diatuooc | Test Drive #1

Test Drive #1

The Airship There

By carriage or coach, spellwagon or ship, perhaps even on the wings of magic, the Sundered heed the call to gather at the Tenzin High Dock of Vulbaria. On this, the appointed day, a great passenger airship sits in the dock, the seals of the six Houses fluttering from flagpoles along her length and her wooden planks atremble as if it is eager to be off. At last, the gangplank descends, and the Hand of Diatu opens her doors to the Sundered so they can take their first step on the path towards protection and salvation.

Inside, you may choose from long comfortable couches, broad circular tables surrounded by straight-backed, cushioned chairs, or viewing seats at the glass front of the ship. Sundered who need special accommodations are quickly provided for, ensuring everyone travels in comfort. Trays drift through the air periodically, offering snacks and drinks to the passengers.

This may be the first chance you've had to truly relax since being swept to this strange world. Certainly it is the first chance you've had to meet your fellow Sundered. As the airship lifts gracefully off from the High Dock, your journey to Diatu begins. Excited? Nervous? Simply angry? Or perhaps searching among the crowd here for a familiar face or some sign of hope?

Rain, Rain...

Welcome to Diatu Magicademy. It's raining.

Seriously raining. One of those downpours that feels like a curtain has dropped on you, that soaks to the bone within a second of stepping into it. Obviously, this won't do, and a civic-minded cluster of Purifeul students has taken it upon themselves to solve this problem. No sooner do you step through the gates then you practically run into a giant and complex runic diagram being drawn out with long staffs by several students, all of them speaking seeming nonsense about derivatives, limits, and equations. Magic! In action right before your eyes!

And yet, just as their mathemagics wind towards the center of the diagram and they all make their final stroke -- one student slashes his line off on a weird tangent, speaking an equation that sounds nothing at all like what his fellows utter. The spell completes... weirdly, as the students look in horror at each other. The temperature abruptly drops seventy degrees, and a cold wind begins to blow.

Welcome to Diatu Magicademy. Please get out of the blizzard before you freeze.

Thaumaturgy 101

After some fifteen minutes of grumbling from Professor Loshakle, followed by half an hour of theory and basics, the grouchy old man finally gets to drawing a magical symbol on the board. "This is straight out of Fundamental Principles of Wizarding," he says, writing Sense Magic next to the symbol. "As is everything you'll learn here. I'll emphasize yet again, you MUST know the name of the spell and the proper gestures. You can't simply wave your wand in any old pattern and say any old words. That isn't how it works," he says, glaring around the class as if daring someone to question him.

But he gives no one the opportunity, instead producing a wand and making the gesture to trace the symbol he'd drawn in midair. "Sense Magic," he intones, and the air and his wand both shimmer.

"Now. You all try." Just like that. What the Professor doesn't mention is that this spell can produce some very interesting results if the symbol is off, or the timing...

Bala-inlota Practice

Bala-inlota is the main interaction the Magicademies have with each other -- the sport of wizards! Two teams take the field, with the goal of heaving a ball through their opponent's hoop. The rules primarily revolve around not inflicting lethal injury, because bala-inlota is a free-for-all at best, where each team relies on both physical and magical might to win the day.

You kind of wish someone had told you this BEFORE you got hauled onto the field so the coach could see if you've got what it takes.

Now half a dozen players are charging down the field at your ragtag group of semi-willing recruits, while another half-dozen are preparing spells that you've been absolutely assured aren't as nasty as the ones deployed in actual play. On your side: the ball, your wits, your physical ability, and maybe three classes's worth of magical education.

On the upside, magic is pretty good at healing.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

His calm acceptance of her company brings a light if still somewhat nervous smile to the woman's lips. Her hands fold together in her lap and she nods gently.

"Yes indeed. I have never been up quite this high after all so I must commit the view to memory if I can."

That and it does her nerves much good to have something to focus on beyond how new and strange everything around her is.

She must hail from a land where passenger airships such as this one are not prominent, if available at all. That's his original thought, at least, though there could be other reasons why she might not have flown on one.

"I imagine you'll have more opportunities here in the future," he smiles back. "But you are right; the first flight is a particularly memorable one."

He gazes out the window once more at the clouds drifting by. The land seems so similar to his own from this height, but it is definitely new territory.

