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Vorstallen Magic Preparatory - The Third-Best School for Young Mages in the Nation! Enrol Today!

Reader mode
[X] Map out the Dorms
If we're gonna take actions, this would be a good thing to do.
[X] Study Group (Willpower)
Worth keeping up. We can work on Souls and Spirits once we figure out the Abraham-on-our-floor situation.
[X] Madavian's Speed Dating Agency (Willpower)
Said situation might be helped by this action. Someone might know somebody who could do with a roommate who isn't hostile to flits!
[X] Tutoring (Lore: Runes)
The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can throw together some emergency tricks.
 
So, it looks like Madavian's Speed Dating Agency is doing pretty well. However, there are three other actions vying for the two remaining Action slots.

Firstly, Study your Magic Pool offers several benefits. The first one is information on your Curse, or at least some information. Finding out what is and isn't possible is a huge advantage and could inform future class choices. It also allows you to meditate, which might have additional benefits (like a superior Willpower replenishment option, perhaps...). It's also not all that time-sensitive, though, as you can still take a lot of first-year subjects in second-year as electives. It's unlikely you'll be able to do anything in the short term without a huge amount of support in some form or another, or an extraordinary amount of intel, so knowing what's going on might only be satisfying, but not actually helpful.

Study Group is a generally strong option that offers generally good bonuses. Two Training Rolls, one Relationship Roll. Your locked-in Class Actions only offer one Roll overall, so it's pretty powerful. There's no reason not to take it if you've got nothing else in mind. It offers a bonus to Magical Theory (doing well at which will offer advantages in the coming terms), and History (which is a diplomatic skill you're almost sure to find useful). Plus it helps with your relationship with Abraham, ensuring you don't lose Friendship status. However, the Relationship Roll will have less impact from now on, and you're already locked in to some really powerful Magical Theory training, so it might not be as amazing as it sounds.

Lastly, Tutoring is almost an obvious choice in some ways. It offers three focused Training Rolls on one subject. If you decide to take a Runes class later and walk in with 10 or more Lore skill, you'll find yourself progressing very rapidly, which is both an advantage for you and an advantage for your relationship with the teacher. However, likewise, it's not all that time-sensitive. As long as you finish the Tutoring sessions before the next term begins, you'll be able to walk into class and do well fairly easily.
 
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Lore Post: Paths to Power
  • Apocrypha
    • Ulos had read a fairly focused selection of books so far, but "Paths to Power: A Study of Great Mages" was well outside his usual selection.

    Still, while he was waiting for the others to arrive for their tutoring session, he figured it might make some interesting light reading...


    Chapter One: A Summary of the Paths

    Many who have read previous editions of this work have written to the publisher and complained that this book does not contain the secrets to power. To them, I say, of course not. If power could be obtained as easily as reading a single book, all of us would be archmages and the great schools and universities of Vorstal would not exist. So to make it clear - this is not a book that describes some mythical and secretive path to power. Rather, it is descriptive, looking at those mages who have come before us and what forms their power has taken as to see what paths might be open to us as practitioners and wielders of the Primordial Ether.

    In that light, I am writing to summarise the basic ways mages have come to power in the last three or four hundred years.

    There are fundamentally two Great Paths, as I am calling them. The first is the Path of Inner Strength, the path walked by those who use sigils most commonly and fight in great wars. Mages of this sort have strength within themselves, strength called forth at need. Whether that strength comes from raw magical power, endless practice of spells, or secret knowledge of more powerful sigils depends on the mage in question, but the simple truth when facing a mage of this Path is this: You must not fight them unprepared, for they will win.

    The second is the Path of Accumulation. This is perhaps less common - the Path of Accumulation sees most generally those mages who focus on Runecrafting, Artifact Forging, and Alchemy. Mages who prefer to accumulate powerful items and use them to outwit and destroy their opponents. The simplest rule for facing a mage of Accumulation is this: Do not face them on ground of their choosing, for they will win.

    The Path of Inner Strength sees three primary sorts of practitioner.

