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2. D
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Apr 14, 2020 05:08
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jng2058 posted:1. C - Plan Everyone Keep a Coin and We ALL Have the Most This sounds good
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Apr 14, 2020 06:16
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Voting is closed. Writing is happening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBTIMBrv_8M
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Apr 14, 2020 16:15
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TheCog posted:
“I have a plan” you interject. “You should trust me instead” Emilie looks at you with a mix of surprise and exasperation. A look you’ll see infrequently over the next few years, whenever you counter her unorthodox approaches with your own. She shrugs. “Fine” she says, her voice getting pitchy again. “What’s your brilliant plan?” You explain that you can *all* win, if you get a four way tie. If everyone has one coin, then everyone has the most. Emilie relaxes visibly when you reveal your thoughts. “I was planning on making one big team, but that’ll work just as well.” The three of you talk to each of the other groups in turn, explaining how you can all win. How if one group tries to win by force, the logical thing that will happen is the other three groups will team up on them, and then the group that winds up with two coins will have to fight two other groups to hold on to it, and it’ll just be a giant mess. Emilie insists that all the groups take their coins and sit as far from each other. Just in case. You’re not sure if it's the strength and confidence of your arguments, or the relief at not having to fight the most muscled team, but everyone agrees, despite being on edge. It would be more dramatic if someone stood up at the last second and tried to blitz a second coin, or if a booming voice announced that the game was boring and a coin were tossed into the room… but none of that happens. Instead after what feels like an eternity, the timer runs out, and the door opens, revealing the same graying, bored looking proctor. He gives a small glimmer of a smile, and announces that everyone has passed, and instructs you all to wait while your name is called one at the time. Apparently the first rule of becoming a Sophos is to learn to wait, because it takes what feel like hours for your name to be called. Eventually it is, however, and you’re led by the proctor down a series of halls and stairways, until you arrive at an unassuming office. There, a small mousish man hands you a series of pamphlets. Then, without careful, practiced motions, he pulls out a square gold chit, and presses his ring against it while whispering something in a language you don’t understand. The chit pulses blue once, and a series of lines appear on it. He hands the chit over to you, and it feels cold to the touch. It glows blue one more time, and then the process stops . “Read the pamphlets. Have a good think about what guild you want to pledge. Make a decision in the next six months. When you’re ready, find a messenger, and provide it both with the gold token and a message with the guild you wish to pledge.” The man seems bored, as if he’s done this hundreds, thousands of times. “If you have any questions, send a messenger to the Office of Sophos Admission and you will get a reply within one standard week.” he looks you over once more, his spiel finished. “You can go now, and congratulations on passing the aptitudes.” he waves you out of the office. It does not take you long to settle on what guild you want to pledge to, to the mild disappointment of your father, who was hoping for you to join the Windcallers, which he hoped would allow the family to negotiate better prices on their services. Alas, it is not his decision! Your mother seems content, she seems happy that you’ve managed to find a path for yourself, considering how unlikely it is that you’ll inherit.  Once you send the message, it doesn’t take long. A representative of the Silver Scroll is at your parent’s doorstep within the hour. The only word you can imagine to describe her is “unassuming”. She’s not very tall. Her face is incredibly forgettable. She could be anyone from the middle or lower city. She certainly doesn’t *look* like a Sophos. The only thing that identifies her as one is the white and silver trimmed gloves she wears. She has a silver tongue, because in no more than a couple sentences, she disarms your father’s objections and somehow convinces him that the two of you need to discuss business privately. He gives up his office, something you have *never* seen him do. In fact you’ve only ever been in his office once or twice in your life. She takes to your father’s desk like someone used to wielding authority like a cudgel. “It's nice to meet you” she offers, with a smile that sends a shiver of terror down your spine, it's the smile you’d expect from a wolf having cornered a rabbit. “My name is Tabitha, andI’m here to officially welcome you to the Silver Scroll.” her smile widens, and she looks you dead in the eyes “And to offer you a chance to change your mind” she says, her tone still even. “Some students have a misconception that the Silver Scroll is all about sipping tea, and learning to write coded messages” she says, and you notice a hardness around her eyes that wasn’t there before. “It is not. The Silver Scroll will teach you how to win. At any cost. If Aqua’s Reach is the shield of Aqua, then we are the poisoned dagger that keeps her enemies from ever striking.” she pauses, lets it sink in and continues. “We have the highest student mortality rate of any of the guilds, and we only graduate the best, because to do any less is to risk the safety of Aqua.” she pauses, once more. “If you’re not sure, really sure, you can do it, I am prepared to return your golden chit, and let you pledge to any other guild. I’m sure the Windcallers or Aqua’s Reach would be glad to have such a promising candidate.” she offers you the golden chit.  