Vorstallen Magic Preparatory - The Third-Best School for Young Mages in the Nation! Enrol Today!
- Thread starter occipitallobe
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Nice update, we haven't really proven ourselves in front of Pia and Sadulk but perhaps that was for the best. Thanks @occipitallobe
[X] Spy on Pia
[X] Spy on Pia
Barondoctor
The things I chase come to me.
- Location
- The other side of the mirror
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Bloody seconded. I smell a bad end, or at least high risk low reward. Remember, we have near-zero magic pool and casting shatter illusion could be loud and considered rude.
[X] Let Inukar Handle It.
I do, however, appreciate that we got a reroll from our conversation with Edward about the Fifth Magisterium.
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- Location
- Burgundian Netherlands
[ ] Let Inukar Handle It
Not because it's risky, but I simply don't quite see the reward. Getting our mind splintered doing covert ops while we are not equipped for such in the slightest (neither diplomacy wise, nor for the physically sneaking around bit) is one thing. But doing so while missing the rest of the lectures and potentially interesting bits, and still being exposed to the danger of meddling in the power games between two powerful mages, neither of them who particularly care about us, and without any potential rewards aside from Inukar brownie points? Think I'll pass.
Not because it's risky, but I simply don't quite see the reward. Getting our mind splintered doing covert ops while we are not equipped for such in the slightest (neither diplomacy wise, nor for the physically sneaking around bit) is one thing. But doing so while missing the rest of the lectures and potentially interesting bits, and still being exposed to the danger of meddling in the power games between two powerful mages, neither of them who particularly care about us, and without any potential rewards aside from Inukar brownie points? Think I'll pass.
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- Location
- USA
On one hand I don't know how we even hang out with Pia now, unless we spy on them and clear her of whatever is going on. So I am tempted. But I'm worried because we don't really have the skills for it. Is our spying more hang out with Pia and see what she reveals or follow her from the shadows? It sound more like the latter and I'm thinking we don't do that well.
[X] Let Inukar Handle It
[X] Let Inukar Handle It
- Location
- Finland
Seems like high risk, low reward.
[X] Let Inukar Handle It
[X] Let Inukar Handle It
will408914
(slouching towards bethlehem)
- Location
- California
[X] Spy on Pia
- Location
- USA
Actually after thinking about it, if we want to ever hang out with Pia we need to find out more. And the protection will be nice too. If we fail we probably burn that bridge but if we roll bad for the conference we won't get much out of it either. I want to hang out with Pia so I think we need to spy on her to make hanging with her later less dangerous.
Uhh not sure if anyone else will follow my crazy train of thought.
[X] Spy on Pia
Uhh not sure if anyone else will follow my crazy train of thought.
[X] Spy on Pia
Adventure 4 - ...Into A Dead End
- Location
- Straya
A little late, but better than never, no?
(Intrigue Roll 5 + 0 (no applicable skills) = 5 vs DC 70. Critical failure! - I would have rolled this on-site but forgot how.)
It seemed simple enough.
"I'll do it, Senior Mage. What... what do you expect might happen if I fail?"
Inukar shrugged.
"Nothing permanent, certainly. He'd probably inconvenience you for a day or two in a way designed to humiliate me if he catches you. He's probably planning to humiliate me in some way anyway, though. It's mostly for my benefit - but, my benefit can easily be yours, eh?"
Inukar smiled at him. Ulos gulped, and decided to follow her. He sketched a sigil in the air, one, twice, and three times, giving Ulos ample time to memorise it.
Learned Shatter Illusions!
It was a few hours later that Ulos saw Pia, and decided to follow her. Things were going well at first - she meandered from shop to shop, looking at this and that. He didn't see Sadulk anywhere. For a few hours he followed her, and slowly but surely the streets became emptier and emptier. Soon, it was just Pia and he, walking down an empty street. Ulos scampered from cart to open door to table to hide behind, but she never once bothered to look at him.
Two hours.
Four hours.
Six hours.
Time passed, and Ulos felt his legs become weary, and his... voice? That was peculiar. Why was his voice weary when he had been so quiet. In a single moment, his awareness pulsated, and Ulos knew where he was. An illusion, though a masterful one. He moved his fingers, wiggling them carefully to perform the spell as he'd been shown. Nothing.
