Hello, my fellow fans of the mystical. I'm Alexander, and I'm looking for a story involving two students with any level of magical talent attending a place of instruction to help master their latent abilities. It's a pretty broad genre, so my ideas for it were pretty similarly broad. If you wanted a specific plot all packaged up, well... there might be a bit of assembly required, because my thoughts fell into more of a mix-and-match kind of situation.
If there's any combination of the following that excite you, don't hesitate to send me a message. I'm not chaining myself to these exact ideas, so I'm also open to interpretations if you have any clever takes on one specific aspect, or the genre as a whole.
Locations
The old world is strong at Popopula, and anyone expecting a modern education will be disappointed to learn of strong monastic traditions remaining intact, as if agents of the church were just out sight beyond the treeline. With how dense the treeline is here, however, one need not go far in any direction to reach a good hiding place.
In many ways, nature is more attuned to magic here than the humans are, and if the leaves of a tree aren't growing to brush past a window and a vine isn't crawling its way up a wall towards a higher perch, then spectral roots are probably trying to crack away at some building's foundation. The mandatory dawn chorus sung by student and faculty both is quite beautiful, but the necessity of those warding words also sets the tone on how all must work together, or something more powerful than all of them could easily overwhelm any individual.
Brentawnos strives to produce students who can channel immense quantities of magic in their spells, valuing people who tame the rift and the roil and aren't overwhelmed by it. Those who aren't at the top of their class but can still keep their cool to put on a supporting role would also be valued. On the other hand, if the screech of the ether unsettles a student, they might have to relegate themselves to research more than action and dynamics.
The school year is highly variable - as all the members of the academic program are all pulling from the same source of power, a year where the maelstrom's power is lightly filled might be cut short a few months, while if too much is overflowing, sessions could be extended to try to drain it further and preventing the rift from bursting further into the world.
Dark schemes are afoot, and Pallantirn raises students to become a line of defense against terrible things. The overall theme would be "there are monsters and phantoms that can emerge from this area, and we've got to be ready to stop them." A big emphasis of the coursework is probably being able to defend yourself and protect others, in addition to any instructions on magical disciplines in general. An unprepared student who is caught with their guard down isn't unheard of, and there's a very real chance that a student or faculty could be injured or killed by something nasty sprouting forth.
The last generation had already failed, and for a time, magic was lost to the world. Slowly, it has begun to reemerge, but mostly in concentrated areas. Ballantos is the remnants of a previous facility, abandoned until it was found suitable once more. There are not a wide array of instructors and tutors, but more a collection of those who can still intuit mystical arts as more of an art than a science.
Vynfyn is not a place where "good" people are trying to earn an education. It is a location more suited for the rebellious type, where the preferred spell to practice isn't a flashy ray of light, but to bend the arc of a bolt of lightning to their whim. One who could master slipping into the shadow of a dimly lit room and not reappearing even when sunlight bursts through the room could also do well there.
Disciplines - WIP
So what are they going to be studying, exactly? They're probably not going to end up with a diploma in just "Thamaturgy".
Characters - WIP
If there's any combination of the following that excite you, don't hesitate to send me a message. I'm not chaining myself to these exact ideas, so I'm also open to interpretations if you have any clever takes on one specific aspect, or the genre as a whole.
Locations
The old world is strong at Popopula, and anyone expecting a modern education will be disappointed to learn of strong monastic traditions remaining intact, as if agents of the church were just out sight beyond the treeline. With how dense the treeline is here, however, one need not go far in any direction to reach a good hiding place.
In many ways, nature is more attuned to magic here than the humans are, and if the leaves of a tree aren't growing to brush past a window and a vine isn't crawling its way up a wall towards a higher perch, then spectral roots are probably trying to crack away at some building's foundation. The mandatory dawn chorus sung by student and faculty both is quite beautiful, but the necessity of those warding words also sets the tone on how all must work together, or something more powerful than all of them could easily overwhelm any individual.
Brentawnos strives to produce students who can channel immense quantities of magic in their spells, valuing people who tame the rift and the roil and aren't overwhelmed by it. Those who aren't at the top of their class but can still keep their cool to put on a supporting role would also be valued. On the other hand, if the screech of the ether unsettles a student, they might have to relegate themselves to research more than action and dynamics.
