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

Golem on the loose

[stillnewatthis]

"Distract it?"

Orisa's eyes snapped wide at the command, then narrowed as her quad-eyeshields slid closer together. Disconcertingly, they rotated 180 degrees as she turned her attention from Louie to the advancing golem.

"Very well! I will protect you!"

She thrust out her right arm, and the fusion driver that comprised it hummed with a livid green light before its three barrels began pumping, systemically discharging a withering column of packeted projectiles like a veritable firehouse of ammunition.

[talkyourwayout]

"Woah, wait, Orisa...!"

That hadn't been exactly what he'd meant. She was going to make it even more angry, he figured, which probably wasn't a good idea. He also couldn't exactly pull off his plan while dodging the projectiles, himself. Dodging was not something he was good at.

Sure, this could work, so maybe he should let her be. But he'd kind of liked the idea of pulling off a plan. It made him feel a lot more useful.

"Maybe not quite like that?"

[stillnewatthis]

"Do not worry, Louie!" she said, standing her ground as a stream of projectiles sent the golem stumbling backwards. "I will not let you come to harm!"

Because obviously his hesitation was out of fear she couldn't do it. Right?

[talkyourwayout]

Being useful and being safe... They were both important to him. Orisa sure seemed to have a handle on things, though, and he found himself smiling a little as the golem stumbled.

"Oh, no, I see that!" he assured her. Yeah, she was definitely an asset.

[stillnewatthis]

Thirteen seconds and 130 rounds later, the golem collapsed onto the ground as Orisa drew her fusion driver back. Three extensions on the barrel opened as its core seemed to draw in light.

...Really, maybe now was the time to stop her.

[talkyourwayout]

"Orisa, Orisa, stop!"

Oh, man, he might regret this, but it seemed like the best way to ensure she did as he suggested. After all, her motive here was to protect him, right?

So Louie ran around and stood between Orisa and the golem, wincing.

[stillnewatthis]

Orisa immediately flicked her elbow so that the fusion driver pointed up into the air. She was programmed with proper firearm safety protocols for usage during active weapon deployment!

"Is everything all right? I am not certain the threat has abated."

[talkyourwayout]

"Sheesh!" Louie let out a sigh of relief. He was still alive, so he was counting that as a huge win. What a had possessed him to make that move?

"Trust me, it's abated enough. We should just leave. Now."

[stillnewatthis]

"I am not certain I agree, but I will trust your analysis." Louie appeared to know what he was doing, after all, and wasn't afraid to voice his opinions on the matter. He must understand something about this situation she did not! "I will escort you in case of further trouble."

[talkyourwayout]

Louie smirked, in spite of the recent danger, and hopped over to Orisa's side once again. "Thanks, that works!" He paused, then. It was a weird question, but if it meant less walking around this ridiculous school building...

"Would it be okay if I hitched a ride?"

[stillnewatthis]

"I am not designed for passengers. It may not be comfortable," Orisa said, matter-of-factly. "If this is acceptable, certainly!"

[talkyourwayout]

Louie considered this. Comfort was important to him, but he was also getting really sick of how long it took his short legs to get him anywhere in a place designed for taller beings.

"Alright, thanks," he said, after a moment, and clambered onto Orisa's back.

[stillnewatthis]

Orisa waited till he was settled. True to her word, she was not terribly comfortable, being just so much metal. Still, once he got as cozy as he could, she started forward at a cheerful trot.

[talkyourwayout]

She may not have been too comfortable at all, but it was nice - not only to avoid walking so much, but to have a higher viewpoint. Because, again, this place was not meant for beings his size.

"Hey, Orisa, a question," he began, as a thought occurred to him - knowing how Orisa had come to be might help him figure out how to utilize her protection best. Avoid things like having to jump in the way of her weapon again. "You're made to protect and stuff, right? But, like, how? Are there a bunch of Orisas where you're from?"

[stillnewatthis]

"My chassis is built out of a decommissioned OR-15 model omnic," Orisa said, the conversation proving no distraction at all from their forward pace. "There were many at one point, but they proved inadequate in their designed task of protection. However, I am vastly modified from that template. Efi upgraded my AI, added on numerous functions, and conducted countless other improvements. Her goal was to create one great protector, since numerous ordinary ones had failed. So I am unique."

[talkyourwayout]

"OR-15. Orisa. I get it," Louie said. It was only mildly amusing, but amusing all the same. For the rest of her explanation, though, he listened quietly. That sounded like a lot of weight on her Orisa's shoulders, figuratively speaking, although he wasn't sure robots dealt with that kind of feeling. Then again, she just said her AI was upgraded, so... Maybe this particular robot did.

"Is Efi an inventor? I hope she's better than the one who works for my Uncle back home."

[stillnewatthis]

"Yes! Efi is my creator. She won the Adawe Foundation's 'genius grant'! That is where the money to create me came from." Orisa was very proud to be the creation of such a renowned roboticist, and at the same time, conscious that she must work very hard to live up to the time and effort Efi had put into her.