A few in game questions

[Metis]

Is the same true for the other the Colleges? I mean why Astrology and Geometry follow each other is obvious enough, but for the less obvious colleges?

[freespace2dotcom]

I'm fairly sure that all of the colleges have more mundane specialties that go beyond their magical training. Such as Vernin being known as the college of towers, Aranaz being one of intrigue, and so on.

Many of the not-so-obvious skills are probably tied to those semi-mundane job paths that a wizard can be engaged in when not casting spells. Honestly, while being the resident spellcaster seems a lot more fun, we still don't know how much extended spellcasting can take out of a wizard's stamina. I can imagine that a particularly powerful spell might require multiple hours of rest afterwards, so having a profession where you don't have to cast magic always might be a more reasonable and respectable goal for the average graduate.

[Legate of Mineta]

There is a rationale behind all their Classes, yes.

[Rhialto]

@Legate of Mineta:1. Would it be possible to use negation magics to negate the bonds between an ink and paper? Would this be advanced magic?

2. Would it be possible to use negation magics to negate the bond between a mage and the mage's familiar? Would this be advanced magic?

 

[Legate of Mineta]

Rhi;

1) It's certainly possible, but very advanced. There are simpler ways to make copies or erase the written word...if that was your intent.

2) It is possible, but very advanced.

[Rhialto]

@Legate of Mineta: Would magical items that only work for people with certain feelings (such as love or patriotism) be possible to make? Would such enchantments involve mastery?

[Legate of Mineta]

Rhi;

They could be made, and you would not necessarily need to use Mastery. But by far it would be easiest with Mastery.

[dyrhet]

So we're all fixated on Gates and Mastery for obvious reasons. But how much does the average student at the Academagia even think about them? Do they have that kind of cool mysterious mystique, or are most students kind of disinterested?

[Rhialto]

@dyrhet: Well, I would think that most of the students do not care about them or fear them. That having been said, the following are students in Y1 whom I know seem to have interest in those pillars: Sima Venesico, Tabin Furenzti, Lambert Cobo, Flore Yveuillet. That is 4 out of 84 students - and Pievre is openly talking about reconsidering the ban, there is a random event (as well as an adventure stage) where the ban is debated about Gates magic, and two regents (Briardi and von Rupprecht) are said to be very familiar with Mastery. So it seems that sympathy for those banned pillars is rare, but not vanishingly so. In future years (may they come out), Ana Flavia Bessa is said to be developing an interest in Gates magic; maybe this will be accompanied by a spread of acceptability to other people and portions of society.

[freespace2dotcom]

On 12/8/2018 at 8:47 PM, Legate of Mineta said:

Free;

That seems very unlikely, but you never know what Santa might bring.

Questions should be out next week, I think.

*Er-hem*

[Legate of Mineta]

Free;

*Er-hem*

1.  Yep.  Most of the effects would probably fall under the broad umbrella of Astrology - magical and celestial affinities would be somewhat reoriented in the "direction" of the nature and intent of the magic used.  [Redacted.]  In some cases, effects will actually be visible to the naked eye, but possibly not in obvious ways - i.e., a flower grown completely under a sustaining magical light might then seem washed out in normal sunlight but oddly luminous in a perfectly dark night.

 

2.  Again, yes - though, as you say, the question of learned behavior versus magically altered nature isn't an easy one to answer.  To some extent it seems to depend on how one became a mouse (to borrow your example): a wizard who regularly turns herself into a mouse appears to be more fundamentally/magically altered by the experience than someone who was cursed into it.  That said, the nature of the change seems different as well; a self-altered wizard will generally have retained more self-awareness throughout the process, and so the quality of the lasting effects are likely to be less psychologically disassociative (for want of a better phrase) and more physical.  Basically, a wizard who had been a mouse for a very long time might come away with discolored eyes and affinities for different Familiars and magics, while an untrained peasant who was mousified for years would be more likely to have screaming nightmares and recurring compulsions.

 

3.  [Redacted]

 

The person who experienced it probably wouldn't remember the casting of the learned magic very well; it would be a dreamlike memory, as most faded Glamours are.  For more experienced wizards, it might still be easier to learn the borrowed spells in the aftermath; as a rule, the more experience you have with Glamour and mental magics the more conscious access you have to what they "imprint" on you - kind of like lucid dreaming - but for a first year it's basically all gone and lost forever.

 

4.  The sooner the better.  Permanent restoration uses an underlying ideal.  The longer a broken object stays in its broken form, the harder it is to assert that that isn't the ideal.  It's not impossible, but it gets trickier.

 

5.  Yes.  Absolutely!  Mastery and Gates horror stories are fairly common around campfires and dormitories.

 

6.  Yeah.  That definitely can happen - though it's not the effect of a casual accident, and the effects tend to burn out fairly quickly.

