Vorstallen Magic Preparatory. The third-best magic academy in the city of Vorstal for which it...
Vorstallen Magic Preparatory - The Third-Best School for Young Mages in the Nation! Enrol Today!
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Vorstallen Magic Preparatory. The third-best magic academy in the city of Vorstal for which it is named. One of the newer colleges, but one of the better ones. Started by a consortium of Vorstallen merchants who paid a great deal of money to set up many talented mages there, what it lacks in tradition and accumulated knowledge it makes up in teaching talent. Admittedly, in a city with seven of the top ten magical academies in the world, this is not an unimpressive feat. Still, it's disappointing. You'd been aiming for Greystone Academy, and hoping for the Imperial Collegium, but the Preparatory is still good. Just not as good as you'd hoped. Oh, well. At least you made it into a decent school.
As the cart rattles along the cobblestones of Vorstal, you turn your mind back to the road that brought you here...
Firstly, where do you hail from?
[ ] Vorstal, the city itself.
+ 5 to Commerce Skill, +5 to Artifact Identification, no Diplomacy bonuses or maluses.
[ ] Narubar, the greatest nation in the Six-Fox Pact.
+ 100 currency to start, +10 Spear Combat, +10 Shield Use, major diplomacy malus to characters with Undying Empire background, major diplomacy bonus to characters with Narubar background, minor diplomacy bonus to characters with other Six-Fox Pact backgrounds.
[X] The Undying Empire, greatest empire of the world, once covering the entire continent of Afakal, ruled by the eternal King of Bones. The Undying Empire does not love mages as Narubar does, as mages form its ruling class - those from the wrong background or the wrong family will quickly find themselves ostracised for reaching above their station. Indeed, the ability to seize immortality with magic is jealously guarded, and the King of Bones and his Rotting Court only pass it on to the most worthy and politically connected. However, the Empire is steeped in magical knowledge and artifacts, and its place as the greatest world power has not been usurped.
+ 5 to Magical Lore: Necromancy, major diplomacy malus to characters with Six-Fox Pact backgrounds.
[ ] Crakon, one of the minor nations in the Saint's Archipelago.
+ 15 to Swimming, +15 to Craft: Fishing, + 15 to Sailing.
Secondly, what is your background?
Vorstal Backgrounds:
[ ] The Five Families, Scion:
Stats - 3 Intelligence, 3 Channeling, 1 Willpower, 4 Charisma, 4 Physical Ability
+ 500 coins, major diplomacy bonus to all characters with Vorstal backgrounds. Gain Trait: Family Love (The Family pays your way. They're unlikely to ask you to do anything, you're too important to risk) Starting age 16.
[ ] The Five Families, Country Cousin: Wow, you made it in! Sure, you're technically a member of the Five Families, but only technically. You're smart, though, and you have significant magical talent. You spent your formative years learning accountancy for one of the Family's businesses, you're not all that strong. You have all the charisma of an accountant, too, but you're very smart. You're not so connected the Families would send you to the Collegium, but they'll pay for Vorstallen, especially with your solid exam results.
Stats - 4 Intelligence, 4 Channeling, 3 Willpower, 2 Charisma, 2 Physical Ability
+ 100 coins, + 20 to Accountancy, minor diplomacy bonus to all characters with Vorstal backgrounds. Gain Trait: Family Service (the Family pays your way. They may ask you do things from time to time. Refusal could see these payments revoked). Starting age 18.
[ ] Genius Student:
Stats - 5 Intelligence, 1 Channeling, 4 Willpower, 4 Charisma, 1 Physical Ability
+ 10 to Lore: Magical History, + 10 to Lore: Alchemy, + 10 to Lore: Famous Mages. Gain Trait: Scholarship (the Preparatory pays your way, failing subjects will see this revoked). Starting age 15.
Narubar Backgrounds:
[ ] Senator's Scion:
Stats - 2 Intelligence, 4 Channeling, 4 Willpower, 1 Charisma, 5 Physical Ability
+ 500 coins, gain Trait: Daddy Issues (-50 on all rolls opposing your father's requests or demands). Gain Trait Daddy's Money (your father pays for school. Piss him off too much and he might stop). Starting age 18. Narubar characters start at +10 opinion towards you - a Senator's scion working to serve as a mage in the military fits the story of what the Senatorial class should be like.
[ ] Famed Warrior: Fighting in the Archipelagian War against the Undying Empire, you singlehandledly defeated a mage in combat, though the spell he used against you sliced off your legs a moment before he died. As a hero of renown, they had you lecturing in the halls of the Wolven Academy for the new cadets, until you decided you had endured enough. Seeking something more, you studying hard and took the tests to enter the various magical academies. Your ability to grasp the theoretical was always weak, and has not strengthened with time. It took three rounds of testing before you had learned enough to enter, and The government paid for your tuition willingly, though your results were barely enough to gain you entrance. A commander of men, you are charismatic and well-known, though your physical abilities are lacking. The magical floatchair they have provided you gets you around well enough, but is slow and difficult to maneuver, and it drains a lot of your considerable magical power.
Stats - 2 Intelligence, 5 Channeling, 5 Willpower, 5 Charisma, 0 Physical Ability
+ 20 to Tactics, gain Trait: Government Payment (the government is paying for your education. Given your heroic status, there is very little you can do to forfeit this),
gain Trait: Crippled (cannot walk without the use of your floatchair), gain Trait: War Terrors (Willpower roll whenever a roll involves using or seeing powerful cutting magics. If you fail, fail any rolls associated with said magics) gain Item: Floatchair (Allows movement in all directions at walking speed, permanent -2 Channeling malus while equipped). Starting age 26.
[ ] Military Orphan: Your parents were both proud members of the military, fighting in the Archipelagian War. Their unit was ambushed by a powerful mage who cut them to pieces within seconds. You were raised in one of the Military Orphanages, taught to read and write, and to hate the enemy who took your parents from you. With no real influence to speak of, you managed to get into the Preparatory through your tremendous intelligence, and the great power you were found to have during magical testing was no small boon, either. You're scrawny and weak, part of a lifetime of underfeeding from a government that paid more attention to its mages than its orphans, and you were always defensive, snapping at people for no reason. You aimed to become a mage so you could find the man who killed your parents and take his life just as he took yours. Failing that, a few hundred Imperial soldiers would do just fine.
Stats - 4 Intelligence, 4 Channeling, 3 Willpower, 2 Charisma, 2 Physical Ability
Gain Trait: Imperial Hatred (gain +10 on all rolls opposing a character with an Undying Empire background, -50 on any roll taken for the purpose of helping a character with an Undying Empire background). Gain Trait: Scholarship (the Preparatory pays your way, failing subjects will see this revoked). Starting age 18.
Undying Empire Backgrounds:
[ ] Scion of a Fallen Lich:
Your bloodline ensures magical talent, and you're on the run. You're tentatively safe in Vorstal - nobody is going to kill you unless they can make it look like a complete accident. Any bloodline from the Empire who did would find themselves cut out of magical education to some degree, and while many people want you dead, none of them want you dead at the expense of their own power. You enrolled because, well, running forever would mean you'd be found eventually. You need power to survive, and this is the only place you can get it.
Stats - 4 Intelligence, 4 Channeling, 4 Willpower, 4 Charisma, 4 Physical Ability
+ 20 Lore: Necromancy (+25 total), + 10 Hiding, + 10 Disguise, Gain Trait: Hunted (major malus on diplomacy with Undying Empire characters. The King of Bones wanted your ancestor dead, and he wouldn't frown on you dying, either. People will try to kill you from time to time. If you start gaining power, your enemies will consider it a priority to kill you. The Six-Fox Pact has no real reason to want you alive either, so you can't count on help from anyone unless you make some really good friends. You do get 20 stat points total as opposed to the standard 15, but this is Hard Mode). Gain Trait: Scholarship (the Preparatory pays your way, failing subjects will see this revoked). Starting age 15.
[X] Necromancer's Bargain: Like many of the poorer members of the Empire, you served the upper classes in what capacity you could to help your family survive. Gifted with tremendous natural power, you agreed to sell a significant portion of your power to a necromancer in return for money, and a good life for your family. At first he just took a little, and then more, and then more, each time paying a significant sum of money. Eventually you had barely anything left, not even enough to make it worth his while to steal any more. To effect this transfer you had to spend a great deal of time near him, and you learned bits and pieces of the ritual. The only useful thing you learned was that if the necromancer died, the power would return to you. With the money you had, you chose to go to a magical academy - if you could find some other way to break the bond, you'd be able to become one of the greatest mages of all. The curse has left you somewhat drained in physical ability as well.
Stats - 4 Intelligence, 6 (!) Channeling, 5 Willpower, 2 Charisma, 3 Physical Ability
+ 10 Lore: Necromancy (+15 total), Gain Trait: Curse of Transferal (-5 Channeling, -1 Physical Ability. Only method you know to remove this is death of the necromancer who created it). Gain Trait: Paid Up-Front (you've used your money to pay your tuition, getting a large discount for paying for all four years. This has left you with no extra money, but no obligations in regards to tuition). Starting age 16.
Crakon Backgrounds:
[ ] Write-In:
Seriously, why is someone from a little fishing village on an island nation at the fifth greatest academy for magic in the world? Write some reasons, and distribute 15 stat points among the 5 stats.
Game System:
The game runs on a pretty standard 1D100 vs DC rolls to achieve something.
To add to this, there are two mechanics that help the main character succeed on these rolls.
The first is Stats. Stats are permanent, not improvable (except through either extraordinary effort or extraordinary magic, and this is very rare), and give a bonus of +5 per stat on any roll associated with that stat. The average stat is 3. The maximum is 10.
The first stat is Intelligence. Intelligence impacts how quickly you learn while learning, how well you plan, and is a general all-around boost to anything involving thinking. A stupid character will have difficulty learning more sophisticated magics. That being said, not all magics are complex and intelligence-based. Some spells just involve drawing on a shit-ton of magic, dumping it into an area, and igniting it.
The second stat is Channeling. Channeling is how much of the Primordial Ether you can filter through your body before you simply can't anymore. This is largely determined by your birth, and cannot really be improved (artifacts can store magic for later, but these are expensive and rare). Your Magic Pool, is Channeling*10+10*Channeling^2. Channeling doesn't make your spells more powerful as such, it just allows you to cast more of them. A character with Channeling 1 will have a Magic Pool of 30, which will make practising powerful spells nearly impossible, and casting them rare. A character with Channeling 2 will have 60, and one with Channeling 4 (the highest possible start) will have one of 200, almost seven times that of a character with Channeling 1. Channeling is largely not applied to rolls.
The third stat is Willpower. Willpower determines how likely your character is to skive off, get scared, etc. Willpower increases the chances of a training check being successful - Intelligence determines how much successful checks give. Most Willpower checks are not subject to skill usage, so having a low Willpower means you'll fail a lot more training checks. Willpower also applies when enemy mind-affecting magics are used against you.
The fourth stat is Charisma. Useful for getting people to help you, as well as conversing with Primordial Spirits of various kinds. Being able to bind and use Spirits is highly Charisma-reliant, as they tend to be fairly willful and serve people they like. Skill Training is a lot easier if you have knowledgeable people to help you as well. A highly Charismatic character might find themselves keeping up with an Intelligence-based on by charming their teachers, for instance.
The fifth stat is Physical Ability. Physical ability determines how strong, fast, etc, you are. It also determines how much magic you can flow through your body at any given time. Casting spells in quick succession is physically exhausting - low-level magic use merely feels irritating, using a huge torrent of power can have deleterious effects on the human body. In addition, since magic is limited, being able to move around, run, fight, and so on is highly valuable for a mage caught with his or her pants down.
Secondly, Skills.
Skills can be improved through Training, and are the primary method of character progression. Training a Skill takes time, and learning a new Skill takes time. A Skill ranges from 1 to a hypothetical infinity, though in practice a skilled Blacksmith might have Blacksmithing: 30, and a master Blacksmith might have Blacksmithing: 60. 100 in a given skill is sublime, and beyond that is beyond the sort of skill your average person could achieve in a lifetime. Of course, as a mage tapped into the Primordial Ether, theoretical human skill doesn't mean that much to you.
Skill ranks are added directly to Rolls. Multiple skills can be used on one roll, provided they're both directly applicable (For instance, you're fighting a reanimated demon corpse - Lore: Demons and Lore: Necromancy are both applicable). If you have no skills directly applicable, but one that's fairly close, you can add half of that skill on. (For instance, you're fighting a unarmed fighter with a sword, and you have no ranks in Sword Combat, you could apply Unarmed Combat because he's fighting unarmed, and your skill kind of helps). You can only add one skill in this manner.
The character does not have hit points as such, but can gain temporary maluses to their stats. If Intelligence, Willpower, or Physical Ability goes below 0, you have died. If Channeling goes below 0 you are permanently cut off from the Primordial Ether. Charisma cannot go below 0.
Lastly, there are Spells.
While Skills assist rolls, Spells do one specific thing (For instance, the Curse of Transferal allows you to drain the Channeling Stat from another player, and 1 Physical Ability point per 5 points of Channeling). You can both learn new spells (which go into the character sheet), or improve existing ones, both of which have three things.
Firstly, Cost. Spells cost a certain number of points from your Magic Pool, depending on size, effect, etc. Most spells are fairly variable - want to make your fireball twice the radius? Eight times the cost. You can lower cost by studying the spell and finding ways to make it more efficient.
Secondly, Difficulty. Casting a spell is not a matter of thinking things into reality. You need to use Spellforms, either by drawing them in the air precisely and quickly, on the ground precisely (though not as quickly as the marks will remain), or on a device designed to turn Primordial Ether into spells. Some spells are simple and easy, others are extraordinarily difficult and require a huge amount of precision. You can lower difficulty with practice.
Thirdly, Effect. A spell has a precise effect, in that a fireball spell creates a great amount of heat, consuming oxygen within a certain radius. A levitation spell might levitate something at a certain speed, or a certain distance. Modifying a spell on the fly is very difficult, so most mages learn small variants of their most powerful spells.
All spells also have a School, which has no real magical effect, but determines where you'll find information about it in the library and which teachers are most likely to know about it, and which Lore skills are applicable to identifying it. Necromancy spells tend to be categorised that way because they were invented by necromancers, there's no real method of definition.
Let the voting begin!
As the cart rattles along the cobblestones of Vorstal, you turn your mind back to the road that brought you here...
Firstly, where do you hail from?
+ 5 to Commerce Skill, +5 to Artifact Identification, no Diplomacy bonuses or maluses.
+ 100 currency to start, +10 Spear Combat, +10 Shield Use, major diplomacy malus to characters with Undying Empire background, major diplomacy bonus to characters with Narubar background, minor diplomacy bonus to characters with other Six-Fox Pact backgrounds.
[X] The Undying Empire, greatest empire of the world, once covering the entire continent of Afakal, ruled by the eternal King of Bones. The Undying Empire does not love mages as Narubar does, as mages form its ruling class - those from the wrong background or the wrong family will quickly find themselves ostracised for reaching above their station. Indeed, the ability to seize immortality with magic is jealously guarded, and the King of Bones and his Rotting Court only pass it on to the most worthy and politically connected. However, the Empire is steeped in magical knowledge and artifacts, and its place as the greatest world power has not been usurped.
+ 5 to Magical Lore: Necromancy, major diplomacy malus to characters with Six-Fox Pact backgrounds.
+ 15 to Swimming, +15 to Craft: Fishing, + 15 to Sailing.
Secondly, what is your background?
Stats - 3 Intelligence, 3 Channeling, 1 Willpower, 4 Charisma, 4 Physical Ability
+ 500 coins, major diplomacy bonus to all characters with Vorstal backgrounds. Gain Trait: Family Love (The Family pays your way. They're unlikely to ask you to do anything, you're too important to risk) Starting age 16.
Stats - 4 Intelligence, 4 Channeling, 3 Willpower, 2 Charisma, 2 Physical Ability
+ 100 coins, + 20 to Accountancy, minor diplomacy bonus to all characters with Vorstal backgrounds. Gain Trait: Family Service (the Family pays your way. They may ask you do things from time to time. Refusal could see these payments revoked). Starting age 18.
Stats - 5 Intelligence, 1 Channeling, 4 Willpower, 4 Charisma, 1 Physical Ability
+ 10 to Lore: Magical History, + 10 to Lore: Alchemy, + 10 to Lore: Famous Mages. Gain Trait: Scholarship (the Preparatory pays your way, failing subjects will see this revoked). Starting age 15.
Stats - 2 Intelligence, 4 Channeling, 4 Willpower, 1 Charisma, 5 Physical Ability
+ 500 coins, gain Trait: Daddy Issues (-50 on all rolls opposing your father's requests or demands). Gain Trait Daddy's Money (your father pays for school. Piss him off too much and he might stop). Starting age 18. Narubar characters start at +10 opinion towards you - a Senator's scion working to serve as a mage in the military fits the story of what the Senatorial class should be like.
