Summoner's Academy

[Lighthearter]

Dear Sir or Madam:

Congratulations!

We here at the Summoner's Academy are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into our next year of classes. Thank you for choosing Summoner's, the only practised name in magical instruction in Indrilla. You won't be disappointed by the quality of education here at our school.

For the sake of our records, please fill out the following form:

Name:
Gender:
Age:
Description:
Aptitude:

Spoiler :

There are eight Aptitudes, each one tied to a specific kind of spirit and a specific personality type. Your Aptitude determines what element's spirits you can Summon in a variety of utility, puzzle-solving, RP and combat situations. Choose one.

Ignis: "Passionate" - Fire spirits burst into existence with flames, and burn out just as quickly. They're angry and vicious, but respect those who can direct their anger. An Ignis is typically the same: quick to anger, quick to release it, and driven by passion to chase whatever it is they want in life. The Ignis colour is Red. Ignis encompasses fire and heat.

Aqua: "Adaptable" - Water spirits are the most difficult to sway to your will, and unmatchedly cruel when angered. If you can control them, though, you become master of the oceans and rivers. Aquas take life as it comes, and are gifted with the flexibility to adapt to any situation on the fly. The Aqua colour is Dark Blue. Aqua encompasses almost all liquids, even in frozen or gaseous forms.

Terra: "Stoic" - Earth spirits are quiet and calm. They don't move often, but when they do, the world shakes. Their Summoners tend to be solid and unmoving as well - they may take an eternity to come to a decision and make a stance, but they will never let go once they do. The Terra colour is Dark Green. Terra encompasses dirt, rocks, glass and immediate relatives.

Aeris: "Independent" - Wind spirits are the most common, and second-hardest to control. Mastery of them provides power over the air and wind in all its forms. Aeris Summoners are independent and uncontrollable, due to a simple refusal to be controlled. The Aeris colour is Gray. Aeris encompasses winds, breezes and the air itself.

Lux: "Loyal" - Light spirits take nothing seriously - they play, they patter, they laugh amongst themselves. They are also the only spirits to show loyalty to their Summoners, making Luxes unable to attack each other with spirits. Luxes themselves tend to be easygoing, amiable, and one hundred and ten percent loyal to their friends. The Lux colour is Gold. Lux encompasses light and electricity, including lightning.

Tenebris: "Reserved" - Shadow spirits say nothing and do nothing. They are just...there, hanging on the edges of the world. Tenebrises are the same - the ones who hide from social interaction and watch everyone else have fun. This doesn't make them shy, necessarily, or antisocial - it's just hard for them, and they prefer to avoid the spotlight and do their work unseen. The Tenebris colour is Black. Tenebris encompasses shadows, smoke and darkness, and can create and affect black ice.

Technomancer: "Inventive" - Technology spirits are the youngest and most playful of them all. They rarely take offense to the actions of humans, for humans are what brought them into being. Technomancers tend to be socially active and love to tinker, whether with engines, food or clothing choices - though that doesn't make them GOOD at said tinkering. The Technomancer colour is Light Blue. Technomancy encompasses Clockwork technology and alloy metals.

Gaian: "Nurturing" - Nature spirits are in everything, in one form or another, and are almost as old as water and earth spirits. Nature can be cruel, but there is always a purpose, and its spirits are no exception. Gaians love to grow things(children, pets, gardens) and teach them of life. Just as with Technomancers...this doesn't mean they're automatically GOOD at it. The Gaian colour is Light Green. Gaian encompasses wood, plants and all reasonable derivatives.

Skills:

Spoiler :

You have 8 points to spend. There is a cap of 3 points per skill at the start of the game. List whatever skills you would like and devote points - run them by me if you like to ensure they aren't too broad/too narrow.

Bio: Tell us here at the Academy a little about who you are and what led you here.

We shall expect you next Thursday, this eleventh of August, at five o' clock PM sharp for your welcoming lecture and a "meet and greet" with the other students. Don't be tardy!

