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Story of Alessandro Ferraro


Schwarzbart

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I'm Alessandro Ferraro and on the following pages you will find the story about my first year at Academagia.

 

But first a bit about me.

My parents are very wealthy and our family line is famous for its martial prowess and so I had to learn about famous battles early in my live, but beyond that I think I'm your typical kid from Strozzan.

This all changed 3 or was it already 4 years before this story starts, because back then my parents thought its a great idea that I should serve a noble as page.

I really hated this job back then but I doubt I would now be a magus if not for the time there. One day I had to serve the master when a magus from Balltagio was visiting and after this woman saw me she broken the protocol by inviting me to the meal they just have and talking to me instead of the master.

Not even 1 month later I then was send to study at Balltagio and it turned out that I have some knack for the Incantation magic.

To my surprise after some months at Balltagio I then even got an invitation for Academagia.

It was still over 1 year till my entry at Academagia and so my parents decided that I have to finish the year at Balltagio and after the summer break have to get some military drill at the Safaviore Officer School.

The time at Safaviore wasn't half as bad as I thought it willl, but this year is not part of the story I want to tell.

Thats enough about my past, now where should I start? Best from the day I walked the first time trough the gates of Academagica.

 

some game related infos:

 

 

I use some of my mods for the game I base this story on

Background:

 

+1 Omen: Blood Moon

-1 Heritage: Strozzan

 

+1 Family: Graverobbers

+1 History: Famous Campaigners

+1 Station: Wealthy

 

+1 Deed: Lonely Sentinel

+1 Prodigy: Center of Attention

+1 Prodigy: Incantation

+1 Prodigy: Life of Avarice

 

+1 Academy: Balltagio

+1 Academy: Safaviore Officer's School

+1 Apprenticeship: Page

 

Class:

Calligraphy

History

Glamour

Dialectic

Negation

Music

 

 

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I arrived during the morning hours of Juvenalia and was send by the guards to a place where a boy around my age and a girl that looked maybe 2 years older where waiting.

The girl introduced her self as Oan who is now here for her 3th year.

She told us that she will be our mentor. After one more child joined us she showed us first to our rooms so we could get dressed in the cloths of a student at Academagia.

After everyone changed she did show us the common room of Aranaz, our class rooms and some other important places. For lunch we stopped at the great Hall but our tour wasn't over before dinner. During the tour I also had a bit of talk with one of the other students who's name is Malacresta. Even with his spleen for the stars he is a nice boy and we actual became friends, what is good because we share the same room.

In the evening when I started to put my belongings into the wardrobe it suddenly got chilling cold and when I turned around there was a girl behind me in our boy room. I wanted to send her out of our room but then I realized that she is kind of transparent!

Before I even could recover from a ghost standing right in front of me she told me that her name is Pamela and that she is my familiar! You can expect how shocked I was about this, I even think my heart missed a few beats.

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After breakfast the normal class started at Monday.

The first day wasn't much more then introduction of the Professor, the students and the topic of the class but the following days of this week we then had a lot to learn in each class.

My class in the morning are:

Calligraphy under the Aranaz Regent von Rupprecht

Music under Professor Chastellain

Dialectic under Professor Sido

and in the afternoon:

Glamour under Hedi Regent Ringraeyer

History under Professor Viada

Negation under Durand Regent Briardi

 

At this time I was wondering why I was chosen for Aranaz and not for Godina and why I have Music as class instead of Incantation.

Be it as it will the first 3 week got past me in a breeze, beside doing homework, fixing the mess of Pamela and learning I only found time for some meetings with my mentor.

Sadly she also had no tips for the problems I have with my ghost familiar.

Even though I spend nearly all my free time in the Venalicium library because it was obvious that I'm fare behind in knowledge compared to other students, I managed to find some new friends.

It was actual in the library where the friendship between Emilia and me started because we tried to get the same book at the same time and then decided to work together on the dialectic homework. Since then we did the homework together for the 3 class we share.

I also managed to become friend with Carmine who is as Malacresta also a room mate of me, sadly he is away from college a lot for 'buisness', what ever this means. But its obvious when he is nearby that the professor tend to look the other way.

Sadly I was unable to enjoy the workshop days after 2 other students of my year decided to start a fight with some other mage, even though I could escape this mess. So I then returned to the academy to train the 2 glamour spells I learned so fare.

