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Section 3: The Arcanum

The Arcanum is where all the fun happens at the University. Led by the nine Masters, there are many different fields of study in which for students to try their hands: Sympathy, Artificery, Alchemy, Naming, Rhetoric & Logic, Arithmetic, Linguistics, Physicking, and the Archives. University students do not start in the Arcanum. They are brought into the Arcanum once they have shown they have the moral fortitude necessary for a member of the Arcanum, are sponsored by a Master, and are elevated to the rank of E’lir, which is the lowest of the Arcanum ranks. Once you are in the Arcanum, you can be elevated again, through the ranks of Re’lar and El’the and potentially become a Master of a field.

 

This section covers the ranks and elevation point system and all nine fields.

 

 

Ranks and the Elevation Point System

There are three ranks in the Arcanum: E’lir, Re’lar, and El’the. In order to get into the Arcanum, students must impress a Master and be elevated.

 

Each student will be given Elevation Points (EP) they can spend to impress the Master of their choice. If these points are not used to impress a Master, they do not roll over onto the next turn. Students do not have to know the name of the Master to impress them. They need only say the field (eg, Archives, Sympathy, Naming, etc). EP rolls over to following turns, until it is spent through elevations or disciplinary actions.

 

At the end of each turn, Masters get a list of everyone with EP in their field. So the Master Archivist would get a list of everyone with Archives EP, and so on for all other Masters. That next turn, each Master chooses who (if any) on this list, they wish to elevate. Therefore, no one will be elevated on the first turn, but elevations will happen the following turn. NPC-controlled Masters will choose who to elevate based on how many EP is in their field. For example: Kas has 3 Archives EP and Aonar and Wyrm both have 5 Archives EP each. There are 13 Archives EP. Kas has 3/13 chance at being elevated and Aonar and Wyrm both have 5/13. An RNG will decide who is elevated.

 

Elevations cost a maximum of 5 EP. If a student is elevated and has less than 5 EP, they will lose all their points in that field. If they have more than 5 EP, they will only lose 5.

 

Students elevated will be revealed in the writeup, but what field they were elevated in will not be, nor will their rank be revealed.

 

If multiple Masters try to elevate a student, the student will be elevated in the field they have the most EP in. If both fields are tied, a coin will decide. If all students with EP in a Master’s field have been elevated that turn, the Master will not elevate. A PC Master can choose not to elevate anyone, should all of the options be undesirable to them. PC Masters can also submit a preference list of students available for elevation, in case another Master takes their first choice. For example: The Master Artificer has 5 students with Artificery EP. If he’s worried his first choice will be elevated in another field, he can submit a list like this: 1-Kas, 2-Wyrm, 3-Gamma, 4-Aonar. If Kas is taken, Wyrm will be elevated. If Wyrm was also elevated by a different Master, Gamma will be elevated. Etc.

 

Students elevated by an NPC-controlled Master are randomly given an ability in that field. PC Masters should decide what ability they wish to give the student they just elevated. If they fail to do so, an RNG will decide and the Master will be informed.

 

Students outside of the Arcanum have 5 EP each turn.

E’lir’s have 4 EP each turn.

Re’lar’s have 3 EP each turn.

El’the’s have 2 EP each turn.

 

An El’the who accrues 15 EP in a field will become the Master of that field. El’the’s who have only studied in a single field gain an automatic 5 EP in that field upon elevation to El’the.

 

Masters

There are nine Masters at the University. They are Linguist, Arithmetician, Rhetorician, Archivist, Physicker, Sympathist, Artificer, Alchemist, and Namer. When a player becomes a Master in a field, certain mechanics change slightly.

The Horns

Masters cannot be brought On the Horns. All Disciplinary Points on a Master are dissolved.

 

Lodging & Tuition

To make things easier, Masters do still have to worry about Lodging. The Lodging options are the same as they are for students, but cost 25% less for Masters.

 

Masters also still have to pay tuition. However, their tuition will be halved. If a Master cannot pay tuition, they are removed from their position and replaced with an NPC. Once they pay the tuition they failed to pay, they will regain their position as a Master, assuming a PC hasn’t taken it. If one has, the former Master will be second in line.

 

Stipend remains the same.

 

Kills, Sabotages & Insanity

If a PC Master is killed or sabotaged, the Master will go back to being NPC-controlled. If a former Master breaks out of the Crockery and their field is still NPC-controlled, they will become the Master of that field once again. If another player has taken over, however, they will be second in line.