 

7.  There's an Adventure in the game that features Professor Briardi seeing a dragon at some distance.  She was fairly certain at the time that if she did end up fighting it, she would die. No one else on faculty has had a different experience.

 

Publicly, anyway.

 

8.  There are definitely female Rimbal players on the school teams - the sport, as played at the Academy, is at least as much about magical aptitude as brute strength (most of the time), after all.  It's mostly that - apart from Zorzi - none of the first years are deluded enough to think they can make it on any of the available leagues.  [To be fair, the Godina Regent is already trying to headhunt Luti.]  There are a bunch of girls, starting with Magalda Quaranta and Tulia Faspalla, who mean to get more into the games in later years.

 

9.  Yeah.  Very small islands are commonly literal deserts.  In most cases, the big islands have their water supplies refreshed by rain more than by perpetual magical springs, but even that affected by [Redacted], and it doesn't extend to places that weren't deemed insignificant (either in population or strategic value) back in the day.

 

10.  If you're calling for a magical homage to Real Genius, Rui da Casga is very interested.

 

11.  They say there's a village near Zoedorf, but Everwine will neither confirm nor deny.

 

12.  At the risk of oversimplifying: if it's not undead, there's somebody somewhere who thinks it's a delicacy.  Even something like a basilisk, where there's a non-trivial chance that parts of the meat will at a minimum paralyze you, is valued by certain specialist chefs.

 

13.  The original Imperial flagship?  Aquila Aurorae?  We can only say that it's been missing for centuries and that the Captain would probably trade everyone and everything in the Plain of Scarves for it, no questions asked.

 

1.  Hard labor in a salt mine and a magical brand on the forehead and the palm of each hand.

 

2.  The Admiratio is obscenely crowded - but, given magical displays and low-flying Familiars, flying is generally considered unwise (or at least undignified).  The truly wealthy tend to send servants to pick up essentials, and to schedule appointments in their own homes or in nearby salons for truly talented artisans to display hideously overpriced prestige items.

 

3.  That's a very interesting question.  They haven't built new towers lately, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they're hoping that Catherine's parents will offer to pay for one somewhere in the next few years so that they can show off their stuff.

 

4.  Armigant's.  They specialize in tataeri (a kind of goat cheese) - and, yes, you need to be on a list.

 

5.  There was a case of a dragon cult trying to create an undead dragon, back in the 13th century, but it was stopped before it could be completed.  Regular inquisitions followed for the next century in the hopes of keeping anything like that from happening again.  Beyond that, there are rumors, but nothing a student would ever see confirmed.

 

6.  Oh, it goes back literally to the creation of the Academy.  Though it's also possible that there's been more than one such spirit.

 

7.  The worst in relatively recent history was probably the Quake of La Nasia in 1544.  It actually ripped loose a thirty square mile chunk of the county of Stilla, which now drifts on its own - uninhabited - and is called "L'Orfano."  Unlike most of the Elumian islands, it's not relatively static, and its orbit can be hard to track.

 

8.  If so, it's not widely known. 

 

9. Jacedin isn't exactly a sword out of legend, but it definitely has a pedigree.  There are probably researchers at war colleges who could tell you more if you knew how to find them.

 

10. This is a tricky question.  The idea of the Pillars of magic is as old as recorded history, and substantively that endures even as it gets harder and harder to definitively sort new spells into the different groups.  That said, greater understandings of magical and physical laws have definitely revealed new phemes, and broadened the idea of what magic can do.

[Schwarzbart]

I put the questions in front of each answer (except for New 9 & 10) for easier read.
 

Quote

 

1. If a plant or animal (or person) is strongly cultivated from an early stage of development through magic, would there be any lasting signs of that magical influence long after there was no more need of magic? If so, how would these signs manifest? 
- Yep.  Most of the effects would probably fall under the broad umbrella of Astrology - magical and celestial affinities would be somewhat reoriented in the "direction" of the nature and intent of the magic used.  [Redacted.]  In some cases, effects will actually be visible to the naked eye, but possibly not in obvious ways - i.e., a flower grown completely under a sustaining magical light might then seem washed out in normal sunlight but oddly luminous in a perfectly dark night.

2. Are there any mental dangers associated with long-term transformation spells? If a person was transformed into a mouse for a year or more, would they have developed any mouse like habits, and if so, would that be of magical, or just circumstantial influence?  
- Again, yes - though, as you say, the question of learned behavior versus magically altered nature isn't an easy one to answer.  To some extent it seems to depend on how one became a mouse (to borrow your example): a wizard who regularly turns herself into a mouse appears to be more fundamentally/magically altered by the experience than someone who was cursed into it.  That said, the nature of the change seems different as well; a self-altered wizard will generally have retained more self-awareness throughout the process, and so the quality of the lasting effects are likely to be less psychologically disassociative (for want of a better phrase) and more physical.  Basically, a wizard who had been a mouse for a very long time might come away with discolored eyes and affinities for different Familiars and magics, while an untrained peasant who was mousified for years would be more likely to have screaming nightmares and recurring compulsions. 