    The first is the combat mage, who I will call the Mage of Power. Usually marked by their high physical abilities and great Magic Pools, they are mages who tend to master a small variety of spells - shields, attacks, and mobility spells, and focus on wearing their enemies down. They know a few utility spells, but tend to prefer to focus a few limited spells so that they might cast quickly and accurately. The Mage of Power is the most dangerous mage to face unprepared, and the average practitioner should retreat immediately if faced with such a superior mage.

    The second is the Mage of Secret Knowledge. Even a weak mage can be a dangerous opponent with secret knowledge. Most defenses are built to counter common spells, or common forms of attack. The more esoteric and unknown a vector of attack is, the harder it can be to defend against. Those mages with secret knowledge unknown to others can circumvent enemy defenses with ease, taking down more powerful opponents with little effort. The Mage of Secret Knowledge is the mage one should generally attack immediately, as they are generally focused entirely on a small array of tremendously esoteric spells, and their defenses are rarely all that powerful.

    The third is the Physical Alchemist. Rare among mages, the great Physical Alchemists number less than ten in recorded history, but each is tremendously powerful for a few simple reasons. The first is this: Magic is usually reliant on a mage's reflexes and a mage's dexterity in terms of casting. A Physical Alchemist tends to use a great many concoctions that sit in the body, often keeping a single pill or vial that activates them all, making them inhumanly fast and impossibly strong. While their casting is weak, a mage capable of covering ten or twenty times the ground you might in the same timeframe, and who can cast ten times as fast is a nearly impossible combat opponent.

    All powerful Alchemists tend to specialise in Physical Alchemy to some degree - where Runesmiths might have powerful charged defenses, an Alchemist generally has at least three or four concoctions in their body at any time, ready to be activated. For the most part these tend to be speed and awareness potions - helping an Alchemist escape to a superior position. An Alchemist who eschews mere escape can be so quick that even their inferior casting skills and lesser spell knowledge can overcome an enemy through sheer saturation. The easiest way to defeat a Physical Alchemist is to to know a decent flight sigil, or some form of spell that allows you to escape temporarily. Their Alchemy will soon be exhausted, upon which you should be able to kill them at your leisure.

    Conversely, the Path of Accumulation only really sees three sorts of practitioner.

    Firstly, the Runesmith. Forging Runes and Artifacts to form a nearly perfect defense, selling these to allow others to charge their equipment, leaving them never defenseless. A Runesmith might have eight or nine different sorts of defenses up at all times, as well as a layer of generalized defense that stops almost any sort of attack once and alerts them to the strike. Runesmiths tend to engrave their surroundings as well, empowering various defenses and awareness Runes in their smithy or laboratory. A Runesmith should never be confronted in their place of power. Even the most powerful combat mages tend to simply die in such situations. An enemy who can be prepared for any vector of attack and have a counter that automatically acts upon you is simply too powerful to fight. However, Runesmiths must leave their laboratories at some point, upon which they tend to be eminently vulnerable.

    Secondly, the Grand Alchemist. Unlike the Physical Alchemist, the Grand Alchemist tends to focus on peculiar traits to transfer in order to make their Alchemy ever more powerful. They tend to have a great many concotions and powers. They are the least powerful of all mages, at least personally. Grand Alchemists are researchers first and foremost, but the utility of their potions and poultices means that many other mages will pay to defend them. They tend to defend their laboratories with a mixture of runes and Alchemy-enhanced creatures. One of the most common Alchemical defense mechanisms is empower dogs or other trained animals to absurd levels, making them fast and incredibly deadly. Grand Alchemists are not strong as such, nor are they particularly threatening in combat, and few seek to kill them. Generally speaking, given the frustrating way in which Alchemy forces a mage to specialize away from other fields, it is best to befriend Alchemists - you do not want to be stuck making your own healing philters.

    Thirdly, the Magical Theorist. The Theorist is a peculiar sort of mage, hardly making anything of their own. Rather, they assist other mages in altering their runes and sigils, acquiring knowledge along the way. A Theorist is the most delicate of all mages, those often Theorists find themselves verging on being Mages of Secret Knowledge, as well. As weak as your average Magical Theorist is, though, it is entirely better to befriend them. Killing one will often find you all sorts of trouble, as those who can assist mages of true power reach higher potential have many allies. If you must kill them, do it swiftly and silently, with a common spell anyone could have used.
     
