March Event and Intro Log

[magicademymods]

March Event and Intro Log Golem On The Loose The rain never stops. Water and mud track all over campus. Diligent cleaning golems stomp about, mopping and scrubbing and polishing and then going back to do it all over again, and again, and again... One of them seems to have had it. The renegade golem bursts into Kedrigan Hall -- interrupting classes and disrupting labwork to furiously seize students and scrub every last scrap of mud and dirt off of them. All the halls have been locked off with "Under Cleaning" signs, and anyone who enters them meets with the golem's wrath, as it violently plays a pre-recorded message about not interfering with groundskeeping and deploys a giant claw-like tool to grab the interloper and put them back on unforbidden ground. The professors, who are after all completely immune to the golem's attention by its very design, seem to think this is a good learning opportunity for students. Is it? Horrible Spell Doom? "Are you sure you're ready for the test on Advanced Gaseous Discovery?" one upperclassman asks the other. "Of course I'm sure," the second says confidently. Whipping out a wand from a holster on her belt, she sweeps her wand through the air gracefully, pronouncing several Osmarian sigils as she draws them. Probably. "See, that's a blue cloud--" Said blue cloud, which puffs into being as the last syllable left her lips, abruptly doubls in size. Then it doubles in size again. And again. The upperclassmen, who have been in Diatu for several years and know exactly what this sort of thing means, don't hesitate. Not even stopping to share a glance between them, they run like crazy, leaving the growing cloud behind just as classes let out and students begin to enter the halls. But... surely it doesn't have any weird and wacky side effects, right? The Bala-inlota Parade (aka The Non-Horrible Prompt) To celebrate the start of the Bala-inlota season, Anastara spares no expense. The great parade and associated festival stretches the whole weekend, and the whole city puts on their colors and turns out for the fun. Enterprising vendors sell food, drinks, and souvenirs ranging from small and crude figurines to magical constructs that shine field displays onto flat surfaces so you can watch the action up-close! (Good luck affording that, students.) Practically any sort of entertainment you could want appears on the streets and canals of Anastara, and food and drink flow freely. 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, the team has developed a Sundering spell that they warn is crude and unpolished, because the Curriculum is so unpracticed. They hope it will connect to your home worlds and establish a magical link they can build off of to open further passages. No promises! And to those who do undergo this spellwork... it has a certain side effect of confusion, as brief images from your home world flicker across your vision for a few hours afterwards. Wonders Await Diatu Magicademy is open to you in all its glory. Have fun!

A Special Note

If you thread out one or more scenes based on the confusion from "Research on the Sundered", respond to the comment on this post with a link to that thread. The results of this will be revealed next month! (It is, we're afraid, not a regain, lest your participation be based solely on that hope!)

Comments

[darkenedmoon]

Well. I shall have to do my best, then. Have you more mud, or should we encourage it to chase us?

[Yotsuyu isn't entirely certain that the children went to get the teachers--most of the teachers hadn't been too upset about the golem to begin with, when it had first gone berserk. She looks it over skeptically, eyes narrowed.]

I was thinking of blinding it, but I do not want it to wreck the classroom.

[outofyourshadow]

[Luckily the Golem was freaking out that its brush was dirty, so it gave them time to plan.]

I mean, the mud's kind of everywhere, so there's plenty to grab. I thought about blinding it too, but if it can still see, the mud in its eyes will probably just make it think that everything's dirty.

[darkenedmoon]

I was thinking of blinding it another way, but what you say has truth in it. Even if I manage to do so by magic, it may simply think that it has mud in its eyes, and go more berserk. That would...not be good.

[Yotsuyu scowls at that, but at least the children are safe for now. Think, think. Her fan, for all that she brandished it, was better as a focus than a weapon against the golem--even though it was metal, it probably would not stand up to it.]

I can try to use the same technique to restrict its actions with Modification, but again, I'd prefer to do so outside. I'm not certain how long the bindings will last, and I shall have to do one limb at a time. Possibly not my best idea, but it is what I have got.

[outofyourshadow]

So we gotta get it to follow us out. No problem.

[The Golem was still trying to clean its brush, but looked up when Lena suddenly whistles.]

Hey, check me out! [She waves her hands, caked with mud from earlier.] Look how dirty I am! I sure do hope I don't smear the walls with mud!

[Enraged, the Golem stomped the ground hard enough to crack it. Lena took that as a good sign to run.]

[darkenedmoon]

[Yotsuyu ducked past the enraged golem, letting it chase Lena first as she followed, tugging up the end of her robe so she wouldn't get any mud on her. And, silently, she cursed whoever thought that the Purifeul main house color should be white. Feh.

Presumably, the other two hit the doors running--was she even going in the right direction? She could see the mud that Lena was tracking, but by now, the golem was so infuriated it wasn't even pausing or making an attempt to clean it up, focused on the perpetrator. So she in her turn focused on the golem, pointing her unspread fan at it as if it were a wand, and sketched out the first geometrical diagram, whispering under her breath as she did.]

Four minus one equals three--and that done, I take away the use of one of your limbs, you overgrown broomstick.

[Simple, but simple was best. Yotsuyu couldn't help snarling at the end, there, but her will was strong enough--the golem's claw-arm practically fused to its chest, which didn't help its balance, either. It wasn't down for the count yet, alas, still swinging wildly with its brush and stomping around in circles.]

[outofyourshadow]

[Lena, meanwhile, was focusing on keeping as much distance between her and the Golem as possible. With its balance off, it helped a bit, but she decided not to let it catch up.]

[darkenedmoon]

[Nor was Yotsuyu inclined to let it keep up. At least she could draw her geometrical diagrams one-handed, hike up her robes, and keep up as best she could without drawing the golem's ire by getting muddy herself.]

