A few in game questions

[Dani]

On 3/10/2024 at 6:09 PM, Legate of Mineta said:

3 and 4. We would not suggest skipping 100 classes in Y2.  The number of marks on your record at any time does matter.

How does it matter ?

[Legate of Mineta]

Dani;

In *general*, the University as a whole is focused on the final performance, and not necessarily how you got there. There are some forms you have to observe, but beyond that the discipline (as you have seen in Y1) is light. However, you may find that the path to continued success outside of what Classes have to offer may become more and more difficult.

[Metis]

Is the Forum of Naxum ever restricted to a certain audience - say, adults only - when a subject not deemed suitable for everyone is being debated, or can it be safely assumed that anything being publicly debated is palatable (if, for some, terminally boring) for said public?

[Legate of Mineta]

M;

"There hasn't been an example of an official "adults only" policy in living memory, though the presence of children is often... well, informally discouraged, let's say.  That said, a kid who's disruptive - or deemed likely to be disruptive - will get the boot almost immediately.

'Mature' topics won't necessarily be censored in the presence of children, but there too they might be 'excused' if they make themselves obvious."

[Rhialto]

@Legate of Mineta: 1. How obvious to a friend or cliquemate is Sima Venesico's interest in dream magic? I assume that any friend or cliquemate to Sima Venesico with more intelligence than Mr. Pebbles would be at least vaguely aware that she is interested in hypnotism (judging by how casually she tries to use in in her adventure) but dream magic is a lot less visible in her Y1 content.

2. Would it be fair to say that Sima and Eliana are both pacifists for different reasons - Eliana because she does not like violence, Sima because violence is less useful than alternative options? Or have I misjudged their characters?

[Legate of Mineta]

Rhi;

"1.  We'd say that there's a decent chance that a good friend/cliquemate would know that it's an interest of hers, but it would probably be guessed to be a less urgent interest than, say, hitting estate sales.  You might see her carrying a book around or something, but she probably wouldn't be the one to start any conversations on the subject (unless she thought you knew something she didn't, in which case she'd probably be cagey about it).

2.  That strikes us as entirely fair."

[Metis]

Is it possible for some diseases to be transmittable between humans and fey creatures, given their ability to interbreed, but simultaneously possible that other diseases cannot, given the differences in physiology between humans and fey?

Following that question, does that mean half/part fey people can be susceptible to both ends of the disease spectrum? If only in weird ways.

[Schwarzbart]

Disease are more possible then inbreeding. I.e. in the Real World we have some sickness that can hit both Cat and Human (like the coronavirus).

[Metis]

Hmm...might have to drag another one out of REJECTS.txt and give it another look later. The old plate just keeps on filling .

[Dani]

Can you tell us the core classes which the team might use in Y2 ?

I know that nothing is set in stone. But classes which might be offered as core classes for each College ?

[Legate of Mineta]

Dani;

Not yet, no- they haven't yet agreed to release!

[Legate of Mineta]

Metis;

"Except in very rare cases, generally involving either exotic magical conditions or extreme emotional attachments, fey creatures seem to be immune to human disease.  Fey-human children seem to have roughly a 50% chance of inheriting that particular gift.

The diseases that afflict fey creatures generally seem not to be pathogenic, but rather more analogous to poisoning.  Afflicted people/creatures/places seem to become essentially toxic to other fey entities, so the easiest way to effect a cure to most conditions is just to drag the faerie creature away from the source of the problem.  The major exception here is when the source of the effect is 'sympathetic' to the fey in question. These can be exceptionally difficult to cure- in many cases, impossible."

[Dani]

1. when was the last time someone was in or Graduated in the College of the Optiones ?

 

2. Any funny or interesting storys regarding College of the Optiones ?

3. in what year do most people join the College of the Optiones ?

I suspect most people join it later during their schooling ?

4. how does the College of the Optiones work exactly ?

I understand that the Curriculum is choosen from the Legate himself.

But what about the extra seminars. can they join seminars etc. from other colleges or is the special training done purely by the Legate.

Can the Legate ask Faculty to teach the student in privat ?

5. Can you name Examples of Graduation Projects from Students of Optiones ?

6. where do members even live ?

[Dani]

Could you give us a hint what sort of  Family Background someone could have with the following combinations.

7. History: Artisans of Skill and Station: Merchant

8.History: Artisans of Skill and Station: Up from Destitution

9.History: Artisans of Skill with no Station

[Dani]

10. What do you think would give you more advantages ?

Having a perfect attendance

Or

Having a lot of Research already under our Belt.

[Dani]

11.

Mastery, synchronisity and Gates take an Additional time slot.

But would it be possible to take maybe an extra class or Club during the timeslot ?

