
- Straya
Not a whole lot. Spells and runes are pretty binary, either they're right or wrong. But right requires a lot of precision.
I meant to flesh this all out with some flashbacks, but never quite got around to it. He has a still-living mother and father and two siblings, one brother, one sister.
Ulos doesn't think a whole lot about the classes. If every flitter in the Empire rose up against the Undying tomorrow they'd be killed in the streets until there were no more of them left. The Undying don't bother taxing the flits (what do they have worth taking), and tend to disburse food among the lower classes to keep the murmurs of discontent low. He's never actually met one of the Undying proper, though the necromancer he met was a member of one of the Undying Clans.
As for his friends. He likes Madavian, but is still a little wary of him at times. He's so far from the desperation of the Empire that Ulos doesn't quite know what to make of him, so he feels more relaxed around him that he does with others.
Sunette has that rapacious look - meaning she has some use for him. In the Empire, this is generally bad. Ulos doesn't dislike her, but still feels suspicious.
As for Abraham, he's benevolent towards him. While flits steal from each other all the time and occasionally kill each other depending on how bad the economic situation is, Ulos hates being looked down on as a flit, so he empathises pretty strongly there.
Note that Ulos lied to Sunette directly about having a scholarship - while he likes these people, he's by no means going to tell them the truth about his background.
As for the ritual, he remembers a few things. He had to go in several times, with his eyes and ears covered all the way (this was more for the security of the laboratory than any fear he'd find out and deconstruct the Curse, necromancy is a paranoid discipline of magic by nature). A few things were traced onto his skin, though there was no pain. After each visit there was a sense of frustrating loss, like someone he had loved had died, but he couldn't remember their name or their face.
Umi-san
Procrastinating.
- Location
- ꙮ
@occipitallobe
Even more questions (answer whichever):
Which of his siblings is his favorite? Which of his parents is his favorite? What chores was he usually assigned? Is he the youngest, oldest, or middle child? Does he enjoy his position as that child? When he gets sick, what do the various members of his family tend to do?
I meant "classes" as in the academic classes he's taking, but enjoyed your response regardless.
What is Ulos' opinion of the Undying clans?
Would he join them, given the chance? Does he wish to return back to the Empire, to stay away from it, or not have a strong opinion?
If he had to order his friends in a gradient of trust, what order would they be placed in?
If he had to save one of them from certain death and abandon all the others, who would he save?
What is his opinion of pranks?
Did he have friends back in the Empire? Do flits in the Empire have friends as people from other countries do?
Has he set on a scholarship as the general lie he's going to use in regards to his background? If so, how does he plan on holding this lie up against scrutiny? What result does he fear that the truth might have?
Which path to power does Ulos most strongly desire to follow, at present?
What does magic feel like to Ulos, if he's felt it?
Even more questions (answer whichever):
Which of his siblings is his favorite? Which of his parents is his favorite? What chores was he usually assigned? Is he the youngest, oldest, or middle child? Does he enjoy his position as that child? When he gets sick, what do the various members of his family tend to do?
I meant "classes" as in the academic classes he's taking, but enjoyed your response regardless.
What is Ulos' opinion of the Undying clans?
Would he join them, given the chance? Does he wish to return back to the Empire, to stay away from it, or not have a strong opinion?
If he had to order his friends in a gradient of trust, what order would they be placed in?
If he had to save one of them from certain death and abandon all the others, who would he save?
What is his opinion of pranks?
Did he have friends back in the Empire? Do flits in the Empire have friends as people from other countries do?
Has he set on a scholarship as the general lie he's going to use in regards to his background? If so, how does he plan on holding this lie up against scrutiny? What result does he fear that the truth might have?
Which path to power does Ulos most strongly desire to follow, at present?
What does magic feel like to Ulos, if he's felt it?
- Location
- Madness realms
Are you rolling dice for opponents killing the Necromancer who stole our power? Like every year I would roll a d100 or d1000 and with A very high DC for the enemies knocking off the necromancer. In addition to this are we going to be targeted for death or something similar to weaken the Necromancer?
Is it just me, or are Spirits kinda similar to Plato's Theory of Forms?
Like, you have a wall-spirit that wants to become the Platonic idea of "wall-ness".