 

Skindancer Masters

If a Skindancer becomes a Master, they have a special ability they can use on any turn while they are a Master: destroy that field of study. If a field is destroyed, no one else can be elevated into it, even if the Skindancer Master is killed. Students already in the field can continue using the powers they already have and any items they have may already created, but they cannot gain new powers nor can they create new items.

 

Arcanum Fields

There are 9 different fields of study for students at the University. By impressing a Master and being elevated into a field, students learn abilities in that field. Most fields have 3-4 role abilities accessible, with the Master choosing which of those abilities they want that student to learn. By impressing a Master multiple times and being elevated multiple times, students increase their knowledge in that field, and gain another ability.

 

While most fields have role abilities, Alchemy and Artificery students are able to create items. Items can be kept by the student who made it, or they can be given away to other players. The Masters of Alchemy and Artificery do not give their students items to create. Each item in those fields requires students to be a certain level before they can make that item. Items take one turn to create, and during that turn, students creating an item cannot file a complaint or impress a Master (flavor-wise, because they’re too busy creating the item to focus on anything else).

 

Linguistics

The Linguistics field works solely with words and languages. The abilities are basic, but they get more powerful when combined together. Additionally, students who stick with Linguistics gain a little extra. Second level upgrade: Gain a second action period. Third level upgrade: Gain a third action period. Master level upgrade: Gain a fourth action period.

 

Mysterious Bulletins: In the middle of the night, you and a few friends post a message on as many surfaces around the University as you can. No one knows who these mysterious bulletins came from.

 

Hand Delivery: You’re paranoid and hand-deliver your messages to the recipients. No one can peek at your messages. Unless of course, you’re incapacitated. Then you have to rely on the normal messenger service. This is a passive ability. If it gets role-blocked, your PMs can be spied on the turn the role-block happens.

 

Bribe the Messenger: You’ve made friends with the messengers and for a few drabs, they’ll let you take a peek at some of the messages your fellow students send. You can spy on the messages of one player. You will learn the contents of all incoming and outgoing PMs as well as the recipient or sender of the messages.

 

Linguistic Analysis: Your analysis skills are legendary. All you need to do is read a message from someone and you just know if they’re lying or telling the truth. You can ask the GM if your target lied the previous turn, and will receive yes/no for an answer.

 

Arithmetics

Like Linguistics, Arithmetic abilities don’t increase in potency as you elevate further in the field, but because the added abilities compound, students who stay in Arithmetics become stronger from the combined powers they can do. Second level upgrade: Gain a second Arithmetic action period. Third level upgrade: Gain a third Arithmetic action period. Master level upgrade: Gain a fourth Arithmetic action period.

 

Reduced Interest: You have a knack for convincing moneylenders to give you reasonable interest rates. This includes gaelets like Devi. If you go to Devi, your interest is cut by half, to 25%.

 

Pickpocket: You’ve been practicing your sleight of hand while studying. You’ve gotten pretty adept at pickpocketing people and stealing some of their coins. However, since it’s pickpocketing, you can only really do it to the people who get close enough to you. Target a random person targeting you that cycle and take 20% of their coins.

 

Great Deals: You have an eye for a good deal. Somehow, you’re able to talk your way into a deal no matter what you’re buying or selling. 10% increase in the payout when you fulfill a Black Market contract. 10% decrease when purchasing items from the Black Market or the Apothecary. (This percentage does stack, so if a Cealdish Commoner was an Arithmetic student, they would get a 20% increase/decrease)

 

Decreased Tuition: 10% decrease to your tuition.

 

Rhetoric & Logic

Rhetoricians have learned the power of persuasion and manipulation better than almost anyone else. As such, Their abilities are mostly focused around action and vote manipulation or role-blocking. Second level upgrade: Gain a second Rhetoric action period. Third level upgrade: Gain a third Rhetoric action period. Master level upgrade: Gain a fourth Rhetoric action level period.

 

Law of Contraposition: Redirect a targeted action of another player to another player of your choice.

 

Proficient in Hyperbole: You can cast four complaints, either against the same student or different students. These complaints are still filed in the thread, so to cast for different people, you would make a red-vote without retracting the previous vote.

 

Argumentum Ad Nauseam: You begin a conversation with your target, educating them on the intricacies of ancient Yllish agriculture (or something equally fascinating to you), boring them so much they forget to file a complaint.

 

Persuasive Arguments: Change someone’s complaint to someone else.

 

Archives

Scrivs spend a lot of time in the Stacks and Tomes. There’s a lot of knowledge crammed in their heads, making them an unexpected sort of formidable foe. Second level upgrade: Gain a second Archive action period. Third level upgrade: Gain a third Archive action period. Master level upgrade: Gain a fourth Archive action period.