You shake your head. “No thank you” you say, meeting her eyes. “I picked the Silver Scroll, and I plan to pledge to them” you say, the matter settled in your mind. The chit disappears back into one of her pockets. “In that case” she says, her smile softening to something less primally terrifying “Welcome to the Silver Scroll” she says, as she produces a pair of gloves from her pocket. She hands them over. Since you were six you’ve only worn the plain grey gloves of childhood, the gloves that indicate no special rank or status. These are different. They are a shade of ivory, not quite the perfect white of a Sophos, and are rimmed with a copper finish. “These are yours now.” She says, as you take them with a bit of ill concealed reverence. “You are entitled to another six pairs when you get to the Academia next month” she continues, “but for now you can wear your rank and allegiance proudly.” It takes all you’ve got not to run out of the room and change gloves right now. Earning the right to no longer wear the greys, it's the difference between being a boy and a man. Instead, you wait for the woman to continue speaking. “Your key-phrase is Ascendant Green Mackerel. Deliver it to any messenger, and the Silver Scroll will know you are in distress.” she is not smiling any longer. “Use it only if you are in mortal danger or you feel there is a great danger to the city, as it is taken extremely seriously.” she gives stands up, as if to leave. “Oh yes. If you need anything less urgent, you can send me a message via messenger. Just address it to Tabitha Lastborn, and it will reach me. Any questions?” she asks, her expression relaxing again. “About anything really. You’re one of us for the time being.” Question time with Tabitha is open, subject to timey-wimey rules. It will close whenever I post the next vote, which should be within 24 hours
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Apr 15, 2020 18:46
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How best should I prepare this next month? Anything you wish you were told ahead of time? What's your favorite part of being in the guild?
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Apr 15, 2020 19:06
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...and what is your least favorite?
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Apr 15, 2020 19:32
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What magic do you specialize in?
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Apr 15, 2020 19:43
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Toughy posted:How best should I prepare this next month? "Relax. Take a break. This is the last vacation you'll have for a very long time." she pauses. "In a month, there's going to be the looming threat that in any given exam, you might die. Don't leave anything undone you might regret late." Toughy posted:Anything you wish you were told ahead of time? "You can only rely on yourself. The instructors are not your friends. They might be friendly, and helpful, but they are testing you, and if you're not up to snuff, they'd rather see you fail. Your classmates have a duty to themselves to win at all costs, they won't sacrifice themselves for you. Remember that, when the chips are down." She pauses for a second, as if considering if she's said too much, and adds "After the Acadmia, its a different world, but while you're in it, you need to make your graduation your primary objective." Toughy posted:What's your favorite part of being in the guild? "We get to serve Aqua in the most tangible ways. Others can point to their abstract contributions, only the Silver Scroll knows how many times we've averted disaster with no-one the wiser." jng2058 posted:...and what is your least favorite? "Killing people" she has a slight smile as she says this, but you're not sure if she's joking or not. Junpei posted:What magic do you specialize in? "When I was in the Acadmeia I was a personal-focused impetar. I've broadened my horizons since then" she says, not completely answering the question.
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Apr 15, 2020 19:58
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Are the new gloves that we got generic to academy entrants or do they publicly announce us as a member of the silver scroll? Will our classmates know right away who we chose? Have you ever used your key-phrase? What sort of a situation was it?
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Apr 15, 2020 20:01
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Olothreutes posted:Are the new gloves that we got generic to academy entrants or do they publicly announce us as a member of the silver scroll? Will our classmates know right away who we chose? Olothreutes posted:Have you ever used your key-phrase? What sort of a situation was it? She leans back when you ask this, letting out a small sigh. "It's kind of embarrassing, actually" she says, and then leans in, almost conspiratorially. "I used it to pass an exam. Which I passed. But the disciplinary hearing I got for misusing it wasn't worth it. Although *technically* my life was in danger, so they didn't expel me. Still, not worth it. It really is only meant for emergencies. They added a rule after that that if you use your key-phrase during an exam you automatically forfeit."