He turns back towards her once more. "Alphinaud Leveilleur," he continues, bowing his head in introduction. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

She can't say she's precisely surprised but there is a questioning lilt to her tone when she asks, "This mode of travel is used quite often then?"

By now another tea tray - floating, of course - comes by and Elizabeth hesitates only a moment before she goes about preparing her own cup. At least that is a comfortingly familiar task she can introduce herself during, another task she is little used to.

"Elizabeth Bennet. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Leveilleur."

"Hmm," he hums as he considers her question. "I suppose I ought not to speak for what is common or uncommon in this land, though in my realm, it is a mode of transport that is indeed readily available."

He takes another sip from his own tea before returning it to its tray. Some trays of snacks float over as well, seeming to bid him to partake, but he waves a hand in polite refusal. Upon doing so, the thought crosses his mind that perhaps he ought to eat something, but he'll worry about that later.

"As far as new experiences go, we'll all have that in common," he adds. "Even if there are similarities here and there, this land is bound to be different from whatever it is we are familiar with."

Different than what is she familiar with. Elizabeth can't help but laugh once her sip of tea is over, the sauce held in one hand and the cup in the other. Her amusement naturally squashes her nerves down as it always seems to do.

"I daresay everything here must be new experiences for me, sir. I have never been upon a machine such as this nor have I seen a city such as this one either. You find me quite at a disadvantage!"

He chuckles lightly in response to her laughter. She does seem overwhelmed by the scenery, but not in a negative way. She must be an adventurous sort, he imagines... and wonders if that could be a commonality among the arrivals to this world.

"A lack of experience is not necessarily a disadvantage," he reminds her with a smile. "I do appreciate your enthusiasm towards the unknown, and I daresay that will be quite a boon to you in the coming days as we make our accommodations here."

At that Elizabeth seems a little surprised. Had she seemed so enthusiastic? And here she had thought her nerves had clearly showed her at a disadvantage. The compliment has her hum lightly before she turns her gaze back to the windows before her. Her voice is still light and somewhat playful but there is a more serious tint to it as well.

"I do not believe in facing the unknown with fear if I can at all help it. While I might be overwhelmed, what good would it serve me to be fearful as well? Besides, I have it on very good authority -- my own -- that anything that attempts to intimidate me only serves bring rise to my courage."

"Noble words," he compliments with a firm nod, genuinely appreciative of them. "Inspiring, and surely motivated by a sound wisdom."

An adventurous sort, he had thought previously, but now he believes she is so by nature. Though, in that regard, perhaps that is the very heart of an adventurer's soul: an innate courage that values exploration over safety, bravery over fear.

"Would that others could learn by your example. Fear is a great enemy, oftentimes more so than perceived threats. Ever do wars wage on for the sake of subjugating any who think differently." It is for this reason that Alphinaud reserves judgment on the people of this land. Rather than demanding answers or giving into anger over his current situation, he would rather learn from them and develop his own thoughts. "I prefer to wage mine with words, if it can so be helped, though... oft it cannot."

Her smile seems to only increase at his last sentence. Her brows rise up and she leans back in her seat with an "ah" as if she had just caught hold of some clue.

"A fighter of words rather than swords then? I have indeed made happy company then!"

That said the brunette laughs and seems altogether decidedly more relaxed than she had been in the beginning.

"I cannot claim to be motivated by sound wisdom. Indeed I should beg you to think just a touch less highly of me before my ego swells too much from such kind words. No indeed, I should say that my motivation comes from simple stubbornness."

Now she leans forward again, hands folded together in her lap and expression playful. "I simply cannot stand intimidation and thus must rally against it. Whether the intimidation is born by one individual or circumstances around me matters little I believe."

"Stubbornness or bravery," he notes with an amused smile, allowing her to compare and contrast them in her mind while he sips at his tea once more. "I believe the two to be part of the same coin. The word used to describe it tends to vary depending on where one's allegiance lies, and often, whether it proves to be advantageous or disadvantageous to their cause."

He sets the cup down once more, watching the subtle ripple in the tea come and go as it makes contact with the saucer. "It takes an immense amount of courage to speak one's mind, particularly against the crowd. It takes stubbornness— or conviction— to pursue it after it echoes into the darkness, ignored or shunned by the masses. 'Tis no easy task, but it is worthy of the utmost respect."

Test Drive #1

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