 

Fae Lore: Your fellow students may laugh at your studies, but they’ve come in awfully handy lately. While they’re all carrying around iron to protect themselves from the Skindancers, you know holly is the way to go. If you target a Skindancer, their actions are cancelled.

 

Omen Recognition: You recognize the signs of all kinds of fae. Because of this, you can investigate any event and determine whether or not it was caused by a fae.

 

School Records: You can research any student, learning what fields they’ve been elevated in and what their specialties are.

 

Banned Books: With a bit of searching, you’ve managed to find a few dangerous books deep in the Stacks. If you’ve studied in another field (with the exception of Naming), you may use these books to learn another of that field’s abilities, of your choice. If you have not studied in another field, you can choose which field you’d like to study and you will learn a random ability in that field. Learning a new ability takes 2 action periods. This can be spread out over the entire term (2 turns) or half a term (1 turn). If you use two actions periods on the same turn, you will lose all other actions, including PMs and complaints, since you’re spending all your time studying in the Stacks. You have a 10% chance of getting caught the first time you research. There is a 10% every time you research thereafter. If you use it for two action periods on the same turn, there is a 20% chance of getting caught. If you are caught, you will be brought up on Conduct Unbecoming and receive lashes as your punishment. Master level: No chance of getting caught. They’re not banned from you, after all.  :P

 

Sympathy

Sympathy works with Alar, and the stronger one’s Alar is, the harder it is to beat them. All sympathy abilities have one upgrade, based on the student’s strength. If students stay in the field, they can gain the upgraded version of the ability they have, or they could gain one of the other abilities. Those who study Sympathy are susceptible to cracking and being sent to the Crockery. E’lir: +1 bonus to Insanity Roll. Re’lar: +2 bonus. El’the: +3 bonus. Master: +4 bonus.

 

Mommet-making: Target someone who was sabotaged/killed the previous cycle to search for traces of their killer/saboteur, making a mommet of what you find (though you won’t know the target of the mommet). You can then use that mommet to role-block them for as long as you have the mommet. (25% chance the mommet won’t be the killer but someone else the person was in contact with). Upgrade: Mommet can kill.

 

Malignant Sympathy Protection: Protect you or someone else from malignant sympathy (including mommets). Cannot be used two turns in a row. Downgraded effects: role-blocks→no effect, kills→role-blocks (all other actions that cycle are cancelled for the player: complaints, impressing, anything in Imre, etc). Upgrade: kills→no effect.

 

Malfeasance: Create a binding between you and another student. All actions that happen to you also affect the person you’re bound to. Upgrade: Your bind can affect two other students.

 

Physicking

The Medica is a great place to learn all about medicine and keeping people healthy through treatment and preventive care. Most Physikers only have one action period, but the Master Physiker has two action periods. All Physikers can access all abilities, but each ability’s use depends on how much time a person has spent studying Physicking.

 

Medica Emergency: Due to a medical emergency, you’re spending a lot of time in the Medica to help out. All actions targeting you fail. Cannot be used twice in a row. First level: You cannot take any other actions, including PMing or filing a complaint. Second level upgrade: You’ve learned to juggle things a little better, so you can PM, but you still can’t file complaints. Third level upgrade: You can both PM and file complaints. Master level upgrade: You can still use your second action period, but only through items or other specifically Medica powers (like Medica Detainment), since the other Physiker powers require more attention than you can give.

 

Medica Detainment: Detain a player in Medica for a turn, role-blocking all of their actions for one turn. First level: 30% chance you’ll get caught and brought up on charges of Conduct Unbecoming, with a punishment of lashings. Second level upgrade: 20% chance of getting caught. Third level upgrade: 10% chance of getting caught. Master level upgrade: No chance of getting caught (you’re not doing anything wrong).

 

Psychological Counselling: You provide counselling for someone at risk of cracking, helping them cope with their problems. This counselling decreases their chances of cracking that turn. If you attempt to self-target, you will receive an increase to your insanity rather than a reduction, as talking to yourself is not a sign of a sound mind. First level: -1 reduction. Second level upgrade: -2 reduction. Third level upgrade: -3 reduction. Master level upgrade: -4 reduction.