  • Apocrypha
    • occipitallobe said:
    So, it looks like Madavian's Speed Dating Agency is doing pretty well. However, there are three other actions vying for the two remaining Action slots.

    Firstly, Study your Magic Pool offers several benefits. The first one is information on your Curse, or at least some information. Finding out what is and isn't possible is a huge advantage and could inform future class choices. It also allows you to meditate, which might have additional benefits (like a superior Willpower replenishment option, perhaps...). It's also not all that time-sensitive, though, as you can still take a lot of first-year subjects in second-year as electives. It's unlikely you'll be able to do anything in the short term without a huge amount of support in some form or another, or an extraordinary amount of intel, so knowing what's going on might only be satisfying, but not actually helpful.

    Study Group is a generally strong option that offers generally good bonuses. Two Training Rolls, one Relationship Roll. Your locked-in Class Actions only offer one Roll overall, so it's pretty powerful. There's no reason not to take it if you've got nothing else in mind. It offers a bonus to Magical Theory (doing well at which will offer advantages in the coming terms), and History (which is a diplomatic skill you're almost sure to find useful). Plus it helps with your relationship with Abraham, ensuring you don't lose Friendship status. However, the Relationship Roll will have less impact from now on, and you're already locked in to some really powerful Magical Theory training, so it might not be as amazing as it sounds.

    Lastly, Tutoring is almost an obvious choice in some ways. It offers three focused Training Rolls on one subject. If you decide to take a Runes class later and walk in with 10 or more Lore skill, you'll find yourself progressing very rapidly, which is both an advantage for you and an advantage for your relationship with the teacher. However, likewise, it's not all that time-sensitive. As long as you finish the Tutoring sessions before the next term begins, you'll be able to walk into class and do well fairly easily.
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    If you can answer without spoiling things, how high does our Rune Theory need to be before we can start experimenting with runic items on our own?

    How would you describe Ulos' handwriting?


    @ Others
    I definitely think we should aim to become a Mage of Accumulation, Theorist + Runic style in the near future.

    However, our high post-necromancer magic pool and the depth of involvement in more esoteric fields (Spirits; souls; necromancy) that will lead to his death/our freedom will lead us to both the Mage of Power and of Secret Knowledge routes.
     
    Last edited:
    Umi-san said:
    If you can answer without spoiling things, how high does our Rune Theory need to be before we can start experimenting with runic items on our own?

    How would you describe Ulos' handwriting?
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    Not all that high, though your Craft: Runes here is much more relevant. You can design and envisage new runic items with Runic Theory, but the actual creation requires a decent Crafting skill - or hiring someone with said Crafting skill to do the experimentation for you.

    Also, Ulos's handwriting is excellent, but very slow. He's always been more interested in conserving paper than writing quickly and effectively.

    Artifacts are really just series of linked runes that activate in certain circumstances. Runes essentially do a thing connected to an activation effect. That activation effect can, however, be linked to another rune. Most basic protective items, for instance, are a detection rune coupled with a protection rune - detection runes detect the incoming thing (ideally when it's very very close, as runic activation is near-instantaneous), protection rune winks on, stops the thing. Once activated a rune doesn't de-activate, though. You turn the switch on and wait for the batteries to run down (which is why more complicated defense Artifacts tend to have lots and lots of complex runes, each stopping a single attack for minimal power usage).

    That being said, basic runes are pretty simple. A heating rune for water heats the water when the water touches it. If it's not running water, you get steam pretty rapidly. If it is, you get a perfect temperature shower. You can dial up the heat (or dial it down) by changing the structure of the rune, and a high-powered heating rune makes a pretty passable steam trap if you're building some sort of dungeon.

    So Ulos can build some pretty neat stuff early on once he learns a few runes, but building complex runic items will likely be beyond him for quite some time.
     
    Do powerful mages usually fall into just one of the paths or more of a mixture of them?

