May Event and Intro Log

[magicademymods]

May Event and Intro Log DAWN OF THE FIRST DAY May I Have This Dance? Though Diatu Magicademy has its share of social events, few capture the attention of the student body quite like the Twilight Ball -- that magical once-a-year dance that crosses the change of day into night and is given over entirely to the dance itself. The focus is not on political visitors, rival schools, local government, or hitting up alumni for money; it is entirely about the pleasure that comes from accompanying a charming and attractive person onto the dance floor and cutting the proverbial rug. It is entirely possible the Twilight Ball is beloved because the general student body is aggressively amorous, but no one admits that out loud. With the dance on the horizon, the mission of the day becomes finding a partner -- or asking the prettiest or nicest or most tsundere to the ball before anyone else does. The Sundered are particularly popular by virtue of being new, so students may find themselves fending off invitations or even crowds of people interested in being seen on their arms. Even the younger Sundered have a few people in their age group who'd like to pretend they're just as adult as the older students. To avoid the mob, one strategy is to find someone else in dire straits and agree to be their date, thus giving both of you protection now and then. Another, stranger, vastly more unorthodox strategy is to actually ask someone out legitimately... if you've got the guts. (The third strategy is to go with Headmaster Birony, who has been occasionally heard to bemoan loudly and publicly that she has nobody, HINT HINT. But who could possibly be THAT desperate?) Love Is In The Water Love potions are absolutely, positively, one hundred percent forbidden, on the grounds they tread far too close to the supremely black Curriculum of Dictation. This ultimate and unforgiving ban is every bit as effective as Anastara's rules limiting the speed of carts in the street to a horse's walk. So, yes, there's love potion in the water. Someone spilled an entire bucket in the river. These things happen. Luckily, as diluted as it is, the potion doesn't reach the levels of obsessive compulsion that the worst of them can; a person drinking a unfortunate draught instead simply finds themselves attracted in a weird and sharp sort of way to the first person they lay their eyes on, for a period of about thirty minutes. Diatu Magicademy is an inclusive and progressive institution, and consequently these potions affect and can target all manner of beings, from ducks and wolf-shifters to robots and dragons. They are pretty convenient about failing to bring about really skeevy pairings, though, so don't worry about being Hot For Professor. Special Delivery (aka the Least Embarrassing Prompt, which is a sad state of affairs) A quick, easy, profitable way to make some money this time of year is by delivering messages, packages, parcels, and treats to students who've caught the eye of another. Whether anonymous or gloriously identified, small token of esteem or bristling bundles of roses and chocolates, the population of the Magicademy takes particular delight in letting others know their feelings. Not always positive feelings, either -- glitter-bomb rejections have only recently begun to diminish in popularity, being replaced by Pie-To-The-Face spells. An enterprising student who adds their own spin to this hallowed ceremony of delivery can make bank; singing and performance are popular ways to enhance a message among Valhudor students, and a recent trend finds quartets delivering acapella harmonies to the recipients of love notes. But simple note hauling can still be worth your while... so long as you don't find yourself delivering a creepy confession from a weirdo to one of your dear friends. What are the odds of that happening, though? Research On the Sundered With the arrival of the Sundered come those wizards engaged in research on their presence here, now set to investigate what brought them here and how to get them home. All newly-arrived Sundered students are asked to meet with representatives of the research team, to introduce themselves and relate what they will of their homes. In addition, the team requests samples of blood, hair, and skin -- carefully magically collected, and the researchers will sign in the presence of the Sundered a Glyphed contract that forbids them from using the samples for a purpose they know will be harmful. (They quite understand your reasons to be suspicious of this collection! And they will not compel anyone who refuses even given these conditions.) This month, however, the research team informs its applicants that there is no magic being performed. Instead, they ask you to participate in partnered interviews, in which two Sundered compare their worlds and ask each other questions while the researchers take notes. They explain that they wish to find commonalities and differences between worlds, in the hopes that this will help them identify a larger pattern in how the Sundered were brought here. How is this bad enough to merit earning a reward this month? As it happens, the researchers who sit with the pair have an Intimation Crystal, which shines red every time someone speaks to deceive in its presence. Lie or omit information or cover with half-truths and the interviewer will ask you to go back and try again -- and they encourage you to speak on everything you can. You might end up venturing into dark or unpleasant territory in these interviews... DAWN OF THE SECOND DAY Welp, This Happened A quiet weekend morning is abruptly quiet no longer. With a tumultuous shuddering and an eerie, whistling roar, the first tendril of a far mightier being surges out of a wall on campus, venturing into the cloud-shadowed outdoors for the first time in its existence in this plane. Then, like a cloak shrugged off, the outbuilding it emerged from rises up only to crash to the ground as the Sundered creature rises up to claim it glory. It is a nightmare, a horror. A terrible, indescribable thing as large as a small building —a shapeless agglutination of protoplasmic bubbles, faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes forming and un-forming as pustules of light. For some inexplicable reason, it is colored in bands of purple, black, and gold, and several parts of it sprout white feathers. That's the bad news. The bad news is that this existential threat to reality does not go unnoticed, nor unchallenged. Mere moment after the Sundered creature makes it presence known, a cold wind begins to blow. The temperature abruptly drops thirty degrees, leaving those around in a clammy and miserable chill that feels like they've passed their whole body through one of the ghosts of Makerion Keep. This estimation is not too far wrong, for the pale off-white dragon that emerges from the clouds above is translucent and ethereal, save for the shining eyes of coldest blue that fix on the beast like pinpoints of fire. What a ghost dragon is doing here is anyone's guess, but when it opens its jaw to unleash a withering cone of necrotic energy at the Sundered creature, it demonstrates plainly that it will not brook this interloper on its domain. In other words, Diatu Magicademy is now home to a kaiju fight. That's the bad news. The BAD news is that both these creatures are, by their very nature, incredibly resistant to magic. So even as the professors spill out and split duties of getting students to safety and fending them off, the two beasts barely notice the arcane energy flashing through the air as they begin vigorously brawling. Thank goodness this is a weekend, or else you'd all have some serious trouble getting to class on time. Wonders Await? Diatu Magicademy is open to you in all its glory. But maybe you should deal with that mess first? We're just saying.