 

Cheating Death: Follow a player and if they’re attacked with a sabotage or kill, your amazing skills prevents them from dying. Unfortunately, this also drains you of energy, so you can’t do it twice in a row. First level: 50% chance their wounds from a kill attempt are beyond your abilities and they will die. 25% chance you won’t prevent a sabotage. If you don’t succeed in fully protecting them, you’ll at least succeed in delaying their death, and they will have an extra turn before they succumb to their insanity/death. Second level upgrade: 50% chance their wounds from a kill attempt are beyond your abilities and they will die. Sabotages are fully prevented. If you don’t succeed in protecting someone from death, you will at least delay their death for a turn. Third level upgrade: 25% chance their wounds from a kill attempt are beyond your abilities and they will die. Sabotages are fully prevented. Deaths you can’t prevent will be delayed an extra turn. Master level upgrade: Both kills and sabotages are fully prevented.

 

Alchemy

All alchemy items are usable only once. Each has a risk to it that lessens as the student is elevated higher in the field. All of these items can be given away or destroyed. Those who study Alchemy are more susceptible to cracking and being sent to the Crockery. E’lir: +1 bonus to Insanity Roll. Re’lar: +2 bonus. El’the: +3 bonus. Master: +4 bonus.

 

Tenaculum: E’lir - Destroy an item or cancel an action. First level: 20% chance of going awry and destroying a different item or canceling a random action of the target or yourself. Second level upgrade: 10% chance of going awry. Third level upgrade: 100% chance it will destroy what you want or cancel what you request. Master level upgrade: You have enough for two uses.

 

Firestop [Kvothe’s name] (That thing Sim develops that is fireproof, but volatile under the right circumstances): Re’lar - Protects from heat-based malfeasance and bone tar. First level: 20%  chance of failing and going volatile, sending the target to Medica (total role-block for that turn and the next while they recover). Second level upgrade: 10% chance of failing and going volatile, sending the target to Medica (total role-block for that turn and the next while they recover). Third level upgrade: no chance of failure. Master level upgrade: You’ve made enough for two uses. Usable twice.

 

Plum bob: Re’lar - Drug a player and gather information from them. When using the plum bob, player will PM the GM, informing them of the use, and the questions they want to ask, just to make sure the questions are valid. Players can ask a maximum of 5 basic questions (questions like “Who are the other Skindancers” and “What abilities do you have/What fields are you studying” do not count as a single question). Once the questions have been cleared, the GM will set up a PM between the two players during the next turn. Target must answer all questions truthfully. Because the plum bob is dangerous, there is a chance the target will fly into a rage. If this happens, the student who used the plum bob will instantly be brought on the horns for Conduct Unbecoming, receiving lashings as punishment, and no more questions will be asked. First level: 30% chance the target will fly into a rage on the second question. Third and fourth questions go up each 20%, with the fifth question increasing another 30%. Second level upgrade: 30% chance of flying into a rage on second question, 10% on third and fourth, 30% on fifth. Third level upgrade: 10% chance on second question and third questions, 20% on fourth question, 30% on fifth. Master level upgrade: Same chances of target flying into a rage as the third level, but you will not be punished for using the plum bob.

 

Bone-tar: El’the - destroy a location (Mews or an inn). First level: 50% chance of it going volatile, and killing half of the players staying at the location (including yourself). Second level upgrade: 25% chance of going volatile. Third level upgrade: 10% chance of going volatile. If it does, you will be injured and cannot make any actions the following turn, as you’re recovering in Medica. Master level upgrade: You may choose if it goes volatile or not. If you choose for it to go volatile, there’s a 10% chance you’ll be injured in the fire-fog and you’ll spend the next turn recovering in Medica, unable to make any actions (including disciplining).

 

Artificery

All artificery items can be given away, and most can be destroyed. First level: Items are usable only once. Second level upgrade: Items have a 50% chance of being usable twice (decided at the creation, so the creator knows upon creating the item if it has one or two uses). Third level upgrade: Items are usable twice. Master level upgrade: Items are usable thrice. Note: Players who create an item and then are elevated to a new level do not gain the upgrade on the item they created previously. Items retain the upgrade of the level the player was when they created them.

 

Those who study artificery are more susceptible to cracking and being sent to the Crockery. E’lir: +1 bonus to Insanity Roll. Re’lar: +2 bonus. El’the: +3 bonus. Master: +4 bonus.

 

Ward: E’lir - Detects a random action used on you by someone else (either offensive or defensive)

Bloodless: Re’lar - Passively protects from a sabotage

Thieves Lamp: Re’lar - Robs a player of 30% of their money

Gram: El’the - Passively protects from sabotages, kills, and malignant sympathy (cannot be destroyed)

 

Naming

Naming is perhaps the most arcane of all the arcane arts. Seeing the true Name of a thing or living being, if one calls the true Name, one can control it. As such, Naming works a little differently than the other fields. There are no specific abilities, but there are Names students who wish to learn Naming can learn. Each Name has a basic function, but it’s up to the Namer’s discretion on what they want to actually do with that Name.