Stats - 2 Intelligence, 5 Channeling, 5 Willpower, 5 Charisma, 0 Physical Ability
+ 20 to Tactics, gain Trait: Government Payment (the government is paying for your education. Given your heroic status, there is very little you can do to forfeit this),
gain Trait: Crippled (cannot walk without the use of your floatchair), gain Trait: War Terrors (Willpower roll whenever a roll involves using or seeing powerful cutting magics. If you fail, fail any rolls associated with said magics) gain Item: Floatchair (Allows movement in all directions at walking speed, permanent -2 Channeling malus while equipped). Starting age 26.
Stats - 4 Intelligence, 4 Channeling, 3 Willpower, 2 Charisma, 2 Physical Ability
Gain Trait: Imperial Hatred (gain +10 on all rolls opposing a character with an Undying Empire background, -50 on any roll taken for the purpose of helping a character with an Undying Empire background). Gain Trait: Scholarship (the Preparatory pays your way, failing subjects will see this revoked). Starting age 18.
Undying Empire Backgrounds:
Your bloodline ensures magical talent, and you're on the run. You're tentatively safe in Vorstal - nobody is going to kill you unless they can make it look like a complete accident. Any bloodline from the Empire who did would find themselves cut out of magical education to some degree, and while many people want you dead, none of them want you dead at the expense of their own power. You enrolled because, well, running forever would mean you'd be found eventually. You need power to survive, and this is the only place you can get it.
Stats - 4 Intelligence, 4 Channeling, 4 Willpower, 4 Charisma, 4 Physical Ability
+ 20 Lore: Necromancy (+25 total), + 10 Hiding, + 10 Disguise, Gain Trait: Hunted (major malus on diplomacy with Undying Empire characters. The King of Bones wanted your ancestor dead, and he wouldn't frown on you dying, either. People will try to kill you from time to time. If you start gaining power, your enemies will consider it a priority to kill you. The Six-Fox Pact has no real reason to want you alive either, so you can't count on help from anyone unless you make some really good friends. You do get 20 stat points total as opposed to the standard 15, but this is Hard Mode). Gain Trait: Scholarship (the Preparatory pays your way, failing subjects will see this revoked). Starting age 15.
[X] Necromancer's Bargain: Like many of the poorer members of the Empire, you served the upper classes in what capacity you could to help your family survive. Gifted with tremendous natural power, you agreed to sell a significant portion of your power to a necromancer in return for money, and a good life for your family. At first he just took a little, and then more, and then more, each time paying a significant sum of money. Eventually you had barely anything left, not even enough to make it worth his while to steal any more. To effect this transfer you had to spend a great deal of time near him, and you learned bits and pieces of the ritual. The only useful thing you learned was that if the necromancer died, the power would return to you. With the money you had, you chose to go to a magical academy - if you could find some other way to break the bond, you'd be able to become one of the greatest mages of all. The curse has left you somewhat drained in physical ability as well.
Stats - 4 Intelligence, 6 (!) Channeling, 5 Willpower, 2 Charisma, 3 Physical Ability
+ 10 Lore: Necromancy (+15 total), Gain Trait: Curse of Transferal (-5 Channeling, -1 Physical Ability. Only method you know to remove this is death of the necromancer who created it). Gain Trait: Paid Up-Front (you've used your money to pay your tuition, getting a large discount for paying for all four years. This has left you with no extra money, but no obligations in regards to tuition). Starting age 16.
Seriously, why is someone from a little fishing village on an island nation at the fifth greatest academy for magic in the world? Write some reasons, and distribute 15 stat points among the 5 stats.
Game System:
The game runs on a pretty standard 1D100 vs DC rolls to achieve something.
To add to this, there are two mechanics that help the main character succeed on these rolls.
The first is Stats. Stats are permanent, not improvable (except through either extraordinary effort or extraordinary magic, and this is very rare), and give a bonus of +5 per stat on any roll associated with that stat. The average stat is 3. The maximum is 10.
The first stat is Intelligence. Intelligence impacts how quickly you learn while learning, how well you plan, and is a general all-around boost to anything involving thinking. A stupid character will have difficulty learning more sophisticated magics. That being said, not all magics are complex and intelligence-based. Some spells just involve drawing on a shit-ton of magic, dumping it into an area, and igniting it.
The second stat is Channeling. Channeling is how much of the Primordial Ether you can filter through your body before you simply can't anymore. This is largely determined by your birth, and cannot really be improved (artifacts can store magic for later, but these are expensive and rare). Your Magic Pool, is Channeling*10+10*Channeling^2. Channeling doesn't make your spells more powerful as such, it just allows you to cast more of them. A character with Channeling 1 will have a Magic Pool of 30, which will make practising powerful spells nearly impossible, and casting them rare. A character with Channeling 2 will have 60, and one with Channeling 4 (the highest possible start) will have one of 200, almost seven times that of a character with Channeling 1. Channeling is largely not applied to rolls.
The third stat is Willpower. Willpower determines how likely your character is to skive off, get scared, etc. Willpower increases the chances of a training check being successful - Intelligence determines how much successful checks give. Most Willpower checks are not subject to skill usage, so having a low Willpower means you'll fail a lot more training checks. Willpower also applies when enemy mind-affecting magics are used against you.
The fourth stat is Charisma. Useful for getting people to help you, as well as conversing with Primordial Spirits of various kinds. Being able to bind and use Spirits is highly Charisma-reliant, as they tend to be fairly willful and serve people they like. Skill Training is a lot easier if you have knowledgeable people to help you as well. A highly Charismatic character might find themselves keeping up with an Intelligence-based on by charming their teachers, for instance.
The fifth stat is Physical Ability. Physical ability determines how strong, fast, etc, you are. It also determines how much magic you can flow through your body at any given time. Casting spells in quick succession is physically exhausting - low-level magic use merely feels irritating, using a huge torrent of power can have deleterious effects on the human body. In addition, since magic is limited, being able to move around, run, fight, and so on is highly valuable for a mage caught with his or her pants down.
Secondly, Skills.
Skills can be improved through Training, and are the primary method of character progression. Training a Skill takes time, and learning a new Skill takes time. A Skill ranges from 1 to a hypothetical infinity, though in practice a skilled Blacksmith might have Blacksmithing: 30, and a master Blacksmith might have Blacksmithing: 60. 100 in a given skill is sublime, and beyond that is beyond the sort of skill your average person could achieve in a lifetime. Of course, as a mage tapped into the Primordial Ether, theoretical human skill doesn't mean that much to you.
Skill ranks are added directly to Rolls. Multiple skills can be used on one roll, provided they're both directly applicable (For instance, you're fighting a reanimated demon corpse - Lore: Demons and Lore: Necromancy are both applicable). If you have no skills directly applicable, but one that's fairly close, you can add half of that skill on. (For instance, you're fighting a unarmed fighter with a sword, and you have no ranks in Sword Combat, you could apply Unarmed Combat because he's fighting unarmed, and your skill kind of helps). You can only add one skill in this manner.
The character does not have hit points as such, but can gain temporary maluses to their stats. If Intelligence, Willpower, or Physical Ability goes below 0, you have died. If Channeling goes below 0 you are permanently cut off from the Primordial Ether. Charisma cannot go below 0.
Lastly, there are Spells.
While Skills assist rolls, Spells do one specific thing (For instance, the Curse of Transferal allows you to drain the Channeling Stat from another player, and 1 Physical Ability point per 5 points of Channeling). You can both learn new spells (which go into the character sheet), or improve existing ones, both of which have three things.
Firstly, Cost. Spells cost a certain number of points from your Magic Pool, depending on size, effect, etc. Most spells are fairly variable - want to make your fireball twice the radius? Eight times the cost. You can lower cost by studying the spell and finding ways to make it more efficient.
Secondly, Difficulty. Casting a spell is not a matter of thinking things into reality. You need to use Spellforms, either by drawing them in the air precisely and quickly, on the ground precisely (though not as quickly as the marks will remain), or on a device designed to turn Primordial Ether into spells. Some spells are simple and easy, others are extraordinarily difficult and require a huge amount of precision. You can lower difficulty with practice.
Thirdly, Effect. A spell has a precise effect, in that a fireball spell creates a great amount of heat, consuming oxygen within a certain radius. A levitation spell might levitate something at a certain speed, or a certain distance. Modifying a spell on the fly is very difficult, so most mages learn small variants of their most powerful spells.
All spells also have a School, which has no real magical effect, but determines where you'll find information about it in the library and which teachers are most likely to know about it, and which Lore skills are applicable to identifying it. Necromancy spells tend to be categorised that way because they were invented by necromancers, there's no real method of definition.
Let the voting begin!
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Tone of the quest
- Location
- Straya
This is an approval voting system. If I say the top two choices will be taken, you are not limited to vote for two options. Feel free to vote for one, or all (though functionally voting for all is the same as voting for none), or three, or six.
So, this is a pretty standard Magic Academy Quest. Well, I assume so. You play as a character of your choice, and go to school, partake in lessons, engage in political intrigue, and occasionally have a dangerous adventure.
That being said, just for an idea of the tone of the quest - magic is powerful and useful, but not all-powerful. The most powerful mages in the world are those who have cracked immortality and have had a few centuries to train. The majority of mages are going to have a few powerful spells they use regularly, and a bunch of useful situational tricks. They're a very long way from immortal and invincible, and even powerful mages can be stabbed to death unless they're actively maintaining some sort of powerful defense. The player isn't going to reach the heights of 'powerful mage' in 4 years unless they take some very risky decisions.
Magic is very political - falling in with the right crowd can get you on the fast-track to some spectacular spells and skills, and using those spells and skills against the wrong crowd can get you on the fast-track to a spectacular death. Whichever character you choose is going to be in the top 2-3% of human talent in some fashion, but all the same they're vying against people from that same 2-3%.
You can fail subjects (though I'll warn the thread if that's likely to happen), and if you do you might very well be expelled. That all being said, magic is cool, I think I've got a moderately interesting system set up, and I think it'll be a lot of fun.
Updates: Before I post an update, I'll put a Tally into the thread (which will also contain dice rolls for the update ahead as I write it). Once I put a vote-tally in (if other players want to do so to discuss winning options, tactical voting, etc, that's fine) that's generally the point at which voting has closed, unless I post otherwise.
So, this is a pretty standard Magic Academy Quest. Well, I assume so. You play as a character of your choice, and go to school, partake in lessons, engage in political intrigue, and occasionally have a dangerous adventure.
That being said, just for an idea of the tone of the quest - magic is powerful and useful, but not all-powerful. The most powerful mages in the world are those who have cracked immortality and have had a few centuries to train. The majority of mages are going to have a few powerful spells they use regularly, and a bunch of useful situational tricks. They're a very long way from immortal and invincible, and even powerful mages can be stabbed to death unless they're actively maintaining some sort of powerful defense. The player isn't going to reach the heights of 'powerful mage' in 4 years unless they take some very risky decisions.
Magic is very political - falling in with the right crowd can get you on the fast-track to some spectacular spells and skills, and using those spells and skills against the wrong crowd can get you on the fast-track to a spectacular death. Whichever character you choose is going to be in the top 2-3% of human talent in some fashion, but all the same they're vying against people from that same 2-3%.
You can fail subjects (though I'll warn the thread if that's likely to happen), and if you do you might very well be expelled. That all being said, magic is cool, I think I've got a moderately interesting system set up, and I think it'll be a lot of fun.
Updates: Before I post an update, I'll put a Tally into the thread (which will also contain dice rolls for the update ahead as I write it). Once I put a vote-tally in (if other players want to do so to discuss winning options, tactical voting, etc, that's fine) that's generally the point at which voting has closed, unless I post otherwise.
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0.1 : Prologue and Introduction
- Location
- Straya
The cart rattles beneath you, the constant clatter of wheels on cobblestones making it hard to focus on what had come before.
You remember the day you found out about your potential. You were only eleven, and the magical testing so common in the lands of the Pact and Vorstal had come to your city. Skarator was a small city by the standards of the Undying Empire, and a poor one as well. You had spent the day begging, and searching for coins on the side of the road where the merchants had passed through. Normally you didn't find anything, but two years ago you'd found a gold solidus, and that had kept your family in hearth and home for months.
Where the fruit stall normally sat is a small cast-iron cart, about three feet in length and one foot across. Carved into it are lines, barely perceptible to the naked eye, crisscrossing the flat top of the cart in all sorts of way. Behind it sits a man, old and wizened, who, upon seeing you, calls you over.
"Flitling! Come over here!"
You approach hesitantly.
"What?"
"You want to make some coin?"
You eye him cautiously. Nobody just offers money, not without something in return.
"Put your hand on this cart of mine, and you might just find an opportunity in return."
"You're not a wizard, are you?"
He laughs, a dry sound.
"Flit, if I were a wizard, I wouldn't need to call you over. If I was, you couldn't stop me doing what I wanted anyhow. No, this is a resonance tester, property of one of the Undying hisself. You put your hand on that, and we'll find out if you have magic. If you do... well, that might make you worth something, wouldn't you say?"
Still cautious, you approach. You put your hand on the cart. The old man grunts, and closes his eyes for a moment, tracing something in the air with his hands. A blue symbol flashes in the air briefly, and then is gone.
Then the cart begins to glow. First the lines on top. Then smaller lines on the sides, and finally you can even see light coming from underneath, reflecting onto the muddy pools of water below. The old man looks satisfied. Moments later, the glow intensifies, going from bright to blinding, and the iron begins to heat. With a yelp you snatch your hand away.
"Saint's tits! Flit, you're fit to bursting with magic. I think I've got someone you need to see..."
A particularly sharp bump brings you back to reality.
Ten minutes away is the Preparatory, the place you've pinned all your hopes and dreams on. If you'd known the power you had then, you would never have bargained it away the way you did. Still, the bargain brought money, and a stipend as well. Your brothers and sisters are well-cared for, and you have enough to enter a school of magic. The cart clatters along for a few minutes more, and stops. You peer over the high side of the cart.
Beyond you sits an squat brick building, topped with a pair of particularly ugly gargoyles, in front of a high fence, wreathed with blades and spikes at the top of each post.
"Out you get. Six nummus, if you please."
You pick six small bronze coins out of your moneybag and give them to the cartier. He cracks his whip, and the horses turn around, trotting off to another location along his route.
Past the gates lie a clustering of red brick buildings, clustered around a single tall tower. You draw breath sharply. That's where you're bound. That tower.
As you walk towards the gates, a voice calls out from the squat building.
"New student or delivery?"
You turn your head. An old woman sits in the building, with a large pile of paperwork in front of her.
"New student!"
She looks you up and down.
"Scholarship or payment?"
"Payment. I've brought a letter-of-credit from the Creaking Bank-"
"I deal with scholarships. Fill out this paperwork. Once you're done, head in the gates, first building on your left is the treasury. They'll take payment there and provide you with a receipt and a student badge. Here, I've got a copy of the forms you'll need there as well. Fill them out, get the damn things off my desk."
She hands you a pile of papers, as well as a quill and pot of ink. You sit down at a nearby desk provided and start to work through the paperwork.
It's mostly boring and just confirming details you've already sent ahead of you, but there are a few things you might want to change...
Firstly, we now vote on character gender.
[ ] Male
[ ] Female
This has no real impact on gameplay, but it's harder to write a character description without it.
Secondly, your name.
The default female name is Janka. The default male name is Ulos. The default last name is 'Flitter', referring to a member of the Imperial underclass. Lastname is locked. Feel free to write in if it doesn't tickle your fancy, otherwise we'll go with the default.
Thirdly, your accommodations. As a first-year student the Preparatory requires you reside on campus, but there are several options available for you. Keep in mind you have budgeted 100 coins for each year's accommodation. Spend more, and you'll need to make it up somehow in the coming months and years. Spend less, and you'll have more money available.
You currently have 100 coins available to spend on accommodation. This only has to be paid monthly - if you can find some way of making or borrowing money before then you should be fine.
[ ] The Smokestack - Accommodation above the laboratories. Mostly third and fourth-year alchemy students who want to be close to their experiments. Of course, you're close to said experiments, which make noise and smoke, often at peculiar hours through the night. Given the location, it's very cheap.
Lower Alchemy study DC. Late-night study DC increased for anything but alchemy due to the noise and smell. You gain Trait: Sleep Deprivation (-5 penalty on all rolls) for the first month of school. Harder to make friends as most third and fourth-years have no interest in you. 60 coins per year.
[ ] The Dorms - Traditional choice for a first year. Most of the first years stay here. Cheap, relatively quiet, though is the furthest of the dorms from the library. You have to share a room. You can also opt to pay another 25 coins and get a room to yourself.
No bonuses or maluses to study. 75 coins per year for shared room, 100 coins per year for own room. Own room has no stat advantages, but if your roommate is too loud it could impact you and if they're too nosy it could make it hard to keep anything you're doing a secret.
[ ] The Tower Dungeon - Yes, somewhat stereotypical, though much less damp than might be expected. The rooms are quite nice and mostly taken by the upperclassmen. Expensive, however, as access to the library without having to walk half an hour home (and there), which amounts to almost an hour every day of time savings.