For Office Use Only:

Spoiler :

[B]Name:[/B]
[B]Gender:[/B]
[B]Age:[/B]
[B]Description:[/B]
[B]Aptitude:[/B]
[B]Skills:[/B]
[B]Bio:[/B]

Again, thank you for choosing Summoner's Academy. You'll find our scenic location in the Highlands around Loch Lagen quite beautiful during your time with us, and don't be concerned by the ridiculous stories of disappearances: you'll be absolutely safe here if you concentrate on your studies.

Yours,

Patrick Furlos, Headmaster

 

[Lighthearter]

PC List:

Hu Renzhe - Dem Taqat - Aqua

Kanoa Lungada - KaiserElectric - Terra

Olivia - CelticFury - Tenebris

NPC List:

Spoiler :

Headmaster Patrick Furlos - Ignis
A young(ish) man who likes to hear himself talk and appears somewhat socially inept, nonetheless you are assured the Headmaster is a master of fire spirits and even knows more about the theory of other Aptitudes than some graduates from their programs. He's driven by a thirst to learn...and to protect his students from the mysterious disappearances in the forest.

Father Redmond Dayes - No Aptitude
Father Dayes is usually at the Headmaster's side, and he goes out of his way to make sure all know his doors are open for counsel at all times. He takes special time to console those who have lost friends and family mysteriously.

Marine Dawson - Aqua
Marine's from Cordon, an industrial town in the south of Indrilla. She's a little gruff sometimes, but she's capable of being very friendly, and she's taken your little group under her wing, being a veteran student of several years. Apparently her father is a cop, from a couple of things you've heard. She has black hair and brown eyes.

Richard Loving - Tenebris
Richard Loving is a playboy, going through women two or three at a time, but Marine seems to like him. He's jovial and trustworthy, which is at odds with his Aptitude by common parlance.

Katie Walker - Technomancer
Katie is a shy blonde with a love of history...who happens to look exactly like the strange...hallucination that Marine, Hu and Kanoa shared. Why?

Yvonne Charade - Unknown
Waitress at the Charade Tea Shop. Seems intimidated by Kanoa and claimed there were bugs in her hair which she tried to swat at. Racist? Vanished in the Forest.

Caspienne Castellan - Tenebris
A student who happened to stumble over the team at the wrong time in Session 3. Claims to be seeing strange buglike creatures in unusual places and patterns...but she doesn't know anything about the disappearances.

"Shadowguy" - Tenebris
A man in a dark coat and mask, leader of a team of three...assassins? Kidnappers? Bandits? Whatever they are, they are capable Summoners and excellent warriors who attacked the party once in the forest, and once again trying to kidnap Caspienne. Possesses some kind of supernatural power that controls humans.

Episode List:

Episode One: Welcome to Summoner's Academy - August 9, 2016(Hu Renzhe & Kanoa Lungada)
Episode Two: Decoys and Doubles and Fireborne Troubles - August 16, 2016(Hu Renzhe & Olivia)
Episode Three: Wrenches and Gears Don't Mix Well - August 24, 2016(Hu Renzhe, Kanoa Lungada, & Olivia)
Episode Four: What Dark Demons We Think We Know - September 1, 2016(Hu Renzhe, Kanoa Lungada, & Olivia)
Episode Five: For if at First You Don't Succeed... - September 7, 2016(Hu Renzhe, Kanoa Lungada, & Olivia)
Episode Six: Some Devils Don't Walk In Darkness - September 13, 2016(Hu Renzhe, Kanoa Lungada, & Olivia)
Episode Seven: Some Truths Are Hard to Bear And Worse to Seek - Tentatively September 20, 2016
Episode Eight: Caught Between The Flames of Death and Time
Episode Nine: The Ferryman On His River
Episode Ten: The Voices of God And His Angels

Setting Details:

Geography and Politics:

Spoiler :

The Academy is located inside the Kingdom of Indrilla, an island country modeled off of the late-1800s/early 1900s United Kingdom. The world's technological level is predominantly 1890s, but there are some exceptions one way(steamships do not exist ala 1810s) and some the other(toasters and automobiles are common, which did not become true IRL until the 1910s). Clockwork technology is common, running on a fictional gas called Esvahline. Indrilla is one half of a political union with a country modeled off of Japan, the Shogunate of the Setting Sun. The countries are surrounded by the impenetrable Breakwater Reef, which encloses them from the rest of the world, though few believe there is truly a world to be found outside the Reef.