Again!
Nothing. He couldn't perform it, though he tried again and again. Whatever he was trapped in, it was beyond the ability of Inukar's spell to break.
What else was there to do? He continued following Pia. She darted among the streets faster now, harder to follow, flickering like a ghost. He couldn't catch her, no matter how hard he tried. Fear started rising in his guts, unable to escape a reality that he knew wasn't real, but couldn't properly touch. Would he be here forever? Who knew? Was he in his real body running around, hurting himself, getting hurt by others? Humiliating himself?
His breath began to rise sharp and short, and he felt the fear beginning to overwhelm him. Trapped inside an alien world for trying to spy on someone? That was insane!
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the world shattered. Fragments of reality crashed down, building crumbling upwards and outwards, streets evaporating into clouds of molten gold, the earth itself becoming a spray of rainbow lights. The last thing remaining in the world was Pia, and her face and body warped... into Inukar.
"There, there, lad. You got hit hard."
Ulos looked up wearily. He was sitting in a hallway, wearing his shirt and underpants. No, not his shirt. He looked down at the shirt, and felt a tremendous sense of vertigo, and very nearly vomited. Then he did.
Inukar leapt backwards, and sketched a sigil in the air, whisking the vomit up and out a convenient window. Ulos heard an angered yelp from outside, but he was in no way able to care.
The shirt had words etched on it. He tugged at it, trying to remove it, but it was stuck fast. After a moment of two he managed to read the words.
"My mentor is a big ugly whoregoblin!"
The 'my mentor' part of the phrase sat above a passable portrait of Inukar's face, the 'is a big ugly whoregoblin!' part sat below.
Inukar sighed.
"That man could never take a joke. Or being broken up with."
Ulos tugged at the shirt again. It seemed like it was fused to his skin. He hyperventilated, beginning to panic.
"Easy, Ulos. I think I've reasoned out what's happened here. Simple enough - mind magic to disorient, a second layer to prevent you from properly feeling your own body and being able to cast an effective counterspell. The shirt... I'm surprised he went to the effort. There's a rune on that cloth, which means I'll need to get a Concoction for you to drink so you can slough off your skin and grow new skin to get it off. Easier than carving it off and trying to heal the wounds without scarring. Not to worry, I'll pay for it all."
Inukar shook his head.
"We'll head back. You've already suffered enough, and I won't be able to show my face here if you're wearing that."
Inukar shook his head again, and sighed.
"Sorry about this all. I keep comparing you to Edward - your talent in theory isn't that far below his, but I forget that you lack his talent in other matters."
He gathered Ulos up, and threw him over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.
A few minutes later Inukar called up a coach, and they were away.
It wasn't until they were back at the Preparatory that Inukar spoke again.
"Ulos, you might resent me for this - using you as a pawn to spy on a rival. I don't regret having you do what you did, though. Edward never learned to avoid risk, and he rushes forward with all the ability of a genius and all the caution of a child. As much as I admire his talent, he's likely to kill himself before too long. You, on the other hand... better to learn the lesson now, from someone who wouldn't harm you, but would happily humiliate you. You suffered from failure, but better to suffer now than die later. Better that you'd succeeded, of course, but too many students only learn the lessons of failure and the risks of magic when those risks present real harm."
Ulos didn't say anything. But in his mind, one thing was repeating over and over.
[ ] Inukar Is Right, Danger Is Everywhere - Insane as what just happened was - being trapped inside a magical maze inside his own mind, Inukar made a good point in a poor way. He needed to understand the dangers in front of him and work hard at avoiding them. So what if he progressed a little slower? Relationship with Inukar maintained. Ulos will gain Trait: Magically Cautious (Ulos will be slower to learn new spells, runes, and Alchemy depending on the danger of the magic, but will gain a bonus to practicing and mastering things he has already learned. He will be more cautious generally.)