Like, you have a wall-spirit that wants to become the Platonic idea of "wall-ness".
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Not necessarily. Spirits have desires, but those desires aren't always to take a specific forms. We've read about a Knife-Cat-spirit whose desire was to destroy wooden forks, for example.
- Location
- Straya
I think I'll flesh this out a little more as time goes on, but not quite yet.
Magical theory is of course the best in terms of enjoyment, but when someone tells you you could be absurdly amazing it's nice. Souls and Spirits is kooky, History is boring, and Magical Practice is really boring.
They're secretive to the point of constant paranoia, and reveal as little information about themselves as possible. They exist and they rule, but that's about it.
Not have a strong opinion at this point. Ulos spent a lot of his money being taught to read and write and renting books, but the Empire is all he knew. After a week of classes he certainly prefers Vorstal, but he doesn't have thoughts about joining the Clans.
Madavian, Abraham, Sunette.
Himself, for sure. Madavian if it came down to it, they're closer friends than the rest and Ulos feels indebted to him.
Awfully dangerous. He's careful compared to someone raised in wealth and privilege.
Not really, to the first. Most friends ran in gangs on the streets, and Ulos didn't have the charisma to start his own or the desire to join one when he was younger. When he got money, having friends might reveal his comparative wealth, and that could end badly. In general, though, flits have friends. They're people, just people deliberately denied anything resembling a future.
Not really, but it makes the most sense. It's either a scholarship or reveal the money. It's not a hard lie to maintain unless he decides to go down to pay his accommodation fees with someone else. Scholarships pay for tuition and accommodation, but there's no list of people winning scholarships. The truth sort of opens a chain of reasoning. He's a poor flit from the Empire, so how did he get the money? The only real possibility involves a lot of crime, or affiliation in some way with one of the Undying Clans.
He's very focused on removing his Curse, but he doesn't know what revealing it might bring. Ulos was told to tell no-one about the specifics and never reveal what had happened (for the necromancer, revealing the source of your power is just bad practice).
None, really. It's been a week. Magic all seems pretty amazing.
We'll be hitting that a little later in Magical Practice.
Not yet. There's a chance every month, so every four weeks I'll roll a death percent chance die.
As to the second part, no, not really. Nobody knows who you are and what you're providing as of yet. If they were to find out, and that information made it into the hands of the enemies of the Necromancer, well, they'd certainly entertain the idea.
- Location
- Madness realms
It would be hilarious for the Necromancer to roll really badly a few times in a row and die early on
will408914
(slouching towards bethlehem)
- Location
- California
It seems unlikely.
- Location
- Straya
Sort of meant to do this earlier, but now will do. Will count the votes manually in a post below.
- Location
- Straya
Winners:
Scout out the Library - 20
Check on Abraham (Willpower) - 18
Check on Abraham - 2
Study Group (Willpower) - 17
Study Group - 1
Start Studying (Magical Theory) - 8
Start Studying (Magical Theory) (Willpower) - 3
So Scout out the Library and Check on Abraham (Willpower) are clear winners, with Study Group (Willpower) a close third. Studying Magical Theory is fourth by a large margin, though the margin to fifth is also pretty big. Story post will be up in awhile.
Scout out the Library - 20
Check on Abraham (Willpower) - 18
Check on Abraham - 2
Study Group (Willpower) - 17
Study Group - 1
Start Studying (Magical Theory) - 8
Start Studying (Magical Theory) (Willpower) - 3
So Scout out the Library and Check on Abraham (Willpower) are clear winners, with Study Group (Willpower) a close third. Studying Magical Theory is fourth by a large margin, though the margin to fifth is also pretty big. Story post will be up in awhile.
1.2 - The Second Weekend
- Location
- Straya
Check on Abraham (Willpower):
He couldn't just ask Abraham. Not really. He knew what it was like. If someone was attacking you for whatever reason, you clammed up. Nobody was going to help a flit, and nobody smart would interfere with whatever was happening, so the only people who were interested were those who were just doing it to screw with you more, and the stupid, who were rarely any help.
So he spent all of Saturday morning skulking around, listening to the various Narubite students who lived near Abraham.
(Check on Abraham - 31 + 10 (Cha) = 41 vs 80 DC. Solid failure.)