Together, they form the League of Mutual Co-Prosperity. The Queen of Indrilla is also the Queen of the LMCP, and the Emperor of the Shogunate is also such of the LMCP, though there is a King of Indrilla and an Empress of the Shogunate as well. The Royal and Imperial families are treated as a single unit.

I could go on, but none of this is really relevant to the game, so: further details available upon request.

Summoner's Academy:

Spoiler :

Summoner's Academy is the most prestigious and only royally-accredited school of Summoning in the Inner Sea region. It's an honor for any student to be accepted here, at the greatest boarding School of Spirits in the world. Any who graduate the School's Aptitude programs leave prepared for jobs in a thousand fields, better aware of who they are, and equipped to make their mark on the world in ways they never could have before. Lately, there have been rumours of disappearances from the School's grounds, but those are merely conjecture, and there has been no proof found of an unexplained disappearance.

On Magic and Summoning:

Spoiler :

The terms Magic/Magician and Summoner/Summoning are used interchangeably, though the first carries a slightly unscientific stigma compared to the second.

Spirits are little, vaguely-humanoid creatures that a Summoner can see in their native element - an Aqua can see them swimming in water almost like fish, for example, or a Technomancer can see them dancing through mechanical assemblies. They're referred to as its, since it's impossible to really tell if they're male or female. They can't feel pain and can even be dissected in school experiments, since they can't be killed either. They will listen to those who earn their respect via an emotional connection to their elemental personality type, but can lash out if provoked.

To perform magic, a Summoner must perform a vocal incantation. This can take several forms. These begin with "Spirit of (the) X..." and then a command, where X is the kind of spirit being talked to. There are set "stock phrases" that are taught, but simply following "Spirit of X" with your command will also suffice. Performing magic causes the Summoner's irises to turn the color of their Aptitude. Though many perform them out of habit, somatic gestures are completely unrelated to the actual incantation, which is entirely vocal. For extremely gifted Summoners, even that may be passed over in favour of Silent Summoning, which is the mark of absolute mastery in an Aptitude.

Magic is performed in one of three ways: Informational, Invocational, and Subjugative.

Informational magic merely lets a Summoner see what their spirits can - Aquas use it to see through water, Tenebrises to see at night, etc. The invocation for this is "Spirit of (the) X, be my eyes!".

Invocational magic is the most common, being used to talk spirits into taking or ceasing actions as the Summoner desires. There are two possible phrases after "Spirit of (the) X" for this kind of incantation: "Hear my voice!" and "Heed me!"

Subjugative magic is highly advanced and highly dangerous, involving suborning the spirits' will and assuming direct control of them. Students at Summoner's are forbidden from attempting Subjugative spells except in classroom environments. The phrases are "Come to me!" or "Bow to my will!" used interchangeably.

Performing magic that is too stressful, either from duration or difficulty, will cause a Summoner to develop a nosebleed, followed by a headache, followed by boiling blood in their nose, followed by death.

It is possible for someone's Aptitude to change over their life as their personality does. These people are called Mutatios, or, more specifically, Mutatio-(new Aptitude). IE, if an Ignis became a Tenebris, they would be called a Mutatio-Tenebris.

Similarly, someone can have more than one Aptitude. These people are called Omnis, and they are rare, but powerful. Two is uncommon, three is very hard to find, and four is almost unheard of. There has never been a report of a quintuple-Omni.

