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diatu2019-04-03 02:04 pm
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April Event and Intro Log
Move off the common paths and onto 'shortcuts' or less frequented areas of the vast campus and things are quite different. Here, the plants grow just as experience with this chaotic and often dangerous school would lead you to expect. Broad-leafed stalks stretch upwards, petals unfolding to reveal long jets of fire instead of a sensible stamen. Bushes have large toothy mouths, and viciously swallow anyone who comes near (though they are still just bushes, and the victims end up on the their other side just a few scratches worse for wear). A tree grows quills instead of needles; another sprouts paper airplanes instead of leaves. An extremely aggressive pitcher-plant wanders the pathways, mugging students at knifepoint. It's a jungle out there.
Uh-huh. A pack of bullies with more spell experience than wisdom has banded together to take delight in the suffering of others. They overtly pick on the small, the meek, and those with less magical skill; they torment the larger, the bold, and the powerful in secret. Worse, they are the clever sorts of bullies, who go out of their way not to get caught and not to do anything that can't be played off or explained away. Maybe you attracted their attention by looking weak enough to pick on. Or strong enough to need to be taken down a notch. Or weird enough that you were the Other and thus lesser. Or pretty/handsome enough that you needed to look less attractive so they would look more so. They are pretty good at justifying picking on anyone, really. Are they pestering you by magical tripping or property destruction? Playing keep-away with your class books? Better be careful how you respond; their fathers might hear about it.
Now, to their credit, the assembled people aren't heartless. If a ship truly looks to be in trouble, or if it's smashed to the ground or into a dock, the people of Anastara don't hesitate to help those on board to safety or ensure that they don't go down with their ship. But mostly it's watching the chaos. It IS quite a show...
This month, the team has developed a Sundering Glyph designed to detect any influence of the magic on you. Painted on your arm, it will shine with a bright light when a Sundering effect attempts to influence you. They explain that they believe the Sundered are still subject to either the spell that brought them here or new ones, because they have detected remnants of Sundering magic in the wake of students who have mysteriously disappeared. They ask only that you report back when it lights up. Problem: when the Glyph erupts, either because of the Glyph itself or the spell it has detected... those who bear it find themselves no longer where they started. Perhaps they find themselves in a classroom late at night. Or the wrong dormitory. Or in the Great Hall in their nightshirt. Or for the utterly lowbrow amongst you, a restroom occupied by the wrong gender. Whatever the case: sorry.
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O snap
"This research is being conducted carelessly, and eventually someone is going to be hurt because of it."
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"..... I'm not saying that." She reluctantly had to agree, and she could see vengeance slipping out of her grasp the longer they spoke.
"I'm saying-..... that the way in which the research is conducted should be altered." Finally putting her wand away. "Instead of casting random spells on the sundered then allowing them to roam freely around the school perhaps they should be monitored for a period of time to ensure both their safety and the safety of the others. Not everyone is volunteering for the research but they are getting dragged into it from the side effects."
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"Though," she continues, her smile dropping away to an uncomfortable serious expression and her words clipped, "you'll do me the favor of not calling them 'random spells'." With three sharps snaps of her fingers, Professor King summons up an illusory slateboard, crammed chalk full of words and diagrams. Her foot tapping to keep the Fantastics going, she points at it. "This, Miss Hel, represents only the summary of the sum total of work put into our efforts this month. Every effort made to create what our current knowledge tells us will be an effective and useful spell to aid the Sundered in some way. If it fails, if it produces side effects we do not foresee, that is because our current knowledge is so limited. Not because we are playing fast and loose with your lives and minds and hearts.
"Now. " The illusion fades, and Professor King's smile returns. It can't hide the steel she'd just shown, only mask it. "If you have specific suggestions on how we can improve our spells to produce less trouble, that don't also involve keeping volunteers under such onerous watch that they no long volunteer?"
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Hel took some small delight in triggering a change in expression on Professor King's face, but her own features didn't reflect it. When the slateboard appeared she studied it accordingly, but all this magic was still so foreign to her despite the few classes she'd had under her belt already that it might as well have been written in braille. Lacking so much knowledge after eons of existence was a constant source of irritation for her. If only she could receive a copy of these formulas she might have some hope of deciphering them or finding someone who could. There wasn't much to be said at this point. She was receiving a lecture and it felt every bit like one.
Oh, Hel would still like to tell Professor King what she can do with her spells- but it wouldn't benefit anyone. Especially not herself. "I do have a suggestion but you will likely find it too invasive. Research is conducted fairly regularly, wouldn't it be possible to disclose a list of the participants so their peers might also be more prepared to watch over them? For example if a student should go missing, or alter their behavior significantly as to be cause for concern being able to check the list might make it easier to diagnose the problem. It could even be posted on the bulletin board so it would appear in each of the dorms."
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"Possibly, if they agree to it." Hel was forced to agree to as much. It left much to be desired but she was hardpressed to think of anything else they could try just now. If they knew who was trustworthy among them the names could be disclosed only to those parties, like a student council but everyone here were still basically strangers to her so there's no one she could nominate. Plus the logistics of that...... a small group of people wouldn't be able to watch over all the sundered that had been experimented on.
She was starting to understand why the staff was stuck between a rock and a rock place and she was detesting it. Hel didn't come here today because she wanted to be reasonable. Folding her arms across her chest she silently surrendered but wouldn't apologize for having caused a bit of a stir in the first place.
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"I have mixed feelings on Sundering... it does seem too powerful to be left into just anyone's hands but at the same time knowledge of it would not have been lost had it remained in the curriculum."
"Very well." Or in other words, she would not smite the researcher she had intended to. It was a great personal sacrifice, but guess she needed to be reasonable here. "It's not your fault- it's whoever is behind all of this."