 

I try to go over the not so interesting days faster this time

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But in the 4th week my first of the many strange and not so strange adventures happened. All started with a book about music that I lend from the library that turned out to be so much more. It took me a while to get past the riddle that prevent a to easy access to the content of the book but I keep this for my self because who knows maybe you be the next who find this book. After I finally solved this riddle I suddenly found my self at a violin concert by a brilliant young violinist. At the end of the solo she throw her bow into the crowd of listener and it fly direct in my arms. I then was asked to follow a man to become the next Master of Music. Confused about the strange turn of events I did as asked and I was lead inside where my next task was waiting. I had to pick the true person out of many doubles and I think I was just lucky to pick the right one. When this was finished I was lead out again where the concert still goes on but I was on the stage and was asked to go to its center. I had to pick one of 3 instruments because I had no experience with any of them so it was more an instinctive choice toward the violin. The crowd was cheering that I was be a new Master of Music and with the words of the violinist to please greet the professor from Fiolovski and tell him that your the new Master of Music the scene change again and I was back at my room and the book gone.

I did as asked, sadly with the result hat I have to do more difficult test then the rest of the class in the future.

At last now I know why I was chosen for music even if sometimes I still think it was just a dream but when I feel the violin necklace on my chest I know it wasn't.

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In the next days I lived trough a crisis because as someone destined by the blood moon at the birth hour to become a great commander or general, how can I be a Master of Music? So I talked a lot with Malacresta but his focus on the stars didn't really help and so I started to visit the Temple of Iudocia to learn about my place on this world.

All I managed to learn from the priest there was to accept my fate but from the tapestries I also managed to learn a strange spell.

This spell is of divine source but also works similar to the spell magic we learn at Academagia, if I did understand it right it empowers the user for a few days with lend power from the gods! While I slowly began to accept my second destiny as Master of Music I was invited by Oan to watch a duel at the 1st of Pramidi. I don't know what I expect from the duel of two 3th year but after what feel like hours in the preparation the fight was over in just a minute so it was a big letdown. Not even 2 days later I meet Oan again who invited me and my friends to join her on an adventure about the Trees of Knowledge.

The lead Oan had found bought us to an old abounded warehouse, good thing we had Malacresta with us as his magic easy spotted a hidden guardian who then opened the entrance to a secret passage for us. The magical light we have with us didn't work at this passage and the only light source we could find where some glowing insects. I managed to put a glamour spell together so that they light us the way. On the other side there was a barren field and only a strange small plant creature was remaining. From the riddle this plant told us we found the next location in the Imperial Reserve where we had to find the next clues at all kind of strange places. I sadly neither remember the places where we found the clues nor the clues it self so even if I wanted I couldn't give them to you.

It was getting late so we returned back to our dorms. Sadly Oan was very busy in the next weeks so it took a long time before we managed to continue on this adventure.

This week the last boy who share the sleeping room with me also joined our small clique.

Together with Courtenay we where then 5 people. The most amazing thing about Courtenay is that he could predict the content of the exams and pop quiz at last 1 day ahead of time.

 

I made 2 updates today, just in chase you missed the first one

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My story continue just a few days after my adventure with Oan when one day I did come under the curse of 13 days. This happened despite having now two genius in astrology among my best friends. I called the curse this way because each night a dark ghost like humanoid creature was awaken me from my sleep and mumbling something about “Thirteen days…”!

At first I thought its a prank of my roommates but they would have told me after I direct asked them, then I suspected my familiar or one of her “friends” but we soon could conclude this also was not the case. The only thing Courtenay and Malacresta could find out about this curse is that its some kind of prank that have no lasting harmful effect.

Because I couldn't sleep well anymore I did sneak out one night to skip some stone at lake Arcadia, but that turned out to be a big mistake!

One of my stones hit the head of the lady of the lake and all assurance that I didn't mean her any harm didn't help me. As punishment for hurting her she turned me in a penguin but at last I managed to weaken this magic somewhat so that I was larger then she intended. When I expected my live to be end as one of the lost children of Academagia some voice gave me the hint that I should clean the lake from all the waste people throw in on the other side and bring it over to this side. My task set I had to work a long time to clean up the lake but when I was finished I not only got turned back by the lady but I also got 2 nice magical items from her. Tired I returned to my bed just to be woken up by the dark humanoid what feels minutes later with the usual words “Thirteen days ...”.

As you can expect I wasn't really fit that day and some not so good food did the rest so that I had to visit the infirmary. Despite feeling much better after a potion from the brew master they insisted that I had to stay over night. So I made the best out of this and asisted the brew master even with my lake of knowledge in brewing potions. My hopes of an uninterrupted sleep turned to dust when the dark figure appeared again still with the words “Thirteen days”.