3. Regarding the spell Orsi casts on the PC during a story to give them a lot of spellcasting knowledge temporarily, after a spell like that dissapates, what would the target of that spell remember regarding their actions? Would they remember the experience of casting the spells from that temporary knowledge, and would it make casting said spells in the future easier?  What is the history behind that spell? 
- [Redacted] 

4. Is it possible to permanently repair, say, a broken window, even if it had been broken a very long time ago? Or do such repairs need to be done within a certain timeframe before it becomes quite difficult? 
- The sooner the better.  Permanent restoration uses an underlying ideal.  The longer a broken object stays in its broken form, the harder it is to assert that that isn't the ideal.  It's not impossible, but it gets trickier. 

5. Could a student get away with reciting rhymes on Mastery and Gates? Nothing revolving on how to use the magic. More anecdotal stuff. Perhaps something like the fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm on steroids...? 
- Yes.  Absolutely!  Mastery and Gates horror stories are fairly common around campfires and dormitories. 

6. Has a love potion ever been botched in the following manner? Imagine: Instead of a potion to make a person fall in love with the first person they see, it instead causes everyone who sees the person who consumed it to fall in love with them. 
-  Yeah.  That definitely can happen - though it's not the effect of a casual accident, and the effects tend to burn out fairly quickly. 

7. Are there any professors at the Academagia who have seen a Dragon first hand? (ignoring any who may be in disguise) and if so, are there any who have survived battle with one? If there aren't any currently, can your tell us about the last one that has been acknowledged to do so? 
- There's an Adventure in the game that features Professor Briardi seeing a dragon at some distance.  She was fairly certain at the time that if she did end up fighting it, she would die. No one else on faculty has had a different experience. ... Publicly, anyway. 

8. How popular is Rimbal with the girls on campus? It seems like mostly a boy's sport, but I imagine there's nothing keeping a girl from playing apart from desire to do so. 
-  There are definitely female Rimbal players on the school teams - the sport, as played at the Academy, is at least as much about magical aptitude as brute strength (most of the time), after all.  It's mostly that - apart from Zorzi - none of the first years are deluded enough to think they can make it on any of the available leagues.  [To be fair, the Godina Regent is already trying to headhunt Luti.]  There are a bunch of girls, starting with Magalda Quaranta and Tulia Faspalla, who mean to get more into the games in later years. 

9. Since an islands water eventually replenishes itself, I was wondering if anyone has ever tried bottling up all of the water available on one of the smaller islands to see if it will still replenish itself after it is all locked in with none to escape. I am simply curious if it is known if existing sources are truly infinite or not. 
- Ye ah.  Very small islands are commonly literal deserts.  In most cases, the big islands have their water supplies refreshed by rain more than by perpetual magical springs, but even that affected by [Redacted], and it doesn't extend to places that weren't deemed insignificant (either in population or strategic value) back in the day.

10. So, has anyone taken a few hundred pounds of popcorn and found a way to pop it all in the great hall during lunch? That seems like a good prank that would double as a tasty treat for everyone who has to put up with school lunches! 
- If you're calling for a magical homage to Real Genius, Rui da Casga is very interested. 

11. Can you give an example of a place which was completely overrun with mimic trolls to the point where there were no actual people remaining to do actual work? 
-  They say there's a village near Zoedorf, but Everwine will neither confirm nor deny. 

12. Since dragons are a delicacy, I was wondering if there are any less exotic monsters that are considered edible enough that people would actually hunt them despite the danger that goes with hunting monsters. 
- At the risk of oversimplifying: if it's not undead, there's somebody somewhere who thinks it's a delicacy.  Even something like a basilisk, where there's a non-trivial chance that parts of the meat will at a minimum paralyze you, is valued by certain specialist chefs. 

13. Can you tell us anything about the flagship of the Imperial fleet? 
-  The original Imperial flagship?  Aquila Aurorae?  We can only say that it's been missing for centuries and that the Captain would probably trade everyone and everything in the Plain of Scarves for it, no questions asked. 
  
------------------- 
New Questions. 
1. What is the punishment for counterfeiting Pims in Mineta? Magical or otherwise? 
- Hard labor in a salt mine and a magical brand on the forehead and the palm of each hand. 