He must have spent hours there, pretending he was reading his textbook up against the wall, or strolling down the corridor with the occasional student giving him odd looks. Oh well, he thought. Maybe this was something he wasn't going to find out.
(Check on Abraham - 63 + 10 (Cha) = 73 vs 80 DC. Bare failure. Something happens.)
Saturday Afternoon:
(Scout out the Library - 32 + 46 = 78 vs DC 80. Bare failure. Next roll gains +78).
Almost. Ulos almost thought he understood where the three filing systems were, where the Souls books tended to be. So he went to the second floor, searching for the texts that should've been there. All Runesmithing.
"Damn. Damn, damn, damn."
He was on the verge of understanding the insane filing system, he knew it, but he wasn't quite there yet.
Sunday Morning:
Equations. Those were all that went through Ulos's mind now. The equations for spell volume, to be exact. Four hundred and thirteen exercises in the book on spell volume alone, each one more complex than the last. Working his way through these had not given him some fundamental understanding of spell volume, but he knew mastering a single piece of theory was incredibly valuable. Being able to understand how to modify his own spells (when he finally got to cast one!) would be invaluable, as he was not able to cast many of the standard-powered spells one would find in books or in many classes.
For the first few hours, he worked, stuck desperately on one problem.
"So sigil line length corresponds with spell volume in the domain of fire about eighty percent of the time, so why not here? Why do fireballs behave differently to igniting the air? What is the different?
Suddenly, he found the answer. "Of course. Cross-domain spells exist, and the element a spell manipulates is gradual rather than absolute. A spell might shift between being majority one-domain or another, but it takes on the attributes of not only the majority domain, but the domains that make up its constituents! So if I alter the equation according to the domain of air..."
(Training Roll: Magical Theory. (1+5)x4 Int = 20. gained +1 Lore: Magical Theory. Current rank is +10 Magical Theory (5/20 next step).)
Suddenly he was going through the problems at a rate, altering the equations and writing them down in his precise, tiny script. He stopped at the end, noting he had almost consumed an entire notebook. He really needed some alternative. Ah, well. A question for later.
Sunday Afternoon:
(Training Roll: Magical Theory. (3)x4 Int = 12. gained +0 Lore: Magical Theory. Current rank is +10 Magical Theory (17/20 next step).)
Sunette showed up, though not Abraham. They studied together quietly, Sunette mostly asking questions about spell alteration and Ulos answering. He felt like he was beyond her at the moment - she had studied hard, but perhaps not as hard as Ulos. She asked questions, Ulos answered, and whenever Ulos asked a question about some point that confused him, she had no idea. It wasn't that she was stupid, just a little further behind than he was at a stage where they were learning exactly the same material.
(Training Roll: History. (4)x4 Int = 16. gained +2 Lore: History Current rank is +8 History (1/10 next step).)
Likewise with History, though Sunette had an interesting note there.
"We know when the Empire fell, the Six-Fox Pact rose up to oppose it. What most don't know, I suspect, is that the only reason the Pact won was because the King of Bones was sabotaging it the entire time."
"Really?"
"Yes, it makes sense. The central Undying who remained were the most powerful of the empire's Clans, being so close to the old capital. They fought the Pact for five or six years before deciding to take the field themselves, as the Pact started laying siege to their cities and assassinating their messengers. The first three battles - Rantemario, Akkitar, and Narubar were all losses for the Pact, and big ones, too. Rantemario saw six hundred Pact mages killed, and Akkitar saw another two hundred. I think there was only like three or four hundred left at that point, and most of them died in the battle of Narubar. After the city of Narubar fell to the Undying, though, a lot of them just... died. Like, magical attacks straight through their wards, massive magical defense setups failing, and a huge chain of perpetual coincidences nobody but an idiot would believe were coincidences."
"So why don't the Narubites or the Undying know?"
"The Narubites, well... I think their Senators probably know. But for the average person, telling them the King of Bones helped them on their way to independence doesn't help the whole 'Rah, rah, let's fight the Empire' thing. The Undying... well, I bet they know. The King of Bones probably uses it to keep them in line, you know? Screw with me, and maybe Narubar finds out how to kill you, sort of thing. But you wouldn't tell the average person in the Empire, because the King of Bones wants his enemies sounding strong and keeping the people in line, y'know?"
