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

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Some things you just don't stand, and that includes this sight in front of him!]

[Now if Jecht was infamous for something in the blitz sphere, it was his shooting -- but that just meant his tackling skill got underestimated. He can take and give hits like the champ he is, and right now that skill needs to come into play.]

[A heel cracks into the golem's head, and believe it or not, that bare heel wins. The golem reels back as Jecht drops out of his kick to land on the ground.]

Hey, you okay?!

[pawper]

[At first, she's far too focused on not losing her grip on the doorjamb to notice anything else. The golem wouldn't hurt her, just like it never hurt any of the other students unlucky enough to wander into "restricted" territory, which meant that a lengthy struggle could be turned into a play for time. She's thinking hard about what to do next (kick out at the claw with her other foot, maybe?) when the tugging grip on her ankle suddenly falls away, golem staggering back in a crash of thudding footsteps. Body moving ahead of conscious thought, Lys scrambles upright, looking from it to Jecht and back again.]

Oh, um — I'm fine! [And she is, really. For once.] How did you do that?

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

I'm that good. [He's flashing her a cocky smile, seeing that she looks all right and doesn't need any help hauling herself up. You don't clue in to how much hard work it takes to develop your skills -- coming off like a natural is the best way to go!]

[The golem, though, isn't out by a long shot, as it regains its balance. It isn't silent at all, so Jecht glances over at it.] Tough bastard, huh.

[pawper]

[A shaky grin in return, though it fades at the sound of the golem getting back up again.]

I guess that's what being made of stone does for you. [She rubs the back of her neck, looking conflicted even as she shifts her weight from foot to foot to make it easier to run.] ....still, I don't wanna hurt him.

[Just knock him out for a bit, maybe, for his sake as much as the students who would like to walk these halls unmolested.]

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

It's stone. Not sure we can hurt it. [In the sense of causing it pain, anyway. Either way, I ain't lettin' it cause any more trouble. I'm sure they can fix it.

[Is he assuming the girl isn't gonna help? Well, he's not askin' her to, anyway. Getting others involved who don't wanna be isn't his style.]

[pawper]

Yeah, but—

[If his mind is entirely made up to smash the golem into little pieces, Lys doesn't think she can talk him out of the attempt. Only her streak of sympathy for what she sees as a loyal creature turned nuisance, not threat, even pushes her to try.]

—wait, wait. If there's a way to make him stop without.....breaking him, can we try that first? Please?

[Speaking a little faster, mindful of the fact that they didn't have long before the golem lunged for one (or both) of them.]

If we can get him on his back somehow, I know a spell that might keep him down.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Softhearted type, huh.

[That's fine. There's room for that sort around, right? Sometimes you gotta fight... but sometimes you don't. Besides, this wasn't a fiend or a Sinspawn or anything like that. Basically just a broken machine.]

Awright, we'll try it your way!

[Jecht dives at the thing, going low for the knees. Not a usual move of his, not much tripping people underwater. But he's guessing its weight is high enough to make this suck.]

[The golem staggers back against the hit, and that's when Jecht heaves one leg hard, sending it plummeting backwards.]

[pawper]

Yeah, that's me. [A flash of a smile; no offense taken.] Thanks!

["Softhearted" — and even "softheaded" — had an almost comforting ring of familiarity, like reminders of home. Really, she's only upset that there's no time to admire his truly impressive feat of physicality except in passing, the feather she uses as a magical focus already out and gesturing.]

Gravity!

[Sparks of magic erupt from the feather's tip, dancing briefly over the golem's stone hide before sinking in, like a stain absorbed by carpet. The creature's struggles to arise abruptly grow weaker, stifled, as though by a weight greater than its own — unable to lift any part of itself more than a few centimeters off the ground.]

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Uh. Whoa.]

[That sure was a choice of spells.]

[Goosebumps prickle Jecht's flesh as this visible reminder of Sin's power erupts right in front of him. Nothing rises up inside him, same as he's felt nothing about anything from Spiria all his time here, but -- damn.]

H -- uh, how long is this gonna keep this thing here?

[pawper]

[She glances over her shoulder at him, blinking innocently. The golem keeps wriggling, either not knowing enough to stop or simply just that determined to eventually break loose.]

How long? Uh, well.....about five minutes, I think. But I can cast a stronger version too! Just haven't practiced it as much.

[...]

Are you okay? You didn't... [a vague gesture, not really knowing how to phrase it:] ...pull anything knocking him down, did you?

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Jecht pushes himself to his feet, quite deliberately stomping on the golem as he does. Then he looks over at Lys, not knowing if he should be surprised or offended.] Hey, I'm tougher than kids half my age!

[pawper]

[Though her hands automatically raise in a conciliatory gesture, palms up and facing him, the look of concern hardly flickers. Tough was tough, yeah.....but stone was stone!]

I don't doubt it! But tackling something like a golem can still leave bruises, you know? [A tilt of her head, a relieved smile.] If you're fine, though, then I'm really happy to hear it.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

I've taken harder hits in team scrimmages! This guy ain't anything. [Jecht rotates one shoulder, then slaps his fist hard into his opposite palm, just to show off that he's in great shape. No need to worry here.] You want ugly, you should see some of the fiends I had to take down back in Spira. Stuff here wouldn't be an appetizer to 'em!

[pawper]

[Though she can't quite grasp the wider context of what he's talking about, his obvious confidence is genuinely encouraging to see, enough to help push the weight of worry for his safety off her shoulders. She laughs a little, dutifully reassured as to Jecht's physique and prowess, and seems to visibly relax.]

I guess it was silly of me to worry, then.

[A half-turn back to the golem, feather moving in quick gestures to perform the extended gravity spell.]

Thanks for giving me a chance to end things this way, mister.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Hey, no problem! [Getting away from the thing so she can do her work, Jecht flashes her a thumbs-up. Yeah, he can get why she might worry about his strength -- girl looks like a stick, probably was just thinking how well a tackle like that wouldn't have gone for her.] Felt good to get a little exercise in.

[pawper]

Those were some pretty cool moves! Maybe later, if it's okay, could you—

["show me more? I'm pretty rusty on my hand-to-hand!" That's the thought halfway out of her mouth when Lys suddenly pauses, visibly remembering something; her head snaps up, staring down the hall at the classroom door that had been her original destination. Panic, absolute and downright comical, spreads across her face.]

—oh no, I'm late! I forgot I was gonna be late!

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Well, you better get moving! [Jecht half-slaps, half-shoves her with a hand on her back, getting her moving like she seems to need when she's just standing there gawping.] Hit me up later with whatever it was!

[pawper]

[Snapped out of it by the almost-shove, Lys takes to her heels and sprints for her classroom for all she's worth, calling back over her shoulder with a grateful smile and a wave:]

Thanks, I will!

[EVENTUALLY]

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Yeah he gets the feeling he'll have to track her down or bump into her or something, but hey, whatever. Good luck, kid!]