July Event Log

[magicademymods]

July Event Log A Reading Rainbow Though the publication is ordinarily drier than dry toast Modified to be drier than dried toast, this quarter's issue of Thaumaturgy Today is all the rage around campus. The reason: a series of advances in motile spells! Easier and more powerful than those found in your standard book of spells (any grade), these spells achieve their power by specificity. One spell for lifting fruit, one for lifting laundry, one for lifting books, the list goes on. Though Professor Loshakle is deep at work writing a blistering reply criticizing every nuance of these spells, outside of his wrathful gaze the spells flourish as people practice them on everything they can. Copies of the issue are easy to get your hands on, if you want to give these new spells a whirl. On the other hand, your stuff or you yourself might fall victim to the spells of other students, whether by mistake or cruel jest. And woe betide those not human -- since no spell explains how to lift an anthropomorphic duck or a robot, for example, enterprising students are particularly eager to come up with one on their own, and there's only one way to test such things... It's Raw, You Donkey! There was an incident. Mistakes were made. Rice balls were detonated. Puddings were animated and sent on rampages. A cheesebread was found lodged in Makerion Keep, sunk to a depth of three feet in the walls. Whatever happened, and no one seems to have details... the Great Hall is closed and no food is being served. So... what're you going to eat? Several pop-up stands have emerged, as enterprising students try to cash in, but that costs money and who knows how the quality is. Headmaster Birony keeps showing up with pies, having made several savory ones that taste really good, actually, but can you really live on pie alone? (And do you really trust Headmaster Birony?) Some students have taken to the ultimate last resort: cooking. As it happens, the skills of the chef and of the aspiring mage are not exclusive in principle, but generally learning the one means little time to devote to the other. Faced with an oven or a grill, can you muster up the capability to make something edible? Or will you burn the water and turn bread back into grain, and thus have no choice but to avail yourself of pricey booth cooking or Cam-pies? Of course, the Great Hall will PROBABLY be open again soon, you might be able to last until then... The Defense Association In light of certain recent activities, like horrible monster attacks, Professors Trammel and Kith have teamed up to provide self-defense lessons to students who so desire. Purely optional, this extra class at the end of the school day promises study in shields, wards, basic attack spells, and mobility spells (because sometimes the best thing is to run like heck). Needless to say, these classes are quite the adventure! Students find themselves in dueling circles quite frequently, expected to carefully deflect each other's spells. Hopefully you've got the knack of it; the practice spells they have taught you don't cause any harm, but they sting like the dickens! Research on the Sundered Conflict. Conflict seems to be key. As near as the researchers can tell, all the Sundered lead lives that are simply not ordinary, and their experiments in conflict from last month produced results they didn't expect (as you all have learned) but that are most promising. Professor King herself has taken the lead on this experiment, and she warns anyone who volunteers that it is likely to be very dangerous, and they will be taking this very slow. They are, she explains, going to try to bridge the gap between you and the world you came from. A SMALL bridge, a proof of concept, no portal home and celebrations yet. But they hope it will work, and be the first step towards getting you back where you belong. If you agree, they get to work. Any student who undergoes this process immediately regains a power of their choice. It does not have to be on their application, and you do not have to provide proof during AC. It's here now. Only if you do not have a power to regain, you may regain an item instead. The price? For the next three days, you will be haunted by visions of your greatest enemy, your most hated foe, or the person you least wish to see in the world. Perhaps you hear their laughter in the darkness of your room at night. Perhaps you see a fellow student as them. Perhaps they are taunting you from just behind your shoulder... Whatever form it takes, for three days, you will be at their mercy. Or the mercy of your own mind's imagining them. Or perhaps a combination of the two. Who can say...?

Comments

[mithrarin]

"That sounds like a good deal, but what class?" Teaching... had not occurred to him. What skills did he have besides swordfighting? But could that be of value?

[unswervingcompanion]

"I teach a class for swords. If you have skill in that you can teach alongside me. It does not hurt to have students learn more than one way to wield the weapon."

Hendrik sighed. "But even if you do not, I could instruct you myself and still assist you in class."

Either way, the knight was going to help Dust out.

[mithrarin]

"Oh." Dust smiled a little. "I know a thing or two about that."

His hands dropped down to the hilts of the two swords he wore, one on each side.

[unswervingcompanion]

The knight nodded and held a hand out after seeing the swords.

"We are in agreement then are we not?"

[mithrarin]

Dust took his hand to shake it firmly. "Works for me."

[unswervingcompanion]

The kid had a firm handshake, he liked that. Letting go of the other's hand, the knight nodded.

"Then I shall expect to see you after classes conclude tomorrow. I will meet you here so that we can go to class and begin instruction together."

[mithrarin]

"You got it." This should keep everyone happy -- including Ahrah and Furae. The big question was, how good was this guy?

[unswervingcompanion]

Manners, right.

"I realize that I have not introduced myself. My name is Hendrik."

[mithrarin]

"I'm Dust. This is Ahrah, and Furae." He leaned his head right, then left, indicating each sword in order.

[unswervingcompanion]

"You name your swords." Hendrik observed. "I have had friends who have done something similar."

[mithrarin]

"I didn't name them."

As Dust drew the blades into a backhand grip, the one he'd named Ahrah spoke first, the blue runes on the blade flickering with his syllables.

"Greetings, Hendrik. As Dust has said, I am the Blade of Ahrah, the weapon destined to be in the hands of the Sen-Mithrarin."

"And I'm his familiar! Furae! The Second Sword! Better than Ahrah, by the way!"

[unswervingcompanion]

Well now this was interesting, that swords spoke for themselves. And once they started talking, the knight was relieved that his own greatsword couldn't speak, for fear of what they would say.

It was odd to him, but then this place was pretty much an entire upside down episode after another here in a strange place where Jasper would no doubt thrive.

"I see." And he's not sure what to say here, so he's just going to remain quiet.

[mithrarin]

"It's a long story. I'm not going to use them on anyone." Furae, especially, wouldn't behave in a spar, he was sure.

[unswervingcompanion]

"But I take it that you will have them at your side when you are instructing others." It's a question really. And the only concern the knight has, is if the swords start speaking during class, they would disrupt things.

[mithrarin]

"They don't leave my side."

Ever. Especially Ahrah, who had been with him all his existence, quite literally. Furae deserved the same respect in turn; she might not be the calm and sensible presence he was, but she'd also never obscured the truth or manipulated him. And they were both his swords, and connected to him.

[unswervingcompanion]

He sighed.

"I thought as much. But can you keep them from speaking to you during class? Or would they take that task upon themselves?"

Inquiring knights have to know.

[mithrarin]

"You might regret it if I tried. Ahrah has a lot of wisdom... more than I do. Though he only speaks when he has something to say... unlike some swords." Dust glanced down at Furae with an amused smile.