3.1 - Week 3 Weekdays
- Location
- Straya
Monday was different. For two weeks, he'd shown up at the lecture hall, ready to write down the theories that underpinned magic and learn more about what exactly constituted a sigil, or a rune, or an alchemical recipe.
Today, he walked back towards Inukar's office. He knocked on the door, and it swung open.
Instead of the brawny teacher he was used to, a skinny, potbellied wildhaired boy stood there. His hair spilled down in curls over his shoulders, and his clothes were spotted and stained.
"Ulos?"
"Yes."
"I'm Edward Aster. Teach told me you're not an idiot."
"Well, thank-"
"Ratio between sphere size and line length in the domain of raw ether?"
"Square root of five."
"X is the size of a fire spell, AX is the size of an ether spell, where A is a semi-constant coefficient that indicates the magic usage on said spell. Where does A cease to be constant and start to become variable?"
"Effect sizes of around... six metres in radius?"
"Sphere or circle?"
"Sphere?"
"Wrong, ether spells and fire spells both deal with cubes. The geometric effect shape of a spell is mediated by its domain for the most part. This is basic, Ulos."
Edward looked down at him, suddenly disinterested.
"Ok. One more. Keeping all effects constant, transferring a spell from one domain to another. Causing a fire effect with the domain of water. How could you do that, and what sort of magic usage difference would you expect?"
Ulos's brow furrowed.
"The obvious thing is to make the effect size repeatable and intelligent and really small. Go after the water in the air, superheat it. The heat should come out in the air as fire, I think."
"The energy usage?"
"I'm not sure, but..."
"Rough estimate. Orders of magnitude."
"At least a thousand times more."
"Ten thousand. Not the worst estimate, though. Fine. Sit down, I'll teach you about changing spell domains."
Edward waved his fingers through the air, casually engraving a complicated sigil that flared a rainbow of colours briefly before disappearing. A sluice of water ran along a nearby blackboard, consuming itself once it had taken off the chalk.
"So firstly, only an idiot thinks domains are fixed. Sure, fire is fire, water is water, ether is ether. So on and so forth. But you can replicate effects across domains. You can make water move with fire, or fire move with water. You can push the water around in the air with the air if you're delicate enough. The elements exist and respond to the Primordial Ether in different ways, but the Primordial Ether transcends physical laws in some ways. You can heat water with a water spell or a fire spell if you're so inclined. The first can even be easier if you know what you're doing. So.."
Edward went on. Two hours later, he stopped.
"Ulos, come with me. We'll get lunch."
"I packed my own, so-"
"Undying below, Ulos. We're not eating the bread you scavenged from the nearest bin. Come with me."
The two left, Edward leading him down towards another building.
"This is the nearest cafeteria for mages. Normally we're not allowed in, but I'm me and you're with me, so it'll be fine. Let's get something better than the slop they serve in the dormitories."
It was a little building, with a single worker inside. On a large runed piece of metal large pieces of chicken sat, sizzling merrily. The man behind the counter stared intently at the chicken, deftly picking pieces off and placing them on plates when he deemed them done.
"Tanaka. Two lots of chicken with a side of vegetables."
"Sauce?"
"Whatever you think it is best. You don't tell me how to tear apart the fabric of the universe and bend it to my will, I don't tell you how to burn meat."
Tanaka laughed.
"Don't mind him, young man. He's like this with everyone."
Ulos looked up, but before he could speak Edward spoke again.
"He can say that because he makes me lunch. You just make me waste time teaching when I could be researching."
The two sat down, eating. Edward wolfed down his in thirty seconds flat, and engraved another symbol in the air.
"So, as you can see, the transformation between elements is impossible because it depends on the spell's effect, and spells do not smoothly move from one domain to another, so..."
It was hours later in Inukar's room that he was still being taught. Inukar had come in, looked at the two, picked up some papers and walked out. Edward had taken him back down for dinner, but today had been tremendous. Every time he'd asked a question, he'd gotten an answer rather than having to search through his book to find something tangential. This lesson had been useful beyond belief.
(Magical Theory Tutoring Rolls: (4+1)+(4+1)+(2+1)+(3+1) = 17 * 4 = 68. Gained +4 Magical Theory. Current +16 Lore: Magical Theory (0/25 next level).