Lower study action DC. Hard to make friends among the upperclassmen. 140 coins per year.
[ ] The Tower Rooms - Typically the province of the well-connected, the Tower Rooms are a few levels down from the lodgings of the teachers. Luxury and close access to your mentors , running hot water and easy access to the library.
Lower study action DC, minor diplomacy bonus to all actions involving your teachers. People will assume you are rich or well-connected and act accordingly. 200 coins per year.
This will be a relatively quick vote. If we get a few votes in quick succession that agree, or one option takes a clear majority, I'll just go in that direction. Important votes I'll leave up for longer, but I'd rather keep the story rolling where possible.
You remember the day you found out about your potential. You were only eleven, and the magical testing so common in the lands of the Pact and Vorstal had come to your city. Skarator was a small city by the standards of the Undying Empire, and a poor one as well. You had spent the day begging, and searching for coins on the side of the road where the merchants had passed through. Normally you didn't find anything, but two years ago you'd found a gold solidus, and that had kept your family in hearth and home for months.
Where the fruit stall normally sat is a small cast-iron cart, about three feet in length and one foot across. Carved into it are lines, barely perceptible to the naked eye, crisscrossing the flat top of the cart in all sorts of way. Behind it sits a man, old and wizened, who, upon seeing you, calls you over.
"Flitling! Come over here!"
You approach hesitantly.
"What?"
"You want to make some coin?"
You eye him cautiously. Nobody just offers money, not without something in return.
"Put your hand on this cart of mine, and you might just find an opportunity in return."
"You're not a wizard, are you?"
He laughs, a dry sound.
"Flit, if I were a wizard, I wouldn't need to call you over. If I was, you couldn't stop me doing what I wanted anyhow. No, this is a resonance tester, property of one of the Undying hisself. You put your hand on that, and we'll find out if you have magic. If you do... well, that might make you worth something, wouldn't you say?"
Still cautious, you approach. You put your hand on the cart. The old man grunts, and closes his eyes for a moment, tracing something in the air with his hands. A blue symbol flashes in the air briefly, and then is gone.
Then the cart begins to glow. First the lines on top. Then smaller lines on the sides, and finally you can even see light coming from underneath, reflecting onto the muddy pools of water below. The old man looks satisfied. Moments later, the glow intensifies, going from bright to blinding, and the iron begins to heat. With a yelp you snatch your hand away.
"Saint's tits! Flit, you're fit to bursting with magic. I think I've got someone you need to see..."
A particularly sharp bump brings you back to reality.
Ten minutes away is the Preparatory, the place you've pinned all your hopes and dreams on. If you'd known the power you had then, you would never have bargained it away the way you did. Still, the bargain brought money, and a stipend as well. Your brothers and sisters are well-cared for, and you have enough to enter a school of magic. The cart clatters along for a few minutes more, and stops. You peer over the high side of the cart.
Beyond you sits an squat brick building, topped with a pair of particularly ugly gargoyles, in front of a high fence, wreathed with blades and spikes at the top of each post.
"Out you get. Six nummus, if you please."
You pick six small bronze coins out of your moneybag and give them to the cartier. He cracks his whip, and the horses turn around, trotting off to another location along his route.
Past the gates lie a clustering of red brick buildings, clustered around a single tall tower. You draw breath sharply. That's where you're bound. That tower.
As you walk towards the gates, a voice calls out from the squat building.
"New student or delivery?"
You turn your head. An old woman sits in the building, with a large pile of paperwork in front of her.
"New student!"
She looks you up and down.
"Scholarship or payment?"
"Payment. I've brought a letter-of-credit from the Creaking Bank-"
"I deal with scholarships. Fill out this paperwork. Once you're done, head in the gates, first building on your left is the treasury. They'll take payment there and provide you with a receipt and a student badge. Here, I've got a copy of the forms you'll need there as well. Fill them out, get the damn things off my desk."
She hands you a pile of papers, as well as a quill and pot of ink. You sit down at a nearby desk provided and start to work through the paperwork.
It's mostly boring and just confirming details you've already sent ahead of you, but there are a few things you might want to change...
Firstly, we now vote on character gender.
[ ] Male
[ ] Female
This has no real impact on gameplay, but it's harder to write a character description without it.
Secondly, your name.
The default female name is Janka. The default male name is Ulos. The default last name is 'Flitter', referring to a member of the Imperial underclass. Lastname is locked. Feel free to write in if it doesn't tickle your fancy, otherwise we'll go with the default.
Thirdly, your accommodations. As a first-year student the Preparatory requires you reside on campus, but there are several options available for you. Keep in mind you have budgeted 100 coins for each year's accommodation. Spend more, and you'll need to make it up somehow in the coming months and years. Spend less, and you'll have more money available.
You currently have 100 coins available to spend on accommodation. This only has to be paid monthly - if you can find some way of making or borrowing money before then you should be fine.
[ ] The Smokestack - Accommodation above the laboratories. Mostly third and fourth-year alchemy students who want to be close to their experiments. Of course, you're close to said experiments, which make noise and smoke, often at peculiar hours through the night. Given the location, it's very cheap.
Lower Alchemy study DC. Late-night study DC increased for anything but alchemy due to the noise and smell. You gain Trait: Sleep Deprivation (-5 penalty on all rolls) for the first month of school. Harder to make friends as most third and fourth-years have no interest in you. 60 coins per year.
[ ] The Dorms - Traditional choice for a first year. Most of the first years stay here. Cheap, relatively quiet, though is the furthest of the dorms from the library. You have to share a room. You can also opt to pay another 25 coins and get a room to yourself.
No bonuses or maluses to study. 75 coins per year for shared room, 100 coins per year for own room. Own room has no stat advantages, but if your roommate is too loud it could impact you and if they're too nosy it could make it hard to keep anything you're doing a secret.
[ ] The Tower Dungeon - Yes, somewhat stereotypical, though much less damp than might be expected. The rooms are quite nice and mostly taken by the upperclassmen. Expensive, however, as access to the library without having to walk half an hour home (and there), which amounts to almost an hour every day of time savings.
Lower study action DC. Hard to make friends among the upperclassmen. 140 coins per year.
[ ] The Tower Rooms - Typically the province of the well-connected, the Tower Rooms are a few levels down from the lodgings of the teachers. Luxury and close access to your mentors , running hot water and easy access to the library.
Lower study action DC, minor diplomacy bonus to all actions involving your teachers. People will assume you are rich or well-connected and act accordingly. 200 coins per year.
This will be a relatively quick vote. If we get a few votes in quick succession that agree, or one option takes a clear majority, I'll just go in that direction. Important votes I'll leave up for longer, but I'd rather keep the story rolling where possible.
Last edited:
0.2 : Getting Settled In
- Location
- Straya
As a result of the vote we are Male, and are going to live in the Dorms with a Roommate.
After this update I'll get our character sheet up and running as well.
Ulos scratched his knee. Finishing up the paperwork, he gave it to the old woman who sniffed, handed a third of it back, and pointed up the road.
"Treasury. First on your left."
She then ignored him completely.
Ulos walked along. If he had been in a different college, he would perhaps be marvelling at the grand spires and ancient constructions. Vorstallen, on the other hand, seemed to be all the same. Squat brick buildings that looked as though they were constructed to survive a war, not students, and the occasional statue of a famous mage here and there. The paths, on the other hand, were some sort of smooth blue material, unlike anything Ulos had ever seen before on a road.
He walked up to the Treasury, opening the door and peering inside. A dusty building filled with reams of paper (which so far was every building he had seen) lay inside. He walked up the counter, and offered the note of credit to the man there. A few minutes later, he was walking out with twenty-five silver numismata, jingling comfortably in his money-pouch. The Treasury had offered to cash the remainder of the note of credit for him (well, the remainder not used for accommodation), though he had left three hundred on credit at the Treasury for his future years needs, and a room key. 22-B
Gained Twenty-Five Coins.
He then walked to the dormitories, almost a full kilometre away. This campus was big. As expected, the dormitories were a bunch of squat brick buildings, though in this case they were decorated with vines running up and down the walls, and there were a few small statues dotting the walls. The windows were small, made out of cheap cloudy glass that one couldn't see through from either side. Several two-story buildings surrounded a slightly larger three-story one, labelled "Building A".
"Building B.", he muttered.
He looked up. This was A, so B had to be nearby. He walked to his left, and found C. On the other side of A was D, and behind A was E. Where was B?
"Urgh..."
"Hi, hi, hi!"
[Roommate Roll (Friendliness 71 vs 50 DC, +20 over DC means roommate is extra friendly), (Usefulness: 81 vs 80 DC, bare pass. Roommate has some obvious benefit to room with)]
Ulos looked over.
"Hi. Um, you wouldn't happen to know how to get to Building B, would you?"
"The Parrot's Perch? Aw, man, you got into the Parrot's Perch! Same here! We can be unlucky together!"
The young man talking to him smiled widely. Long curled locks dyed a brilliant pink framed a guileless face wearing a large pair of spectacles. Watery blue eyes were wide open, as if taking in the world for the first time.
"The Parrot's Perch?"
"Well, my father went here, and he said all the buildings had names. Sure, the guys over in Collegiate Governance like to call everything by names and numbers, but this is a place of magic, y'know. If spirits have names, why shouldn't buildings?"
Ulos blinked at this odd chain of logic.
"So, why the Parrot's Perch?"
"Oh, right. Building B is the top of Building A. Basically all the dorms are two-story, but when they started out they decided to go three-story for some reason. So instead of doing the smart thing and just labelling more A rooms, they decided to rename the top of A. Don't know why. You can see off the top of the Perch if you decide to climb up on the roof, but when they built it they sort of... well, let's just say the plumbing is pretty average and the rooms are tiny."
"I see. I'm Ulos. Nice to meet you, thanks for the advice. I appreciate you helping me out."
"I'm Madavian Junotrin."
The other boy waited for a second, as if waiting for some recognition to spark. When nothing came, he spoke again.
"Junotrin, like the Five Families Junotrin. My father is Alasas, you know."
[Diplomacy Roll - 41 + 10 (CHA) vs 50 DC, bare pass)
"Ah, of course. My apologies. I'm from the Empire, so sometimes it takes us a little while to recognise the Families of Vortral. Forgive me."
Stilted and awkward as his words felt coming out, the boy took no offense.
"Well, let's go up and get settled in. A change is as good as a holiday, my father always said, and he should know. He never takes holidays. I'm in room 22, by the way. Where are you?"
"Room 22."
"Hah! What an excellent sign, the two of us meeting like this. I want the bottom bunk, by the way. No objections, you're from the Empire. Are you nameless? Like a flit?"
"Yes, I'm Ulos. Ulos Flitter, I suppose. I've got no objection to taking the top bunk."
They strode up the stairs together, climbing up a tiny stairwell up into an equally tiny corridor. When Madavian had said the Parrot's Perch was tiny, he had not been exaggerating. The Perch hallways were skinny, and two people walking past each other shoulder-to-shoulder simply would not fit. Madavian put his key in the lock, turned, and with a small flash of light the door opened. Runes, Ulos thought. A regular lock wouldn't do that, though why students needed magical locks was beyond him. Maybe it was just to reassure the parents of people like Madavian.
The room inside was a little bigger than he'd expected, a pair of bunk beds sitting at the end of the room, a cupboard built into the wall, and two desks on either side with a small chair. They each had an inkpot and quill sitting ready, which was a blessing. Ulos hadn't thought to bring one. He put his small bag down, containing only a few precious empty books he had scavenged before leaving, invaluable for notes, a little food, and
"Well, let's lock our things away. Father gave me a few hundred numismata for spending money, but I'd hate to see it stolen."
Madavian brought a little chest out of his bag, and used the same key for the room on the cupboard. It had two doors, and was split into two. Ulos opened his half (the lower half) and put his bag inside. He closed and locked it, and Madavian did the same.
"Alright, well, we're settled in. We've got a few hours before they serve dinner in the Dinnerhall, and I know Father would want me to go to one of the lectures early. 'Madavian, my boy, if you become a great enchanter or spellsmith, House Junotrin will rise to even greater heights than before!'. That sort of thing. He gave me the schedules for the second-year lectures, though that was mainly so I could find out where my cousin was if I had to. He's Junotrin too, but not really Junotrin, you know? Anyway, they started two weeks before us. If we run in we might be able to sneak a peek at which subjects are the most boring and which might be worth doing."
Ulos thought for a second. What did he want to do?
[ ] Go with Madavian - Drop in one of the classes. You might learn something useful. As they're taught at a second-year level you won't be learning any spells, but you might pick up a useful bit of Lore. If you choose Go With Madavian, vote for one of the classes. You'll be able to drop in on the top two classes (as you have a few hours before dinner). Improves relationship with Madavian.
The five options below need to be taken with "Go With Madavian" only. If you vote for Go with Madavian, please also vote for one of these sub-options. If the thread decides to do this, the top two options will be taken.
[ ] Hang around the Building - You haven't really met anyone else yet. While you're not super sociable, it might be the right time to meet people before they get a chance to look down on you for being a worthless flit, right? Roll 1D100 + CHA vs 20 DC. If you succeed, Ulos meets one person. For every 15 points above 20, he meets another.
[ ] Go Exploring - It's a big campus, and you haven't seen the half of it. Who knows what you could find? Roll 1D100 vs ???. Success offers ???, failure offers ???.
The Parrot's Perch rooms are a little inferior to standard. The bathrooms don't work sometimes (so you need to go downstairs) and the rooms are smaller, meaning instead of a large cupboard apiece the roommates share a single cupboard. Storage space will be somewhat limited, though this isn't really reflected in any rolls unless you decide to start stockpiling something. However, direct access to the roof is always useful, especially from the highest vantage point around. If you need to spy on someone or pull some sort of a prank, the Perch is the best place to do it from.
After this update I'll get our character sheet up and running as well.
Ulos scratched his knee. Finishing up the paperwork, he gave it to the old woman who sniffed, handed a third of it back, and pointed up the road.
"Treasury. First on your left."
She then ignored him completely.
Ulos walked along. If he had been in a different college, he would perhaps be marvelling at the grand spires and ancient constructions. Vorstallen, on the other hand, seemed to be all the same. Squat brick buildings that looked as though they were constructed to survive a war, not students, and the occasional statue of a famous mage here and there. The paths, on the other hand, were some sort of smooth blue material, unlike anything Ulos had ever seen before on a road.
He walked up to the Treasury, opening the door and peering inside. A dusty building filled with reams of paper (which so far was every building he had seen) lay inside. He walked up the counter, and offered the note of credit to the man there. A few minutes later, he was walking out with twenty-five silver numismata, jingling comfortably in his money-pouch. The Treasury had offered to cash the remainder of the note of credit for him (well, the remainder not used for accommodation), though he had left three hundred on credit at the Treasury for his future years needs, and a room key. 22-B
Gained Twenty-Five Coins.
He then walked to the dormitories, almost a full kilometre away. This campus was big. As expected, the dormitories were a bunch of squat brick buildings, though in this case they were decorated with vines running up and down the walls, and there were a few small statues dotting the walls. The windows were small, made out of cheap cloudy glass that one couldn't see through from either side. Several two-story buildings surrounded a slightly larger three-story one, labelled "Building A".
"Building B.", he muttered.
He looked up. This was A, so B had to be nearby. He walked to his left, and found C. On the other side of A was D, and behind A was E. Where was B?
"Urgh..."
"Hi, hi, hi!"
[Roommate Roll (Friendliness 71 vs 50 DC, +20 over DC means roommate is extra friendly), (Usefulness: 81 vs 80 DC, bare pass. Roommate has some obvious benefit to room with)]
Ulos looked over.
"Hi. Um, you wouldn't happen to know how to get to Building B, would you?"
"The Parrot's Perch? Aw, man, you got into the Parrot's Perch! Same here! We can be unlucky together!"
The young man talking to him smiled widely. Long curled locks dyed a brilliant pink framed a guileless face wearing a large pair of spectacles. Watery blue eyes were wide open, as if taking in the world for the first time.
"The Parrot's Perch?"
"Well, my father went here, and he said all the buildings had names. Sure, the guys over in Collegiate Governance like to call everything by names and numbers, but this is a place of magic, y'know. If spirits have names, why shouldn't buildings?"
Ulos blinked at this odd chain of logic.
"So, why the Parrot's Perch?"
"Oh, right. Building B is the top of Building A. Basically all the dorms are two-story, but when they started out they decided to go three-story for some reason. So instead of doing the smart thing and just labelling more A rooms, they decided to rename the top of A. Don't know why. You can see off the top of the Perch if you decide to climb up on the roof, but when they built it they sort of... well, let's just say the plumbing is pretty average and the rooms are tiny."
"I see. I'm Ulos. Nice to meet you, thanks for the advice. I appreciate you helping me out."
"I'm Madavian Junotrin."
The other boy waited for a second, as if waiting for some recognition to spark. When nothing came, he spoke again.
"Junotrin, like the Five Families Junotrin. My father is Alasas, you know."