    Couldn't you be a Mage of Secret Knowledge who uses rare spells for offense and Artifacts for Defense? Just spitballing but that seems like a combo that would work well together.
     
    Sickul said:
    Do powerful mages usually fall into just one of the paths or more of a mixture of them?

    Couldn't you be a Mage of Secret Knowledge who uses rare spells for offense and Artifacts for Defense? Just spitballing but that seems like a combo that would work well together.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    This is more one book on categorizing mages and what the author thinks is an appropriate system - you don't have to necessarily fit into the boxes.

    Generally speaking, most mages will have some defensive Artifacts because otherwise you'll just get oneshotted from afar (scry-and-die is the preferred combat technique of everyone if they're allowed to pull it off), but big defensive setups tend to be more the province of people who can make Artifacts.

    However, it's often a question of what sort of abilities you have.

    High Channelling but low Intelligence? Grind a few spells, don't worry too much about Theory, and you'll be relevant. If you can throw thirty fireballs in under a minute, a really good defence on your opponent's part might not actually matter. If you can cast faster and cast more, unless your enemy came really prepared with lots of defensive Artifacts (or a lot of really good Alchemy), you pretty much win through sheer strength. Even a mage of moderate strength can be a really deadly combat mage by being able to cast a few spells on the fly in any circumstances, and alter them to fit the situation.

    Massive Intelligence but low Channelling? Secret Knowledge is the path for any mage who can't excel just by mastering a few basic spells. One of the earlier Lore posts talks about Melody Killwhisper who was a combat mage with really low Channelling. She had a scrying method nobody knew how to counter or track, plus a powerful cutting spell. While it's easy enough to defend against one or two cutting spells, if someone hits you with fifteen or twenty while you're asleep, you'd better hope you specced your Artifacts defensively against cutting force specifically, or you're dead.

    If you can't be strong, you need weird techniques nobody else knows.

    That all being said, though, your average mage generally specialises.

    Mages are usually rich enough to afford mid-tier Artifacts and Alchemy in moderation, and low-tier Artifacts and Alchemy in abundance (Buying high-tier Artifacts and Alchemy usually requires a strong personal connection with someone and a lot of money, even for a mage). So if you're a strong combat mage, you can generally make a lot more money (and thus get better items) by hiring yourself out and using that money to buy useful stuff. Likewise if you're a strong Runesmith or Alchemist - you can generally acquire better stuff just by trading money or services for the other stuff. Someone who goes 50% Alchemy, 50% Runes will be able to make both mid-tier Artifacts and mid-tier Alchemy, but someone who goes 100% Runes will be able to make high-tier Artifacts and use the proceeds to also buy mid-tier Alchemy.

    Likewise, if you're a non-combat mage, combat magic may not actually be worth your time, beyond a few basic cutting spells and escape spells. If you face off against an actual combat mage, you're simply dead. Someone who spends years training for combat will kill you almost 100% of the time in a real battle, so your best bet is usually to either set up the battlefield if you have to fight, or just run away otherwise.

    That's not to say that these skills aren't valuable, just that the rewards of any given magical 'tech tree' tend to be disproportionately concentrated at the end in terms of wealth and power.
     
    Ultimately, people are still fleshy bags of meat. If we have to kill a powerful wizard, we catch them off-guard or sneak around their defenses.

    How hard is it to get a simple line-of-sight teleportation artifact / trick / etc?
     
    Hmm well I'll make a case for Rune Tutoring over Study Group. Study Group is a good action as it lets us roll Theory History and Abraham's relationship, but it seems less good than it once was because of those 3 History is our lowest and the one we need rolls for.

    Runes on the other hand gives us three training rolls. Part of the reason I picked Lore:Runes is that the class offered by the school doesn't teach Craft:Runes yet. We can enter the class that teaches Crafting Runes and be at the same level or ahead of the other students, even though we didn't take the Runic Theory class.

    Might as well use the Tutoring sessions now when there's not a pressing need for another action. We are in the process of making friends so it possible the Study Group could expand and become a more efficient action, Tutoring is unlikely to improve.

