A few in game questions

[Ascartand]

I have a feeling that Arithmetic is the most attended class by virture of College Vernin having the most people in the first year alone and it is a required class for them. Padded more by the other colleges.

How ostracized would someone be in College Durand if they seem to go against most of the ideals of the college itself or actively try to subvert their ideals?

[Metis]

Aranaz actually has as many first years as Vernin, while both Calligraphy and History are on the low end in terms of first years attending the class.

[Ascartand]

Maybe everyone likes math then?

[Metis]

More likely is that it's slated to be necessary for a ton of career paths, so much to everyone's regret a large number of students had to go for it. Let's not even go into the fact that, because Arithmetic is graded on a curve, 4 of those students are guaranteed to fail the class no matter how good they are (although to be fair, if you fail to beat students like Philippe and Joana on an Arithmetic exam you pretty much deserve to fail).

[Legate of Mineta]

Ascartand;

 

Fairly ostracized, depending on how far against the grain you went. Probably not like Aranaz, though.

[dyrhet]

Is there room for spirited disagreement? It's been previously mentioned that Durand students often do work study with the Mineta Guard for their 5th year project. But Durand is home to some more rebellious students (like Prudence, say) who I could see not wanting to be part of the establishment like that. Is there room for students who are rebellious and anarchic, but still fundamentally Trying To Do Good?

[Legate of Mineta]

dyrhet;

 

Oh, absolutely- that's what I meant by about how far.

[Schwarzbart]

1) How many 5th year is a regent supervising each year?

 

2) How many 5th year is Orso Orsi supervising in average each year?

 

3) Haw many 5th year take a supervisor outside of Academagia each year in average and will this a option for our 5th year as well?

 

4) Are current more taking outside supervisor for the 5th year because Godina and Vernin have a Regent that is not well suited for this job?

 

5) Can you share some of the more famous persons that regular agree to supervise 5th year students but not belong to Academagia?

[Legate of Mineta]

These are some fun questions- I'll ask!

[Schwarzbart]

1) Is Invisibility also possible via Negation magic or is it just Glamour?

[Legate of Mineta]

Schwarzbart;

 

It is theoretically possible, but many strange accidents happen when you try to use Negation this way- it's generally frowned upon.

[LaughingHero]

More likely is that it's slated to be necessary for a ton of career paths, so much to everyone's regret a large number of students had to go for it. Let's not even go into the fact that, because Arithmetic is graded on a curve, 4 of those students are guaranteed to fail the class no matter how good they are (although to be fair, if you fail to beat students like Philippe and Joana on an Arithmetic exam you pretty much deserve to fail).

Some subjects are graded on a curve at Academagia? That's so stupid, why is this kind of grading present there in the first place? A place of learning should be all about learning the skills/knowledge and being able to use them, not about competing and being angry at people having good grades. Esp. at a place about learning magic, so if you pass a subject or manage to get a certain grade, people can tell what kind of skills you've got, and it's not a sliding level of quality depending on how bright (or not so) were the students that year

[Metis]

For first years Arithmetic is actually the only subject that's graded on a curve. Well, a straight curve. More info on how exams work can be found here. As for competition, as a general rule it's actually encouraged by the faculty. Hence why stuff like the Merit race exists.

[Legate of Mineta]

LH;

 

What Metis wrote. Some among the faculty believe as you do, but that's certainly not the rule.

[freespace2dotcom]

By negating the light reflected off a person I bet something resembling invisibility can be achieved.

[Schwarzbart]

Now from what I remember

LH;

 

What Metis wrote. Some among the faculty believe as you do, but that's certainly not the rule.

Also we don't have to forget that Academagia need to sort out enough students that personal care of all remaining students in year 5 will become possible.

[Metis]

What would the authorities in Mineta do if a student discovered an underground community of (within reason) genuinely friendly and cheerful people...that all turn out to be undead corpses, completely unaware of the fact that they're being animated by something beyond their ability to perceive and the implications thereof (the people chained in a cave only seeing the shadows dance against the wall in...I think Plato's Cave instead of the people dancing in the sunlight, basically), and informed a professor a reasonable authority figure who's name is not Sixt von Rupprecht?

[Schwarzbart]

I suspect Professor Briardy will seal of the place and then start to study it or better get her "research assistant" to do that. Natural she also will try to recruit the student that discovered that as her research assistant.

[Legate of Mineta]

I imagine Schwarzbart is right.

[Metis]

So, in a roundabout way, Briardi would get the student who discovered it to help her study it?

 

Eh, if that's the answer you're going to stick with...

[freespace2dotcom]

1. Can you tell us how Mineta got it's name, and what the name means?

 

2. Does the Academagia ever deal with other schools from far away? Like swapping copies of books, or temporarily loaning professors?