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Apr 15, 2020 20:26
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Are there any other rules about the key-phrase we should keep in mind?
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Apr 15, 2020 20:35
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Olothreutes posted:Are there any other rules about the key-phrase we should keep in mind? "Don't share it with anyone unless you trust them with your reputation and life? You are ultimately responsible for how the key-phrase is used."
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Apr 15, 2020 21:02
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Is it you who welcomes every pledge, or were we paired for a reason? Is there anything we should bring with us to the Academia? Once I'm at the Academia, is there anything I could do for you that would make us allies? It sounds like a friend could save my life.
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Apr 15, 2020 22:36
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Inverted Icon posted:Is it you who welcomes every pledge, or were we paired for a reason? Inverted Icon posted:Is there anything we should bring with us to the Academia? Inverted Icon posted:Once I'm at the Academia, is there anything I could do for you that would make us allies? It sounds like a friend could save my life.
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Apr 16, 2020 01:18
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Are we going to be going through the Academy and attempting to survive, or will we be hopping back to the present soon?
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Apr 16, 2020 01:25
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There Bias Two posted:Are we going to be going through the Academy and attempting to survive, or will we be hopping back to the present soon? We'll be back to the present in the next post. I'm trying to do a thing where we do backstory via flashbacks with limited choices, but we'll see if it gets too confusing. (And assuming the present doesn't result in everyone dying, you'll still theoretically be an academy student.) EDIT: And as we go forward, I welcome any and all feedback on the format. TheCog fucked around with this message at 01:36 on Apr 16, 2020 |
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Apr 16, 2020 01:28
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"Any suggestions for what magic I should study? I mean, if I find I have a natural aptitude for something, I'll be sure to focus on it, but it doesn't hurt to have useful skills."
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Apr 16, 2020 01:45
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Junpei posted:"Any suggestions for what magic I should study? I mean, if I find I have a natural aptitude for something, I'll be sure to focus on it, but it doesn't hurt to have useful skills." "Find something that suits what you want to be doing on and off the battlefield. If you become skilled at wind or water mana, you can expect a lot of ship jobs. If you master fire, you won't spend much time in Aqua. There's a... tendency among scrollbearers to favor more subtle magic, as if its somehow superior, but brute force is oftentimes what's needed." she seems to give it some more thought. "If you're really stuck, I've never seen a vivomancer worth their salt want for opportunities."
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Apr 16, 2020 02:19
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TheCog posted:"If you're really stuck, I've never seen a vivomancer worth their salt want for opportunities." Salt Magic should be our choice then.
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Apr 16, 2020 13:40
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Actually, speaking of the more clever/rare types of magic. We know a vivomancer is all about manipulating life mana, but what are the others? If this is a vote that will come up later you can defer until then if you want. But what do mages specializing in arcane or astral mana do? Are there other really weird types of mana? Is void mana a thing we can specialize in? What would that look like? Is light mana the opposite of that? Olothreutes fucked around with this message at 16:26 on Apr 16, 2020 |
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Apr 16, 2020 16:15
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Olothreutes posted:Actually, speaking of the more clever/rare types of magic. We know a vivomancer is all about manipulating life mana, but what are the others? If this is a vote that will come up later you can defer until then if you want. But what do mages specializing in arcane or astral mana do? Are there other really weird types of mana? Alright, lets talk about Mana there will be a longer post on this shortly, so this is the quick and dirty. Mana falls into four basic categories. Elemental mana: Elemental mana, also called precursor mana represents the rawest parts of nature, the most simplistic building blocks of existence. This is the mana you're most likely to find natural lay-lines for, as those will spontaneously come to exist where the "essence" of this element is strongest. Here you have the expected Water mana, Air mana, Fire mama, Earth mana. You can expect these to occur naturally, they are the easiest to maintain, have the simplest patterns. This doesn't mean you can't do incredibly