At the end of the day (well into the night, to tell the truth), Edward had looked at him.
"You're not as hopeless as I had thought. Not exactly brilliant, but you'll do for the moment. Apparently you're what passes for talent in your year, so I suppose I hardly have a choice. Get out. I'll see you next week."
Ulos looked up at him. The other boy was insufferable and arrogant, but he had a right to be. The sheer level of knowledge he had displayed here had made Ulos lose track of time completely, and learn more than he thought was possible in a single day.
The rest of his classes seemed so prosaic, so pointless after that. The only thing he was able to pay attention in was Spellweaving, so he could follow along more closely with what Edward did.
(Training Roll: 2x4 = 8, Gained +0 Lore: Souls and Spirits. Current = +10 Lore: Souls and Spirits (16/20 next level))
(Training Roll: 1x4 = 4. Gained +0 Lore: History. Current +10 Lore: History (5/20 next level))
(Training Roll: 3x2 (Training Room allows use of Phys instead of Channeling) = 6. Gained 1 Spellweaving. Current state +4 Spellweaving (4/5 next level)
"Hey, Madavian. Look, I know I study a lot, but I feel like we don't hang out as much as we could. How about you come to study group?"
Madavian looked at him and shook his head.
"Not really me, Ulos."
"Aw, come on. I never have any time right now, and you're a friend. Hang out with me, even if you find it boring."
(Madavian Relationship Roll - 32 + 30 (Trait: True Friend or No Friend) = 62 vs 50 DC. Relationship increased two steps!)
Madavian shrugged.
"All right. But don't expect me to learn anything."
It was later on, in his study group things became different. History remained more-or-less the same, though he felt like he made valuable progress in magical theory.
(Training Roll: 1x4 = 4. Gained +0 Lore: History. Current +10 Lore: History (9/20 next level))
(Magical Theory Tutoring Rolls: 4 * 4 = 16. Gained +0 Magical Theory. Current +16 Lore: Magical Theory (16/25 next level).
(Abraham Relationship Roll: 88 + 30 (Trait: True Friend or No Friend) = 118 vs DC 80. Relationship increased!)
It was after this all, when Sunette left, that Madavian stood up.
"Ulos... that was the most boring thing I've ever sat through."
He sighed.
"By which I mean I don't understand any of it. Now I don't need to be the best, but if my father sees me failing..."
Madavian winced.
"I don't like to ask, but..."
Ulos shook his head.
"I'll help out."
Abraham stood up.
"Mind helping me as well? I feel like I just don't grasp the half of it in class, let alone when you talk about... whatever this is."
Ulos nodded.
"Let me think, though. I'm going to need to figure out how to run this..."
"I don't mean to impose, Ulos, but you're really good at this. And I need the help. I live on the floor of your room. Now you're out of class, I don't think the teacher even notices me. Thomas hasn't done anything, but I can't focus in class, let alone excel."
Madavian laughed, a short, barking sound.
"I don't like to ask for favours, but my friend just got invited to go study with some sort of genius while I'm still figuring out how to open the textbook. I'd really appreciate it. Maybe meet up once a week to tutor us?"
Abraham interrupted.
"It's ok if you just help us out occasionally, though."
Ulos stopped for a moment, and thought. How was he going to do this?
Another vote.
[ ] Help Weekly - It's a big time commitment, and it requires wrangling your two friends. Madavian is smarter, but has the attention span of a sparrow. Abraham tries, but this simply isn't something he's good at naturally. However, they'll learn a lot faster and get better marks than they ever would learning by themselves.. Locks 1 Action per week (Weekend Action). Ulos spends 1 Willpower point, Madavian and Abraham both gain 2 Lore: Magical Theory Training Rolls. Major relationship boost to Madavian and Abraham.
[ ] Help Occasionally - Tutor them when you can find the time. However, they won't be keeping up as well with their classes, and you won't be able to teach them what they need to know sequentially. Unlocks Action - Tutor your Friends. Madavian and Abraham both gain 1 Lore: Magical Theory Training Roll. Costs 1 Willpower. No Relationship change. Madavian and Abraham will occasionally ask you to help them, locking Actions at random, approximately 1 Action every 2 weeks on average.