 

3. How safe is the underside of Mineta? Would you say that the dangers are more mundane or magical?

 

4. Have islandquakes ever done serious damage to an island? Like crack one in half?

 

5. Does the current of Embers actually carry fire from time to time? How did it get it's name if the various weathers it produces are still fairly normal if random.

 

6. Has anybody ever been able to replicate the magics of The Wall? If no, does that include lesser strength incomplete versions?

[Legate of Mineta]

Some good ones here, let me ask.

[Legate of Mineta]

And, answers!

 

1. It's subject to a certain amount of debate. Foundational documents refer to a figure called Minēs, and folk traditions suggest that he or she was an ancestor of King Durand's from before the Draconic age - the ruler of a city that stood in the place of modern Mineta, but was wiped away. That said, more recent scholarship suggests instead that Minēs was actually the name of a tribe or a war band that rebelled against the Dragons and was violently suppressed. There's even some speculation that the modern city is built on the land on which they were slaughtered, which... well, would put a new twist on some of the problems the city had with the undead in the Middle Empire.

2. Sure. The visit of Melisende of Averroux actually qualifies - though, of course, she came (ostensibly, at least) at Professor von Rupprecht's invitation, rather than as an arrangement with the Academy proper. Still, in the Orsi era, that sort of thing isn't uncommon; Vernin in particular can arrange for all sorts of loans and exchanges.

3. When you say "the underside," you literally mean the bottom of the island? Or the lower parts of the city? If it's the former, I think the risks (apart from the risk of falling) are overwhelmingly magical; the forces that keep the island in the air can erupt violently, and they attract monstrous, mutated worms and burrowing mammals. If it's the latter, it's definitely more mundane.

4. Not for a very long time. Most of the cities (and specifically the temples) of Elumia have enchantments (actually somewhat reminiscent of the magical properties of the Wall, but at least partially the direct work of the New Gods) that bind the islands around them.

5. It often carries volcanic ash. And since the volcanos aren't actually channeling superheated rock from the world's crust, the results can be fiery and dramatic - even if their impact on weather systems is usually somewhat limited.

6. Not very well. There used to be a second Wall (or an attempt at one) around the Imperial Reserve, but it basically imploded in the Late Empire. [Redacted] The Academy gobbled up as much of the shattered masonry as it could, but it all basically vanished with the fall of College Icanicix.

[freespace2dotcom]

Thanks! Mmm... Fascinating! Why do I have this deep seated feeling that Gates magic is tied to a lot more than is admitted to in the current era...?

 

I guess there's really only one way to find out.

 

...With Y2...Maybe...

 

...So anyway, here's some more questions.

 

1. Since the player is confirmed to not have been one of the last minute additions in Y1, would you say that the Player was one of the first students chosen to be in that year?

 

2. Since learning magic is like learning any other skill, it's possible even for older folks to learn it, although it's understandable why children are primarily the ones taught in a school setting. I am curious as to who might be the oldest person to be recognized as a respectable wizard? (as in, actually knew their stuff enough to be recognized as a wizard even if not an outstanding one.) The person in question must have learned magic late in life and not merely hid their skill for a long time.

 

3. Are there any autistic folks in setting that are really good with magic, like some can be with math?

 

4A. Realistically, since it's been several centuries since the bans on Gates and Mastery, and the Academagia has been constantly occupied, how often would you say an illegal artifact was dug up by accident in some long forgotten classroom, and

4B. If rumors of such things started floating around the campus and you couldn't identify the source, What are the odds of that sort of thing actually being true? Since some rumor mongers are known to accuse people of using illegal magic, in print, without any real basis, and without fear of Libel charges no less, I think it's a valid question.

 

5. Are there any printing presses on campus? And if so, would they be available to the students for reasonable fees, or would we have to look in the city proper? What about lithography?

 

6. Since you've said that it would be easier finding a newer professor in seeking approval/help to be a true omni-disciplinarian, I would like to ask what Professor Aventyrare would say if I revealed my plans to her specifically and showed off my skill with the various pillars on the last day of Y1. I would think that of all the Y1 professors, she would be the most openly supportive of that goal. I'd probably ask Knoht and Briardi too, but I'd think their help would be more...conservative. I could be wrong though!

 

7. On that note, in my fairly unique case of taking multiple pillar classes and doing well in them, what are the odds that the professors might already have talked behind closed doors about my plans? (or worse, their plans for me, ha!)

 

8. Since certain animals are rare in Elumia due to the Exile, I was wondering if there were some plants that people might not see except through history books/Gates usage.?

 

9. Does Mineta's red lamp lights which warn of the undead work with any undead? And how far away can they detect undead? Would they be really close, or is it more of a general warning throughout several city blocks?

[Metis]

Knoht is an omni herself, if her favor table is anything to go by, so memories permitting I can't imagine she'd discourage you.