    Also we might not need very high Rune skills to make basic alarms, which could help protect our space from our Rivals. Something to shoot for at least.
     
    Inserted tally
    Adhoc vote count started by Umi-san on May 28, 2017 at 8:44 PM, finished with 30 posts and 15 votes.
    Click to expand...
     
    @occipitallobe How hard would it be to develop Craft: Runes on our own? Is it offered as a tutoring option? If so, at what price? Would it be possible to arrange such a session with our current teacher w/o needing to go to the market again?
     
    Umi-san said:
    @occipitallobe How hard would it be to develop Craft: Runes on our own? Is it offered as a tutoring option? If so, at what price? Would it be possible to arrange such a session with our current teacher w/o needing to go to the market again?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Reasonably. Magical schools exist because developing any skill from scratch is really very difficult. You could pick it up as a tutoring option, though levelling Lore skills might open new doors, especially if you suck up to your teachers and ask them for favors.

    Also, it's pretty clear that Madavian's Speed Dating Agency (Willpower), Study your Magic Pool, and Study Group (Willpower) have won. I'll write up the first half of the weekend update now.
    occipitallobe threw 3 100-faced dice. Reason: Diplomacy Total: 154
    86 86 23 23 45 45
    occipitallobe threw 1 100-faced dice. Reason: Diplomacy Reroll Die 2 Total: 74
    74 74
     
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    3.2.1 - Week 3 Saturday
  • Threadmarks
    • It was early in the day when the three got up. Ulos had thought about this the night before.

    "Madavian."

    "Yeah?"

    Ulos frowned, and looked down at him from his perch on the top bunk.

    "Can you help me meet people?"

    Madavian looked up at him, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

    "Yes, technically. Any people, or someone in particular?"

    "Just... other students. I feel like I don't know anyone beyond you two, and as much as we're friends, I think we should maybe branch out a little bit."

    "Fair enough. Look, I figure if you want to do this, we do it right. Let me introduce you to some people I've met. Breakfast first, then we go meet people, ok?"

    "Sure thing."

    Abraham grunted from his position on the floor, legs under Madavian's bed.

    "Count me out. I've met enough people, thank you very much. I'll stick around here, look over my Magical Theory books. We're still on for this evening, Ulos?"

    Ulos nodded.

    "Yeah."

    They walked down to breakfast together, quickly showering - two showering at a time while one stood guard, and then the last one showering once the other two had dried out. These little pieces of paranoia seemed to be coming into his life again, Ulos thought. Where he had been paranoid in the Empire, he had spent a few glorious weeks simply thinking about learning, and then he had gone and picked a fight. Still, life was like that. If you didn't have enemies, they tended to find you for some reason or another, unless you were too weak to be noticeable. On the whole, he decided, he'd rather have enemies with power than have no enemies and no power.

    Breakfast was a simple affair - bread and soup, not the usual fare they had on weekends. They ate quietly, and afterwards Madavian stood up.

    "Alright, Ulos. Come meet someone."

    Madavian walked over to another table.

    "Henrietta."

    He looked down at a girl who was perhaps as normal as Madavian was odd. Where Madavian wore ridiculous glasses and coloured his hair flashily, this girl had twin braids, a pair of neat horn-rimmed glasses, and wore a quiet, conservative grey dress.

    "Junotrin. What do you want?"

    Madavian struck his hand to his chest.

    "Henrietta, I'm hurt! I thought we were friends!"

    "No, Madavian. My mother happens to be friends with your father. Junotrin and Aufstadt are allies. Ideally we'd be allies from much further away, but unfortunately life doesn't yield everything you want immediately. Don't worry, though. Once I'm head of the Family, I'll buy you a nice island in the Archipelago so I never have to see you again. Not that I'm likely to ever be head, but a girl can dream."

    The words were delivered in a tired monotone, as if this conversation had been had before.

    "Gosh, Henrietta. Don't worry, just because you don't think we're friends doesn't mean I'll stop being your friend. In fact, I'm such a good friend I thought I'd introduce you to someone you'll find interesting. Ulos, this is Henrietta Aufstadt. She's a boring old lady stuck in a boring young lady's body. Henrietta, this is Ulos. He reads more books than you, so surely you'll be friends."