Ulos nodded. It made a sort of sense. I mean, reading what he had, the King of Bones had hardly been the most powerful of the Undying before he took over, and the Empire looked poised for a civil war. Having all your most powerful rivals killed off in the middle of killing the rebellion threatening your lands would be an amazing coup, if you could manage it. The rebellion gets completely exhausted, and you get the ability to form government. Sure, you need to lose half the continent, but the alternative would be helping the more powerful Undying crush the rebellion and reform a government at Vorstal, which would leave you out in the cold with no power for another thousand years.
"Makes sense. Hey, I know it's earlier than we normally finish when we go hard, but I'm just a little bit worried about Abraham. Do you want to come check on him?"
(Sunette Relationship Roll: 16 vs DC 80, failure.)
(No Abraham Relationship Roll due to ???)
(Does Sunette Help? 71 + 40 (Friendship) + 10 (Cha) = 121 vs DC 80 (50 base, 30 from Sunette Trait: Cautious). Great success!)
"Sure thing. Let's head on down to his room and see what's going on. He's been... weird, lately. I mean, I know he's a flit, and he's Empire, and either of those things tend to make you weird enough, no offense, Ulos, but even for him he's been acting weird. Let's go"
The two of them walked into the dorms, looking for Abraham's room. Sunette knew where it was, and lead the way towards it, when Ulos heard... something. Someone talking in the bathrooms. It wasn't late enough for dinner, and nobody would be showering now. He whispered.
"Hey, Sunette. I think I hear something."
He gestured towards the bathrooms.
She nodded, and pointed towards them for him to go. She whispered back.
"Ok, check it out. I'll head to Abraham's room."
Ulos walked quietly, stopping just before the door of the bathroom.
"... understand, is that no-one wants you here, Empire. Not even the other Empires!"
"Shut up."
"No, let me explain it to you. The Preparatory is a place for people of class. What, you think because your aunt moved out here you get to stop being an Imperial? You think it means the other Imperials don't look down on you?"
"Shut up."
"Ooh, shut up. Shut up. It's all you can say. You know why? Because you know it's true. You know the Empire doesn't want you here, the Vorstallen don't want you here, and we certainly don't. So here's my offer. Leave, and you get to leave with your head held high. A filthy Imperial gets to go home and tell his stinking family that he managed to learn to read and write. I think that would impress them, don't you?"
"Shut up."
"Or we can do this again. You don't get to shower, you don't get to study, and you certainly don't get to leave the room while you're polluting our block. Right, roomie? Or if you don't understand, maybe I should head back into our room and find that little diary of yours, the one with the heart on it. Maybe that would-"
"SHUT UP!"
Abraham's voice came like a scream, and Ulos heard the sound of flesh on flesh, and then a loud crack as something hit the floor.
He shouldn't have just listened. Damn, he should've done something. Madavian would've done something. Then again... no, no, no. No time to think about this and agonize over it. He had to get in there and figure out what the hell was going on.
He ran in.
Abraham looked up sharply, and held his fists up towards Ulos, before relaxing after a second.
A boy with dyed-blue hair was lying on the floor, unconscious.
"Shit. Shit! Ulos, I-"
"I heard the last bit of it."
"I hit him. I didn't mean to, but... he's a Senator's son, Ulos. What am I going to do? If they find out..."
I'll be expelled.
Ulos heard the silent words, and he knew they were true. Maybe a senator's son could get away with hitting someone, maybe Madavian could. But a flit like him, with no social status or wealth to protect him? No, Abraham was in trouble. What was Ulos going to do?
Welcome to your first Crisis. Crises will take precedence over the week-to-week training while they are ongoing, and will generally be a series of decisions. They take up no extra time or Actions, but until the Crisis is resolved no Training will take place, and no time will elapse.
Please note that votes for the Sub-Options will total together - the Option that gets the most votes will be taken, and the Sub-Option under that option that gets the most votes will be taken.