The listed personality types for Aptitudes are not mutually exclusive, even if for most people, the Aptitudes themselves are. Someone might be loyal to their friends, extremely emotional, and very flexible in life, and yet only be an Aqua and not also a Lux and Ignis. This would be because that person is defined more by their adaptability than by their loyalty or emotion swings.

 

[Dem Taqat]

Name: Hu Renzhe
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Description: A tall, muscular young man with jet black hair, icy blue eyes and a clear Shogunate ancestry, Renzhe gives off an air of quiet unconcern wherever they go. They also has a fondness for dark suits, managing to maintain an impeccable appearance at seemingly all times, even when such formal clothing is completely unnecessary.
Bio: A native of the Shogunate, the Renzhe clan have long been staunch supporters of the Imperial family, and this had benefited them greatly in terms of the Island's internal politics. However, when the Emperor confided in the head of the Clan that they were feeling increasingly powerless in Indrilla, the decision was made that a number of the Clan would attempt to relocate to the Sisterland in order to offer support. Among this number were Renzhe's parents, and so obviously the child went with them.

Although by no means an outcast, the Renzhe's struggled to establish themselves in their new home. Costs were higher than expected, they seemed plagued by minor mishaps, and they found themselves not so welcome in the Indrillan court as they had been at home. Hu had always been tutored in the etiquette of high society, but became even more reserved than was customary in the face of this quiet aloofness. Learning the cut-throat nature of Indrillan politics was more of a duty than a pleasure, and Hu instead found entertainment with the Water spirits, swimming in quiet out-of-the-way places where the world would not intrude.

It was this quiet fascination with spirits that led to Hu's enrollment in the prestigious Summoners Academy. It's out of the way location seemed perfect for Hu's outdoor adventures, and the Renzhes hoped a less formal interaction with others of Hu's age would help Hu overcome their reserved nature. Although quietly doubting this would be much help, Hu accepted the enrollment unruffled, and prepared for the trip out to the Highlands.

Aptitude: Aqua

Skills:
Social - 5
Athletics - 5
Stealth - 4
Knives - 2

DT

 

[Kinich-Ahau]

Name: Gwalchmei Llywelyn
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Description: He is of average height & is slightly overweight. His hair is a brilliant red & his skin is fair & freckled. His eyes are bright green and a bit oversized. Gwalchmei is a devoted multitasker, rarely if ever doing just one thing at a time. Indeed, more than one of his friends has entered his room to find him (sometimes literally) tied up in knots, reading or tinkering with his hands while preparing a 4-star meal with his feet.
Aptitude: Technomancy
Skills:
2 Metallurgy
2 Gastronomy
2 Contortionism
2 Multitasking
Bio: WiP

 

[Lighthearter]

We are rescheduling the first mission only to Tuesday the ninth, due to scheduling conflicts with Patchy's game.

 

[KaiserElectric]

Name: Kanoa Lungada
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Description: Tall and quite muscular, Kanoa dwarfs most of the girls in her year, and a good number of the boys as well. She has deep olive-toned skin with inky black tribal tattoos visible on her neck, shoulders, and upper arms, vibrant green eyes, and brown hair that flows past her shoulders, which she will normally tie back to keep out of the way. Her wild, untamed appearence belies her jovial, exceedingly friendly (and at times aggressive) personality as well as her deep interest in summoning and academics, even if she can't always figure out how to get the toaster to work.
Aptitude: Terra
Skills:
5 Muscle
4 Charisma
3 Perception
1 Crafting
Bio:

Kanoa is the daughter of a prominent chieftain in Belangana, one of the small tribal settlements on the islands clustered near Pearl Island. Often regarded by the Indrilla and the Shogunate as primitives at best, the Islanders have nevertheless attracted the attention of many archaeologists and explorers, intrigued by their unique culture and understanding of summoning. While most of these explorers with their dismissive attitudes towards the natives were tolerable at best, an Indrillan named Elbert Ramsey was different. A veritable renaissance man with a mind well ahead of his time, Ramsey had no patience for the ignorance and intolerance that his fellow men of science had for 'lesser' peoples, and made it his life's work to prove that people like the Islanders were their equals, not their inferiors.