complex things with them, such as the Summa Aqua. This is where most mages start, and where you can expect to get your start. Life mana is *technically* an Elemental mana, although some people categorize "Motive" manas (life,force and salt specifically) into its own category. Different types of mages: Fire - Igniom - Fire mages, specialize in creating and manipulating flames. This has practical combat applications, obviously, but it can also be used to power forges or smelteries, to produce diffcult reactions, and to power golems. When focused on affecting the mental planes, fire magic is used for cleansing opposing enchantments, and creating enchantments that dissuade and retaliate. Fire mana tends to form structures that grow, consume, and die out. Water - Aquor - Water mages can take their powers in a variety of directions, from forming and manipulating ice, to pulling water out of the air and changing the weather. Aquor's focused on affecting the mental plane produce enchantments that increase resilience, and speed, with a focus on remaining maleable. Water magic has a tendency to build cyclical structures that refresh and endure. Water magic by itself is not a motive force, though it can be distilled into Salt Mana, which powers most of the servitors in the city. Air - Caeli - Air mages are offensively not terribly powerful, unless they move into derived lightning mana, in which case they can be truly terrifying. While wind in combat is subtle, its enhancements are not to be scoffed at, favoring speed and mobility above all, with an undercurrent of constant chance. Air mages can produce a lot of short lasting mana, and for that reason alone should be respected. Air structures tend to rapidly shift between different patterns, giving mercurial effects. Earth - Terrius - An earth wizard, earth mana is notoriously durable but difficult to manipulate. Shaping the earth, moving existing earth, hurling rocks, the applications of earth magic in and out of combat are obvious. Even after the mana has faded, the structures often remain. Building on the mental plane with earth gives long lasting benefits to endurance, but requires deliberate construction, as even a small mistake can render a long lasting useless structure. Life - VIvimancer - Life mana will grow and consume you if you are not careful. Often acknowledged as the most difficult of the precursor manas, creating life mana long term is beyond most mages, instead working with what is available. Still, modifying the living is impressive and useful, allowing the regeneration of wounds, powerful combat bonuses, and in some cases, simply extinguishing the life mana of an opposing mage. Manipulating life mana is extremely short ranged, and the shapes it generates are as diverse and confusing as life itself. Force - Impetar - There is a long standing argument between mages if force mana is Elemental or constructed. Prevailing though in Aqua classifies it as elemental, although there are few known force laylines in the world. Force mana concerns itself with manipulating the physical, as mentioned earlier: In combat this can go one of two ways a more personal focus, where the mage enhances their own skills by making their fists strike with incredible force and blades glance off their skin as if it were armor or an active focus, where the mage uses magic to squeeze knights out of armour or topple buildings on top of them. The non-combat applications of an Impetar are almost limitless, from erecting buildings and digging canals to singlehandedly manning boats or infusing servitors with useful manipulators. Derived mana: Elemental mana, when subjected to the right pressures, usually, but not always a mage, will produce a new type of mana that captures some subset of the parent mana. Lightning mana being a mana derived from air mana is an example of this. Generally speaking before specializing in a derived mana the mage needs to have a significant understanding of a precursor mana. Its possible to only learn enough of the mana you're deriving from to learn the derived mana, but the interplay between the two is what will let you get the most out of derived mana. Usually, but not always, a first step in creating derived mana is crafting a "generator" from its precursor. Some Derived mana you might master in time: (If you're curious about one or more of these, let me know, I don't want to make this too wordy) Lightning Plant Shaped Earth Lava Metal Sand Salt Conjured mana: There is a whole category of mana that is simply "not of this plane". It is mana that cannot exist without someone bringing it in from the outside, usually via creating a planar rift or similar. Once you have some however, or learn how to create resonance in existing mana to excite a rift, you can get it on demand. Conjured mana is often refered to a "strange" mana, because it doesn't follow the normal rules of mana. This is where Void, Celestial, Astral, Infernal, Blood and Chaos mana all originate. Generally speaking conjured mana is incredibly difficult to master, and no initiate is going to start with it. Knowing at least one precursor is required, as you are only going to archive excitation with the right constructs. There's a lot of theoretical research around conjured mana, as rift-walking is one of the avenues open to mages to gain phenomenal cosmic power. It is also incredibly dangerous. You don't. at the present time the events are taking place in, know a whole lot about