[ ] Inukar Is Wrong, Danger Must Be Faced - The danger is there, but Edward has only gotten as far as he has, as fast as he has because he's willing to take risks. It makes sense to follow in his footsteps. Ulos isn't Madavian, with a hundred safety nets ready to catch him. If he doesn't crash through all the barriers in front him, he'll just crash. Relationship with Inukar maintained, future relationship gains with Inukar diminished. Ulos will gain Trait: Forging Onwards (Ulos is more willing to take risks. He gains a bonus to learning new spells, runes, and Alchemy, but has a doubled risk of disaster when learning new dangerous magic. He will be more decisive generally.)
[ ] Who does that?! - What in the devilry of the Saint was that? Inukar let him get sent into a terrifying illusionary world, humiliated, sickened, and now Ulos has to regrow his skin! That's insane. There needs to come a point where Ulos spends less time with Inukar, and more time with other teachers and subjects. Relationship with Inukar capped at Acquaintance. Ulos will gain Trait: Boundary-Keeper (Ulos will become much better at determining what he finds acceptable and not, and will be able to deny requests from his friends if they cross those boundaries, even if they're in desperate need. Mitigates some of the mandatory actions from True Friend or No Friend).
(Intrigue Roll 5 + 0 (no applicable skills) = 5 vs DC 70. Critical failure! - I would have rolled this on-site but forgot how.)
It seemed simple enough.
"I'll do it, Senior Mage. What... what do you expect might happen if I fail?"
Inukar shrugged.
"Nothing permanent, certainly. He'd probably inconvenience you for a day or two in a way designed to humiliate me if he catches you. He's probably planning to humiliate me in some way anyway, though. It's mostly for my benefit - but, my benefit can easily be yours, eh?"
Inukar smiled at him. Ulos gulped, and decided to follow her. He sketched a sigil in the air, one, twice, and three times, giving Ulos ample time to memorise it.
Learned Shatter Illusions!
It was a few hours later that Ulos saw Pia, and decided to follow her. Things were going well at first - she meandered from shop to shop, looking at this and that. He didn't see Sadulk anywhere. For a few hours he followed her, and slowly but surely the streets became emptier and emptier. Soon, it was just Pia and he, walking down an empty street. Ulos scampered from cart to open door to table to hide behind, but she never once bothered to look at him.
Two hours.
Four hours.
Six hours.
Time passed, and Ulos felt his legs become weary, and his... voice? That was peculiar. Why was his voice weary when he had been so quiet. In a single moment, his awareness pulsated, and Ulos knew where he was. An illusion, though a masterful one. He moved his fingers, wiggling them carefully to perform the spell as he'd been shown. Nothing.
Again!
Nothing. He couldn't perform it, though he tried again and again. Whatever he was trapped in, it was beyond the ability of Inukar's spell to break.
What else was there to do? He continued following Pia. She darted among the streets faster now, harder to follow, flickering like a ghost. He couldn't catch her, no matter how hard he tried. Fear started rising in his guts, unable to escape a reality that he knew wasn't real, but couldn't properly touch. Would he be here forever? Who knew? Was he in his real body running around, hurting himself, getting hurt by others? Humiliating himself?
His breath began to rise sharp and short, and he felt the fear beginning to overwhelm him. Trapped inside an alien world for trying to spy on someone? That was insane!
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the world shattered. Fragments of reality crashed down, building crumbling upwards and outwards, streets evaporating into clouds of molten gold, the earth itself becoming a spray of rainbow lights. The last thing remaining in the world was Pia, and her face and body warped... into Inukar.
"There, there, lad. You got hit hard."
Ulos looked up wearily. He was sitting in a hallway, wearing his shirt and underpants. No, not his shirt. He looked down at the shirt, and felt a tremendous sense of vertigo, and very nearly vomited. Then he did.
Inukar leapt backwards, and sketched a sigil in the air, whisking the vomit up and out a convenient window. Ulos heard an angered yelp from outside, but he was in no way able to care.
The shirt had words etched on it. He tugged at it, trying to remove it, but it was stuck fast. After a moment of two he managed to read the words.
"My mentor is a big ugly whoregoblin!"
The 'my mentor' part of the phrase sat above a passable portrait of Inukar's face, the 'is a big ugly whoregoblin!' part sat below.
Inukar sighed.
"That man could never take a joke. Or being broken up with."
Ulos tugged at the shirt again. It seemed like it was fused to his skin. He hyperventilated, beginning to panic.