 

When the Master Namer elevates a student the first time, the student learns the Name of the Wind, and by using Wind, they can learn more Names. Once the Namer has used Wind once, they have a 25% chance of learning a new, random Name. Upon using Wind twice, they have a 50% chance of learning a new Name. This percent increases until the Namer learns a Name, and then it resets, contingent upon using the new Name. While the Namer is still on their first Naming rank, they can only use one Name per turn, regardless of how many Names they learn.

 

Warning: As a Namer learns new Names, their sanity is affected. For each Name beyond the first that they learn, their insanity roll bonus increases by one per Name. Additionally, each time they use more than one Name in a single turn, their insanity bonus increases.

 

First level: Namer learns the Name of the Wind. Each Name learned after the first gains a +1 bonus to the insanity roll. Second level: Gain a second Naming action. Can use two Names at once. +2 bonus to insanity rolls each time you use two Names in a turn (on top of the Names bonus). Third level: Gain a third Naming action. Can use three Names at once. +4 bonus to insanity rolls each time you use three Names in a turn (on top of the Names bonus). Master level: Gain a fourth Naming action. Can use four Names at once. +6 each time you use four Names in a turn (on top of the Names bonus). Note on the Master Namer: They know all 10 Names, but because they are the Master and have therefore proven themselves to be a competent and responsible Namer, their Naming knowledge insanity bonus is only +3.

 

Important Note: Names can only be invoked once per turn. Invoking a Name takes an action. This applies to every Name invoked, even if they’re tied to the same action.

 

Multi-Name Order Example: Use Fire to kill all those who attack me this cycle and use Earth to prevent my death.

 

Insanity Bonus Example: Aonar is an El’the Namer who has been elevated by the Master Namer through E’lir and Re’lar. He knows 5 Names, so by default, he has a +4 bonus to his insanity rolls. If he uses three of his Names in a turn, he will gain an additional +4 bonus to his insanity roll. Therefore, his insanity roll will have a +8 bonus, making it much more likely that he will crack and be sent to the Crockery.

 

Naming Actions

The following lists the types of base action each Name is capable of. However, you can add additional Names to the base action to increase the power/effect of the action.

 

Wind - Action Manipulation, Action Block, PM Spying, Attack

Iron - Artificery Items, Fae, Action Block, and Protection

Earth - Action Block, Action Protection, Attack Protection

Fire - Attack, Mass Attack, Item Destruction

Water - Action Block, Attack Protection, Action Manipulation

Blood - Action Manipulation, Attack Protection, Attack

Bone - Action Manipulation, Action Block, Attack Protection, Attack, Alchemy Items

Stone - Protection, Action Block, Items

Holly - Items, Fae Protection, Fae Action Block, Seeking Manipulation/Fae

Amber - Alchemy, Mommets

 

Important Note: Be ready to state both the base action you’re going for and how each additional Name is affecting that action. You’ll want to place Naming action early so the Naming GM has a chance to work with you and decide the effect of the action.

 

 

Section 4: Imre

Every term/full cycle, players (students and Masters alike) can go to Imre once. For the half-cycle they are in Imre, students cannot impress a Master and Masters cannot elevate students. Players cannot do any University action (use a field ability or create an item), but they can do anything in Imre.

 

Imre has a whole host of possibilities that aren’t necessarily available at the University. There are four locations players can stop by: The Eolian, The Apothecary, Devi’s, and The Black Market. Items for sale at the Apothecary and Black Market will be given to each player going to Imre at the beginning of the cycle they are heading there. Players can also sell items and contracts on the Black Market. Contracts are sold for whatever the seller thinks they are worth.

 

Players can only go to the Eolian once per game, and they can only go to Devi’s once per time they are in Imre. They can purchase/sell any number of items/contracts at the Black Market or the Apothecary, while supplies last.

 

 

 

The Eolian

Each player can try for their Talent Pipes once in the game. An attempt costs 1 talent, nonrefundable. Every player has a randomly-distributed base stat for their character’s musical ability. Players who wish to attempt to boost this stat can send a recording to the GMs during signups showing off their musical ability. This will boost the base stat, and when you start the game, you will know the average musical talent of your character.

 

When you try for the Pipes, the GM will roll a die for your performance, and that will be added to your base stat. This means that a really good musician who has a bad performance might not get the Pipes, while a mediocre musician who has a really good performance could. You’ll never know unless you try.

