April Event and Intro Log

[magicademymods]

April Event and Intro Log Plants Off The Path Green grass and radiant flower gardens bracket all the major walks on campus, and fragrant scents fill the air all around. Note the key words "major walks" there. 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. Bullies, Of Course Surely a Magicademy, with many students already adults and with such an emphasis on learning and control, wouldn't have those who used their magic for such petty ends as making others suffer? 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. Wind At The Docks (aka The Prompt Where You Don't Get Mugged) The winds of spring bring something of a dark pastime to Anastara -- dockwatching. Aware that a sudden blast of air can rip across the island at a moment's notice, crowds gather at the docks with the air of those expecting spectacle. All too often, they are rewarded -- in the wake of a sudden wind, airships list violently, or bump into each other, or desperately pull sails and power up their flotation cores to avoid a worse collision. Curses fly through the air, and sometimes even spells. With luck, the audience might even see a pair of vessels engage in an all-out air duel, as two captains driven by pride or vengeance refuse to back down. 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... 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 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. 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 some sort of regain this month!)

Comments

B

[unswervingcompanion]

Hendrik had been out just wandering around the grounds. The heavy rains and the lightning had finally ceased, giving way to a beautiful Spring season. And so it was time to get out and see what nature was like now.

The Luminary had missed the day's training and that had the knight wondering, but not enough to make him worry. So he continued his walk around the grounds and silently wondered how much longer this weather would last.

He was on borrowed time, having to still go back to the library to do more research. But Hendrik suddenly felt something hit him and his blue eyes looked down.

The Luminary?

[bearshermark]

Eleven fell back and rubbed at his bruised face. He only had a moment to glance up and discover that the solid wall he'd run into was actually the very man he was hoping to find. He grinned for a split second until the shouts sounded much closer than only moments ago.

He leapt to his feet and dashed around Hendrik, backing into the man and aligning their legs so that he hoped he wouldn't be visible to the students searching for him.

"They're looking for a fight," he warned, voice low, just in time for his would-be tormentors to round the corner. They'd have to be incredibly stupid to pick a fight with Hendrik.

"Oi!" he heard one of them call. "You seen a scrawny kid with a stupid sword 'round here? He's got somethin' of mine."

[unswervingcompanion]

Blue eyes searched for the source of the noise that had suddenly come up and he looked down at the Luminary who had scrambled behind him. "And here I thought you were making friends." This was said dryly in the same tone he'd used to say 'So the Luminary lives."

But then he turned back to face the people who had the Luminary running and shook his head at them. "No sword is stupid, it is only the weak will of the wielder that is stupid."

And this has Hendrik advance on them, with his two-handed greatsword in his hand. There is absolutely no way that he is going to let anyone touch or harm his Luminary. Answers from him as to what had transpired to cause this incident could come later.

[bearshermark]

Eleven turned the moment he lost his cover, heart leaping into his throat.

"Hendrik, don't kill them." Though as the students' eyes snapped away from Hendrik's advance to his voice, he nearly regretted speaking in their defense. "..And I hope you weren't referring to me."

Wands came up and one of them- their leader, he'd guess- snarled. "We'll see who's weak, old man. You're outnumbered, and I'd bet just one of us has more magical talent than the two of you combined. Get 'em!"

Three spells flew toward Hendrik in rapid succession. Eleven leapt beside him, arm outstretched- "Rebound!" - and watched them bounce away only to narrowly miss their original casters. He might have hoped for such fortune, but the wayward spells did manage to break the group up, a few of them having dove for the ground to avoid eating their own magic.

Eleven took the opportunity to draw his sword. "..Two and two? We can try to knock them out."

[unswervingcompanion]

Hendrik only laughed coldly at the taunt. He'd been taking magical blasts from Jasper since forever, probably long before these pathetic whelps were even thought of.

He wasn't going to kill any of them unless they harmed the Luminary to the point of death. Other than that, he knew he had to get close because magic users relied on space and distance, two things that he wasn't about to give any of them.

The knight paused momentarily to see the effects of Eleven's spell and had managed to deflect what was sent towards him. But the one that seemed to be their leader was the one that Hendrik ran after before he could get too far. Lessons had to be learned here and the knight was more than happy to play instructor here.