[Diplomacy Roll - 41 + 10 (CHA) vs 50 DC, bare pass)
"Ah, of course. My apologies. I'm from the Empire, so sometimes it takes us a little while to recognise the Families of Vortral. Forgive me."
Stilted and awkward as his words felt coming out, the boy took no offense.
"Well, let's go up and get settled in. A change is as good as a holiday, my father always said, and he should know. He never takes holidays. I'm in room 22, by the way. Where are you?"
"Room 22."
"Hah! What an excellent sign, the two of us meeting like this. I want the bottom bunk, by the way. No objections, you're from the Empire. Are you nameless? Like a flit?"
"Yes, I'm Ulos. Ulos Flitter, I suppose. I've got no objection to taking the top bunk."
They strode up the stairs together, climbing up a tiny stairwell up into an equally tiny corridor. When Madavian had said the Parrot's Perch was tiny, he had not been exaggerating. The Perch hallways were skinny, and two people walking past each other shoulder-to-shoulder simply would not fit. Madavian put his key in the lock, turned, and with a small flash of light the door opened. Runes, Ulos thought. A regular lock wouldn't do that, though why students needed magical locks was beyond him. Maybe it was just to reassure the parents of people like Madavian.
The room inside was a little bigger than he'd expected, a pair of bunk beds sitting at the end of the room, a cupboard built into the wall, and two desks on either side with a small chair. They each had an inkpot and quill sitting ready, which was a blessing. Ulos hadn't thought to bring one. He put his small bag down, containing only a few precious empty books he had scavenged before leaving, invaluable for notes, a little food, and
"Well, let's lock our things away. Father gave me a few hundred numismata for spending money, but I'd hate to see it stolen."
Madavian brought a little chest out of his bag, and used the same key for the room on the cupboard. It had two doors, and was split into two. Ulos opened his half (the lower half) and put his bag inside. He closed and locked it, and Madavian did the same.
"Alright, well, we're settled in. We've got a few hours before they serve dinner in the Dinnerhall, and I know Father would want me to go to one of the lectures early. 'Madavian, my boy, if you become a great enchanter or spellsmith, House Junotrin will rise to even greater heights than before!'. That sort of thing. He gave me the schedules for the second-year lectures, though that was mainly so I could find out where my cousin was if I had to. He's Junotrin too, but not really Junotrin, you know? Anyway, they started two weeks before us. If we run in we might be able to sneak a peek at which subjects are the most boring and which might be worth doing."
Ulos thought for a second. What did he want to do?
[ ] Go with Madavian - Drop in one of the classes. You might learn something useful. As they're taught at a second-year level you won't be learning any spells, but you might pick up a useful bit of Lore. If you choose Go With Madavian, vote for one of the classes. You'll be able to drop in on the top two classes (as you have a few hours before dinner). Improves relationship with Madavian.
The five options below need to be taken with "Go With Madavian" only. If you vote for Go with Madavian, please also vote for one of these sub-options. If the thread decides to do this, the top two options will be taken.
[ ] Magical Inheritance - How does magic get inherited? What sorts of things can a mage pass along to his or her children. Not really applicable to you right now, but still, it might shed some light on how you have (well, had) such a tremendous Magic Pool. Gain a (very hard) Training Roll for Lore: Magical Biology
[ ] Theory and Practice of Runes - Making a rune is easy enough, it's just a spell you inscribe that can be used time and time again. But what's the theory behind that? How do you actually do it? Gain a (hard) Training Roll for Lore: Runes, and a (extraordinarily hard) Training Roll for Craft: Runes.
[ ] Alchemical Theory - Unfortunately for you, sneaking into an alchemy lab would be hard. A lecture hall with as many as a hundred students? The theory of Alchemy is dry, boring, mathematical and full of minute details that require memorization. Still, learning a few theoretical bits and bobs couldn't hurt. Gain a (medium) Training Roll for Lore: Alchemy.
[ ] Intermediate Soul-Binding - You might get to see a spirit bound! Of course, without basic Soul-Binding you might not learn very much at all. Still cool, though. Not to mention this could have some relevance to your Curse? I mean, maybe. Gain a (hard) Training Roll for Lore: Souls and Spirits, gain a (nearly impossible) Training Roll for Spell: Bind Spirit
[ ] Just Hang Out - Madavian chooses which class you go to. Get one bonus from the four above (as Madavian isn't going to push you to go to two classes, he's a bit lazy), but letting Madavian call the shots will also give you time to observe him and figure out what his deal is. Gain one of the benefits above, gain insights about Madavian.
The below two options are alternates to Go with Madavian.[ ] Theory and Practice of Runes - Making a rune is easy enough, it's just a spell you inscribe that can be used time and time again. But what's the theory behind that? How do you actually do it? Gain a (hard) Training Roll for Lore: Runes, and a (extraordinarily hard) Training Roll for Craft: Runes.
[ ] Alchemical Theory - Unfortunately for you, sneaking into an alchemy lab would be hard. A lecture hall with as many as a hundred students? The theory of Alchemy is dry, boring, mathematical and full of minute details that require memorization. Still, learning a few theoretical bits and bobs couldn't hurt. Gain a (medium) Training Roll for Lore: Alchemy.
[ ] Intermediate Soul-Binding - You might get to see a spirit bound! Of course, without basic Soul-Binding you might not learn very much at all. Still cool, though. Not to mention this could have some relevance to your Curse? I mean, maybe. Gain a (hard) Training Roll for Lore: Souls and Spirits, gain a (nearly impossible) Training Roll for Spell: Bind Spirit
[ ] Just Hang Out - Madavian chooses which class you go to. Get one bonus from the four above (as Madavian isn't going to push you to go to two classes, he's a bit lazy), but letting Madavian call the shots will also give you time to observe him and figure out what his deal is. Gain one of the benefits above, gain insights about Madavian.
[ ] Hang around the Building - You haven't really met anyone else yet. While you're not super sociable, it might be the right time to meet people before they get a chance to look down on you for being a worthless flit, right? Roll 1D100 + CHA vs 20 DC. If you succeed, Ulos meets one person. For every 15 points above 20, he meets another.
[ ] Go Exploring - It's a big campus, and you haven't seen the half of it. Who knows what you could find? Roll 1D100 vs ???. Success offers ???, failure offers ???.
The Parrot's Perch rooms are a little inferior to standard. The bathrooms don't work sometimes (so you need to go downstairs) and the rooms are smaller, meaning instead of a large cupboard apiece the roommates share a single cupboard. Storage space will be somewhat limited, though this isn't really reflected in any rolls unless you decide to start stockpiling something. However, direct access to the roof is always useful, especially from the highest vantage point around. If you need to spy on someone or pull some sort of a prank, the Perch is the best place to do it from.
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0.3 - Night School
- Location
- Straya
"Theory and Practice of Runes. Sounds interesting, right?"
Madavian shrugged.
"Look, I think they're all pretty boring, but my father said this was a good way to be seen by the teachers. If you show up at extra classes, they think you're more interested, they help you. That sort of a thing. I mean, I don't think I need to, but it's not like I have anything better to do anyway. Sneaking in sounds fun, too!"
Ulos followed Madavian along, walking for half an hour down to a squat, brick building. At least, at first. As they got closer, each brick was traced with intricate, glowing lines, connecting one to another, and as they came even closer, the building faded, replaced with the vision of a tremendous human skull with two doors made from pure gold in the mouth, and streams of purple viscous liquid flowing from the eyes.
"Wow."
Magic in the Empire was practical, and hoarded jealously by the upper classes. Illusions existed, but not for purposes like these. The tremendous skull faded from view as they got even closer, replaced again with the brick building.
They opened the door and slipped inside. Two doors down, a small hall sat, with a teacher lecturing, drawing runes in chalk on a massive blackboard. They quietly opened the door, and sat on the stairs up the back. While sneaking into lectures was officially frowned upon, they'd certainly get kicked out if they made a ruckus.
Training Roll - 88 + 25(WILL) = 113 vs 70 DC. Major success! Gained 3 points (1 from success, 1 from 20+ points over required DC, 1 from 40+ points over required DC) in Lore: Runes.
"A rune is fundamentally a spell, some say. After all, a rune is shaped like a spell, takes power like a spell, and is even drawn like a spell. Yet if you forge a spell in iron, it does not become a rune. Indeed, activating that spell destroys it, just as activating any other spell does. The public calls these single-use spells 'runes', but they could not be more incorrect. If you draw a rune on something, you must make it permanent. In addition, a rune is not like a spell in that a spell does not care what it is inscribed on, provided the inscription is accurate. Chalk on a blackboard will work, though the required accuracy is difficult. Your hand in the air will work, provided the spell is inscribed quickly enough, and the strokes are made in the correct casting order, and empowered and held as they are made. A finely-ground pencil nib on paper will work, though if you fold or bend the paper you may find your spell not working. You must still know, however, how to put your magic into the spell. A spell cares whether you empower the top of the sigil first, and changing the order changes the spell."
The instructor suddenly shouted, banging his hand on the blackboard for emphasis.
"Runes are not spells! Runes are not spells! Inscribe a rune for water into iron, and nothing will happen. Inscribe a rune for water on flesh, and yes, it will work, as flesh is mostly water. However, it will command the water in the flesh only, leading to disastrous consequences. Empower a rune, and it remains, and is only damaged by the passage of time and physical effects. The flow of Ether through a rune does not harm a rune. Moreover, a rune does not care how you put the magic in, meaning any village idiot who can channel the Primordial Ether can use a rune. What does this mean in practice for runecraft? Well, as we all remember Alessor's Third Theorem, it is provable..."
Training Roll - 85 + 25 (WILL) = 110 vs 105 DC. Bare success! +1 to Craft: Rune
The instructor proceeded to draw thirty complex symbols on the blackboard, raising his hand and making them glow, as the students in the back took notes. Hundreds of lines in precise order, Ulos did not have his notebooks with him (and would have had no ink besides), and was not confident in memorizing this. Still, he looked at one of them, running his mind over how it was shaped, drawn, and how it glowed. Intent on learning, he pushed all other distractions aside and concentrated.
Almost forty minutes later, he hadn't picked up everything in the lesson, but he was sure he knew that specific rune. The instructor had mentioned something about it being one of the Runes of Water, though he'd need to look into that more later.
He looked over at Madavian, who had brought one of his notebooks (and a self-inking pen, an expensive treasure), and was busy... scribbling a caricature of the professor, complete with extra nose hair.
"Hey, Madavian. I think they're getting ready to go. We should leave."
Madavian stood up, and together they snuck back out, taking a moment to appreciate the illusion before moving on.
Next on their list was Intermediate Soul-Binding. Madavian had thought it sounded 'jingles', whatever that meant, and Ulos thought he might find some clue to his Curse there. Being able to mitigate it, even the tiniest amount, would be worth so much to him here.
The Faculty of Spirits and Souls was housed in buildings unlike others on campus. Instead of brick buildings, they looked like they had been grown from living rock, curling around itself and braiding itself around doorways, twisting as it rose into small towers above each small building. One of the buildings towards the centre was some sort of shrub, branches grown together so tightly the wind itself could not make it through, a berry-laden archway showing the only way in.
"This one. The plant."
"You're sure? It's dark in there."
"Trust me, cmon!"
The two walked in. The building was dark, and did not get any lighter. They heard voices, though, and through the pitch dark they stumbled towards them. Why was it so dark?
As the light from the doorway faded, they heard one voice talking above the rest.
"Let's stay here", Madavian whispered. "If we go any closer we won't be able to see at all!"
Ulos nodded, and then realised his mistake. "Ok."
They strained, but could hear the voice speaking.
Training Roll - 46 + 25(WILL) + 7 Lore: Necromancy = 78 vs 70 DC. Minor success. +1 to Lore: Souls and Spirits
"As you can see on the board, Tarnamack's Third and Fourth Epistles to the Unclean show the moderate, moderate influence on the Six Voyagers and how they interact when Minerva is declined..."
He focused again. Sitting in the dark for an hour, not able to see the board was difficult, but instead of letting the noise drown out his thoughts, he was able to pick ideas out of the esoteric wording coming his way. As he focused,
"I'm so boooored."
"Shh, Madavian, I'm trying to listen. Let's wait till the end of class, and then we can leave. Maybe they'll turn the lights on and we'll get to see the place."
"Ok, fine."
Training Roll - 76 + 25 (WILL) + 7 Lore: Necromancy = 106 vs 105 DC. Bare success! Gained Spell: Bind Spirit! First spell gained!
"You now need to inscribe these six marks. Drawing the Forms of the Voyagers is the only to way to know to Bind one, and so..."
He focused, and learned. The class was held in the dark, perhaps, because it was important to visualise what was being done without seeing anything yourself. Yes, the teacher was talking about the "inability of most Binders to access the Primordial Sight", that made sense. As he talked, he understood the fundamentals of what he was saying. Binding a spirit was not like casting a normal spell, where the forms were predefined as to what action they took on the natural world. The spell was fluid, in response to the actions of the spirit itself, and somewhat intuitive.
Dinner Roll - 3 vs DC 20. Critical failure. Miss out on dinner! Miss out on chances to meet people at dinner! Relationship with Madavian decreased.
As they got back, it was quite dark, and they noticed a distinct lack of lights outside the hall.
"Madavian, when was dinner?"
"Eight, didn't I tell you?"
"Any idea what the time is now?"
"Nine or so, I... oh."
Madavian laughed. "Don't worry, breakfast is at six, so we won't be hungry for long."
"You idiot!"
"What? What in the Ether, Ulos? I'm new here as well! Don't blame me for our mistake."
"Damnit, Madavian."
Ulos ground his teeth. Madavian was an idiot. He hadn't eaten all day while getting here, and he was hungry enough as it is. They returned to the Parrot's Perch, and went to sleep fairly quickly - eating the small nonperishables he had packed struck him as foolish. He might want them later if he needed to go on a trip, and food from the Preparatory was already paid-for. Upon waking, they hurried downstairs to go to breakfast. They did so in silence, Ulos unwilling to apologise and Madavian unwilling to demand one. An uneasy silence sat between the two until they reached the dining hall.
When they did, Madavian looked at him, suddenly eager to please.
"Tomorrow's orientation, but today we can do as we like. What should we do? I could tell you about Vorstal, if you'd like. Learn a bit about the city."
How does Ulos spend his day? You have 2 free Actions to spend. Feel free to vote for two.
[ ] Meet and Greet - Not really Ulos's cup of tea, but a good idea all the same. Stay after breakfast and chat with people for a few hours. Roll vs DC 20 to meet people, every 20 points over, meet another person. Make Diplomacy rolls versus said people to determine initial relationships. Diplomacy rolls will depend on the person themselves, their mood, and their background (good luck making friends with Narubites).
[ ] Go Exploring - It's a big campus, and you haven't seen the half of it. Who knows what you could find? Roll 1D100 vs ???. Success offers ???, failure offers ???.
[ ] Sneak into More Classes - Not really ideal, and since Madavian doesn't want to you won't have access to who's who in each class. Gain one free Lore: ??? roll. Critical success on the Lore roll will open a Craft: ??? roll or a Spell: ??? roll, depending on the subject.
[ ] Hang Out With Madavian - Not really that useful, but Madavian would like you to. While he's friendly, he doesn't know anyone else yet beyond his family, and who wants to hang out with their family?. Improve relationship with Madavian, gain Training Roll vs DC 90 (Madavian is a very poor teacher) for Lore: Vorstal
[ ] Craft an Apology - You were kind of a dick last night, even if Madavian did make a mistake. Spend a few hours thinking about what to say, and then say it. Improve relationship with Madavian. On roll DC 60 vs CHA, Improve Relationship with Madavian (so 2 step improvement total).
[ ] Check out the Class List - Madavian said you'll need to head down to Enrolments soon enough, though you don't need to formally enrol in your electives until the end of Orientation. Enrolment doesn't even open till tomorrow, in fact. Still, some electives are more popular than others, and talking to the people who run Enrolments will give you a good idea of which electives are more popular, and maybe which ones. Grants idea of which classes are popular/good/etc. (Gives a list of First-Year Electives, and the Skills and Spells they grant). If you wait till tomorrow, you'll be able to check it out and enroll in one action, but the extra time it takes you means you won't get first pick of the electives.
Madavian shrugged.
"Look, I think they're all pretty boring, but my father said this was a good way to be seen by the teachers. If you show up at extra classes, they think you're more interested, they help you. That sort of a thing. I mean, I don't think I need to, but it's not like I have anything better to do anyway. Sneaking in sounds fun, too!"
Ulos followed Madavian along, walking for half an hour down to a squat, brick building. At least, at first. As they got closer, each brick was traced with intricate, glowing lines, connecting one to another, and as they came even closer, the building faded, replaced with the vision of a tremendous human skull with two doors made from pure gold in the mouth, and streams of purple viscous liquid flowing from the eyes.
"Wow."
Magic in the Empire was practical, and hoarded jealously by the upper classes. Illusions existed, but not for purposes like these. The tremendous skull faded from view as they got even closer, replaced again with the brick building.