 

Talent Pipes give an additional 10 talents per cycle to any player who holds them. Talent Pipes can be given to other players, but they cannot be stolen. If given away, the player who initially won them cannot win another set.

 

Devi’s

Each player can go to Devi’s to borrow money from her. The minimum loaned is 4 talents and the maximum is half of the player’s term income. Interest starts accruing immediately, at a rate of .5, so if a student borrows 4 talents, the interest will be 2 talents, making the full amount owed 6 talents.

 

The amount of interest is due at the end of each cycle, though students are more than welcome to pay more than the interest. If students cannot pay the interest, Devi will make a mommet with the player’s blood, and that mommet will go into the Black Market for other players to purchase, with a cost equal to the player’s debt.

 

The Apothecary

Each half cycle, a variety of items/services are available for purchase by anyone who wants to pay the cost. The courier service is always available, but the items are based on inventory and may run out. Should an item run out, players will have to wait for it to be restocked. You may also fail to purchase it if it runs out while you and many others are trying to buy it. Important Note: Most Apothecary items can be destroyed.

 

Nahlrout: 1 talent per ounce. Protects against lashing effects when used on self; action-cancellation when used on someone else. (one-time use per ounce)

Couriers: 2 talents per message. Sends an anonymous message to any player, delivered at the end of the half-cycle.

Bloodless: 5 talents. Protects against sabotage.

Gram: 10 talents. Stops kill/sabotage/malignant sympathy actions against the holder. (cannot be destroyed)

 

The Black Market

The Black Market can be separated into two distinct sections: For Sale and Contracts.

 

For Sale

This section of the Black Market is populated partially by the GM with certain items available based on inventory. These items can run out, but will be restocked every few cycles. Services provided in the Black Market are always available to players. Players can also anonymously sell items/services on this part of the Black Market. These items/services are sold for the amount chosen by the player, so they can be as cheap or expensive as you want.

 

Mommets: Price is the player’s debt to Devi. Mommets can be used for role-blocking, effectively cancelling all of that player’s actions (complaint, impressing, etc) the turn it is used (use does take up your own action). If multiple people try to buy the same mommet while in Imre, only the first will succeed.

 

Bodyguards: Variable. When purchasing the bodyguard, you tell them who they are to protect, and that’s who they will protect for as long as they are able. The bodyguard cannot be transferred to another player. Protects from kills, sabotages, and theft. Will protect from theft indefinitely, but can only protect from two sabotages, and one kill. (Note: if the bodyguard protects from a sabotage one turn and a kill comes the next, he will protect from both, but if both come through on the same turn, he will only protect from the kill. If theft comes through in either of those scenarios as well, he will protect from the theft in all cases).

 

Assassins: Variable. Kills a player of your choice, even if they are still attending the University. Can be blocked by actions/items that stop a kill, but cannot be blocked by actions/items that only stop sabotages.

 

Contracts

The Contracts half of the Black Market is populated solely by players. Players sell contracts anonymously, with the price of the contract paid to the person who fulfills the contract. The amount tied to the contract is paid upon delivery. There are no limits to the types of contracts that can be sold. For some ideas of the types of things that can be sold: kill a particular person, intercept a person’s messages, bribe a Master’s vote or a player’s complaint, provide information, etc.

 

If a player accepts a contract, they will not be told who sold it, but they must fulfill the contract by the end of the next cycle. If they do not, the contract returns to the Black Market, and not only does the one who previously accepted it not get anything, but they also cannot go back into the Black Market and accept it again.

 

Example 1: Kas goes to Imre and sells a contract for someone to sabotage Wyrm for 100 talents. Aonar goes to Imre and only sees “Sabotage Wyrm - 100 talents”. The seller of the contract remains anonymous. Should Aonar choose to accept this contract, he must sabotage Wyrm the next cycle. Once he has, Kas loses 100 talents and Aonar gains 100, but Kas won’t know who took the contract and Aonar still won’t know who sold it.

 

Example 2: Wyrm goes to Imre and sees a contract. “Sabotage Wyrm - 100 talents.” Shocked at the level of betrayal, he accepts this contract, solely to keep others from profiting from his demise. At the end of the next cycle, he has not sabotaged himself, so the contract returns to the Black Market. Wyrm returns to Imre that same turn, but in the list of contracts available he receives, that contract is not included, even though it is in the Black Market.