Against all odds I managed to register my self for a weekend education in the basics of Incantation magic at the Esteban Contu's School of Incantation. Even with this horrible circumstances I current live under and the learning pressure at Academagia no one can prevent me from following my destiny. But whoa I didn't know what await me there the education at Academagia is a children birthday compared to this! They say it once and continue on no matter if you had understand it or not. So even a second of inattention and your lost.

Thanks to the many free days at the end of Pramidi I managed to finish this basic education in just 3 weeks.

 

Next time I will tell you how I managed to break the curse of 13 days and the truth about The Dance of Fools Holiday even if you probably wont believe my words.

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Welcome back, now where did I stopped last time? Oh right I promised to tell today what happened at the Dance of Fools Holiday.

Did you know that it once was a complete different holiday? No, thought so but more on this later first I have to tell you how I managed to break the curse of 13 days.

 

It took me till the Friday before the Festival of Pixies to find out that the curse is somewhat connected to the new book of a famous prankster. So I bought the book with the title 13 DAYS and back at the dorm I start to read it but the text written in this book was exact my story from the first day I came under this damn curse only with the names changed!

When I hit the current day in chapter 2 it was mentioned that someone standing behind of main person all the time and true be told the dark creature, this time no longer ghost like, standing behind me and thank me for buying this book. That was enough for me I burned the book with an incantation spell and this creature got out a stick with a marshmallow out and roasted it in the fire. After he eaten it he left the room trough the door and I never saw him again.

During the holidays I meet once again with Oan who suggested that we continue our adventure about the Trees of Knowledge Monday after class.

But now about the promised story about the Dance of Fools Holiday, it stared all when the small group I joined for the celebration meet someone dressed as Queen of Faes who mention about a darker past of this holiday. She suggested us to follow a procession going to the true celebration. It was a mournful and dark celebration we followed not the cheerful you usually see around Mineta. We had some difficulty’s to follow the celebration but we managed to catch up when it came to a halt. There we had to chose if we wanted to mask us as a dragon or an other beast. Good we picked beat as the one in the dragon costume got quit e a beating when something took control of all in a beast costume to unleash our stored anger on the dragon! I would love to say I was not part of this but sadly I also hit with all might into the dragon it was as if was possessed and just a watcher of my own actions.

After this really dark part was over our small group managed to learn that this played dragon hunt was the reason why the fest was changed, there where just to many causality's even if they used prisoner for the dragon back then. On our way back to the normal fest we even found the grave from one of the first “fool” and we earned quite some publicity when we made this discovery public.

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Monday after class we managed to continue our adventure in finding the Tree of Knowledge, sadly my mind is kind of hazy when it comes to this.

All I remember is that we had to enter the place trough a fay ring and that some kind of incantation ritual was involved. We also had to find a way trough a gigantic swarm of mantis with no visible path around them. I remember that we brainstormed for quite some time to get past them when a whim of nature showed us how we can use our magic to get past them. To my surprise we where granted a wish when we finally arrived at the Tree of Knowledge and so we asked for 'Wisdom' if my memory don't fail me. Afterward we found us back at the Academy.

 

I think the prophetic dream I had the following night was a result from this. This dream showed me that Academagia and almost all of Mineta got drowned in a gigantic flood. When it this day start raining like it only rarely do and a nearby lightning strike remind me on the start of my dream I decided to visit the Professor of dream magic here at Academagia to tell him about my dream. He wasn't easy to find but when I final managed to tell him about my dream he direct took me to the Legate because he saw it as very serious. After I told my dream again to the Headmaster and after the Professor and the Legate had some talk without me my first adventure with the Legate of Academagia began. I was allowed to ride with the Professor and the Legate on a Griffon this alone would be already amazing but with the stormy and extreme windy weather I sadly had to focus on staying on this magnificent beast and so couldn't enjoy the ride.

We had to land a bit below the top and climb up the rest so that we not get spotted to early.

I was the first up there and in my juvenile overzeal I decided to use the moment of surprise and attack the one who created the storm. Sadly my attack was easy blocked and so It was now me who got attacked but I somehow already suspected that my opponent will using wind to attack me I managed to redirect his attack so that it lose a bolder instead throwing me from the mountain. Sadly he managed to deflect this attack but this gave me time for a spell of my own and so I turned the ground where he stand into ice. To my luck he didn't realizing this and when he repositioned him he slipped and did fall down the mountain. I won this fight for this time but somehow I have the feeling its not the last time I will encounter him. Later I learned that I managed to thwart the plans of a powerful former Legate of Academagia with the name Mjolnir who is a master in the forbidden Gate magic.