Help Abraham (Vote for a Sub-Option):
[ ] Get Madavian: Madavian should be back at the room, and he's only five minutes away. He'll know what to do! Time usage: Medium
[ ] Get Sunette: She's not as diplomatic as Madavian (and being cautious may not even agree to help), but she is only a few seconds away. Less likely to have an effect, but very low penalty for failing. Time usage: Very Low
[ ] Move Abraham: The first priority has to be to get Abraham away from the scene of the crime. If someone else sees him standing there, it doesn't matter what plans you come up with. Time usage: Low
Don't Help Abraham (Vote for a Sub-Option):
[ ] Just Walk Away - Abraham hit a Senator's son. If Ulos got involved... well, it could spell disaster for him as well. Better to pretend it never happened, don't involve himself at all. Abraham will leave the Study Group. No other consequences. Ulos will gain Trait: Cautious (Some risky Actions are Locked). Crisis Ends.
[ ] Help the Blue-Haired Boy - Sure, Abraham is asking for help. But if Ulos helped the Blue-Haired Boy, he'd be owed a favour from a Senator's Scion. That wouldn't exactly be a small thing. He could maybe get extra money, or extra training. Abraham is almost certainly expelled. Abraham will leave the study group. Ulos will gain Trait: Calculating (+10 to all Diplomacy rolls that support his best interest over someone else's. -10 to all Diplomacy rolls that would support someone else's best interest over his.). Ulos may gain a Favour from the Blue-Haired Boy. Crisis Ends.
He couldn't just ask Abraham. Not really. He knew what it was like. If someone was attacking you for whatever reason, you clammed up. Nobody was going to help a flit, and nobody smart would interfere with whatever was happening, so the only people who were interested were those who were just doing it to screw with you more, and the stupid, who were rarely any help.
So he spent all of Saturday morning skulking around, listening to the various Narubite students who lived near Abraham.
(Check on Abraham - 31 + 10 (Cha) = 41 vs 80 DC. Solid failure.)
He must have spent hours there, pretending he was reading his textbook up against the wall, or strolling down the corridor with the occasional student giving him odd looks. Oh well, he thought. Maybe this was something he wasn't going to find out.
(Check on Abraham - 63 + 10 (Cha) = 73 vs 80 DC. Bare failure. Something happens.)
Saturday Afternoon:
(Scout out the Library - 32 + 46 = 78 vs DC 80. Bare failure. Next roll gains +78).
Almost. Ulos almost thought he understood where the three filing systems were, where the Souls books tended to be. So he went to the second floor, searching for the texts that should've been there. All Runesmithing.
"Damn. Damn, damn, damn."
He was on the verge of understanding the insane filing system, he knew it, but he wasn't quite there yet.
Sunday Morning:
Equations. Those were all that went through Ulos's mind now. The equations for spell volume, to be exact. Four hundred and thirteen exercises in the book on spell volume alone, each one more complex than the last. Working his way through these had not given him some fundamental understanding of spell volume, but he knew mastering a single piece of theory was incredibly valuable. Being able to understand how to modify his own spells (when he finally got to cast one!) would be invaluable, as he was not able to cast many of the standard-powered spells one would find in books or in many classes.
For the first few hours, he worked, stuck desperately on one problem.
"So sigil line length corresponds with spell volume in the domain of fire about eighty percent of the time, so why not here? Why do fireballs behave differently to igniting the air? What is the different?
Suddenly, he found the answer. "Of course. Cross-domain spells exist, and the element a spell manipulates is gradual rather than absolute. A spell might shift between being majority one-domain or another, but it takes on the attributes of not only the majority domain, but the domains that make up its constituents! So if I alter the equation according to the domain of air..."
(Training Roll: Magical Theory. (1+5)x4 Int = 20. gained +1 Lore: Magical Theory. Current rank is +10 Magical Theory (5/20 next step).)
Suddenly he was going through the problems at a rate, altering the equations and writing them down in his precise, tiny script. He stopped at the end, noting he had almost consumed an entire notebook. He really needed some alternative. Ah, well. A question for later.
Sunday Afternoon:
(Training Roll: Magical Theory. (3)x4 Int = 12. gained +0 Lore: Magical Theory. Current rank is +10 Magical Theory (17/20 next step).)
Sunette showed up, though not Abraham. They studied together quietly, Sunette mostly asking questions about spell alteration and Ulos answering. He felt like he was beyond her at the moment - she had studied hard, but perhaps not as hard as Ulos. She asked questions, Ulos answered, and whenever Ulos asked a question about some point that confused him, she had no idea. It wasn't that she was stupid, just a little further behind than he was at a stage where they were learning exactly the same material.