 

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Player List

  • Wilem (Mailliw73)
  • Kipper (Kipper)
  • Touka Kirishima (DeathClutch19)
  • Acaelus Starfire (Kynedath) - Bookworm who rarely leaves his room or the Archives
  • Amari (Araris Valerian)
  • Ashad (Mashadar Mistborn) - lazy student drifting through the University on his father's money
  • Varda Elentari (Elbereth) - a mediocre student
  • Haelbarde (Haelbarde)
  • Pyra Ghetti (Burnt Spaghetti)
  • Reader (The Only Joe)
  • Mind of Akasha (Bridge Boy)
  • Delta (Paranoid King)
  • Marcos Mayweather (Mark IV) - a scholarly student who avoid the arcane
  • Corrin (TheMightyLopen) - a young man with large ambitions
  • Klin (Clanky) - a large man who seeks eternal youth
  • Aeaieis (ostrichofevil)
  • [name withheld] (irulelikeSTINK) - a man convinced he's the last of the Amyr
  • Sasuke Uchia (Weaving Webs)
  • Sev (Wonko the Sane)
  • Mac n Cheese (Thisismyusername)
  • Danosaur (Danosaur)
  • Neo (Neodymium)
  • Dow (Dowanx)
  • Silverblade (Silverblade5)



Clarifications

The GMs
Aonar and Orlok are helping me GM this game. We're each handling a different part of the game, so make sure to include all three of us in any PM you create. I'm handling the Arcanum, Elevation, Discipline, and Devi. Orlok is handing Lodging, Currency, Admissions, The Apothecary, and the Black Market. Aonar is handling Naming Actions, The Crockery/Insanity, and the Eolian.

Rollover
Rollover is at 5:30 pm MST, or 12:30 am GMT.

Game starts:

gra_1456705800.png

Impartial Moderator
The Impartial Moderator for this game is Alvron. If you have any issues and would like to discuss them with someone other than the GMs, feel free to shoot him a PM and I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to help you. Well, as ecstatic as shadows can get.

About the Talent Pipes

Can I submit something pre-recorded for the Talent Pipes?
Yes. It would be preferable if it were a recent recording, but so long as it’s not autotuned or anything like that, anything is fine.

Do you need the whole song or would a few scales be sufficient? Can I submit multiple pieces?
The whole song, unless the song is like 20 minutes long. You can submit a couple pieces to showcase your skill a little better, if you’d like, though it’s not necessary in the slightest. I’d say no more than 3 though. And preferably each piece is to showcase different instruments or skill level with a particular instrument. Like playing the piano and singing at the same time, and another of just playing the piano.

How do I submit the recording to you?
PM the link to Aonar, Orlok, and myself. You could upload it to soundcloud or even Google Drive.

What are my chances of getting the Talent Pipes?
Fairly low. We don’t want everyone running around with Talent Pipes because that cheapens them, especially since they’re so rare and coveted in the books. If you submit a recording, your chances improve slightly, but it’s far from a guarantee that you’ll get the Pipes even if you submit something.

Do these recordings have to be professional-quality?
Heavens no. To give you an example of what works, I’ll record some songs myself. This one was recorded with just my phone, while playing the piano and singing. This one was recorded with a fairly low-quality mic and some recording software I’d only barely downloaded and therefore didn’t know very well. It’s using a karaoke track and the parody lyrics are credited to Paragrin. Either of these recording qualities are absolutely fine.

If you win a Talent Pipe and someone gives you theirs, how many Talents do you get per turn?
If you have two Talent Pipes you would get twenty talents per cycle. I'm not sure why someone would give you Talent Pipes if you had already had some, but in theory, if they did, it would double the benefit.

Does the recording have to be a solo piece or can it be with a group?
It needs to be solo.



About Plum Bobs

Does this apply to any PM?
No. If the Plum Bob is used, the GMs will ask the user how many questions they want to ask and what those questions are. The user can only ask basic questions. Once the questions have been okayed, the GMs will start a PM between the those two players and the user can ask their first question, the target answers, the user asks the second question, the target answers, and etc, until all questions have been asked or the target flies into a rage and refuses to answer any more questions.

What does a "basic question" entail?
A question that can be answered with one word, generally. Any question that requires multiple answers or clarifications or explanations of an answer is not basic and therefore cannot be asked. The more specific a question and simple an answer, the more basic it is and the higher the chance you will be clear to ask it.

Can the target be evasive with their answers?
No. You must answer truthfully. Fortunately, you don't need to explain your answers, since the questions are basic. Though if a basic question is passed that has multiple answers, you can answer however you'd like. For example, if someone asks what your field of study is and you've studied in multiple fields, you don't have to (and shouldn't) list them all. If someone asks how many Skindancer teammates you have, and one or two have died, you can give the full count or just the living. It's up to you. Your answer just has to be truthful.