The school year is highly variable - as all the members of the academic program are all pulling from the same source of power, a year where the maelstrom's power is lightly filled might be cut short a few months, while if too much is overflowing, sessions could be extended to try to drain it further and preventing the rift from bursting further into the world.
Dark schemes are afoot, and Pallantirn raises students to become a line of defense against terrible things. The overall theme would be "there are monsters and phantoms that can emerge from this area, and we've got to be ready to stop them." A big emphasis of the coursework is probably being able to defend yourself and protect others, in addition to any instructions on magical disciplines in general. An unprepared student who is caught with their guard down isn't unheard of, and there's a very real chance that a student or faculty could be injured or killed by something nasty sprouting forth.
The last generation had already failed, and for a time, magic was lost to the world. Slowly, it has begun to reemerge, but mostly in concentrated areas. Ballantos is the remnants of a previous facility, abandoned until it was found suitable once more. There are not a wide array of instructors and tutors, but more a collection of those who can still intuit mystical arts as more of an art than a science.
Vynfyn is not a place where "good" people are trying to earn an education. It is a location more suited for the rebellious type, where the preferred spell to practice isn't a flashy ray of light, but to bend the arc of a bolt of lightning to their whim. One who could master slipping into the shadow of a dimly lit room and not reappearing even when sunlight bursts through the room could also do well there.
Disciplines - WIP
So what are they going to be studying, exactly? They're probably not going to end up with a diploma in just "Thamaturgy".
The category of studying objects and finding ways to make them better. What makes something better is all objective to the magician, of course. In the old days, enchanters would make buildings more sturdy, soil more fertile, and weapons sharper. Somehow, engineers tended to get one up over spellcasters in the intervening years in many areas, but whether it's making a glass of water more refreshing, an instrument louder, a familiar more fluffy, or a phone that won't lose its reception, an enchanter can manage just about anything except making their base ingredients themselves more potent.
There's much to say for the allure of superhuman feats, whether it be making their feet agile enough to cover leaps and bounds in mere seconds, or sending the crackle of a bolt from their magical focus towards a target. And knowing how to sense any incoming projectile to be able to deflect it, even if one's concentration is pointed elsewhere, is an obvious necessity to avoid becoming incapacitated. These types often find it easiest to work in pairs or in triplicate, as shielding a partner doesn't require twice as much effort as shielding oneself, but coordination is always key.
Physical objects should be subject to a magician's whim. Heavy box needs moving? Levitate it. Shirt just a little too tight? Lengthen it out a little bit. (Better yet - shrink your own waist an inch or two.) Of course, you don't always need the object to remain right in front of you. If you absolutely need to make sure a love letter gets delivered secretly, how about projecting it right into its recipient's pocket? More complex materials obviously require more intricate patterns to properly adjust them, but the most accomplished are going to be able to squeeze something like a car into their own pocket - way better than a pair of keys.
Characters - WIP
Angel dust? What a bad joke. But if you needed some Pixie dust, I think we can work something out...
With a proper institution, there's no difficulty obtaining any needed materials for regular instruction, especially when you have access to the proper budget. Of course, anybody who spent their entire academic venture without ever exploring beyond standard materials has never made a name for themselves.
Dean didn't have a budget, like many who could only barely scrape up enough to attend the academy. By his second year, he was more than willing to get a discount any way he could, acquiring ingredients second-hand. By his third year, he had transitioned from customer to supplier.
Plots of the campus garden were filled with some fringe botanica, nothing that was highly in demand, but certain herbs could give a potion an extra kick, or leaves of a sapprichus flower could alleviate the sting of particular salves. One wouldn't approach Dean for something truly forbidden, like a blackened vampire heart, but while most students would hunker inside a dorm or lecture hall during an ether storm, Dean would be out setting up a pair of accumulators so that any of the storm's residue would not go to waste. It would never be as potent as the cubes of stable ether at the campus shop, but it wouldn't carry an inflated price tag, either. Just enough to make it worth the struggling student burning off a pair of safety gloves and losing the feeling in his fingers for shy of a week.
Most of the school's sponsored expiditions had a clear and focused goal, but inevitably several students would find a conflict in their schedule and fail to commit to the trip. This was Dean's chance to hitch a ride, and visit any areas of a collector's interest, before the group would reconvene by the end of the day. He prefers areas he has visited before and was able to gather a profitable cornucopia of items at, of course, but more than a few hours are spent researching the flora and fauna whenever a trip to a region new to him appears on the schedule.