They opened the door and slipped inside. Two doors down, a small hall sat, with a teacher lecturing, drawing runes in chalk on a massive blackboard. They quietly opened the door, and sat on the stairs up the back. While sneaking into lectures was officially frowned upon, they'd certainly get kicked out if they made a ruckus.
Training Roll - 88 + 25(WILL) = 113 vs 70 DC. Major success! Gained 3 points (1 from success, 1 from 20+ points over required DC, 1 from 40+ points over required DC) in Lore: Runes.
"A rune is fundamentally a spell, some say. After all, a rune is shaped like a spell, takes power like a spell, and is even drawn like a spell. Yet if you forge a spell in iron, it does not become a rune. Indeed, activating that spell destroys it, just as activating any other spell does. The public calls these single-use spells 'runes', but they could not be more incorrect. If you draw a rune on something, you must make it permanent. In addition, a rune is not like a spell in that a spell does not care what it is inscribed on, provided the inscription is accurate. Chalk on a blackboard will work, though the required accuracy is difficult. Your hand in the air will work, provided the spell is inscribed quickly enough, and the strokes are made in the correct casting order, and empowered and held as they are made. A finely-ground pencil nib on paper will work, though if you fold or bend the paper you may find your spell not working. You must still know, however, how to put your magic into the spell. A spell cares whether you empower the top of the sigil first, and changing the order changes the spell."
The instructor suddenly shouted, banging his hand on the blackboard for emphasis.
"Runes are not spells! Runes are not spells! Inscribe a rune for water into iron, and nothing will happen. Inscribe a rune for water on flesh, and yes, it will work, as flesh is mostly water. However, it will command the water in the flesh only, leading to disastrous consequences. Empower a rune, and it remains, and is only damaged by the passage of time and physical effects. The flow of Ether through a rune does not harm a rune. Moreover, a rune does not care how you put the magic in, meaning any village idiot who can channel the Primordial Ether can use a rune. What does this mean in practice for runecraft? Well, as we all remember Alessor's Third Theorem, it is provable..."
Training Roll - 85 + 25 (WILL) = 110 vs 105 DC. Bare success! +1 to Craft: Rune
The instructor proceeded to draw thirty complex symbols on the blackboard, raising his hand and making them glow, as the students in the back took notes. Hundreds of lines in precise order, Ulos did not have his notebooks with him (and would have had no ink besides), and was not confident in memorizing this. Still, he looked at one of them, running his mind over how it was shaped, drawn, and how it glowed. Intent on learning, he pushed all other distractions aside and concentrated.
Almost forty minutes later, he hadn't picked up everything in the lesson, but he was sure he knew that specific rune. The instructor had mentioned something about it being one of the Runes of Water, though he'd need to look into that more later.
He looked over at Madavian, who had brought one of his notebooks (and a self-inking pen, an expensive treasure), and was busy... scribbling a caricature of the professor, complete with extra nose hair.
"Hey, Madavian. I think they're getting ready to go. We should leave."
Madavian stood up, and together they snuck back out, taking a moment to appreciate the illusion before moving on.
Next on their list was Intermediate Soul-Binding. Madavian had thought it sounded 'jingles', whatever that meant, and Ulos thought he might find some clue to his Curse there. Being able to mitigate it, even the tiniest amount, would be worth so much to him here.
The Faculty of Spirits and Souls was housed in buildings unlike others on campus. Instead of brick buildings, they looked like they had been grown from living rock, curling around itself and braiding itself around doorways, twisting as it rose into small towers above each small building. One of the buildings towards the centre was some sort of shrub, branches grown together so tightly the wind itself could not make it through, a berry-laden archway showing the only way in.
"This one. The plant."
"You're sure? It's dark in there."
"Trust me, cmon!"
The two walked in. The building was dark, and did not get any lighter. They heard voices, though, and through the pitch dark they stumbled towards them. Why was it so dark?
As the light from the doorway faded, they heard one voice talking above the rest.
"Let's stay here", Madavian whispered. "If we go any closer we won't be able to see at all!"
Ulos nodded, and then realised his mistake. "Ok."
They strained, but could hear the voice speaking.
Training Roll - 46 + 25(WILL) + 7 Lore: Necromancy = 78 vs 70 DC. Minor success. +1 to Lore: Souls and Spirits
"As you can see on the board, Tarnamack's Third and Fourth Epistles to the Unclean show the moderate, moderate influence on the Six Voyagers and how they interact when Minerva is declined..."
He focused again. Sitting in the dark for an hour, not able to see the board was difficult, but instead of letting the noise drown out his thoughts, he was able to pick ideas out of the esoteric wording coming his way. As he focused,
"I'm so boooored."
"Shh, Madavian, I'm trying to listen. Let's wait till the end of class, and then we can leave. Maybe they'll turn the lights on and we'll get to see the place."
"Ok, fine."
Training Roll - 76 + 25 (WILL) + 7 Lore: Necromancy = 106 vs 105 DC. Bare success! Gained Spell: Bind Spirit! First spell gained!
"You now need to inscribe these six marks. Drawing the Forms of the Voyagers is the only to way to know to Bind one, and so..."
He focused, and learned. The class was held in the dark, perhaps, because it was important to visualise what was being done without seeing anything yourself. Yes, the teacher was talking about the "inability of most Binders to access the Primordial Sight", that made sense. As he talked, he understood the fundamentals of what he was saying. Binding a spirit was not like casting a normal spell, where the forms were predefined as to what action they took on the natural world. The spell was fluid, in response to the actions of the spirit itself, and somewhat intuitive.
Dinner Roll - 3 vs DC 20. Critical failure. Miss out on dinner! Miss out on chances to meet people at dinner! Relationship with Madavian decreased.
As they got back, it was quite dark, and they noticed a distinct lack of lights outside the hall.
"Madavian, when was dinner?"
"Eight, didn't I tell you?"
"Any idea what the time is now?"
"Nine or so, I... oh."
Madavian laughed. "Don't worry, breakfast is at six, so we won't be hungry for long."
"You idiot!"
"What? What in the Ether, Ulos? I'm new here as well! Don't blame me for our mistake."
"Damnit, Madavian."
Ulos ground his teeth. Madavian was an idiot. He hadn't eaten all day while getting here, and he was hungry enough as it is. They returned to the Parrot's Perch, and went to sleep fairly quickly - eating the small nonperishables he had packed struck him as foolish. He might want them later if he needed to go on a trip, and food from the Preparatory was already paid-for. Upon waking, they hurried downstairs to go to breakfast. They did so in silence, Ulos unwilling to apologise and Madavian unwilling to demand one. An uneasy silence sat between the two until they reached the dining hall.
When they did, Madavian looked at him, suddenly eager to please.
"Tomorrow's orientation, but today we can do as we like. What should we do? I could tell you about Vorstal, if you'd like. Learn a bit about the city."
How does Ulos spend his day? You have 2 free Actions to spend. Feel free to vote for two.
[ ] Meet and Greet - Not really Ulos's cup of tea, but a good idea all the same. Stay after breakfast and chat with people for a few hours. Roll vs DC 20 to meet people, every 20 points over, meet another person. Make Diplomacy rolls versus said people to determine initial relationships. Diplomacy rolls will depend on the person themselves, their mood, and their background (good luck making friends with Narubites).
[ ] Go Exploring - It's a big campus, and you haven't seen the half of it. Who knows what you could find? Roll 1D100 vs ???. Success offers ???, failure offers ???.
[ ] Sneak into More Classes - Not really ideal, and since Madavian doesn't want to you won't have access to who's who in each class. Gain one free Lore: ??? roll. Critical success on the Lore roll will open a Craft: ??? roll or a Spell: ??? roll, depending on the subject.
[ ] Hang Out With Madavian - Not really that useful, but Madavian would like you to. While he's friendly, he doesn't know anyone else yet beyond his family, and who wants to hang out with their family?. Improve relationship with Madavian, gain Training Roll vs DC 90 (Madavian is a very poor teacher) for Lore: Vorstal
[ ] Craft an Apology - You were kind of a dick last night, even if Madavian did make a mistake. Spend a few hours thinking about what to say, and then say it. Improve relationship with Madavian. On roll DC 60 vs CHA, Improve Relationship with Madavian (so 2 step improvement total).
[ ] Check out the Class List - Madavian said you'll need to head down to Enrolments soon enough, though you don't need to formally enrol in your electives until the end of Orientation. Enrolment doesn't even open till tomorrow, in fact. Still, some electives are more popular than others, and talking to the people who run Enrolments will give you a good idea of which electives are more popular, and maybe which ones. Grants idea of which classes are popular/good/etc. (Gives a list of First-Year Electives, and the Skills and Spells they grant). If you wait till tomorrow, you'll be able to check it out and enroll in one action, but the extra time it takes you means you won't get first pick of the electives.
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0.4 - Apologies and Class Lists
- Location
- Straya
Breakfast was a quiet affair, and Ulos didn't say much. Madavian was quiet as well. Eggs and bacon served on freshly-made bread,
"Hey, Madavian. I'm going to go check out the class list. See you later, all right?"
Madavian nodded.
"Sure thing, Ulos. I'll see you later?"
"Yeah. See you later. I'm heading up to my room first, though, I need a notebook, just in case they don't have any paper there to write stuff down on."
The events of last night ran through his head. Sure, Madavian had screwed up, but they'd gone and learned things. He'd figured out the basics of a spell! The guy had helped him out a lot, and he shouldn't have been so cruel. So what if Madavian had been excited and forgot about dinner? It was his first day at a school where you learn magic! That's the sort of thing that makes you forget. Nodding to himself, he resolved to apologise at the first available opportunity.
(Crafting an Apology: 11 + 10 = 21 vs DC 60. Moderate failure)
Entering his room, Ulos unlocked the cupboard and took out one of his precious notebooks. Paper was expensive, but having notes on every class and being able to talk to Madavian about them before tomorrow would be valuable. He didn't have the same background a lot of the students had, and knowing the best classes for his particular personality and abilities would be crucial to getting ahead early.
The door swung open, and Madavian walked in.
"Hey."
"Uh, hi, Madavian."
"I'm just getting some stuff, and I'll be out of your way, don't worry."
Ulos winced.
"No, wait. I, um, I want to apologise."
The other boy looked at him, his eyes suddenly focused on Ulos's, watching him intently.
"Oh?"
"Well, um... yesterday. Calling you an idiot wasn't right. I'm sorry. I don't care if you're stupid, you're still a good guy."
"You don't care if I'm stupid?"
"I mean, um..."
Ulos's voice trailed off, and an awkward silence hung in the air. A few seconds later, Madavian laughed, breaking the mood.
"It's okay. I'm sure when you say that sort of thing in the Empire it's just considered blunt, but in Vorstal we're a little more subtle. Even if you think someone's stupid, don't say it, yeah? My father always says if an idiot knows you think he's an idiot, then you're the real idiot."
"Thanks. Sorry, I'm not good at this."
Madavian laughed again.
"It's okay, it's okay. If you were another member of the Families I'd have to do something to protect my reputation, but nobody heard us and you didn't mean anything by it. Water under the bridge. I'd come with you to check out the class lists, but my father has already given me a list of the classes I'm enrolling in, so not much point for me. Plus as much fun as you are, one of the girls at breakfast was really pretty. I think she might be from the Pact, and you know how they are."
He winked.
"See you later, Ulos."
(Relationship with Madavian improved one step. Back to where they were before Ulos's poor choice of words.)
Ulos made his way down to Enrolments, which was surprisingly close. Only a few buildings away, he expected the line would be out the door for people just like him. Instead, when he wandered in he found small clusters of people around the second and third-year boards. With his notepad in hand, he saw pencils tied to the various desks and things around the boards. The first-year board had no-one else there, as he studied one side carefully.
(Check out the class list - 80 vs DC 80. Bare pass! Gain benefit - social opportunity)
A moment later, a girl stepped out from the other side. She was tall, and pretty in a sort of angular way. Her hair was drawn back, and through it was a dyed blue streak.
Ulos looked at her.
"Here to look at classes too?"
She eyed him for a moment.
"Empire?"
"Am I from the Empire, you mean?"
"Yes."
"I am, but-"
"I'm a Narubite. We don't generally associate with you, you know."
She smiled for a moment, almost mocking the statement.
(Diplomacy roll: 1 + 10 (CHA) - 20 (Narubite) + 10 (Fortunate Encounter) = 1 vs DC 50. CRITICAL FAILURE)
"Well, there's good reason for that."
Ulos tried to joke in return, but his words fell flat, sounding accusing even in his ears.
"Pardon?"
"I mean-"
"No, what is the good reason? You think you're better than me, Empire?"
Ulos snapped. Who in the Primordial was this Narubite, and who did she think she was talking to? He'd given up everything to be here, she was probably here on a free ride from her government so they could get another mage! Anyone in Narubar could become a mage if they had the gift and some desire to work, he'd given up his power, his family, his life to be here. He could've spent that money to live comfortably forever, but he'd chosen otherwise.
"Well, for one, your nation is barely two hundred years old. You're ruled by savages who kill anyone researching the Higher Magics, you-"
"The Higher Magics? You mean Necromancy? There's a good reason we put necromancers to death in Narubar. We're equal there, and anyone can learn. Let me guess, Empire, you're from a pretty wealthy family who sent you here because the King of Bones decided not to teach you. Well, I worked to get here, and I-"
"You worked? I worked myself to the bone! I did everything anyone could to get here! You think you know about work in Narubar, your little barbarian nation that's going to collapse in the next hundred years? You know nothing about work."
"My little barbarian nation is going to smash yours into the dirt and your Liches, too. You tried to kill innocent people in the Archipelagean War, and you'll-"
From the desk nearby, a throat was loudly cleared.
An older girl stood up, and walked over.
"You two. Narubite, you've gotten your class lists copied down, yeah?"
"Yes."
"Then get out. Empire, copy yours down and get out as well. Some of us are trying to think about our futures here, and I don't want a pair of petty, squabbling children to ruin them."
"But-"
In a moment, the girl traced a symbol in the air, and it flared briefly. The Narubite girl's hair suddenly turned a bright Imperial orange.
"Get out, or that hair will last a week instead of a day. Am I clear?"
She squeaked, and ran out.
(Gained Rival: Laila Cartier. Rivalry level - dislike)
"As for you, Imperial... well, I'm Imperial myself, so I can't say you're wrong, but there's a time and place for everything. If you don't learn that, you won't last long here. Tell me your name."
"Ulos."
"Well, Ulos. If I find you embarrassing us Imperials again, I may have to educate you. So don't."
Ulos nodded.
"Do you understand me?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now copy down your class lists and get out."
The class list is fairly large, so I'll put it and the next vote in a separate post. Be up in 5-10.
"Hey, Madavian. I'm going to go check out the class list. See you later, all right?"
Madavian nodded.
"Sure thing, Ulos. I'll see you later?"
"Yeah. See you later. I'm heading up to my room first, though, I need a notebook, just in case they don't have any paper there to write stuff down on."
The events of last night ran through his head. Sure, Madavian had screwed up, but they'd gone and learned things. He'd figured out the basics of a spell! The guy had helped him out a lot, and he shouldn't have been so cruel. So what if Madavian had been excited and forgot about dinner? It was his first day at a school where you learn magic! That's the sort of thing that makes you forget. Nodding to himself, he resolved to apologise at the first available opportunity.
(Crafting an Apology: 11 + 10 = 21 vs DC 60. Moderate failure)
Entering his room, Ulos unlocked the cupboard and took out one of his precious notebooks. Paper was expensive, but having notes on every class and being able to talk to Madavian about them before tomorrow would be valuable. He didn't have the same background a lot of the students had, and knowing the best classes for his particular personality and abilities would be crucial to getting ahead early.
The door swung open, and Madavian walked in.
"Hey."
"Uh, hi, Madavian."
"I'm just getting some stuff, and I'll be out of your way, don't worry."
Ulos winced.
"No, wait. I, um, I want to apologise."
The other boy looked at him, his eyes suddenly focused on Ulos's, watching him intently.
"Oh?"
"Well, um... yesterday. Calling you an idiot wasn't right. I'm sorry. I don't care if you're stupid, you're still a good guy."
"You don't care if I'm stupid?"
"I mean, um..."
Ulos's voice trailed off, and an awkward silence hung in the air. A few seconds later, Madavian laughed, breaking the mood.
"It's okay. I'm sure when you say that sort of thing in the Empire it's just considered blunt, but in Vorstal we're a little more subtle. Even if you think someone's stupid, don't say it, yeah? My father always says if an idiot knows you think he's an idiot, then you're the real idiot."
"Thanks. Sorry, I'm not good at this."
Madavian laughed again.
"It's okay, it's okay. If you were another member of the Families I'd have to do something to protect my reputation, but nobody heard us and you didn't mean anything by it. Water under the bridge. I'd come with you to check out the class lists, but my father has already given me a list of the classes I'm enrolling in, so not much point for me. Plus as much fun as you are, one of the girls at breakfast was really pretty. I think she might be from the Pact, and you know how they are."
He winked.