[ ] Don't Help - You don't have time for this! You need to study and get ahead yourself! They're your friends, sure, but that doesn't mean you can spend your time training them when you need to become the best mage you can! No Actions locked, lose Relationship steps with Madavian and Ulos.
Today, he walked back towards Inukar's office. He knocked on the door, and it swung open.
Instead of the brawny teacher he was used to, a skinny, potbellied wildhaired boy stood there. His hair spilled down in curls over his shoulders, and his clothes were spotted and stained.
"Ulos?"
"Yes."
"I'm Edward Aster. Teach told me you're not an idiot."
"Well, thank-"
"Ratio between sphere size and line length in the domain of raw ether?"
"Square root of five."
"X is the size of a fire spell, AX is the size of an ether spell, where A is a semi-constant coefficient that indicates the magic usage on said spell. Where does A cease to be constant and start to become variable?"
"Effect sizes of around... six metres in radius?"
"Sphere or circle?"
"Sphere?"
"Wrong, ether spells and fire spells both deal with cubes. The geometric effect shape of a spell is mediated by its domain for the most part. This is basic, Ulos."
Edward looked down at him, suddenly disinterested.
"Ok. One more. Keeping all effects constant, transferring a spell from one domain to another. Causing a fire effect with the domain of water. How could you do that, and what sort of magic usage difference would you expect?"
Ulos's brow furrowed.
"The obvious thing is to make the effect size repeatable and intelligent and really small. Go after the water in the air, superheat it. The heat should come out in the air as fire, I think."
"The energy usage?"
"I'm not sure, but..."
"Rough estimate. Orders of magnitude."
"At least a thousand times more."
"Ten thousand. Not the worst estimate, though. Fine. Sit down, I'll teach you about changing spell domains."
Edward waved his fingers through the air, casually engraving a complicated sigil that flared a rainbow of colours briefly before disappearing. A sluice of water ran along a nearby blackboard, consuming itself once it had taken off the chalk.
"So firstly, only an idiot thinks domains are fixed. Sure, fire is fire, water is water, ether is ether. So on and so forth. But you can replicate effects across domains. You can make water move with fire, or fire move with water. You can push the water around in the air with the air if you're delicate enough. The elements exist and respond to the Primordial Ether in different ways, but the Primordial Ether transcends physical laws in some ways. You can heat water with a water spell or a fire spell if you're so inclined. The first can even be easier if you know what you're doing. So.."
Edward went on. Two hours later, he stopped.
"Ulos, come with me. We'll get lunch."
"I packed my own, so-"
"Undying below, Ulos. We're not eating the bread you scavenged from the nearest bin. Come with me."
The two left, Edward leading him down towards another building.
"This is the nearest cafeteria for mages. Normally we're not allowed in, but I'm me and you're with me, so it'll be fine. Let's get something better than the slop they serve in the dormitories."
It was a little building, with a single worker inside. On a large runed piece of metal large pieces of chicken sat, sizzling merrily. The man behind the counter stared intently at the chicken, deftly picking pieces off and placing them on plates when he deemed them done.
"Tanaka. Two lots of chicken with a side of vegetables."
"Sauce?"
"Whatever you think it is best. You don't tell me how to tear apart the fabric of the universe and bend it to my will, I don't tell you how to burn meat."
Tanaka laughed.
"Don't mind him, young man. He's like this with everyone."
Ulos looked up, but before he could speak Edward spoke again.
"He can say that because he makes me lunch. You just make me waste time teaching when I could be researching."
The two sat down, eating. Edward wolfed down his in thirty seconds flat, and engraved another symbol in the air.
"So, as you can see, the transformation between elements is impossible because it depends on the spell's effect, and spells do not smoothly move from one domain to another, so..."
It was hours later in Inukar's room that he was still being taught. Inukar had come in, looked at the two, picked up some papers and walked out. Edward had taken him back down for dinner, but today had been tremendous. Every time he'd asked a question, he'd gotten an answer rather than having to search through his book to find something tangential. This lesson had been useful beyond belief.
(Magical Theory Tutoring Rolls: (4+1)+(4+1)+(2+1)+(3+1) = 17 * 4 = 68. Gained +4 Magical Theory. Current +16 Lore: Magical Theory (0/25 next level).