You could visit Gates studys 2 times a Week and a Club 3 times a week.

Offically the Extra timeslot for the illegal magical studies are not used.

[Legate of Mineta]

Dani;

"1.  The last time someone was technically in the C of the O was the year before the main character arrived.  That student is gone now, with some massive Astrological working (not the Academy's doing) preventing most older students even from remembering her name (though it's not actually a secret - she was called Stilbe Sicolo).

There's a reason Orso's not eager to do it again.

2.  In 1226, an Optiones student named Gaspar de Vuilley very nearly won the Avila dorms for his College in a bet over certain Astrological predictions.  His final contested prediction was actually of the total destruction of the school - and when he personally sealed the Dragongate that would have caused the carnage, he forfeited the bet.  (On the other hand, he was made High Castellan of the Imperial Palace of the Seas Below before he had even graduated from the school, so it wasn't a total wash.)

2a.  Before you ask, the Imperial Palace of the Seas Below is not, in fact, down on what's left of the ruined world - it's an annex of the Imperial Palace proper, formerly devoted to the Astrological study of what the heck is going on in the places humanity can no longer reach.  It's inactive now.

3-6.  The broad answer to these questions is that there really isn't one single way that the Optiones ever worked.  In a several cases, these were students that individual Legates chose to give one last chance before expulsion (and after they'd already been cast out of their original colleges); in other cases, these students were prodigies or obsessives who came to their Legate with their own specific agendas and a strong argument for being free to pursue them without having to compromise with the rules and syllabi of the regular college system.  There have been kids who took apartments in the city, there have been kids who lived in tents around the Academy grounds, and there was one particular Morvidus dropout who spent most of his time as a deer in the Reserve, only returning to the school (and to human form) when his Familiar demanded that she attend class and attend to bureaucratic business.  If you only answer to the Legate, it's a question of what the Legate will let you get away with.

(That said, almost all of them were able to participate in traditional seminars, lectures and workshops, unless they'd profoundly alienated specific members of the faculty.)

As far as Graduation Projects go: Stilbe's interest was apparently in identifying "previously uncatalogued magical signifiers of the Imperial bloodline throughout history (meteorological phenomena, exotic Familiar types congregating in specific locations, spontaneous Gate manifestations, etc.)" and then trying to extrapolate from parallel contemporary patterns whether "pseudo-Imperial actors" may be active in Elumia in the present day.  There was a very real chance that it was all bogus (or at least impossible to corroborate), but the Captain was interested and Orso played along.

For the next set, you shouldn't feel limited by our suggestions; there's a lot of room to play with all of these.  That said:

7.  For six generations, special techniques of glassworking (or whatever) have been passed from eldest child to eldest child, and now your family name is associated with the highest feats of artistry.  But you're not the eldest child, and neither were your parents; your branch of the family manned the storefronts and worked the galleries and wrote letters to the wealthy customers.  It's a less glamorous corner of the enterprise, but without you guys it would all fall apart.

8.  For five generations, special techniques of glassworking (or whatever) were passed from eldest child to eldest child, and your family's fortunes and reputation soared.  But grandad loved to gamble.

You still have the family name, and your parents got lucky and managed to buy back one of the old workshops.  Times are still hard, but at least now you might be turning a corner.  (Quite apart from the whole wizardry thing.)

9.  For six generations, special techniques of glassworking (or whatever) have been passed from eldest child to eldest child - but your family didn't do it for fame, and they never had the kind of court connections that might have rocketed them to high society.  That's actually something you're proud of: your parents, and your ancestors, did amazing work that helped ordinary people.

10.  It depends on what flavor you're going for; we tend to favor Research... but then some of the Team skipped a lot of classes themselves. 

11. We've revealed that in Y2 that there will be an extra Time Slot. You can do some other things with that Time Slot, but not Classes or (probably) Clubs because it happens at night."

[Dani]

22 hours ago, Legate of Mineta said:

contemporary patterns whether "pseudo-Imperial actors" may be active in Elumia in the present day.  There was a very real chance that it was all bogus (or at least impossible to corroborate), but the Captain was interested and Orso played along.

Thats interesting 🙃

Edit: i would live to ask more. Because that might be a huge hint. But i know I wont get an answer.

But its good to know that my plans to become emperor are not impossible.

[Rhialto]

7 hours ago, Legate of Mineta said:

 

"1.  The last time someone was technically in the C of the O was the year before the main character arrived.  That student is gone now, with some massive Astrological working (not the Academy's doing) preventing most older students even from remembering her name (though it's not actually a secret - she was called Stilbe Sicolo).