"See you later, Ulos."
(Relationship with Madavian improved one step. Back to where they were before Ulos's poor choice of words.)
Ulos made his way down to Enrolments, which was surprisingly close. Only a few buildings away, he expected the line would be out the door for people just like him. Instead, when he wandered in he found small clusters of people around the second and third-year boards. With his notepad in hand, he saw pencils tied to the various desks and things around the boards. The first-year board had no-one else there, as he studied one side carefully.
(Check out the class list - 80 vs DC 80. Bare pass! Gain benefit - social opportunity)
A moment later, a girl stepped out from the other side. She was tall, and pretty in a sort of angular way. Her hair was drawn back, and through it was a dyed blue streak.
Ulos looked at her.
"Here to look at classes too?"
She eyed him for a moment.
"Empire?"
"Am I from the Empire, you mean?"
"Yes."
"I am, but-"
"I'm a Narubite. We don't generally associate with you, you know."
She smiled for a moment, almost mocking the statement.
(Diplomacy roll: 1 + 10 (CHA) - 20 (Narubite) + 10 (Fortunate Encounter) = 1 vs DC 50. CRITICAL FAILURE)
"Well, there's good reason for that."
Ulos tried to joke in return, but his words fell flat, sounding accusing even in his ears.
"Pardon?"
"I mean-"
"No, what is the good reason? You think you're better than me, Empire?"
Ulos snapped. Who in the Primordial was this Narubite, and who did she think she was talking to? He'd given up everything to be here, she was probably here on a free ride from her government so they could get another mage! Anyone in Narubar could become a mage if they had the gift and some desire to work, he'd given up his power, his family, his life to be here. He could've spent that money to live comfortably forever, but he'd chosen otherwise.
"Well, for one, your nation is barely two hundred years old. You're ruled by savages who kill anyone researching the Higher Magics, you-"
"The Higher Magics? You mean Necromancy? There's a good reason we put necromancers to death in Narubar. We're equal there, and anyone can learn. Let me guess, Empire, you're from a pretty wealthy family who sent you here because the King of Bones decided not to teach you. Well, I worked to get here, and I-"
"You worked? I worked myself to the bone! I did everything anyone could to get here! You think you know about work in Narubar, your little barbarian nation that's going to collapse in the next hundred years? You know nothing about work."
"My little barbarian nation is going to smash yours into the dirt and your Liches, too. You tried to kill innocent people in the Archipelagean War, and you'll-"
From the desk nearby, a throat was loudly cleared.
An older girl stood up, and walked over.
"You two. Narubite, you've gotten your class lists copied down, yeah?"
"Yes."
"Then get out. Empire, copy yours down and get out as well. Some of us are trying to think about our futures here, and I don't want a pair of petty, squabbling children to ruin them."
"But-"
In a moment, the girl traced a symbol in the air, and it flared briefly. The Narubite girl's hair suddenly turned a bright Imperial orange.
"Get out, or that hair will last a week instead of a day. Am I clear?"
She squeaked, and ran out.
(Gained Rival: Laila Cartier. Rivalry level - dislike)
"As for you, Imperial... well, I'm Imperial myself, so I can't say you're wrong, but there's a time and place for everything. If you don't learn that, you won't last long here. Tell me your name."
"Ulos."
"Well, Ulos. If I find you embarrassing us Imperials again, I may have to educate you. So don't."
Ulos nodded.
"Do you understand me?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now copy down your class lists and get out."
The class list is fairly large, so I'll put it and the next vote in a separate post. Be up in 5-10.
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Vote: Class Choice
- Location
- Straya
Ulos has obtained his Class List.
Rather than take any future actions for the moment, take some time to look over the classes and electives and formulate a plan. There's no real reason to delay enrolling (and the better electives will close as you do), so I'm not going to bother putting waiting to a vote - it's a stupid decision and Ulos has clearly shown he wants to get in early. You have one Mandatory Action tomorrow (Orientation), and I don't see the point of voting for the second one, given that the thread has chosen to find out what the Class List is early.
There are six electives available. You may vote for up to two.
Magisterium: Practicum & Combat (Mandatory): This Magisterium is focused around creating and empowering spells, but more specifically, the exact hand-or-wand-or-penwork that goes into it, as well as being able to cast spells on the fly. As such, this class also teaches magics for combat. While most mages will not need these, being able to defend yourself, even against just a man with a club is a worthy skill to have.
[ ] Magical Practice and Combat: Learn to attack, defend, and practice magic sigils. You'll learn basic self-defense skills and even learn to incapacitate your opponents. All students learn Spell: Kinetic Shield, Spell: Thermal Shield, Spell: Magical Bludgeon, Spell: Magical Blade, Skill: Spellweaving, Combat Skill: Magical Offense, Combat Skill: Magical Defense.
Locked - Character must have Channeling 4 or above.
[ ] Magical Practice and Defense: Learn to defend and practice magic sigils. You'll learn basic self-defense skills. All students learn Kinetic Shield, Thermal Shield, Skill: Spellweaving, Combat Skill: Magical Defense.
Locked - Character must have Channeling 2 or above.
[X] Magical Practice and Awareness (Mandatory) - About one-fifth of the year has a low magical potential. This is less unusual than it seems, many wealthy or influental people prefer their children even if they have only a smidgeon of magical talent to learn to practice magic. However, someone with so little power simply cannot maintain a Kinetic or Thermal Shield, and a Magical Bludgeon is well out. Magical Blades can be used by those of low potential, but mastering them to the point where they use little mana is difficult and requires great willpower. As such, this course is an alternative to the other two. If weaker mages cannot fight, they can at least know where a fight is, and how to avoid it. They are also taught how to leave a fight quickly, and find avenues of escape above all else. All students learn Spell: Thermal Awareness, Spell: Kinetic Awareness, Spell: Burst of Light, Skill: Spellweaving, Combat Skill: Retreat.
Magisterium: Magical Theory (Mandatory): How do spells work? Why do they work? What is the Primordial Ether? What sort of equations do you need to know to modify a spell? How do you create a new spell? This magisterium is focused on teaching theory, but without it a lot of the skills mages rely on would cease to function.
[X] Magical Theory (Mandatory) : Learn the hows and whys of magic. Mandatory for all students. Good performance in this class in the first term sees the year sorted into streams, with the most talented theorists taken on by actual magical theorists, while those less capable or less interested are sorted into lesser streams. All students need to know the theory in order to modify spells on the fly, develop new spells, and understand how spells work. All students learn Lore: Magical Theory. After the first term the students are divided based on exam results. The bottom quarter are sent to Magical Theory (Remedial), the next two quarters are sent to Magical Theory (Standard). The top quarter is divided again two times. The 75-95% cohort go to Magical Theory (Advanced), and and the top 5% of students (generally the top 5 students in a year) go to Magical Theory (Personal Tutoring).
Electives: (First Term) Not every elective is available every time, as the needs of the first-year students are subordinate to those of the upper years. Each term, on average eight electives are made available, though depending on the term it is sometimes more and sometimes less.
Basic Alchemy: Often filled with the stubborn and the magic-deficient, Alchemy has the advantage of not requiring great magical power (though it does require some) to do well in. Alchemy is more trial-and-error than it is leaps of brilliance, with the Smokestacks filled with experiments day and night. Of course, the university only provides basic materials, so becoming a great alchemist tends to go hand-in-hand with either great wealth, or a wealthy patron. All Alchemists are taught to create the various important materials of their craft here, as well as to brew and distill pure alcohol, a crucial ingredient to most alchemical recipes. All students learn Craft: Alchemy, Craft Item: Wakeful Tincture, Craft Item: Soothing Poultice, , as well as Lore: Alchemy.
+ Requires low magic
+ Willpower-bound
- Requires money for better potions
- Has no relation to other schools of magic whatsoever, if you don't take Alchemy in later years it'll be relatively useless.
Runic Theory: Letting a student craft runes before they can craft spells is seen as foolish by almost all magical institutions worldwide. Still, the theory of runes is quite interesting, and learning said theory will give a student a leg-up when it comes time to actually craft. All students learn Lore: Runes at twice the rate of regular Runes class later on. Students who excel at Runic Theory may take Runic Practice early, and advance their Runic studies quickly.
+ Runic Theory is applicable to spells a lot of the time
+ Intelligence-bound, as most Theory subjects are.
- Has no practical application right now.
- Runes tend to require a fair bit of magic to empower.
Artifact Use and Identification: A fairly basic class, Artifact Use and Identification is about being able to discern an artifact, carefully activate one, and so on. While not particularly interesting, for anyone who might dabble in magical archaeology or alternatively want to try and buy artifacts on the cheap from the markets it is invaluable. In combat, being able to identify the Artifacts your opponent is using might very well be the difference between life and death. All students learn Lore: Artifacts.
+ Might get good bargains on artifacts. Knowing how an artifact works at a glance might let you turn it on its user.
+ Intelligence and Willpower bound
- Not really practical outside of combat, archaeological digs, or buying and selling.
- No synergy unless you decide to become a magical archaeologist or artifact merchant.
Theory of Souls and Spirits: You've already snuck in to something like this! Students learn about the theories surrounding Souls and Spirits. May be valuable in regards to your curse. All students learn Lore: Souls & Spirits.
+ Understanding Souls and Spirits is applicable to basically all magic.
+ May help understand your curse
+ Theory is Intelligence-bound
- Souls and Spirits is ultimately Cha-based magic
- Binding most souls or spirits is reliant on Magic Pool.
Theory of Illusions: Kind of niche, as illusions tend to be easy to see through and hard to set up. They are very impressive though, and also very useful against those not trained to see through them. Against your untrained classmates, though, it might also give you a temporary but powerful edge... All students learn Lore: Illusions. All students learn Skill: Perceive Illusion
+ Illusions are light on Magic Pool use.
+ For people who can't see through them, they're devastatingly useful.
- Almost all mages can see through them after being trained.
- Not a lot of synergy with other schools of magic.
Magical Inheritance and Breeding: How does magic get passed from mother to daughter, father to son? Why did the Mage Blood laws of the Empire fail to produce a powerful class of mages? How does magic impact on one's personal traits when used, and what effect does magic have on children growing up? All students learn Lore: Magical Inheritance and Lore: History.
+ Mostly taken by Imperial students, more likely to make a friend.
+ Knowing history makes you seem less like a member of the lower classes.
+ Might help understanding why you were born with such a massive Magic Pool
- No spells to learn.
Continental History: History of the Continent, from the rise of the Undying Empire to the creation of the Saint's Bay and Saint's Archipelago, to the collapse of the Undying Empire and it's moderate revival under the King of Bones. All students learn Lore: History, Lore: Undying Empire and Lore: Six-Fox Pact.
+ Three Lore skills, all with some use in diplomacy
+ Knowing history makes you seem less like a member of the lower classes.
+ Willpower-bound. Boring to memorize.
- No spells to learn
- No spell-applicable lore to learn.
Remedial Spellcraft: Have poor dexterity? A tiny Magic Pool? Well, Remedial Spellcraft is here to save the day! Teaching you better Spellweaving, more efficient ways to cast spells so you don't use up that tiny mana pool of yours too quickly, or cast spells too poorly with your shaky, shaky hands! All students learn Skill: Spellweaving, and gain Improvements to all spells taught in Magical Practice and Awareness. Students can choose the form of said improvements (easier to cast, cheaper to cast, more range, etc).
+ Augments your horrible combat abilities.
+ Having a few spells you know really well can be very useful.
- No theory learned.
- People will.. well, look down on you for taking more Spellcraft. Does a true mage really need to?
Vote for TWO electives. Voting will last thirty-six hours or until a few options have taken a decisive lead.
Rather than take any future actions for the moment, take some time to look over the classes and electives and formulate a plan. There's no real reason to delay enrolling (and the better electives will close as you do), so I'm not going to bother putting waiting to a vote - it's a stupid decision and Ulos has clearly shown he wants to get in early. You have one Mandatory Action tomorrow (Orientation), and I don't see the point of voting for the second one, given that the thread has chosen to find out what the Class List is early.
There are six electives available. You may vote for up to two.
Magisterium: Practicum & Combat (Mandatory): This Magisterium is focused around creating and empowering spells, but more specifically, the exact hand-or-wand-or-penwork that goes into it, as well as being able to cast spells on the fly. As such, this class also teaches magics for combat. While most mages will not need these, being able to defend yourself, even against just a man with a club is a worthy skill to have.
Locked - Character must have Channeling 4 or above.
Locked - Character must have Channeling 2 or above.
[X] Magical Practice and Awareness (Mandatory) - About one-fifth of the year has a low magical potential. This is less unusual than it seems, many wealthy or influental people prefer their children even if they have only a smidgeon of magical talent to learn to practice magic. However, someone with so little power simply cannot maintain a Kinetic or Thermal Shield, and a Magical Bludgeon is well out. Magical Blades can be used by those of low potential, but mastering them to the point where they use little mana is difficult and requires great willpower. As such, this course is an alternative to the other two. If weaker mages cannot fight, they can at least know where a fight is, and how to avoid it. They are also taught how to leave a fight quickly, and find avenues of escape above all else. All students learn Spell: Thermal Awareness, Spell: Kinetic Awareness, Spell: Burst of Light, Skill: Spellweaving, Combat Skill: Retreat.
Magisterium: Magical Theory (Mandatory): How do spells work? Why do they work? What is the Primordial Ether? What sort of equations do you need to know to modify a spell? How do you create a new spell? This magisterium is focused on teaching theory, but without it a lot of the skills mages rely on would cease to function.
[X] Magical Theory (Mandatory) : Learn the hows and whys of magic. Mandatory for all students. Good performance in this class in the first term sees the year sorted into streams, with the most talented theorists taken on by actual magical theorists, while those less capable or less interested are sorted into lesser streams. All students need to know the theory in order to modify spells on the fly, develop new spells, and understand how spells work. All students learn Lore: Magical Theory. After the first term the students are divided based on exam results. The bottom quarter are sent to Magical Theory (Remedial), the next two quarters are sent to Magical Theory (Standard). The top quarter is divided again two times. The 75-95% cohort go to Magical Theory (Advanced), and and the top 5% of students (generally the top 5 students in a year) go to Magical Theory (Personal Tutoring).
Electives: (First Term) Not every elective is available every time, as the needs of the first-year students are subordinate to those of the upper years. Each term, on average eight electives are made available, though depending on the term it is sometimes more and sometimes less.
Basic Alchemy: Often filled with the stubborn and the magic-deficient, Alchemy has the advantage of not requiring great magical power (though it does require some) to do well in. Alchemy is more trial-and-error than it is leaps of brilliance, with the Smokestacks filled with experiments day and night. Of course, the university only provides basic materials, so becoming a great alchemist tends to go hand-in-hand with either great wealth, or a wealthy patron. All Alchemists are taught to create the various important materials of their craft here, as well as to brew and distill pure alcohol, a crucial ingredient to most alchemical recipes. All students learn Craft: Alchemy, Craft Item: Wakeful Tincture, Craft Item: Soothing Poultice, , as well as Lore: Alchemy.
+ Requires low magic
+ Willpower-bound
- Requires money for better potions
- Has no relation to other schools of magic whatsoever, if you don't take Alchemy in later years it'll be relatively useless.
Runic Theory: Letting a student craft runes before they can craft spells is seen as foolish by almost all magical institutions worldwide. Still, the theory of runes is quite interesting, and learning said theory will give a student a leg-up when it comes time to actually craft. All students learn Lore: Runes at twice the rate of regular Runes class later on. Students who excel at Runic Theory may take Runic Practice early, and advance their Runic studies quickly.
+ Runic Theory is applicable to spells a lot of the time
+ Intelligence-bound, as most Theory subjects are.
- Has no practical application right now.
- Runes tend to require a fair bit of magic to empower.
Artifact Use and Identification: A fairly basic class, Artifact Use and Identification is about being able to discern an artifact, carefully activate one, and so on. While not particularly interesting, for anyone who might dabble in magical archaeology or alternatively want to try and buy artifacts on the cheap from the markets it is invaluable. In combat, being able to identify the Artifacts your opponent is using might very well be the difference between life and death. All students learn Lore: Artifacts.
+ Might get good bargains on artifacts. Knowing how an artifact works at a glance might let you turn it on its user.
+ Intelligence and Willpower bound
- Not really practical outside of combat, archaeological digs, or buying and selling.
- No synergy unless you decide to become a magical archaeologist or artifact merchant.
Theory of Souls and Spirits: You've already snuck in to something like this! Students learn about the theories surrounding Souls and Spirits. May be valuable in regards to your curse. All students learn Lore: Souls & Spirits.
+ Understanding Souls and Spirits is applicable to basically all magic.
+ May help understand your curse
+ Theory is Intelligence-bound
- Souls and Spirits is ultimately Cha-based magic
- Binding most souls or spirits is reliant on Magic Pool.
Theory of Illusions: Kind of niche, as illusions tend to be easy to see through and hard to set up. They are very impressive though, and also very useful against those not trained to see through them. Against your untrained classmates, though, it might also give you a temporary but powerful edge... All students learn Lore: Illusions. All students learn Skill: Perceive Illusion
+ Illusions are light on Magic Pool use.