conjured mana beyond that it exists, and is highly advanced. Constructed mana: The final type of mana is constructed mana. Constructed mana sort of covers everything that doesn't fall into the other three categories. Generally speaking constructed mana is the result of messing with the intangible base properties of mana manipulation.Light,, Shadow, Arcane and Null mana fall into this category. They only show up in nature in extremely strange circumstances, and tend to decay rapidly. Constructed mana varies between "derived from the basic properties of magic" to "twisting the rules hard and squinting at them wrong so they bend the way you want". The four prominent examples you're familiar with are (your knowledge of these is also limited, we'll expand more on shadow and light if you consider specializing in either) Light: Focused on creating illumination, it can be used to generate life-like illusions, and when combined with wind magic can be used for great illusive effect. Lightmages are called Lightbearers, and while they can be useful in combat, blinding opponents, creating ghost enemies, much of their utility is around the personal field, where a well constructed structure of light mana will allow the user to sometimes glimpse "the path", an arcane construct that contains a matrix of the potential results of any action. Shadow: The opposite of light, it also generates illusions, although the shadow clones tend to be more obvious as illusions. shadow mana can generate sound without the support of wind magic, and also encompasses the spells dealing with muting sounds. Shadow magic also has something light does not, it allows semi-tangible copies of things. Shadow mana can create fake doubles that can be interacted with, although they are almost always poor imitations of the original, and they are always short lived. Arcane: Arcane mana is the mana of... making and manipulating mana. Its useful as a secondary discipline. Allowing mages to build more elaborate generators, and sabotage how the opponent creates mana, as well as turn existing mana into other types, but by itself it is almost powerless to influence the world. Null: Null magic deals with the removal of magic, and null mana trades incredibly well with existing mana. Outside of the context of dealing with mana however, Null magic is totally useless. A powerful specialization for those often dealing with mages, its very niche, and a very difficult discipline regardless. There are probably less than five Nullifiers in all of Aqua. Scroll Keepers bonus knowledge! Fate: You know next to nothing about fate mana, other than it concerns the manipulation of luck, and glancing at the future. Its a highly theoretical field, and you doubt anyone in Aqua can generate Fate mana. If they can, they're keeping it under wraps.
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Apr 17, 2020 03:11
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Mhhh. While spycraft isn't the field dedicated to servitor production/studies, the interest in constructs of all sorts remains. A few questions, then. What's the deal with Salt, and why would it be considered a Motive? Salt/Preservation/Keeping pre-existing enchantments working? For that matter, what are motives on a more technical level? I suspect it relates to animating the inanimate, but is there more to it than that? While Arcane isn't listed as a Motive, what's to stop it from being used as a servitors dynamo? Other than being a particularly dangerous process to leave automated, it seems Arcane Mana conversion could power a servitor in pretty much any mundane environ. Light mana can create life-like illusions, but can it superficially alter an existing person/things appearance? Given the spywork this one might actually come up in the field. Light and Shadow have their strengths and weaknesses. Conveniently, they seem to cover eachothers weaknesses. Could a sufficiently experienced practitioner use the two to create a believable semi-tangible illusion, or are the two manas sufficiently opposed that combining the two would be too inconveniently jury-rigged to rely on? ...Think that covers it, for the moment.
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Apr 17, 2020 04:07
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Cool
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Apr 17, 2020 04:21
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I think Air mana would be a great starting place for us since there's a lot of sneaky things one can do with Air, not the least of which being able to quietly murder someone via suffocation, but it sounds like Life and especially Fate should be our long term goals.
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Apr 17, 2020 04:52
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I dunno Earth sounds promising to me as a decent intro element
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Apr 17, 2020 05:13
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I'm sorry, but Air -> Lightning -> Celestial/Void -> Fate sounds like the proper path to me.
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Apr 17, 2020 05:26
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Olothreutes posted:I'm sorry, but Air -> Lightning -> Celestial/Void -> Fate sounds like the proper path to me. Honestly, i think something like air->arcane->fate might be good? fate mana isn't apparently easy to make, so arcane might be useful in that regard.
