Let The Games Begin

[magicademymods]

February Event and Intro Log Orientation Week/Magic Mayhem The campus of Diatu Magicademy stretches out before you, confused and chaotic and surging with energy. Where are you headed? To your dorm or suite, to get settled? Maybe you need some food now? Wherever you head off to as your first stop, you have to deal with the snow. Helpful or proud students are passing out various magical remedies to get you where you need to be -- umbrellas with a nasty tendency to dump snow directly onto other people nearby, an iron tube that projects fire but appears to have no off switch, snowshoes that keep you slightly too high off the snow and thus provide no friction for stopping... Familiar Follies Familiars do not harass or harm each other as a rule -- but that doesn't mean they have no pecking order, and the week of Orientation finds them all jockeying for status and position as suits them. This can take the form of pranks, displays, competitions, or simple physical assertiveness towards each other. The goal is simply to be seen as superior by the student body. New wizards especially may find themselves surprised at this behavior of their familiars... 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 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.) Furthermore, they request to perform a few spells on you for testing purposes. It is, quite regrettably, possible that if you consent to this testing, you will come away with a temporary side effect -- a slight change of hair color, traveling two steps for every one you take, one hand moving about a second behind the arm it should be attached to, or being ridden by a penguin. No need to worry, these changes won't last more than a day! Wonders Await Diatu Magicademy is open to you in all its glory. Have fun!

Comments

Research

[stillnewatthis]

Not far away, a student who might very well have been mistaken for some great magical construct turned her head as her sensors processed the words of her fellow Sundered student.

"My apologies for the intrusion. But in what way does permitting this research reflect on your intelligence?"

[paradoxical_personality]

Considering that there was an arcane magic known as "programming" in Midgard, this other student could most assuredly be confused for a magical construct.

Looking towards the mechanized being Hel added some of her own commentary,"I know one dwarf that would be jealous of whoever cobbled you together.." Not realizing that this might be something rude to say. At least in this case, other times Hel had no problem being rude, like when someone wanted to collect samples from her.

"It has more to do with what they'll actually do with the research afterwards. Contract or no, I have no assurance that these people can be trusted."

[stillnewatthis]

Torbjorn?

"Have they behaved in an untrustworthy manner so far? From my perspective, the wizards here have been most helpful." Though Orisa could understand the mistrust involved -- it would be much like Doomfist getting his hands on her schematics and understanding how to disable her! -- the offering of contracts and other reassurances went a long way towards establishing confidence.

[paradoxical_personality]

Machinist Tinker was the dwarf Hel was thinking of having never met this Torbjorn guy before.

"Not as such, but if this is an elaborate ruse they would have had time to get their stories together." She casually explained questioning the logistics of accidentally shooting off such a powerful spell. Those contracts would have been reassuring if there was anyway to reinforce what was being signed. What legal representation, magical or otherwise did a passel of foreigners have in this land? As far as she was concerned the contracts were as good as kindling.

[stillnewatthis]

Orisa analyzed this statement for a moment, her eye shields spinning before snapping open further.

"Engaging in such a ruse would be pointless. Given that our capabilities are highly diminished and the wizards here possess powerful abilities we can barely comprehend, if they wished to obtain something from us they would simply take it. Engaging in an overly complicated strategy to somehow convince us to give them what they could simply take is a losing prospect."

[paradoxical_personality]

"Machine or not, I think your analysis is too short-sighted." Hel made her opinion known without concern for another rebuttal. "There's everything to gain from us by acting as a magnanimous benefactor. Blind compliance for one. Even with out our abilities, if this place was decidedly more hostile there would still be a strong resistance. Assuming this is their aim to study us long term it would tax their resources in putting down all of the uprisings, and well... having to track us down all over the land instead of us agreeing to come here willingly."

"Besides- we might find ways to release the hold on our skills, and they could fear that." She could be wrong, but she needed more evidence to make that decision for herself.

[stillnewatthis]

"I can only speak for myself, but even as a custom-designed combat omnic, I do not believe I could offer viable resistance against the wizards here." Maybe a brief fight, but her analysis finds no way to overcome the possibilities of unlimited creation or manipulation of matter and energy. "However, is not studying us necessary to returning us?"

[paradoxical_personality]

"I wouldn't tell them that." Rolling her eyes at the open admission. You should at least maintain some illusion that you were not in fact helpless. Apparently machines had no concept of creating a psychological advantage. "Also- you give up too easily."

"It wasn't necessary in bringing us here in the first place."

[stillnewatthis]

"Realistic combat evaluation is a necessity in a combat omnic." Of course, were a combat necessary, Orisa would do anything in her power to protect others -- but acknowledging the futility meant putting greater weight on diplomatic resolutions. "Available data suggests these researchers are not responsible for our current predicament."

[paradoxical_personality]

"Whatever." Hel was beginning to think she preferred M.A.R.C. the non-speaking variety of mecha she was more familiar with. "There are certain things than even Vali herself is unable to predict." Essentially, she didn't believe that straight facts and figures were all that went into combat.

"Then wouldn't it be better to track down the perpetrator?" Whoever did this in the first place would be more likely to know how to reverse it. If these researchers were A. on the up and up, and B. New to the concept.. it could take eons for them to achieve what someone has already done. Therefore it would be best to find the initial caster.

Heaving a sigh,"Perhaps... after we find a way to tap into our powers again, or... " Somewhat reluctantly. "Learn some form of magic here..."

[stillnewatthis]

"I would think that whoever had the power to do this would be difficult to find. Do you wish to wait for that to happen to return?" Sincere question! Orisa didn't know what other people valued or thought was appropriate. She had to learn!

[paradoxical_personality]

"Who said anything about waiting?" Hel intended to take an active role in the search. It wouldn't be the first time she tried to track down the source of disruption and it likely wouldn't be the last either. It would be a lot easier with her own powers mind you, but she would find a way to excel here and regain some resistance to what she might encounter.

[stillnewatthis]

"If you intend to have the person or people who did this undo this, I believe you are likely to be waiting longer than if you accepted help here." If such people were easy to find, Earth would be a very different place indeed.

[paradoxical_personality]

"I think you underestimate my abilities..." Which for the most part were non-existent now. This whole loss of innate powers thing was cramping her style. "Unfortunately, my dimension doesn't have time for this sort of delay.... one way or another I'm getting back."

[stillnewatthis]

"According to all observed parameters, you have no substantial abilities as of now, just as the rest of the Sundered do not."

Orisa said this matter-of-factly, not meaning it as sass.

"However, I do not think you have to worry about the delay."