    She looked him up and down.

    "Literacy is hardly a prerequisite for friendship, Madavian. Thought I admit in your case the lack of it is somewhat jarring. Why should I be interested in him?"

    Madavian looked down at her, smiling widely.

    "Ask him about magical theory, Henry."

    "Henrietta."

    "    Heeeennnnry."

    She sniffed, and turned away.

    A few moments later she turned back.

    "Please tell me you know something about magical theory and you're not as insufferable as this one."

    Ulos smiled nervously.

    "Um, I could definitely tell you about the basic elements of transformation between domains and some of the mathematical underpinnings of switching spell domains."

    Her eyes narrowed.

    "How would you know that? We haven't even covered that in class yet, and even being far ahead in the book... wait, I haven't seen you in class. You are a first year, right?"

    Ulos nodded.

    "I'm just being tutored outside of class, after Mage Inukar thought it was a good idea."

    Her entire body snapped around to face him, her eyes intent.

    "That was you?"

    (Diplomacy Roll: 86 + 10 (Cha) = 96 vs DC 40 (Family Junotrin Ally!). Excellent success!)

    "    Yes?"

    "Well. Sit down, Ulos. Madavian, go away. Nobody likes you anyway."

    Madavian shrugged, and spoke.

    "I like me."

    By then, though, Henrietta was already ignoring him, asking Ulos questions at the speed of bullets about magical theory. He did his best to answer, and the two sat there discussing theory for around half an hour.

    Henrietta smiled at the end.

    "Madavian was right. You are moderately interesting. Anyway, I'm off, but talk later."

    (Gained Relationship: Henrietta Aufstadt. Acquaintance: Academic Peer)


    Madavian found him against at lunch.

    "Ulos! Come meet my next friend!"

    "Are they really your friend, Madavian?"

    Madavian looked not at all abashed.

    "Everyone's my friend, Ulos. Unless I don't want them to be. Now, come on."

    They'd just finished lunch, when Madavian took them outside.

    As they came towards a girl, her eyes narrowed.

    "You didn't tell me he was Empire, Madavian."

    "We're all Empire, Lucy. I mean, if you go back far enough. Poor Ulos here was just born a little earlier than the rest of us, geographically speaking."

    "That doesn't even make any sense."

    Madavian smiled at her. This girl was tall and lanky, towering over the two boys, though she still would've been towered over herself by Abraham. Her hair was short, cut nearly back to her scalp, and her frame was wiry and muscular.

    "Look, I know you like Souls and Spirits, right? I mean, I don't, but Ulos is pretty knowledgeable."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah, he knows about the light in the room or something."


    The girl looked at him, bright blue eyes suddenly interested.

    "You can see in the darkness of the classroom? You figured it out? That was you?"

    Ulos nodded nervously.

    "Um, yes. It's pretty basic once you figure it out, though a lot of luck was involved."

    She smiled suddenly, going from suspicious to utterly friendly.

    "I'm Lucy. Lucy Firefield. I know, I know. The name is from my great-great-whatever-grandfather when he fought against the Empire back in the Rebellion. No hard feelings, right?"

    Ulos was a little shocked. This was a little different from the last few times he'd met Narubite students.

    "Well, no. I mean, I didn't fight in the war."

    She laughed.

    "That's the spirit! A lot of Narubites hate you all because you're the Empire, but Madavian said you were a flit. Basically every Narubite was a flit before we rose up, you know? I think it's silly not have the notion of solidarity, I mean, you probably suffer worse than we do from the Undying. Bunch of bony jackasses. Still, it's not like I'd be popular being friends with you..."

    She took a breath, and Ulos flinched.

    "But then, I wasn't really popular before. No skin off my face, you know."

    "Nose?"

    "No, know."

    "Huh?"

    Lucy laughed.

    "Look, I figure bad history between nations doesn't mean bad history between people."

    Ulos nodded.