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Apr 17, 2020 05:35
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Air + Light -> Lightning -> Fate seems cool for me
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Apr 17, 2020 05:52
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Arcanuse posted:What's the deal with Salt, and why would it be considered a Motive? Motive mana is any mana that can be used to power a servitor or golem, which are defined as inanimate objects designed specifically to operate autonomously when powered by mana. Technically, Motive mana can be broken into three categories: Fully Motive Fully motive mana is mana that can be used to power a servitor *without* the need of an alchemical catalyst or needing a mana distillation. Superficially these are Fire, Salt, Life, Lightning, Force and Steam (This is not a complete list, because there are a lot of Derived mana sources, and you don't know that much about Conjured mana). Almost no one uses Life or Arcane because of inbuilt complexities and risks. Servitors powered with Steam tend to develop complications, and wouldn't work in Aqua due to the Suma Aqua anyway. As to why Salt is Motive... you don't know, the theory is still beyond you. You do know that most of the servitors in Aqua are either salt or force powered, with a small minority being Lightning or water distillations. Partially Motive Partially Motive mana is mana that requires an intermediate catalyst to be able to power a servitor long term. Air, Water, Arcane and Shadow are prime examples. They can't quite power a golem on their own, but with alchemical assistance can do just fine. Arcane specifically requires very little alchemical help, but it does require some (specifically you have to provide a source of initial mana for the arcane dynamo to operate on). Immotive: Immotive mana cannot be used to power a servitor long term without extreme alchemical help, and very clever body designs. Its usually not worth the effort. Arcanuse posted:Light mana can create life-like illusions, but can it superficially alter an existing person/things appearance? Arcanuse posted:Light and Shadow have their strengths and weaknesses. Conveniently, they seem to cover eachothers weaknesses. Light and Shadow *can* work together, but its a balancing act. It increases the complexity significantly, but a good skilled practitioner can create extremely believable, semi-real illusions.
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Apr 17, 2020 11:23
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TheCog posted:
 “Divination Crag” you say out-loud as you click on the icon. There’s a nervous energy in the *pillar as it sets off, the undulating movement of its body seeming to rock the group of you. Emilie seems lost in thought as you set off, not even giving you the solace of her usual sarcasm. Talbor looks faintly green. You’re not sure if it’s the motion of the *pillar or the fact that you’re headed off into likely mortal danger. Felix seems a lot less concerned, as he’s chatting semi-animatedly with Aurora. You wonder if that’s his mood, or if he’s trying to put the younger student at ease. He gives you a *look* that might translate to “I sure hope you know what you’re doing”. Aurora seems excited, full of nervous energy. You can tell it takes a lot of effort for her not to bounce off of the walls. Alois meanwhile is quietly speaking with Tamiko. You catch bits of it. They seem to be playing some kind of simple word association game. “Snake” “Enomb” “Borehole”. They’re going relatively quickly. You wonder how many times they’ve done this. You have the impression its not the first time they’ve headed into a battle, a real battle, together. Lael has closed his eyes and seems to be meditating… or asleep, it's hard to tell. He has a hand on Talbor’s shoulder, though. A comforting presence perhaps? Or maybe he just wants to be ready if something happens. Jabir, Felix’s Clypeus has busied himself sharpening a knife, which seems to have totally absorbed his attention. It takes about twenty minutes before the *pillar makes it to its destination. It comes to a smooth stop, and the same soothing, eerily in-human voice speaks. “You have arrived at your destination. Please disembark so other passengers may make use of this facility. Thank you!” A small square panel drops down for the ceiling. It has a small stylus, so you can write a transaction, and donate to the city services that keep the Salterpillars running. It’s customary to give a little something, but before you can do anything, Emilie snatches up the stylus, and writes the donation herself.  When you exit, and your nostrils clear of the smell of salt, it is replaced with smoke, heavier and more intense than it was near the Acadmeia, and the unmistakable scent of fresh blood. You barely have time to register that however, because what lies in front of you can only be described as a massacre. The narrow corridor leading up to the tower itself has been painted with blood. Bodies, at least a dozen, lie to either side of the corridor. They’re all wearing white-hat uniforms, though with their gloves soaked with blood it's hard to figure out their ranks. Each bears between one and a dozen holes, hardly the size of a coin, each in a vital point. You recognize deliberate, well thought kills when you see them, and maybe some part of your mind not recoiling in horror and fear feels admiration for the carefully executed kills. It looks like the white-hats barely had time to react. You doubt that any of these white-hats were silver trim, so it's not quite as impressive as killing a dozen Sophos, but you can’t imagine what dealt the wounds. Talbor does not look any *less* green when he lays eyes on the massacre, although to his credit he doesn’t faint or vomit. Instead he looks at you. “What… what happened?” You tell him you know as little as he does. Everyone debarks, Emilie being the last. “Well, this is great” she says, raising an eyebrow. “Shadow monsters, *and* something that can punch holes in people. At least it had the courtesy to leave the path to the lower city open for us”. She offers, pointing at the wide open door into the tower. The pitch black interior of the tower, where the thing that killed everyone outside of the tower might still be alive. “What next, oh fearless captain?” she asks. 1.) A. This is way above your paygrade. Everyone back into the Salterpillar, and off to Revelation Plaza. You can give a full report there, and whoever is there can decide what to do with the tower currently running red with blood. B. It seems that whatever killed all the white-hats probably did it on its way out of the tower? Explore the tower, try to find out what happened. C. B, except your primary goal is to get a view of the lower city, and spend as little time investigating as you can. D. Give chase! The blood is still fresh, you probably *just missed* whoever or whatever did this. They are obviously a danger to the middle city and can’t be allowed to continue unopposed. Follow your best guess as to where someone would head from here. E. Skip the tower, head straight into the lower city, with the intention of fighting fire. F. Skip the tower, head straight into the lower city, with the intention of hunting down a shadow beast. G. Some other idea. Write in. Before someone proposes it, you *can* try to use your key-phrase, but given the state of the city, it is unlikely someone will be available to help.