+ For people who can't see through them, they're devastatingly useful.
- Almost all mages can see through them after being trained.
- Not a lot of synergy with other schools of magic.
Magical Inheritance and Breeding: How does magic get passed from mother to daughter, father to son? Why did the Mage Blood laws of the Empire fail to produce a powerful class of mages? How does magic impact on one's personal traits when used, and what effect does magic have on children growing up? All students learn Lore: Magical Inheritance and Lore: History.
+ Mostly taken by Imperial students, more likely to make a friend.
+ Knowing history makes you seem less like a member of the lower classes.
+ Might help understanding why you were born with such a massive Magic Pool
- No spells to learn.
Continental History: History of the Continent, from the rise of the Undying Empire to the creation of the Saint's Bay and Saint's Archipelago, to the collapse of the Undying Empire and it's moderate revival under the King of Bones. All students learn Lore: History, Lore: Undying Empire and Lore: Six-Fox Pact.
+ Three Lore skills, all with some use in diplomacy
+ Knowing history makes you seem less like a member of the lower classes.
+ Willpower-bound. Boring to memorize.
- No spells to learn
- No spell-applicable lore to learn.
Remedial Spellcraft: Have poor dexterity? A tiny Magic Pool? Well, Remedial Spellcraft is here to save the day! Teaching you better Spellweaving, more efficient ways to cast spells so you don't use up that tiny mana pool of yours too quickly, or cast spells too poorly with your shaky, shaky hands! All students learn Skill: Spellweaving, and gain Improvements to all spells taught in Magical Practice and Awareness. Students can choose the form of said improvements (easier to cast, cheaper to cast, more range, etc).
+ Augments your horrible combat abilities.
+ Having a few spells you know really well can be very useful.
- No theory learned.
- People will.. well, look down on you for taking more Spellcraft. Does a true mage really need to?
Vote for TWO electives. Voting will last thirty-six hours or until a few options have taken a decisive lead.
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0.5 Orientation - Day One
- Location
- Straya
Saint, what a day!
Ulos spent the rest of the day hiding in his room, too embarrassed to come out and risk humiliating himself further. Madavian said a few kind words, and was then gone until dusk. He came back and brought Ulos down to dinner, where he ate, sitting far away from the Narubite girl with the blue streak in her hair.
They climbed back to the Perch to go to bed. Lying there in the dark, Ulos worried. What if everyone else hated him? What if Madavian was only nice to him because he was his roommate? He shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts.
"Madavian."
"Hmmm... yeah?"
"What classes are you taking? I mean, I know you said your dad picked them, but what did he pick, and why?"
"Hah. He's got me doing Runic Theory and Artifacts. I mean, obviously my father is important in Junotrin, and we're involved in the artifact trade. Haven't quite cornered it, but he wants me to learn more so when I come out I can make sure we capture the market completely. I mean, it makes sense. I hope Runic Theory is better than Theory and Practice of Runes when we snuck in, but... well, let's just say I doubt it. How about you?"
"History and Souls."
"Really? I mean, I get history. No offense, but you're a flit, and I know the Empire doesn't bother teaching you to read mostly, let alone history. Why Souls, though?"
Ulos hesitated. No, it didn't feel like the right moment to tell Madavian. Not when he barely knew him.
"Well, I was only really interested in those two along with Alchemy."
"Why not Alchemy?"
"Well, it just... it just didn't feel important, you know? You never hear of a great mage being an alchemist."
Madavian chuckled.
"My father employs an alchemist. She sets up in her laboratory and does things for days, and if anyone bothers her, wow, she snaps at them. Of course, she mixes up his gout cure, so he doesn't care. I think maybe alchemists are too busy chasing after eternal youth to care about what other people think of them, maybe."
'Maybe. Anyway, we better sleep. Orientation tomorrow, yeah?"
"Yeah. Night."
The two fell asleep quickly after that.
Waking up at dawn the next day, Madavian jumped out of bed and quickly returned with an outraged look on his face.
"Ulos, Ulos, get up."
"Wha-"
"The hot water is out. I bet whoever charges the rune didn't want to climb the stairs last night. We better head downstairs and find one if we want to get clean before we go."
They scrambled downstairs to Building A, and entered the shower rooms. Each shower was enclosed by tiled walls, and it looked like there were three left unused. As they headed towards them, a familiar voice rang out.
"Imperial. I see you couldn't get enough of stealing our land, so you came to steal our hot water, as well. I didn't even know they washed in the Empire."
Ulos looked up. It was the girl from yesterday, though she looked smug now, more than angry.
(Roll Diplomacy: Retort. 66 + 10 Cha + 25 Madavian Assist (high enough Relationship value for Madavian to step in) = 101 vs DC 80 [Base DC 50, +10 for unfamiliar territory, +20 for surprised]. Failure without Madavian assist. Solid success.)
"We do wash in the Empire."
The retort sounded weak, even to his ears. Suddenly Madavian spoke up.
"I didn't know they ambushed young men in the showers in Narubar."
Madavian winked at the girl exaggeratedly.
"Maybe I should come visit."
Suddenly she blushed, and looked away.
"Are you with him?"
Madavian smiled.
"Well, we haven't been together for long if you know what I mean, but I think we were always fated to end up together. I mean, that's how soulmates work, right? I can't say I'm unhappy, either. I mean, look at him!"
Ulos spluttered but couldn't think of a thing to say.
The girl stared at them both for a few moments longer, and looking angry and utterly confused, stormed out of the showers.
"Did I say soulmates? I meant roommates. Ah well, more or less the same thing, right Ulos?"
Ulos suddenly laughed.
"I can't believe you said that to her!"
"I can. Who was she, by the way?"
"Um, well..."
The two hopped into their respective showers, and continued their conversation through the wall. Ulos told Madavian all about his encounter yesterday, and Madavian laughed.
"I'm glad I got you as my roommate. Everyone else would know how to suck up to a Scion, you know? But you're a flitter and you have no idea, and it's great. The only people who don't suck up to me usually can boss me around, so it's a nice change of pace. My father said I'd make friends here, but I figured he meant friends I'd do business with."
The two quickly finished up and hopped out, getting dressed and heading downstairs.
Ulos looked at Madavian and spoke. His roommate had just saved him from looking like a complete idiot, so he felt pretty good towards him.
"So, I'm going to go enroll today. Want to come with me?"
"Yeah, I'd better come as well. If we get down first thing we can enroll before they start Orientation. Father would be pretty angry if I didn't enrol in what he wanted."
They strolled down to Orientation, carrying completed forms with them. In front of them sat only two people, both checking out the class lists. It seemed nobody else had bothered getting in that early. The two walked up to the counter. Madavian spoke.
"Can we hand in our enrolments yet?"
The woman at the counter raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't it a little early?"
"Sure, but early bird gets their pick of classes, right?"
She sighed, looking very unenthusiastic about the prospect of doing paperwork this early in the morning.
"Hand them over."
"Thanks so much. Sorry to impose on you like that, but my father - he's a Junotrin, he's really picky about what I'm doing and when I enrol in it. If I screwed it up, wow would he be angry. Thanks for helping us out!"
As they walked away, Ulos looked at Madavian quizzically. That had been a little bit unlike him. Sure, Madavian namedropped all the time, but what he had said had seemed a little... pointed.
"Why did you tell her you were a Junotrin? Wasn't it on your enrolment form."
"Sure, but now she'll treat it seriously from the get-go. I don't want it to get put on a pile of paper, lost, and then have someone tell us we don't get our class choices."
"That makes sense."
They walked on for awhile longer in silence. They were to gather at the base of the Tower for Orientation. The Tower could be seen for miles around on a clear day, and it was easy enough to get there in a matter of a few minutes. The students were already lining up at the Tower base, almost a hundred of them grouping around a single woman. She looked like a mage out of fairytales, well over six feet tall, wearing a shimmering cloak and a broad-brimmed hat that seemed to both shadow and illuminate her face at the same time. Her hair was short, reaching down a little below her ears, and was a pure snow white. In one hand she held a metal wand, in the other, an open book.
"Gather 'round, gather 'round!"
Her voice carried easily and far, and she inscribed something in the air with her wand, a symbol flaring for a moment and disappearing. Suddenly Madavian couldn't even hear his own breathing - the entire world apart from her voice had gone silent.
"Students. I am Senior Mage Tilbut, you may refer to me as Mage Tilbut or Senior Mage. I will be leading your basic Orientation today, which will cover the Library, the Smokestacks, the Runic Forge, and the Maze. Follow me."
She lead them into the tower, walking up several winding flights of stairs.
"The Library is the central part of the Tower. The upper Tower is teacher's accomodations and accomodations for the upperclassmen. The lower tower is accommodation for the upperclassmen as well. The remainder of the tower is the Preparatory Library. While the Libraries will remind you of these rules, I will tell them to you now. Books in the Open Section are permitted to be borrowed. A first-year student may borrow one book at a time for a week at a time, at which point the loan must be renewed. If a student from a higher year or a teacher requests the book, you must return it. You will all be issued with one Borrowing Chit, which entitles you to borrow one book. When you borrow the book, you pay with the Chit. When you return the book, a new Chit is issued to you. Needless to say, do not lose your Chit."
As they entered, Ulos's eyes widened. The Library wasn't just big, it was huge. Concentric circles of bookshelves sat in front of them, each shelf twice as high as he was tall, packed to the brim with books. As he looked up, he saw more stairs, leading up to another floor. This floor along dwarfed any collection of books he had seen, and would have been sufficient to fit the entirety of Dorms into with room to spare.
"There are ten floors in the Tower. The top floor is teacher accommodation, the second-to-top floor is student accommodation, the dungeon is student accommodation. The remaining seven floors constitute our Library. We bring new students here at first for two reasons. First, to tell you the rules. Second, to reassure you of the quality of the institution of learning you have enrolled in. It is our estimation that the Imperial Collegium has one-third the number of books we do, and Greystone merely an eighth. The Preparatory is well-known for its links to the Five Families, and the generous aid they give to our mission of magical education. Rest assured - for those of you who hail from one of the Families - this money is not wasted. The Librarium Arcanum itself has less books than we do, though admittedly more esoteric and rare texts."
She took a breath.
"Each class you enroll in will give you a Textbook Chit, entitling you to the use of the textbook for the term. This will not count against your ordinary borrowing limit. Unlike the Collegium, where you are expected to source your own copies of - often very rare and difficult to find - prescribed texts, here at Vorstallen we have systemised the books students use. There are no differences in texts, no superior version of a book given to a richer or more influential student. Here at Vorstallen, there is only talent and hard work."
"Lastly for Chits, you may purchase a new Borrowing Chit for ten numismata if you happen to lose yours. If you are especially needy in terms of borrowing you may purchase another, though the second Chit will cost twenty numismata, the third thirty, and so on."
"Secondly, there is the Closed Section. It is named Closed as books may not be taken in or out. You may study books there, however. Lastly, there are the Restricted Sections. There are a number of sections of the library behind locked and runed doors, that you are not permitted to access. If you require access to one section, a teacher may grant permission, provided that Section is related to their field of interest. Teachers may borrow books from the Restricted Sections. If you need to borrow a book from one of these sections a teacher may do so for you."
She sighed.
"Do not, for obvious reasons, bring a flame into the library, cast a flame spell, cast a water spell, cast a ink spell, or cast any magic whatsoever unless you are utterly certain it will have no physical impact on the books. Once you are utterly certain of this, confirm this with one of the librarians. If they permit it, you may then cast the spell under their supervision. If you cast a spell and damage the books here, you will be expelled."
Tilbut clapped.
"Follow me. We'll see the rest of the Library before we climb down."
Seven floors. Seven floors of massive stairs upwards, each containing rooms and rooms of books. Ulos looked over. Yes, he'd be spending a lot of time here. Still, he didn't see why Tilbut needed to drag him up and down seven flights of stairs.
Once they'd made it to the bottom of the Tower, she clapped her hands again. Something... when she did that, suddenly her voice cut through all the murmurs of his classmates and he could focus only on what she was saying.
"Next is the Smokestack."
She led them to a ramshackle building, with boards over windows and smoke billowing from a crack in one set of boards. It was large, though more sprawling than tall. While other buildings were squat and ugly, the Smokestack was not ugly in the same way. Rather, some of the bricks were cracked and falling out, the roof had tiles fallen off, the door had been taken off its hinges and was sitting propped-up next to the doorway, and now the smoke from the window was rapidly turning pink.
"We will not be going inside. Unlike other buildings, the Smokestack is not enchanted for things like structural soundness. Alchemical experiments and runes do not always play well together in close proximity."
(Roll Orientation Event - 12. Below 20 is negative event!)
As he was listening, the smoke was getting closer and closer to him...
(Roll Dodge! - 36 + 10 Physical vs DC 50. Fail!)
(Roll Madavian Assist - 77 + 5 = 82 vs DC 70 (base DC 50, + 20 from Tilbut's Clap. Regular success, add +10 to associated roll)
(Recalculate Dodge - 36 + 10 Physical + 10 Madavian Assist = 56 vs DC 50. Pass!)
The wind took up, and blew the smoke right towards Ulos, standing a little away from the group. Pink smoke raced towards him. Madavian looked over and quickly grabbed him, pulling him out of the way.
"What-"
Madavian pointed.
"Don't get with some residue from an experiment. Who knows what it could do?"
"It's just smoke."
"My father's alchemist had 'just smoke' coming out of her laboratory once. Lit all the tapestries on the wall outside on fire. That's when father moved her to somewhere less flammable."
Tilbut clapped again.
"If you have no reason to enter the Smokestack, we generally advise you do not. Alchemists can be peculiar. Never drink anything an upperclassman gives you without clearing it with a teacher first, even if they assure you it is safe. Even if they drink it as well."
She strode on.
Next was the Runic Forge. Rather than some grand impressive open fire, it was a large stone door built into a descending set of stairs.
"This leads to the Runic Forge. You are forbidden to enter without explicit permission from a teacher. Any student found doing so will be punished."
She quickly led them to their last destination.
"This is the Maze."
Ulos looked. It was a set of stone doors, not unlike those going to the Forge, built into a massive field. There were hedges growing all around, though it seemed more like a battlefield than a maze.
"Most practical exams will be held here. Students wanting to practice combat magic in their own time are advised to use the above-ground segments of the Maze, though before you do, let your combat instructor know which spells you will be using, both defensively and offensively. We have not lost a single arm or leg in twenty-two years, and you should not be the class to reset that counter. Below is the Maze itself. You may not enter the Lower Maze without permission, just as you may not enter the Forge."
They had been walking around for hours. Ulos just wanted to go eat. Sure, don't go to the maze, don't go to the Forge, whatever. Man, he was hungry all of a sudden.
"That is all for Orientation. Lastly, for those of you taking Artifact Use this term, I will see you next week. Dismissed."
The two made it back to the dinner hall, eating and heading upstairs. Ulos didn't want to risk another confrontation with the blue-haired girl right now, not when she might be able to embarrass him with Madavian heading to bed. They both went to sleep, tired from the long day and the endless stairs.
Voting post will be up in a bit. Much simpler and quicker this time - what do we do tomorrow and the day after. There are four more days of Orientation, divided into two turns. Each turn will have two Free Actions and two locked Orientation Actions.
Ulos spent the rest of the day hiding in his room, too embarrassed to come out and risk humiliating himself further. Madavian said a few kind words, and was then gone until dusk. He came back and brought Ulos down to dinner, where he ate, sitting far away from the Narubite girl with the blue streak in her hair.
They climbed back to the Perch to go to bed. Lying there in the dark, Ulos worried. What if everyone else hated him? What if Madavian was only nice to him because he was his roommate? He shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts.
"Madavian."
"Hmmm... yeah?"
"What classes are you taking? I mean, I know you said your dad picked them, but what did he pick, and why?"
"Hah. He's got me doing Runic Theory and Artifacts. I mean, obviously my father is important in Junotrin, and we're involved in the artifact trade. Haven't quite cornered it, but he wants me to learn more so when I come out I can make sure we capture the market completely. I mean, it makes sense. I hope Runic Theory is better than Theory and Practice of Runes when we snuck in, but... well, let's just say I doubt it. How about you?"
"History and Souls."
"Really? I mean, I get history. No offense, but you're a flit, and I know the Empire doesn't bother teaching you to read mostly, let alone history. Why Souls, though?"
Ulos hesitated. No, it didn't feel like the right moment to tell Madavian. Not when he barely knew him.
"Well, I was only really interested in those two along with Alchemy."
"Why not Alchemy?"
"Well, it just... it just didn't feel important, you know? You never hear of a great mage being an alchemist."
Madavian chuckled.
"My father employs an alchemist. She sets up in her laboratory and does things for days, and if anyone bothers her, wow, she snaps at them. Of course, she mixes up his gout cure, so he doesn't care. I think maybe alchemists are too busy chasing after eternal youth to care about what other people think of them, maybe."