    "You know, I think a lot of it is overblown. When the war happened, virtually all those Undying who ruled the region were killed. The remainder almost certainly helped Narubar get free, even if it was just them trying to destroy their rivals."

    (Diplomacy Roll: 23 + 10 = 33 vs DC 80 (Narubite). Major failure! Reroll! 76 + 10 (Cha) + 10 (Lore: History) = 96 vs DC 80. Bare pass!)

    Lucy's eyebrows rose.

    "Huh. I didn't know that."

    Ulos smiled.

    "Yeah. Anyway, what are you doing here? Out to practice something, or go for a run?"

    Lucy shook her head.

    "You know, I only know this pink-haired one because he helped me out buying school equipment. Met him down at the marketplace a few weeks back, got me some good bargains. Then he comes into day, asking if I wanted to meet his friend, so here I am. Thought he was going to try and set me up. Not that I'd say no, but my ideal man is more..."

    She waved her hands.

    "Gigantic and shooting fire from his hands and nostrils. It's a family thing. Anyway, how did you do the Spirit stuff?"

    "Well, I..."

    The two chatted for a bit. Ulos didn't exactly feel like he'd made a friend, but being able to talk to someone from Narubar without them being the enemy was surprising.

    (Gained Relationship: Lucy Firefield. Acquaintance: That One Empire Guy)


    At dinner, Madavian looked over at him, and jerked his thumb towards another table.

    "Again?"

    Ulos whispered at Madavian somewhat despairingly.

    "Oh, come on Ulos, it'll be fun!"

    He led Ulos over to a nearby table.

    "Hi, this is Ulos! I'm Madavian!"

    (Diplomacy Roll: 45+10 (Cha) = 55 vs DC 60. Bare failure!)

    A boy looked up from the table.

    "Please go away."

    "Oh, come on!"

    "No, we're eating dinner. I'm sure you're perfectly nice, but please, don't bother us."

    The other people sitting at the table nodded, or ignored them.

    Madavian sighed, and walked away.

    "Ah, well Ulos. Can't win them all."



    Later on, they were in the Library, Ulos tutoring the two about Magical Theory.

    "Madavian. Again. Reinald's First Theorem, in maths."

    "Um... x..."

    Ulos sighed in frustration.

    "Here. Write it down ten times. Then try reciting it to me again.

    "But Ulos, this is so boring. Can't we go meet more people?"

    Ulos looked down at Madavian.

    "Twenty more times."

    Madavian shook his head.

    "I'm going to die here. Die writing in a book! How does that make you feel, Ulos! Killing your friends with books and learning?"

    Ulos ground his teeth.

    "Write. It. Down."

    If he'd had any idea Madavian was going to be so dramatic about the entire thing, he would've said no. Getting the other boy to sit down and focus was like pulling teeth, and right now it felt like they were his own.

    It was several hours later when they'd left, Madavian having finally memorized the first two Theorems. Not that he could explain them, but at least he could recite them. That was... something. Abraham on the other hand had made slow progress. Ulos was surprised at how far the two were behind. Admittedly, he was probably halfway through the term's work already, but those two didn't seem like they'd even finished the first week!

    Madavian looked over at Ulos.

    "Hey Ulos."

    "What?"

    The words came out in an angry tone, and Ulos immediately regretted them.

    "Hey, don't worry. I'm not good at this, and I know I'm no fun to deal with. I was going to ask, though. Henrietta's pretty obsessed about being the best at magic, so she'd probably join your study group if you asked. Lucy... well, I figure she'd might be interested as well. To be honest, Sunette and you don't seem close at all anymore, and Abraham... he can't keep up with you. He's a great guy, but he's not the best at studying, sort of like me."

    Ulos thought about this. What to do?


    [ ] Invite Henrietta - Henrietta is clearly really interested in Magical Theory, so her joining the Study Group isn't really that much of a jump. It'd give you a good opportunity to make friends with her, too.
    + Having a intellectual rival will help keep you sharp.
    + Has similar interests to you, will allow sharing of research.
    + Highly likely to succeed.
    + Study Group offers a free Diplomacy roll for anyone you invite to it.
    - Aufstadt and Kerek don't like each other, so Sunette will be rubbed the wrong way and possibly leave the Study Group.
    - Really locks you in to the Aufstadt-Junotrin Family alliance side of things in Vorstal.
    - Abraham is kind of antsy right now, may upset him.