(Training Roll: History. (4)x4 Int = 16. gained +2 Lore: History Current rank is +8 History (1/10 next step).)
Likewise with History, though Sunette had an interesting note there.
"We know when the Empire fell, the Six-Fox Pact rose up to oppose it. What most don't know, I suspect, is that the only reason the Pact won was because the King of Bones was sabotaging it the entire time."
"Really?"
"Yes, it makes sense. The central Undying who remained were the most powerful of the empire's Clans, being so close to the old capital. They fought the Pact for five or six years before deciding to take the field themselves, as the Pact started laying siege to their cities and assassinating their messengers. The first three battles - Rantemario, Akkitar, and Narubar were all losses for the Pact, and big ones, too. Rantemario saw six hundred Pact mages killed, and Akkitar saw another two hundred. I think there was only like three or four hundred left at that point, and most of them died in the battle of Narubar. After the city of Narubar fell to the Undying, though, a lot of them just... died. Like, magical attacks straight through their wards, massive magical defense setups failing, and a huge chain of perpetual coincidences nobody but an idiot would believe were coincidences."
"So why don't the Narubites or the Undying know?"
"The Narubites, well... I think their Senators probably know. But for the average person, telling them the King of Bones helped them on their way to independence doesn't help the whole 'Rah, rah, let's fight the Empire' thing. The Undying... well, I bet they know. The King of Bones probably uses it to keep them in line, you know? Screw with me, and maybe Narubar finds out how to kill you, sort of thing. But you wouldn't tell the average person in the Empire, because the King of Bones wants his enemies sounding strong and keeping the people in line, y'know?"
Ulos nodded. It made a sort of sense. I mean, reading what he had, the King of Bones had hardly been the most powerful of the Undying before he took over, and the Empire looked poised for a civil war. Having all your most powerful rivals killed off in the middle of killing the rebellion threatening your lands would be an amazing coup, if you could manage it. The rebellion gets completely exhausted, and you get the ability to form government. Sure, you need to lose half the continent, but the alternative would be helping the more powerful Undying crush the rebellion and reform a government at Vorstal, which would leave you out in the cold with no power for another thousand years.
"Makes sense. Hey, I know it's earlier than we normally finish when we go hard, but I'm just a little bit worried about Abraham. Do you want to come check on him?"
(Sunette Relationship Roll: 16 vs DC 80, failure.)
(No Abraham Relationship Roll due to ???)
(Does Sunette Help? 71 + 40 (Friendship) + 10 (Cha) = 121 vs DC 80 (50 base, 30 from Sunette Trait: Cautious). Great success!)
"Sure thing. Let's head on down to his room and see what's going on. He's been... weird, lately. I mean, I know he's a flit, and he's Empire, and either of those things tend to make you weird enough, no offense, Ulos, but even for him he's been acting weird. Let's go"
The two of them walked into the dorms, looking for Abraham's room. Sunette knew where it was, and lead the way towards it, when Ulos heard... something. Someone talking in the bathrooms. It wasn't late enough for dinner, and nobody would be showering now. He whispered.
"Hey, Sunette. I think I hear something."
He gestured towards the bathrooms.
She nodded, and pointed towards them for him to go. She whispered back.
"Ok, check it out. I'll head to Abraham's room."
Ulos walked quietly, stopping just before the door of the bathroom.
"... understand, is that no-one wants you here, Empire. Not even the other Empires!"
"Shut up."
"No, let me explain it to you. The Preparatory is a place for people of class. What, you think because your aunt moved out here you get to stop being an Imperial? You think it means the other Imperials don't look down on you?"
"Shut up."
"Ooh, shut up. Shut up. It's all you can say. You know why? Because you know it's true. You know the Empire doesn't want you here, the Vorstallen don't want you here, and we certainly don't. So here's my offer. Leave, and you get to leave with your head held high. A filthy Imperial gets to go home and tell his stinking family that he managed to learn to read and write. I think that would impress them, don't you?"
"Shut up."
"Or we can do this again. You don't get to shower, you don't get to study, and you certainly don't get to leave the room while you're polluting our block. Right, roomie? Or if you don't understand, maybe I should head back into our room and find that little diary of yours, the one with the heart on it. Maybe that would-"
"SHUT UP!"