I do wish I could choose which limb I bind! You have my apologies, Lena!

[Which doesn't stop her from continuing her binding spells. Binding both its arms at least makes it topheavy and prone to falling on its face, from the way it moves, but Yotsuyu isn't prepared to Discover a rock or Modify the ground in front of it to trip it.]

Be careful, but you may be able to trip it now at least! I do not think that it will get up from that!

[outofyourshadow]

Kinda busy!

[Still, with the Golem struggling, it helped put farther distance between it and her.

So, reaching into her sleeve, she pulls out a wand, then turns to face the Golem.]

Please be affected by luck, please be affected by luck...

[She holds up the wand, not like one would actually hold a wand, but more like how one would aim a crossbow. Then she casts a spell, and suddenly the Golem trips - seemingly on nothing - and sends a tremor through the ground as it crashes.

And as the ground shook, she quickly tucks the wand back into her sleeve.]

[darkenedmoon]

Oh, very good! [It's a cry of triumph that peals from her throat, and while Yotsuyu is staggered by the golem's fall, she doesn't end up on her knees herself. It does mean she misses Lena's wand work entirely, altogether too intent on finishing this by binding the golem's legs as well. It struggles still, but it isn't going anywhere, now.

Only once she's convinced it is immobilized does she move towards Lena, but her expression is concerned.]

You are all right? It did not harm you? More than being out of breath from running. That was impressive!

[Not that Yotsuyu didn't respect Lena before, but the duckling has gone up in her estimation.]

[outofyourshadow]

[She doesn't comment on the wand-work either, instead managing a smile and a shrug.]

Yeah, I'm fine. You okay?

[darkenedmoon]

Perhaps a mite out of breath, but otherwise unharmed. Also delighted! We did it!

[Yotsuyu isn't usually exuberant, but she's very happy that they managed to take down the golem without instructor intervention.]

I feel as if we make quite the team!

[outofyourshadow]

[That got a smile of her own, and she nodded.]

Yeah...that was actually pretty cool.

[darkenedmoon]

You were the brave one! But my spellwork was also not too shoddy.

[She eyes the still-thrashing golem, and frowns.]

Though I wonder what we ought to do about that. I am certain we do not want it to break its bonds.

[outofyourshadow]

Yeah, your spell work was great.

[Though she wouldn't admit it, she knows she wouldn't have been able to create the proper form for the spells in that situation.

Glancing at the Golem as well, she snorts.]

Maybe we can drop it off to the headmaster.

[darkenedmoon]

That might actually be an optimal solution--you think she would know what to do with it--but the problem then is actually getting the oaf there.

[Yotsuyu taps her lower lip with a finger, looking at the golem with some thought.]

If only I had my brute--oh. No, no, that would not do, and it is not as if he is here anyway--ah!

[Clearly a thought has struck her. She taps at one shoulder, and slowly, the head of her (rather large) snake slides out of the neckline of her robes.]

Gosetsu! Please go and get Professor Trammel, if you would? He should recognize you. [That, and she's aware he respects her enough that he might even come to investigate. With no further ado, the snake's head disappears, and reappears with the rest of him, crawling down her leg to slither off and do her bidding, presumably.]

[outofyourshadow]

You'd think, but then again, most of the other teachers didn't seem to think it was a problem.

[Not that Lena really expected them to anyway.

She watches as the snake heads off, then looks around for her own familiar. Not seeing him anywhere, she sighs and glances back at the golem.]

So we just wait, huh?

[darkenedmoon]

Yes. I at least would keep guard over this thing until an authority figure of some sort arrives.

[Not that Yotsuyu is particularly thrilled to do so; she has other things to do, but she does take her responsibility as a student teacher with some seriousness. Even if others do not.]

I would not like it to get loose and go on yet another rampage, until we can figure out why it has done so.

[outofyourshadow]

As far as I've heard, it snapped because it kept having to clean up after people.

[darkenedmoon]

If that was the case, I honestly cannot be too surprised. Or upset, even. If I were forced into a life of drudgery, I would not be happy once freed, either.

[She had been. Once freed, she wasn't. It had a very interesting culmination, and she has to school her face to its usual serenity.]

[outofyourshadow]

I guess, but it doesn't have to take it out on other people.

[She could relate, but she liked to think she was a little better adjusted than that.]

[darkenedmoon]

I am...not certain that the golems have that higher function of reasoning, as we do. They are...designed for the certain tasks that they are set, perhaps. We had such things in the world I am from, and smaller types--though they were more in Eorzea, since they were magic, and where I lived was part of the Garlean Empire, who does not truck with magical forces.

[That sort of thing was for their subjugated realms, and of course Eorzea, flush with it. But Yotsuyu had been sure to know her enemy. Or, rather, the enemies of the Empire.]

[outofyourshadow]

[She frowned, not entirely convinced.]

If that's the case, then why'd this one even freak out to begin with?

[darkenedmoon]

Your guess is as good as mine. There is no aether here to send it astray, to my knowledge, and I am not versed enough in the magic here to say what made it go mad.

[She's not happy about that either, really. Yotsuyu likes to know the why of things. Probably why she ended up in Purifeul like she did.]

[outofyourshadow]

[She'll just chalk it up to "suspicious things that happen at this school".]

Hopefully other ones won't freak out too.

[magicademynpcs]

Ladies. [Professor Trammel's polite greeting is curt today. Not from lack of courtesy, it's just that he had the impression that urgency is of the essence. A flick of his finger tips his hat to the two. Then he appraises the situation properly.]

Well then. Waylaid our berserk friend, I take it?