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Apr 17, 2020 21:36
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D, let's Shonen Hero this.
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Apr 17, 2020 21:45
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A. If we can help anyone on the way, we will, but this is really beyond our abilities.
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Apr 17, 2020 21:50
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A We are a handful of half-trained students, and it sounds like to start at least power scales exponentially (our entire class put together can maybe equal one single trained mage). Whatever did this was bad enough to kill a dozen fully trained real deal professionals, even if they're "just" security guards or whatever it's not something I want to throw a few untrained teenagers at. Get to someone in charge and find out how we can actually be useful.
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Apr 17, 2020 22:44
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Divination Craig sounds like sort of a side entrance. If there's a bloodbath here, I can only imagine Revelation Plaza. We came here to get to the top lf the tower, so we can see as much as we can of the situation. This new development only increases that need. We Need to know what's going on. Maybe these guys died from ambush by a weak enemy. Maybe this enemy is more dangerous than the fire. We just don't know, and the best way to find out is atop the Tower. Split the Party 1/2 B 1/2 C We're a 3/4ths trained magical secret agent. We don't have to run away
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Apr 17, 2020 22:51
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If we can enchant the salterpiller to follow a trail and explode once molested, that'd be cool. Also, can any of us make a colored smoke, or something? As for distribution B - party should include fighters (I'm a bit confused with names) C - party should include us E: woky details fixed Also, just an idea, do you all think we should send the salterpiller to revelation plaza with the information we get from the top of divination craig? EE : I Know we can do something with this salterpiller Inverted Icon fucked around with this message at 23:19 on Apr 17, 2020 |
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Apr 17, 2020 22:56
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B. Ours is not to do and die, ours is but to reason why! Investigate!
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Apr 17, 2020 23:16
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Don't split the party! B We came here to get data, and we can still do that. The tower is probably mostly safe at this point and as Inverted Icon pointed out other places are probably worse. Cog, as a semi-free action can we examine one of the white-hats and see if they have some other mark of station beyond their gloves that we can identify, and maybe learn a bit more about the holes in them?
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Apr 17, 2020 23:31
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Olothreutes posted:Don't split the party! You inspect the nearest white-hat, getting a not insignificant amount of gore on yourself in the process. The man doesn't appear to be carrying any of the things you would expect if he were a Sophos. No graduation pendant, no pocket with alchemical components. A chain under his clothes has five copper links (with the rest being iron), indicating five years of service. Probably a Tinny. Tin denotes the low-to-mid ranks of non-magic user public officials. You can imagine the man's duties involved a lot of boring patrol duties, maybe serving as a first responder in a crisis. A spear that he was probably armed with lies next to him, it looks like he didn't get to use it. Death has captured in his face an expression a mix of surprise, horror, and determination. There's no letter to a loved one that gives you a glimpse into his life, or a last second warning scrawled in blood. He probably died before he really realized what was happening. He has four holes in his body, they are ragged, like something tore through him at high velocity. Two of the holes are probably entrance holes and the other two are probably exit holes, they line up too well to be anything else. Whatever object or objects struck him are nowhere to be found.
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Apr 18, 2020 00:41
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At a quick glance, do any of their weapons look like they went into an enemy?
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Apr 18, 2020 01:18
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Inverted Icon posted:At a quick glance, do any of their weapons look like they went into an enemy? No, but there's a lot of blood, which makes it hard to tell.
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Apr 18, 2020 01:21
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