Abraham's voice came like a scream, and Ulos heard the sound of flesh on flesh, and then a loud crack as something hit the floor.
He shouldn't have just listened. Damn, he should've done something. Madavian would've done something. Then again... no, no, no. No time to think about this and agonize over it. He had to get in there and figure out what the hell was going on.
He ran in.
Abraham looked up sharply, and held his fists up towards Ulos, before relaxing after a second.
A boy with dyed-blue hair was lying on the floor, unconscious.
"Shit. Shit! Ulos, I-"
"I heard the last bit of it."
"I hit him. I didn't mean to, but... he's a Senator's son, Ulos. What am I going to do? If they find out..."
I'll be expelled.
Ulos heard the silent words, and he knew they were true. Maybe a senator's son could get away with hitting someone, maybe Madavian could. But a flit like him, with no social status or wealth to protect him? No, Abraham was in trouble. What was Ulos going to do?
Welcome to your first Crisis. Crises will take precedence over the week-to-week training while they are ongoing, and will generally be a series of decisions. They take up no extra time or Actions, but until the Crisis is resolved no Training will take place, and no time will elapse.
Please note that votes for the Sub-Options will total together - the Option that gets the most votes will be taken, and the Sub-Option under that option that gets the most votes will be taken.
Help Abraham (Vote for a Sub-Option):
[ ] Get Madavian: Madavian should be back at the room, and he's only five minutes away. He'll know what to do! Time usage: Medium
[ ] Get Sunette: She's not as diplomatic as Madavian (and being cautious may not even agree to help), but she is only a few seconds away. Less likely to have an effect, but very low penalty for failing. Time usage: Very Low
[ ] Move Abraham: The first priority has to be to get Abraham away from the scene of the crime. If someone else sees him standing there, it doesn't matter what plans you come up with. Time usage: Low
Don't Help Abraham (Vote for a Sub-Option):
[ ] Just Walk Away - Abraham hit a Senator's son. If Ulos got involved... well, it could spell disaster for him as well. Better to pretend it never happened, don't involve himself at all. Abraham will leave the Study Group. No other consequences. Ulos will gain Trait: Cautious (Some risky Actions are Locked). Crisis Ends.
[ ] Help the Blue-Haired Boy - Sure, Abraham is asking for help. But if Ulos helped the Blue-Haired Boy, he'd be owed a favour from a Senator's Scion. That wouldn't exactly be a small thing. He could maybe get extra money, or extra training. Abraham is almost certainly expelled. Abraham will leave the study group. Ulos will gain Trait: Calculating (+10 to all Diplomacy rolls that support his best interest over someone else's. -10 to all Diplomacy rolls that would support someone else's best interest over his.). Ulos may gain a Favour from the Blue-Haired Boy. Crisis Ends.
- Location
- Sweden
[x] Move Abraham
[X] Move Abraham: The first priority has to be to get Abraham away from the scene of the crime. If someone else sees him standing there, it doesn't matter what plans you come up with. Time usage: Low
-[X] Get Madavian: Madavian should be back at the room, and he's only five minutes away. He'll know what to do! Time usage: Medium
-[X] Get Madavian: Madavian should be back at the room, and he's only five minutes away. He'll know what to do! Time usage: Medium
[X] Help Abraham
-[X] Get Madavian: Madavian should be back at the room, and he's only five minutes away. He'll know what to do! Time usage: Medium
They are in the bathroom, so five minutes where it's locked and someones using it wouldn't cause a stir. More than enough to get Madavian, and given he's one of the five families, is charismatic, and likely has a certain amount of experience he can greatly help.
The other boy is unconscious so him waking up in that time period is unlikely, and in the low chance he does he'd just be groggy.
-[X] Get Madavian: Madavian should be back at the room, and he's only five minutes away. He'll know what to do! Time usage: Medium
They are in the bathroom, so five minutes where it's locked and someones using it wouldn't cause a stir. More than enough to get Madavian, and given he's one of the five families, is charismatic, and likely has a certain amount of experience he can greatly help.
The other boy is unconscious so him waking up in that time period is unlikely, and in the low chance he does he'd just be groggy.