'Maybe. Anyway, we better sleep. Orientation tomorrow, yeah?"
"Yeah. Night."
The two fell asleep quickly after that.
Waking up at dawn the next day, Madavian jumped out of bed and quickly returned with an outraged look on his face.
"Ulos, Ulos, get up."
"Wha-"
"The hot water is out. I bet whoever charges the rune didn't want to climb the stairs last night. We better head downstairs and find one if we want to get clean before we go."
They scrambled downstairs to Building A, and entered the shower rooms. Each shower was enclosed by tiled walls, and it looked like there were three left unused. As they headed towards them, a familiar voice rang out.
"Imperial. I see you couldn't get enough of stealing our land, so you came to steal our hot water, as well. I didn't even know they washed in the Empire."
Ulos looked up. It was the girl from yesterday, though she looked smug now, more than angry.
(Roll Diplomacy: Retort. 66 + 10 Cha + 25 Madavian Assist (high enough Relationship value for Madavian to step in) = 101 vs DC 80 [Base DC 50, +10 for unfamiliar territory, +20 for surprised]. Failure without Madavian assist. Solid success.)
"We do wash in the Empire."
The retort sounded weak, even to his ears. Suddenly Madavian spoke up.
"I didn't know they ambushed young men in the showers in Narubar."
Madavian winked at the girl exaggeratedly.
"Maybe I should come visit."
Suddenly she blushed, and looked away.
"Are you with him?"
Madavian smiled.
"Well, we haven't been together for long if you know what I mean, but I think we were always fated to end up together. I mean, that's how soulmates work, right? I can't say I'm unhappy, either. I mean, look at him!"
Ulos spluttered but couldn't think of a thing to say.
The girl stared at them both for a few moments longer, and looking angry and utterly confused, stormed out of the showers.
"Did I say soulmates? I meant roommates. Ah well, more or less the same thing, right Ulos?"
Ulos suddenly laughed.
"I can't believe you said that to her!"
"I can. Who was she, by the way?"
"Um, well..."
The two hopped into their respective showers, and continued their conversation through the wall. Ulos told Madavian all about his encounter yesterday, and Madavian laughed.
"I'm glad I got you as my roommate. Everyone else would know how to suck up to a Scion, you know? But you're a flitter and you have no idea, and it's great. The only people who don't suck up to me usually can boss me around, so it's a nice change of pace. My father said I'd make friends here, but I figured he meant friends I'd do business with."
The two quickly finished up and hopped out, getting dressed and heading downstairs.
Ulos looked at Madavian and spoke. His roommate had just saved him from looking like a complete idiot, so he felt pretty good towards him.
"So, I'm going to go enroll today. Want to come with me?"
"Yeah, I'd better come as well. If we get down first thing we can enroll before they start Orientation. Father would be pretty angry if I didn't enrol in what he wanted."
They strolled down to Orientation, carrying completed forms with them. In front of them sat only two people, both checking out the class lists. It seemed nobody else had bothered getting in that early. The two walked up to the counter. Madavian spoke.
"Can we hand in our enrolments yet?"
The woman at the counter raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't it a little early?"
"Sure, but early bird gets their pick of classes, right?"
She sighed, looking very unenthusiastic about the prospect of doing paperwork this early in the morning.
"Hand them over."
"Thanks so much. Sorry to impose on you like that, but my father - he's a Junotrin, he's really picky about what I'm doing and when I enrol in it. If I screwed it up, wow would he be angry. Thanks for helping us out!"
As they walked away, Ulos looked at Madavian quizzically. That had been a little bit unlike him. Sure, Madavian namedropped all the time, but what he had said had seemed a little... pointed.
"Why did you tell her you were a Junotrin? Wasn't it on your enrolment form."
"Sure, but now she'll treat it seriously from the get-go. I don't want it to get put on a pile of paper, lost, and then have someone tell us we don't get our class choices."
"That makes sense."
They walked on for awhile longer in silence. They were to gather at the base of the Tower for Orientation. The Tower could be seen for miles around on a clear day, and it was easy enough to get there in a matter of a few minutes. The students were already lining up at the Tower base, almost a hundred of them grouping around a single woman. She looked like a mage out of fairytales, well over six feet tall, wearing a shimmering cloak and a broad-brimmed hat that seemed to both shadow and illuminate her face at the same time. Her hair was short, reaching down a little below her ears, and was a pure snow white. In one hand she held a metal wand, in the other, an open book.
"Gather 'round, gather 'round!"
Her voice carried easily and far, and she inscribed something in the air with her wand, a symbol flaring for a moment and disappearing. Suddenly Madavian couldn't even hear his own breathing - the entire world apart from her voice had gone silent.
"Students. I am Senior Mage Tilbut, you may refer to me as Mage Tilbut or Senior Mage. I will be leading your basic Orientation today, which will cover the Library, the Smokestacks, the Runic Forge, and the Maze. Follow me."
She lead them into the tower, walking up several winding flights of stairs.
"The Library is the central part of the Tower. The upper Tower is teacher's accomodations and accomodations for the upperclassmen. The lower tower is accommodation for the upperclassmen as well. The remainder of the tower is the Preparatory Library. While the Libraries will remind you of these rules, I will tell them to you now. Books in the Open Section are permitted to be borrowed. A first-year student may borrow one book at a time for a week at a time, at which point the loan must be renewed. If a student from a higher year or a teacher requests the book, you must return it. You will all be issued with one Borrowing Chit, which entitles you to borrow one book. When you borrow the book, you pay with the Chit. When you return the book, a new Chit is issued to you. Needless to say, do not lose your Chit."
As they entered, Ulos's eyes widened. The Library wasn't just big, it was huge. Concentric circles of bookshelves sat in front of them, each shelf twice as high as he was tall, packed to the brim with books. As he looked up, he saw more stairs, leading up to another floor. This floor along dwarfed any collection of books he had seen, and would have been sufficient to fit the entirety of Dorms into with room to spare.
"There are ten floors in the Tower. The top floor is teacher accommodation, the second-to-top floor is student accommodation, the dungeon is student accommodation. The remaining seven floors constitute our Library. We bring new students here at first for two reasons. First, to tell you the rules. Second, to reassure you of the quality of the institution of learning you have enrolled in. It is our estimation that the Imperial Collegium has one-third the number of books we do, and Greystone merely an eighth. The Preparatory is well-known for its links to the Five Families, and the generous aid they give to our mission of magical education. Rest assured - for those of you who hail from one of the Families - this money is not wasted. The Librarium Arcanum itself has less books than we do, though admittedly more esoteric and rare texts."
She took a breath.
"Each class you enroll in will give you a Textbook Chit, entitling you to the use of the textbook for the term. This will not count against your ordinary borrowing limit. Unlike the Collegium, where you are expected to source your own copies of - often very rare and difficult to find - prescribed texts, here at Vorstallen we have systemised the books students use. There are no differences in texts, no superior version of a book given to a richer or more influential student. Here at Vorstallen, there is only talent and hard work."
"Lastly for Chits, you may purchase a new Borrowing Chit for ten numismata if you happen to lose yours. If you are especially needy in terms of borrowing you may purchase another, though the second Chit will cost twenty numismata, the third thirty, and so on."
"Secondly, there is the Closed Section. It is named Closed as books may not be taken in or out. You may study books there, however. Lastly, there are the Restricted Sections. There are a number of sections of the library behind locked and runed doors, that you are not permitted to access. If you require access to one section, a teacher may grant permission, provided that Section is related to their field of interest. Teachers may borrow books from the Restricted Sections. If you need to borrow a book from one of these sections a teacher may do so for you."
She sighed.
"Do not, for obvious reasons, bring a flame into the library, cast a flame spell, cast a water spell, cast a ink spell, or cast any magic whatsoever unless you are utterly certain it will have no physical impact on the books. Once you are utterly certain of this, confirm this with one of the librarians. If they permit it, you may then cast the spell under their supervision. If you cast a spell and damage the books here, you will be expelled."
Tilbut clapped.
"Follow me. We'll see the rest of the Library before we climb down."
Seven floors. Seven floors of massive stairs upwards, each containing rooms and rooms of books. Ulos looked over. Yes, he'd be spending a lot of time here. Still, he didn't see why Tilbut needed to drag him up and down seven flights of stairs.
Once they'd made it to the bottom of the Tower, she clapped her hands again. Something... when she did that, suddenly her voice cut through all the murmurs of his classmates and he could focus only on what she was saying.
"Next is the Smokestack."
She led them to a ramshackle building, with boards over windows and smoke billowing from a crack in one set of boards. It was large, though more sprawling than tall. While other buildings were squat and ugly, the Smokestack was not ugly in the same way. Rather, some of the bricks were cracked and falling out, the roof had tiles fallen off, the door had been taken off its hinges and was sitting propped-up next to the doorway, and now the smoke from the window was rapidly turning pink.
"We will not be going inside. Unlike other buildings, the Smokestack is not enchanted for things like structural soundness. Alchemical experiments and runes do not always play well together in close proximity."
(Roll Orientation Event - 12. Below 20 is negative event!)
As he was listening, the smoke was getting closer and closer to him...
(Roll Dodge! - 36 + 10 Physical vs DC 50. Fail!)
(Roll Madavian Assist - 77 + 5 = 82 vs DC 70 (base DC 50, + 20 from Tilbut's Clap. Regular success, add +10 to associated roll)
(Recalculate Dodge - 36 + 10 Physical + 10 Madavian Assist = 56 vs DC 50. Pass!)
The wind took up, and blew the smoke right towards Ulos, standing a little away from the group. Pink smoke raced towards him. Madavian looked over and quickly grabbed him, pulling him out of the way.
"What-"
Madavian pointed.
"Don't get with some residue from an experiment. Who knows what it could do?"
"It's just smoke."
"My father's alchemist had 'just smoke' coming out of her laboratory once. Lit all the tapestries on the wall outside on fire. That's when father moved her to somewhere less flammable."
Tilbut clapped again.
"If you have no reason to enter the Smokestack, we generally advise you do not. Alchemists can be peculiar. Never drink anything an upperclassman gives you without clearing it with a teacher first, even if they assure you it is safe. Even if they drink it as well."
She strode on.
Next was the Runic Forge. Rather than some grand impressive open fire, it was a large stone door built into a descending set of stairs.
"This leads to the Runic Forge. You are forbidden to enter without explicit permission from a teacher. Any student found doing so will be punished."
She quickly led them to their last destination.
"This is the Maze."
Ulos looked. It was a set of stone doors, not unlike those going to the Forge, built into a massive field. There were hedges growing all around, though it seemed more like a battlefield than a maze.
"Most practical exams will be held here. Students wanting to practice combat magic in their own time are advised to use the above-ground segments of the Maze, though before you do, let your combat instructor know which spells you will be using, both defensively and offensively. We have not lost a single arm or leg in twenty-two years, and you should not be the class to reset that counter. Below is the Maze itself. You may not enter the Lower Maze without permission, just as you may not enter the Forge."
They had been walking around for hours. Ulos just wanted to go eat. Sure, don't go to the maze, don't go to the Forge, whatever. Man, he was hungry all of a sudden.
"That is all for Orientation. Lastly, for those of you taking Artifact Use this term, I will see you next week. Dismissed."
The two made it back to the dinner hall, eating and heading upstairs. Ulos didn't want to risk another confrontation with the blue-haired girl right now, not when she might be able to embarrass him with Madavian heading to bed. They both went to sleep, tired from the long day and the endless stairs.
Voting post will be up in a bit. Much simpler and quicker this time - what do we do tomorrow and the day after. There are four more days of Orientation, divided into two turns. Each turn will have two Free Actions and two locked Orientation Actions.
Vote - Orientation Days 2 & 3
- Location
- Straya
Day Two: (can only take 1 of these)
[ ] Meet and Greet (Madavian) - Madavian thinks you're too shy. He'll use his charm to help you meet people. Offers two Diplomacy rolls for meeting people. In the event of a Failure, Madavian will step in and assist you. In the event of a Critical Failure, well... you're on your own. Still, having more than one friend would be nice. (DC: Variable. Depends on who you meet)
[ ] Prank (Madavian) - That girl tried to embarrass you in the showers. What a dick move! Well, Madavian has some cool ideas for a prank... Increases relationship with Madavian. On success, increases relationship two steps. (DC ??? - opposed roll versus rival)
Day Three: (can only take 1 of these)
[ ] Watch the Duels - Magical duels are essentially magical combat sans death. They start up on Wednesday, with the Second-Years from the high-powered combat class facing off against each other, and the Second-Years from the low-powered combat class facing off against each other. The top low-powered mages are then sent up against the losers from the high-powered class. Gain a Learning Roll for Combat Skill: Magical Defense (DC: medium), gain a Learning Roll for Combat Skill: Inferior Magic Fighting (DC: very high).
[ ] Watch the Combat - The third-years still in the magical combat stream divide into two teams and face off against each other once a week in Magical Combat. Rather than one-versus-one combat, you gain an idea of how entire teams of mages work against each other. Gain Learning Roll for Combat Skill: Awareness, (DC: high), gain Learning Roll for Combat Skill: Tactics (DC: very high)
Generic Actions: (can take up to 2 of these)
[ ] Start Studying (Write-In Subject) - You have Textbook Chits now. You can go borrow the books and start hitting them. Sort of nerdy, but hey, aren't you here to learn? Gain a Training Roll associated with the subject you choose. (DC: Low. You're smart, dedicated, and this is all basic theory).
[ ] Scout out the Library - Go figure out where the books that might help with your Curse are. I mean, they're almost certainly in the Restricted Sections, but if you can get a good idea of how the Library works and what sort of filing system it uses, you might be able to track down the knowledge a bit easier. No stat improvements. May gain a better idea of what books are helpful for your subjects, and which sorts of books might help with your curse. If you failed this roll the first time, the roll from the first time will be added to your second roll. (DC: Very High)
[ ] Go Exploring - It's a big campus, and you haven't seen the half of it. Who knows what you could find? Roll 1D100 vs ???. Success offers ???, failure offers ???.
[ ] Meet and Greet - Madavian might not be there to help you, but you can still meet people, right? Right? Offers two Diplomacy rolls for meeting people. No help from Madavian. (DC: Variable. Depends on who you meet)
Feel free to vote for as many options as you like from this point on - I strongly prefer people being able to vote for more options as it lessens strategic voting and allows people to vote their true preferences.
[ ] Meet and Greet (Madavian) - Madavian thinks you're too shy. He'll use his charm to help you meet people. Offers two Diplomacy rolls for meeting people. In the event of a Failure, Madavian will step in and assist you. In the event of a Critical Failure, well... you're on your own. Still, having more than one friend would be nice. (DC: Variable. Depends on who you meet)
[ ] Prank (Madavian) - That girl tried to embarrass you in the showers. What a dick move! Well, Madavian has some cool ideas for a prank... Increases relationship with Madavian. On success, increases relationship two steps. (DC ??? - opposed roll versus rival)
Day Three: (can only take 1 of these)
[ ] Watch the Duels - Magical duels are essentially magical combat sans death. They start up on Wednesday, with the Second-Years from the high-powered combat class facing off against each other, and the Second-Years from the low-powered combat class facing off against each other. The top low-powered mages are then sent up against the losers from the high-powered class. Gain a Learning Roll for Combat Skill: Magical Defense (DC: medium), gain a Learning Roll for Combat Skill: Inferior Magic Fighting (DC: very high).
[ ] Watch the Combat - The third-years still in the magical combat stream divide into two teams and face off against each other once a week in Magical Combat. Rather than one-versus-one combat, you gain an idea of how entire teams of mages work against each other. Gain Learning Roll for Combat Skill: Awareness, (DC: high), gain Learning Roll for Combat Skill: Tactics (DC: very high)
Generic Actions: (can take up to 2 of these)
[ ] Start Studying (Write-In Subject) - You have Textbook Chits now. You can go borrow the books and start hitting them. Sort of nerdy, but hey, aren't you here to learn? Gain a Training Roll associated with the subject you choose. (DC: Low. You're smart, dedicated, and this is all basic theory).
[ ] Scout out the Library - Go figure out where the books that might help with your Curse are. I mean, they're almost certainly in the Restricted Sections, but if you can get a good idea of how the Library works and what sort of filing system it uses, you might be able to track down the knowledge a bit easier. No stat improvements. May gain a better idea of what books are helpful for your subjects, and which sorts of books might help with your curse. If you failed this roll the first time, the roll from the first time will be added to your second roll. (DC: Very High)
[ ] Go Exploring - It's a big campus, and you haven't seen the half of it. Who knows what you could find? Roll 1D100 vs ???. Success offers ???, failure offers ???.
[ ] Meet and Greet - Madavian might not be there to help you, but you can still meet people, right? Right? Offers two Diplomacy rolls for meeting people. No help from Madavian. (DC: Variable. Depends on who you meet)
Feel free to vote for as many options as you like from this point on - I strongly prefer people being able to vote for more options as it lessens strategic voting and allows people to vote their true preferences.
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Madavian Fanart
- Location
- Straya