    [ ] Invite Lucy - Lucy might not seem super interested in studying with you, but she's friendly in general, so she'd likely say yes. I mean, probably.
    + Will unlock Souls and Spirits option in Study Group.
    + Make a Narubite friend!
    + Study Group offers a free Diplomacy roll for anyone you invite to it.
    = Moderately likely to succeed
    - Inviting a Narubite to the Study Group is really going to upset Abraham.
    - Doesn't offer a whole lot in terms of History or Magical Theory.

    [ ] Invite Both - Heck, get the whole gang together! Invite everyone!
    + Will unlock Souls and Spirits option in Study Group.
    + Pros of both options otherwise.
    + Get two free Diplomacy rolls!
    - Bringing in two new people makes it less likely you'll get either one. Lower chance of success per person.
    - Abraham is likely to be really put off his game. Two new people and one is from Narubar? He might freak out quite badly.
    - Cons of both options.

    [ ] Invite Neither - Easier on the group dynamic. Keeps all your current friends there, and allows you to proceed at your own pace
    + Changes nothing, can still make friends with your new acquaintances.
    - Changes nothing, but lose the opportunity to challenge yourself with new intellectual rivals in the Study Group.
     
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    • [X] Invite Both

    Abraham will be really put off his game, but I honestly think that this is a dealable issue. After he's freaked out over the course of the weekend he'll adjust, and realize that Henrietta offers another source of power and Lucy offers something of a counterbalance to the rest of the Narubians, or at least an additional, non-hostile exposure to their culture. Over the long run, having more people is a better option. We're not all going to take exactly the same classes, so having more people increases the likelihood that at least one person within the group will be a match.

    If Sunette gets rubbed the wrong way that'll suck, but honestly we've already barred her from rising in SL until she makes up for it, so no great loss.

    Also, I just can't decide between enhancing what we already have or branching out, so picking both leaves it to the dice a bit.

    @occipitallobe You write too fast.
     
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    [X] Invite Both
    "Look, Abraham, you know I'm your friend, right? Helped you with the senator thing, which we're still dealing with. You're sleeping in my room. You know where I sleep. There's a certain degree of trust and friendship and looking out for each other, right? Study group people are friends, but you and Madavian? You're magic-school family to me, the kind that has each others' back. Trust me."

    Sunette...I'm sorry, Sunette, but this feels very discard-and-draw, and you specifically didn't have our backs when it counted. You're not family.

    We're all but Madavian's brother-by-choice right now, so we're kinda locked into the Junotrin end of things anyway.

    Lucy covers the Souls and Spirits thing people have been clamoring for. She also gets us a Narubite friend and gives us a hand angling to pry Laila away from Rich Jerk Whose Name I Can't Remember Because His Real Name Is The Enemy.
     
    Can we do this gradually? I mean they're both pretty interesting and I want them both but yeah I guess we should gradually ease Abraham so he doesn't get too upset.
     
    [X] Invite Henrietta

    Losing Sunette isn't a bad thing, given she's already mostly lost anyway.
     
    PrimalShadow said:
    Lets not get greedy. The more people we invite, the harder it will be to keep the group from imploding.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    This is largely true. Keep in mind while Abraham will definitely still like you, his mental health is (for obvious reasons) not amazing. 'Upset' is probably better considered as 'will have negative effects beyond Relationship points' instead of 'will just sacrifice some points we can easily regain'.
     
    occipitallobe said:
    "Gigantic and shooting fire from his hands and nostrils. It's a family thing. Anyway, how did you do the Spirit stuff?"
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    And gigantic Abraham with his Physical 5 and Channeling 4....

    [X] Invite Lucy

    I like Henrietta but I'm not sure if I'm ready to give up on Sunette quite yet. I want us to at least have a chance to make up before we pretty much edge her out of the Study Group.
     
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