"Easy, Ulos. I think I've reasoned out what's happened here. Simple enough - mind magic to disorient, a second layer to prevent you from properly feeling your own body and being able to cast an effective counterspell. The shirt... I'm surprised he went to the effort. There's a rune on that cloth, which means I'll need to get a Concoction for you to drink so you can slough off your skin and grow new skin to get it off. Easier than carving it off and trying to heal the wounds without scarring. Not to worry, I'll pay for it all."
Inukar shook his head.
"We'll head back. You've already suffered enough, and I won't be able to show my face here if you're wearing that."
Inukar shook his head again, and sighed.
"Sorry about this all. I keep comparing you to Edward - your talent in theory isn't that far below his, but I forget that you lack his talent in other matters."
He gathered Ulos up, and threw him over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.
A few minutes later Inukar called up a coach, and they were away.
It wasn't until they were back at the Preparatory that Inukar spoke again.
"Ulos, you might resent me for this - using you as a pawn to spy on a rival. I don't regret having you do what you did, though. Edward never learned to avoid risk, and he rushes forward with all the ability of a genius and all the caution of a child. As much as I admire his talent, he's likely to kill himself before too long. You, on the other hand... better to learn the lesson now, from someone who wouldn't harm you, but would happily humiliate you. You suffered from failure, but better to suffer now than die later. Better that you'd succeeded, of course, but too many students only learn the lessons of failure and the risks of magic when those risks present real harm."
Ulos didn't say anything. But in his mind, one thing was repeating over and over.
[ ] Inukar Is Right, Danger Is Everywhere - Insane as what just happened was - being trapped inside a magical maze inside his own mind, Inukar made a good point in a poor way. He needed to understand the dangers in front of him and work hard at avoiding them. So what if he progressed a little slower? Relationship with Inukar maintained. Ulos will gain Trait: Magically Cautious (Ulos will be slower to learn new spells, runes, and Alchemy depending on the danger of the magic, but will gain a bonus to practicing and mastering things he has already learned. He will be more cautious generally.)
[ ] Inukar Is Wrong, Danger Must Be Faced - The danger is there, but Edward has only gotten as far as he has, as fast as he has because he's willing to take risks. It makes sense to follow in his footsteps. Ulos isn't Madavian, with a hundred safety nets ready to catch him. If he doesn't crash through all the barriers in front him, he'll just crash. Relationship with Inukar maintained, future relationship gains with Inukar diminished. Ulos will gain Trait: Forging Onwards (Ulos is more willing to take risks. He gains a bonus to learning new spells, runes, and Alchemy, but has a doubled risk of disaster when learning new dangerous magic. He will be more decisive generally.)
[ ] Who does that?! - What in the devilry of the Saint was that? Inukar let him get sent into a terrifying illusionary world, humiliated, sickened, and now Ulos has to regrow his skin! That's insane. There needs to come a point where Ulos spends less time with Inukar, and more time with other teachers and subjects. Relationship with Inukar capped at Acquaintance. Ulos will gain Trait: Boundary-Keeper (Ulos will become much better at determining what he finds acceptable and not, and will be able to deny requests from his friends if they cross those boundaries, even if they're in desperate need. Mitigates some of the mandatory actions from True Friend or No Friend).
[X] Who does that?! - What in the devilry of the Saint was that? Inukar let him get sent into a terrifying illusionary world, humiliated, sickened, and now Ulos has to regrow his skin! That's insane. There needs to come a point where Ulos spends less time with Inukar, and more time with other teachers and subjects. Relationship with Inukar capped at Acquaintance. Ulos will gain Trait: Boundary-Keeper (Ulos will become much better at determining what he finds acceptable and not, and will be able to deny requests from his friends if they cross those boundaries, even if they're in desperate need. Mitigates some of the mandatory actions from True Friend or No Friend).
MaouShoujoElla
Organics Automata
- Location
- Dark Bramble
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Inukar Is Wrong, Danger Must Be Faced
InterstellarHobo
Cosmic Vagrant
- Location
- No Fixed Planetary System
I think I'm going to need to reread before I can vote, but I'm super glad to see this back.
- Location
- Too Deep in the Midnight Sea
I don't remember who any of these people are.