2. How crowded is the Admiratio in peak business hours? Enough that those with the means would rather levitate above the sea of people? (but then how would they land, lol?) 
- The Admiratio is obscenely crowded - but, given magical displays and low-flying Familiars, flying is generally considered unwise (or at least undignified).  The truly wealthy tend to send serv ants to pick up essentials, and to schedule appointments in their own homes or in nearby salons for truly talented artisans to display hideously overpriced prestige items. 

3. Has Vernin ever considered trying to build more towers recently? Or is it safe to say that their reputation and overall skill need some recovering before attempting such again? 
- That's a very interesting question.  They haven't built new towers lately, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they're hoping that Catherine's parents will offer to pay for one somewhere in the next few years so that they can show off their stuff. 

4. Who are the best sources of high-quality cheese and dairy products in Mineta? Are their products available to anyone or must one be put on a list first? 
- Armigant's.  They specialize in tataeri (a kind of goat cheese) - and, yes, you need to be on a list. 

5. Has there ever been a case of an undead Dragon? Since Astrology seems to be a major way for everyone else to get that way, I can guess that seeing such a Dragon would be quite rare due to having to use other ways, but... 
- There was a case of a dragon cult trying to create an undead dragon, back in the 13th century, but it was stopped before it could be completed.  Regular inquisitions followed for the next century in the hopes of keeping anything like that from happening again.  Beyond that, there are rumors, but nothing a student would ever see confirmed. 

6. What is the first documented mention of the Spirit of Lake Ardica? 
- Oh, it goes back literally to the creation of the Academy.  Though it's also possible that there's been more than one such spirit. 

7. What is the worst islandquake in Elumia's history? (Discounting Monteon if that could be considered a mere 'islandquake') 
- The worst in relatively recent history was probably the Quake of La Nasia in 1544.  It actually ripped loose a thirty square mile chunk of the county of Stilla, which now drifts on its own - uninhabited - and is called "L'Orfano."  Unlike most of the Elumian islands, it's not relatively static, and its orbit can be hard to track. 
  
8. Of the surviving wizards of Monteon (whether they were lucky enough to be evacuated during it's collapse or simply weren't there at the time) do any still survive to this day?
- If so, it's not widely known. 

9. Jacedin isn't exactly a sword out of legend, but it definitely has a pedigree.  There are probably researchers at war colleges who could tell you more if you knew how to find them. 
  
10. This is a tricky question.  The idea of the Pillars of magic is as old as recorded history, and substantively that endures even as it gets harder and harder to definitively sort new spells into the different groups.  That said, greater understandings of magical and physical laws have definitely revealed new phemes, and broadened the idea of what magic can do. 

 

 

[Schwarzbart]

1) Will the plant creature created by Girars de Periarde and the Player can have offspring or will it stay a unique creature where it gives no second one? (I ask because of the difficulty to change the Candidita and my doubts year 1 can handle this)

2) Who have the official right to produce Pims?

[Legate of Mineta]

S;

1) Likely no, for the reasons you suggest.

2) Only the Imperial Temple, although in modern times regional rulers, states and often cities have produced their own coinage.

[freespace2dotcom]

Thanks, Legate!

Thanks, Team!

Sorry for being a pest, but you know what they say about the squeaky wheel! And thanks, Schwarzbart! It had been so long since the questions were asked, it's easy to forget which one was which!

PS. Happy holidays!

[Legate of Mineta]

Keep'em coming!

[Rhialto]

@Legate of Mineta: 1. Are pirates often becoming privateers when wars arise?

2. Are many pirates privateers who, even without a letter of marque, found it easier to be sea raiders than honest sailors?

[Legate of Mineta]

Rhi;

1) Yes.

2) And yes.

[Rhialto]

@Legate of Mineta: Does Pievre offer freedom of religion, so long as no dragons are worshiped?

[Legate of Mineta]

Rhi;

Kind of. Legally, yes. But the general practice is very different, where they actively discourage worship in any form except those promulgated by the state.

[Metis]

And what kind of worship is approved by Pievre's state, currently?

[Rhialto]

@Metis: If I recall correctly, they worship reason and human achievements rather than any traditional deities.

[Metis]

"Reason" in a setting like Academagia, with an established and verifiable pantheon, though, I think would be "do not turn one's back on the literal gods watching us, it'll probably end poorly".

[Rhialto]

@Metis: Not necessarily. A theology could develop in which gods are conceived of as powerful but fallible, or even powerful, fallible, mortal, and inferior to humans. Buddhism has a theology that teaches this, and other fantasy stories and even real mythologies have stories in which gods are tricked by or surpassed by humans.

[Legate of Mineta]

Rhi is mostly correct- the state sponsored religion is related to Human Genius. They have a contentious relationship with the Imperial Temple, but it is not incompatible with the worship of the New Gods.