Such commitments to out-of-official school activities does limit the extracirricular possibilities for him, and he isn't easily able to commit to study sessions on classes he struggles in, but other students seek him out when their needs call for it.
With a proper institution, there's no difficulty obtaining any needed materials for regular instruction, especially when you have access to the proper budget. Of course, anybody who spent their entire academic venture without ever exploring beyond standard materials has never made a name for themselves.
Dean didn't have a budget, like many who could only barely scrape up enough to attend the academy. By his second year, he was more than willing to get a discount any way he could, acquiring ingredients second-hand. By his third year, he had transitioned from customer to supplier.
Plots of the campus garden were filled with some fringe botanica, nothing that was highly in demand, but certain herbs could give a potion an extra kick, or leaves of a sapprichus flower could alleviate the sting of particular salves. One wouldn't approach Dean for something truly forbidden, like a blackened vampire heart, but while most students would hunker inside a dorm or lecture hall during an ether storm, Dean would be out setting up a pair of accumulators so that any of the storm's residue would not go to waste. It would never be as potent as the cubes of stable ether at the campus shop, but it wouldn't carry an inflated price tag, either. Just enough to make it worth the struggling student burning off a pair of safety gloves and losing the feeling in his fingers for shy of a week.
Most of the school's sponsored expiditions had a clear and focused goal, but inevitably several students would find a conflict in their schedule and fail to commit to the trip. This was Dean's chance to hitch a ride, and visit any areas of a collector's interest, before the group would reconvene by the end of the day. He prefers areas he has visited before and was able to gather a profitable cornucopia of items at, of course, but more than a few hours are spent researching the flora and fauna whenever a trip to a region new to him appears on the schedule.
Such commitments to out-of-official school activities does limit the extracirricular possibilities for him, and he isn't easily able to commit to study sessions on classes he struggles in, but other students seek him out when their needs call for it.
This is your last warning, turn around and walk away. You know those athletes you watch? Referees can sniff out any enchantments they've had in the last week. And that's weak stuff. Mess with me, and you'll see what one that won't dissipate for two months will look like.
You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Denam wasn't an athlete. The physical-oriented competitions didn't allow for any performance-enhancing spells, so everything you saw in a match is supposed to be pure skill. Denam had conquered training his body by the age of 16, and he knew he could be the star player of a team. But there was the rub - he wasn't interested in the team, just seeing how good he himself could be. And he knew there were tricks that could give him an additional boost, but then they told him those weren't allowed for the rules? It kind of made sense, if you wanted to see two dudes hitting each other as hard as their spells could, you should just watch a battle duel instead. No need to involve a sport into it. So he wasn't interested in any of those.
But he did like looking good and feeling good. So he would train by himself, or at least with what the facilities could provide him, and if he felt like using an enchantment along the way, then damn it, he would. With the right magical alignment, his arms could lift three times what you would expect. He could balance a load on his back that one would probably think twice about assigning to a pack donkey. And his legs would only get kinda stiff at the end of the day if he tried carrying a loaded barbell's worth of weights in his backpack as he traversed around campus. Though it was kind of awkward to have to apologize at the nurse's office when he would bump into another student who got too close, and gave them an accidental concussion.
You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Denam wasn't an athlete. The physical-oriented competitions didn't allow for any performance-enhancing spells, so everything you saw in a match is supposed to be pure skill. Denam had conquered training his body by the age of 16, and he knew he could be the star player of a team. But there was the rub - he wasn't interested in the team, just seeing how good he himself could be. And he knew there were tricks that could give him an additional boost, but then they told him those weren't allowed for the rules? It kind of made sense, if you wanted to see two dudes hitting each other as hard as their spells could, you should just watch a battle duel instead. No need to involve a sport into it. So he wasn't interested in any of those.
But he did like looking good and feeling good. So he would train by himself, or at least with what the facilities could provide him, and if he felt like using an enchantment along the way, then damn it, he would. With the right magical alignment, his arms could lift three times what you would expect. He could balance a load on his back that one would probably think twice about assigning to a pack donkey. And his legs would only get kinda stiff at the end of the day if he tried carrying a loaded barbell's worth of weights in his backpack as he traversed around campus. Though it was kind of awkward to have to apologize at the nurse's office when he would bump into another student who got too close, and gave them an accidental concussion.
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