After this dangerous fight I had to focus again on my studies as the midterm exam where only a bit over 1 month away.

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During the next 2 weeks I mostly focused on preparing for the exam what didn't mean I had no time for anything else. There was in example a test for a combat simulation at the Godina college that I joined but even if it was an interesting scenario it was way to easy for my taste. But considering that Emilia and Carmine, both incantation students here at Academagia, failed at the very same simulation it might be just that I was better prepared for a combat situation then the average Academagia 1st year. Still it wasn't a to bad experience to fight trough a horde of goblins and some other monster.

There was also the festival of the Hunt that was celebrated at Academagia by letting all students search for a hidden egg and I was the one who found it and got the 50L. I still wonder that there was no bully who try to get it from me short before I could turn it in.

While collecting information on the students of our rival college I also meet Aymeri who afterward joined our group regularly. Somehow I still don't know much about him beside that he see an Durand student as his personal rival and that his method of intelligence gathering isn't that great. I suspect he only joined because he was or even still is after my collected info on the 1st year Durand students especial the one from his personal rival. Anyway it was great to have an other student among my friends who also is in Glamour together with me.

A small funny moment I remember was when an other student with Morvidus robes, I don't think I have meet before, thought its a good idea to remind each and everyone personal on the upcoming midterm exams. Only a few students made a worried face but most just lough behind his back about this strange behavior.

 

For the time of The Passing and the following holidays I wont be in Mineta and so I will continue my story when I return.

I wish all listener of this story happy holidays and stay healthy.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm now back again in Mineta, I hope you all had great hollidays!

Now lets continue with my story shall we?

Where did I stop?

… Oh right the Morvidus student who everyone told they should prepare for mid therm exams, chuckles. Now then despite I should prepare for the exam I needed some excitement now and then and so it was no wonder when a week after the hunt I started to explore an old tower at the Vernin part of Academagia.

Usual there was a shield to stay away from this tower but at this day it wasn't there and so I entered it just to be greeted by a ghost.

Good I was used by now to ghosts thanks to my familiar or I would never managed to learn the spell needed to enter and leave the tower on my own free will.

From what I learned of the ghost have some Vernin magus of old shifted this tower out of time and everyone who enter it is usually trapped in it. I still can't really understand why I wasn't trapped as well, but once at a time one have to be lucky.

To free the creatures that where trapped I had to fight them and win what was easier said then done because it where actual very dangerous creatures like a static tree and a argenblat. Especial this argenblat called creature, a humanoid with a goat head that was lightning fast and even could breath fire was a live threatening foe.

Only casting 2 spells in short follow up faster then I ever thought it is possible saved my hide and allowed me to stand here to tell the story.

In the end I even had to fight the ghost but I already prepared the pheme on my palette for this and so this fight was over in a second.

The ghost then told me that to enter the higher level of this tower I had to learn the Time Slice spell and that he was the former seneschal of this tower and was trapped in this tower ever since the Time Slip spell was used on it.

Sadly it turns out that this Time Slip spell is one of many lost spells but I also doubt I would have been ready to face what is on the next level.

After this I happy continued my studies again but if I ever find out who took away the shield that say to stay out then this idiot is up to a lot of problems.

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Even before the exams get started all the learning got to much for me again and so I just had an aimless walk to the city when I suddenly I heard loud crashing noise from a nearby road. When I arrived there I saw a man standing in front of a crumbled building that was a shop. All the wares where still lying below the stones of the building. It turned out that its the owner of this shop and despite he was unfriendly I offered him my help. Had I know what cheapskate this person is and how much work it is to help him then I would have just walked on. Now be it as it will he asked me to deliver a pledge to his guild that they help him and that sounded like an easy job. To my surprise the man at the guild office out right refused to help the man and only after a lot of sweet-talking I at last managed to learn that the is a law that might force the guild to help in this case but no real info what law it would be. I needed the help of an other student well versed in law to even have a chance to help the man. Because no one wanted to do it for free I had to pay money out of my own pocket to get the info and because everyone was preparing for the exams it took till after the Last Feast before I got the info. After the Calligraphy exam on the following Monday I then finally got the time to read trough this info. The problem with the info was that I had to visit the city hall and convince a bureaucrat about the urgency of this case. Let just say if there is something outside of how it should be your bound to large problems with this bureaucrats and it took me hours to get needed document. Do you know the best of all? Even after I managed to do all this for the man he still was unfriendly and to this day I didn't even got the money from him that I paid the other students for the law expertize.

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  • 1 month later...

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