Comments

Well, This Happened

[king_of_egypt]

[Similarly, this is one of those moments where Atem was finding himself wishing that he could summon the Egyptian Gods. Slifer could have bound of of the large beasts in it's coils, and surely Obelisk could have restrained the other allowing Ra an opportunity to deal some powerful stopping blows. But, alas- the connection to the Gods had been severed which left him at an equal disadvantage.]

Run? [Looking to the source of the voice, it wasn't hard to tell that he wasn't the greatest fan of the suggestion but remaining here was akin to suicide. There wasn't much he could say to argue with it]

Go on ahead, I will ensure that the others do the same.

[darkenedmoon]

[Yotsuyu's first instinct is, of course, to do exactly that--she takes a few steps, then stops as both Atem's words register, and she realizes he's not following her.]

You cannot mean to stay here, though!

[She can't help but grimace. If he isn't leaving yet, she doesn't feel like she can, either. Yotsuyu is afraid, yes, but she has not quite crossed the line to 'coward' just yet.]

You are going to make sure the rest get out safe? Not that I am sure there are many behind me...

[king_of_egypt]

I won't. Not for long anyway. Go on!

[He tried to encourage her to flee, stressing the severity of the situation as if it needed it. He wouldn't have seen her as a coward had she heeded his words.]

Mm, that's my intention, yes.

[Atem hesitated one more moment, but it appeared as if Yotsuyu wasn't going to leave unless he did. With the monsters crashing around in the background that decision was far from ideal]

Then it will not take long to make sure.

[darkenedmoon]

Yes. I shall go with you. [Yes, she was terrified, and no, Yotsuyu was not ready to attempt to fight the struggling beasts, but she was not about to let Atem run around the area alone, either.]

Do you think we should split up? I know that would cover more ground, but I cannot think it precisely wise in this situation...

[king_of_egypt]

[There was every reason to be apprehensive about this decision. There were so many things that could go wrong within a matter of moments.] Then let's hurry. [At least working together with her would further ensure his haste. If anything happened to Yotsuyu it would be his fault]

Not in this instance, no. [They were of the same opinion on that score. Then in a move that surely would have seemed foolhardy to most, Atem aimed down the path that led closer to the monsters. It would just be a quick sweep of the grounds and then they could fall back themselves.]

[darkenedmoon]

[Not that Yotsuyu would ever accuse Atem of such. She was an adult; she could make her own decisions, and she had chosen to at least attempt to face her fears. Such as they were. She gave him a nod--in truth, she hadn't wanted to split up, either.]

Very well, then. [Yotsuyu nodded, and followed him--and while she might question his judgement, it was likely that there were individuals trapped near the beasts, paralyzed by fear. A simple sweep was a good idea, if there were any trapped there, between the two of them it was likely they could get the others out. So she didn't argue.]

[king_of_egypt]

[Though she might not blame him, he would blame himself. Splitting up could have been disastrous since if either one of them had found themselves trapped the other wouldn't know where to look for them.]

[Atem traveled swiftly and in relative silence for a while, their words likely would have been lost in the din of the monsters clashing nearby besides. Rounding one corner of the academy, he finally skidded to a halt. Narrowly missing being crushed under a large chunk of rocky debris. Instinctively he held out his arm to stop Yotsuyu's progress as well] Watch out!

[Looking towards her to ensure that she was alright, he grit his teeth and proceeded onward. It looked as if everything was clear and this mission was pointless, until their came a faint crying sound just a little ways up ahead]

[darkenedmoon]

[She repressed a gasp as he restrained her, briefly. Yellow eyes widened as the debris tumbled past, and she glanced at Atem to make sure he, too, was all right.]

That was closer than I like! [But she was fine, and thusly gestured him on. But the crying, once they came upon it, made her stop.]

Agh, this is no good! I am not so strong as to lift masonry, and I doubt you are, either...

[But clearly, someone was trapped, and Yotsuyu doubted Atem would leave them behind--just as she would not. But perhaps...]

I could always attempt a Modification spell, to give you strength greater than you currently possess. Save I will need to concentrate upon it...What do you think?