While his ideas were scoffed at by his fellow academics, his respect towards Islander cultures made him exceedingly popular on Belangana. Kanoa was no exception and met often with the explorer to learn about Indrillan culture and modern advancements in return for her insights on her own culture and history, which she was more then happy to provide. This allowed Ramsey to notice Kanoa's perception of earth spirits and Kanoa's natural aptitude for summoning, a common trait in her family. Realizing this was a chance to prove his theories, Ramsey floated the idea of enrolling Kanoa in an Indrillan school, and while Kanoa was hesitant to leave home for this education, her enthusiasm for learning increased somewhat when she took the entrance exam for a minor summoning school and blew them out of the water. Ramsey felt that there was more to be offered to her after the stellar exam performance, so he pulled every string and called in every favor he could to give Kanoa a chance to apply to the Summoner's Academy. Much to her own surprise, Ramsey's delight, and the dumbstruck awe of Ramsey's colleagues, Kanoa was accepted to the Academy.

 

[Lighthearter]

Episode One, "Welcome to Summoner's Academy" is complete.

+1 Skill Point each to Hu Renzhe and Kanoa Lungada.

(I already have your skill increases listed from last night)

If at least three players can confirm they can be present next Thursday, we will run then. If not, I will likely postpone to next Saturday or later.

 

[Kinich-Ahau]

That should be good for me.

 

[Lighthearter]

Celt has confirmed he's unavailable Thursday, and Lec is going on vacation all next week. However, Celt can do Tuesday, I can do Tuesday...if anyone else can do Tuesday, we'll do Tuesday.

At this rate, maybe we'll just stay there...

 

[Daird]

I can do Tuesday.

 

[Kinich-Ahau]

I will be unable to make a mission on Tuesday.

 

[Celticfury]

Name: Olivia
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Description: A young woman of below average height, Olivia possesses the inquisitive mind and peaceful demeanor of a well read lass. She has sharp, grey eyes, and her auburn hair is kept in a neat ponytail. She tends to dress in the semi-formal style similar to the sleuths in her favorite novels, complete with a signature brown suit vest.
Bio: Under construction
Aptitude: Tenebris
Skills:
-Stealth: 5
-Knowledge: 5
-Investigation: 5
-Unarmed Combat: 1

 

[Lighthearter]

Episode Two, Decoys and Doubles and Fireborne Troubles, is complete.

+2SP for Hu Renzhe and Olivia. The Skill Cap is now 4.

I have a conflict next Thursday, so I can either do that Tuesday or Friday. Let me know what works better.

 

[Celticfury]

Sorry, I forgot to mention it yesterday, but I won't be able to make a Friday game, and Tuesday, I will be a bit late, but able to make it.

 

[Lighthearter]

Sorry, I forgot to mention it yesterday, but I won't be able to make a Friday game, and Tuesday, I will be a bit late, but able to make it.

Since the only other availability thing I've heard is DT saying he can do either of those days, I will officially plant us on Tuesday, and unless something changes hard next week I'm going to go ahead and make that the regular time.

Be there or be square!

 

[Kinich-Ahau]

I will have to drop out if the regular mission time is Tuesday; if I could make missions that day, I would be over 2 hours late.

 

[Lighthearter]

I will have to drop out if the regular mission time is Tuesday; if I could make missions that day, I would be over 2 hours late.

In that case, I have today learned that Wednesday night is available to me for this week only, and I'm fine to run next Thursday and on as per the OP's lying suggestions. If Celt/DT/Lec don't have an issue with Wednesday, that makes everyone equally mad, no?

 

[KaiserElectric]

Wednesday is fine.

 

[Kinich-Ahau]

I think I'm just going to drop.

 

[Lighthearter]

Mission Three, Wrenches And Gears Don't Mix Well, is complete!

+1SP to Olivia and Hu Renzhe. +3SP to Kanoa Lungada. The skill cap remains at 4.

See you next Thursday!