At the end of the day (well into the night, to tell the truth), Edward had looked at him.
"You're not as hopeless as I had thought. Not exactly brilliant, but you'll do for the moment. Apparently you're what passes for talent in your year, so I suppose I hardly have a choice. Get out. I'll see you next week."
Ulos looked up at him. The other boy was insufferable and arrogant, but he had a right to be. The sheer level of knowledge he had displayed here had made Ulos lose track of time completely, and learn more than he thought was possible in a single day.
The rest of his classes seemed so prosaic, so pointless after that. The only thing he was able to pay attention in was Spellweaving, so he could follow along more closely with what Edward did.
(Training Roll: 2x4 = 8, Gained +0 Lore: Souls and Spirits. Current = +10 Lore: Souls and Spirits (16/20 next level))
(Training Roll: 1x4 = 4. Gained +0 Lore: History. Current +10 Lore: History (5/20 next level))
(Training Roll: 3x2 (Training Room allows use of Phys instead of Channeling) = 6. Gained 1 Spellweaving. Current state +4 Spellweaving (4/5 next level)
"Hey, Madavian. Look, I know I study a lot, but I feel like we don't hang out as much as we could. How about you come to study group?"
Madavian looked at him and shook his head.
"Not really me, Ulos."
"Aw, come on. I never have any time right now, and you're a friend. Hang out with me, even if you find it boring."
(Madavian Relationship Roll - 32 + 30 (Trait: True Friend or No Friend) = 62 vs 50 DC. Relationship increased two steps!)
Madavian shrugged.
"All right. But don't expect me to learn anything."
It was later on, in his study group things became different. History remained more-or-less the same, though he felt like he made valuable progress in magical theory.
(Training Roll: 1x4 = 4. Gained +0 Lore: History. Current +10 Lore: History (9/20 next level))
(Magical Theory Tutoring Rolls: 4 * 4 = 16. Gained +0 Magical Theory. Current +16 Lore: Magical Theory (16/25 next level).
(Abraham Relationship Roll: 88 + 30 (Trait: True Friend or No Friend) = 118 vs DC 80. Relationship increased!)
It was after this all, when Sunette left, that Madavian stood up.
"Ulos... that was the most boring thing I've ever sat through."
He sighed.
"By which I mean I don't understand any of it. Now I don't need to be the best, but if my father sees me failing..."
Madavian winced.
"I don't like to ask, but..."
Ulos shook his head.
"I'll help out."
Abraham stood up.
"Mind helping me as well? I feel like I just don't grasp the half of it in class, let alone when you talk about... whatever this is."
Ulos nodded.
"Let me think, though. I'm going to need to figure out how to run this..."
"I don't mean to impose, Ulos, but you're really good at this. And I need the help. I live on the floor of your room. Now you're out of class, I don't think the teacher even notices me. Thomas hasn't done anything, but I can't focus in class, let alone excel."
Madavian laughed, a short, barking sound.
"I don't like to ask for favours, but my friend just got invited to go study with some sort of genius while I'm still figuring out how to open the textbook. I'd really appreciate it. Maybe meet up once a week to tutor us?"
Abraham interrupted.
"It's ok if you just help us out occasionally, though."
Ulos stopped for a moment, and thought. How was he going to do this?
Another vote.
[ ] Help Weekly - It's a big time commitment, and it requires wrangling your two friends. Madavian is smarter, but has the attention span of a sparrow. Abraham tries, but this simply isn't something he's good at naturally. However, they'll learn a lot faster and get better marks than they ever would learning by themselves.. Locks 1 Action per week (Weekend Action). Ulos spends 1 Willpower point, Madavian and Abraham both gain 2 Lore: Magical Theory Training Rolls. Major relationship boost to Madavian and Abraham.
[ ] Help Occasionally - Tutor them when you can find the time. However, they won't be keeping up as well with their classes, and you won't be able to teach them what they need to know sequentially. Unlocks Action - Tutor your Friends. Madavian and Abraham both gain 1 Lore: Magical Theory Training Roll. Costs 1 Willpower. No Relationship change. Madavian and Abraham will occasionally ask you to help them, locking Actions at random, approximately 1 Action every 2 weeks on average.