1. Does Oan know her name?

2. Would Sima and Tabin, with their interest in barely legal magic, know about this way to wipe people's memory without using mastery? I doubt that they could do such magic, mind, but knowing that it can be done is another matter.

3. Was the astrological magic in question illegal, or could any mage with sufficient skill cause such a mass mind-wipe without facing criminal charges in the Empire of Man?

[Dani]

4. Now im curious

How would the background look like for a PC who choose nothing aka nothing choosen for cc2 ?

 

5. Does joining a Research Project take a Timeslot ?

6. Does it overlap with the extra class ?

7. A PC with a artisans + destitute combo.

What generell standing would someone have in comparison to the rest of our yearmates ?

I would guess aaran has the Lowest standing. But where would it be ?

I  comparison ?

There are several people with merchant and similar Backgrounds.

Edit: just checked only 19 students are of noble origin.

I tought it was more

[Legate of Mineta]

Dani;

"1.  No; as with the overwhelming majority of students, she can't recall.

2.  As far as your players characters are concerned, Sima and Tabin would be able to make some educated guesses, but they probably wouldn't know as much as somebody like Malacresta.

3.  Oh, it's incredibly illegal.  In theory, it can only be cast by, or at the command of, a member of the Imperial Household.

4.  If you're asking something like, "How would a student with no particular background describe herself?" - well, you almost certainly grew up speaking Renaglian, and you're very possibly from Mineta or the surrounding countryside. Your family would be humble, reasonably financially secure, but presumably wouldn't own a particularly impressive amount of land. If you were from the countryside, your parents probably worked on someone else's land or estate, either in farming, or in simple domestic service, or possibly even as a tutor or governor/governess. If you're from the city, your parents probably work in someone else's shop, or ultimately work in some minor role for either the Captain, the City itself, or some merchant house. You would've been expected to lead much the same kind of life... except you got into the Academy.

But, as always, you're free to imagine yourself in strikingly different directions. 

5.  Yes.

6.  Well, it's a Timeslot.

7.  Artisan/Destitute is an interesting combination.  It implies that somebody in your family had skills enough to be recognized - not necessarily famous, but of note to people who know their stuff - but either they spectacularly flamed out and lost their professional livelihood or never cared about financial success to begin with, and just... lived in a cave and made miraculous pottery.

To some degree, then, your social standing would depend on the backstory.  Were your ancestors wastrels or were they just eccentric?

Either way... yeah, you're Destitute, and you're not of particularly noble stock, and that puts you pretty low on the totem pole by default: above Aaran, but maybe on a par with Luti.  Of course, once you start learning Glamours and earning your own cash, you can obscure/rise above your origins pretty quickly (unless you're talking to a Chard)."

[Dani]

Im fine with not having an extra class.

But choosing between a Research Project and a Club ( and maybe working in the Captain s court ?)?

I really hope that we can at one point do more than one thing. Like 2 projects and a Club and work.

I would be fine if we get a huge Malus bc of it.

Maybe make a body double and controll it via ,,Glamour'' (mastery).

Or work until deep in the night.

[Dani]

1. Is it possible to do your own Research Project?

For example only on weekends ?

[Dani]

I usual Plan a perfect attendance run.

But if in Y2 you have 4 daily actions and 2 are for classes, 1 is for Clubs, work or projects and the last one is for secret Magic studies.

Then i dont really see why it would matter. I dont like if out of a full week 5 out of 7 days are already full and on the weekends i may have to lower the stress and similar stuff.

So Question.

2. Does it matter if i have a perfect attendance in Y1 if im going to skip classes in Y2 anyway ?

Or I have to use mastery / invites so others can do stuff For me.

3. Will we be able to better control other students. So we can not just command that they use a spell or Action but how they do it ?

4. Will the duration of control increase ?

- longest is currently The Master spell with 18 Actions

Either through the spell / Action alone or through a universal spell duration increase ( like formerly obeservation 11 did).

 

The best Szenario would be if the invitation Action would be longer and more specifi.

That way my PC could Limit the use of Illegal Magic a little bit.

Or pay money So other people do stuff For me.

So I can keep the perfect Attendance.

[Dani]

Definitely. Year 1 was about your arrival to this strange School, and situating yourself with the Students, Spells, environs and Actions that you need for success.

 

Year 2 is about larger influences on campus, and the opportunities and dangers they present to your character and their studies.

 

Year 3 will be about important choices: you may not realize it at the time, but it will be here that you have the most ability to change things for yourself and for others. Year 4 is about planning for life after the Academagia, and includes romance, patrons and societies. Year 5 is graduation, and your chance to tidy up any and all loose ends. It’s also worth nothing that each new year begins with Summer Vacation, which is almost a mini-game as compared to your experience on campus.