Basically, don't be evasive, but it's up to the asker to find a question that there is only one answer for. If they ask a question that could potentially give you multiple ways of answering, you only have to give one answer. And if they want all possible answers, that question isn't basic anymore so you



About Masters, Ranks, and Elevations

Can a player become a Master in multiple fields?
You can only be a Master of one field at any given time. If you're asking about something else....PAFO. :P

Each Master gets 5 DP. Is that total?
Total per turn.

Do Masters advance players from E'lir to Re'lar to El'the?
Yes. If the Masters are not PC's, then the elevation will be randomly selected out of the players who have EP with that Master. Once a PC is a Master, however, they can elevate anyone of their choice who has EP with them. Same with the discipline points for the Masters.

Are the El'the, Re'lar, and E'lir elevated from the same pool?
Yes. Each Master only gets one elevation per turn, which they choose from the students who have elevation points with them. There will be a maximum of 9 elevations per turn (one from each Master), though there could be less in any given turn. No one is elevated on the first turn.

What happens if an El'the accrues 15 EP in a field that already has a PC Master?
That El'the will be second in line. Should anything happen to the PC Master, they will replace them (assuming they still have 15 EP, since EP can get used for discipline).

What if multiple El'the's accrue 15 EP before anything happens to the PC Master?
Those El'the's will get in a line, from the first to accrue the required amount to the last, and they'll wait they're turn.

What if a former Master breaks out of the Crockery? Where do they fit in the line-up against a PC Master with lots of El'the's with 15 EP?
I thought I removed all references of Masters gaining their position back. That's been changed. Masters can no longer regain their position should they break out. Just like lower ranks go down a rank, so does the Master. A Master who breaks-out will permanently be an El'the (unless he goes insane again, and breaks out again, and then they'd be a Re'lar).





How can a player steal something?
.....I believe that's a hold-over from when one of the items/actions (probably the thieves lamp and the pickpocket) was able to steal items as well, but now those only steal currency, so stealing items isn't a thing anymore. The item destruction is most definitely still a thing though.

The rules say that unused EP doesn't rollover but then says that EP does rollover. Does the second refer to used EP?
Correct. EP that not used to impress a Master doesn't roll over to the next turn, but if you use your EP, then it stays within that field until it's used for an elevation or to get rid of discipline points.

Can we PM freely?
Yes, but your PMs could get intercepted and spied on because you can't really trust your courier.

What do all these acronyms and abbreviations mean? IP, d8, and d10. Explain?
IP is shorthand for Insanity Points. It's the same for EP and DP (Elevation Points and Discipline Points, respectively). d8 and d10 are dice sides. So d8 is an 8-sided die and a d10 is a 10-sided die. Most of the references to the type of dice being used is to show the chance you have of having something happen. For example, the d10 is for Insanity, and that's relevant to players because all you need is 12 IP to crack, and with a 10-sided die, if you're unlucky on the roll, and you've done anything to add to your Insanity that turn, you're basically certain to go insane. If you didn't know what the die used was, you wouldn't be able to decide if doing certain actions is worth the potential risk.

How does Linguistic Analysis work?
The Analyst is told if their target told a lie the previous turn. The Analyst is not told how many lies the target told or what the lies were. If the target was wrong about something (like they say someone isn't a skindancer, but that person is), but they believe what they say, it comes up as a truth, because it's true as far as the target is aware. The Analyst is only told about forms of communication they have access to--so the thread or PMs they are in with that person or PMs they've spied on that that person is in.

Can you post in the thread if you're in the Crockery?
No. You're insane. And you're stuck in the Crockery. The thread is for sane people who can actually do things. You're basically dead if you go insane. Yeah, you have a chance of breaking out, but those chances are pretty low, even if you're a Namer. So if you go insane, you shouldn't post in the thread or use game PMs. Your role in the game is done until/unless you break out.

Does non-game related discussion in PMs count against the PM-to-thread inflation point?
No. If you have an entirely non-game-related discussion with someone in your PMs, that won't change the numbers. However, if there is anything game-related in a message, that message will count. For ease, probably mark out-of-game discussion in PMs in blue.

 

Will Lodging, Tuition, and Social Classes be public knowledge?

Lodging and Tuition are private. Social Classes are public.

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I refreshed like 65 times. >.< This is all Wilson's fault.

 

I'm sorry. We were trying to figure out a title, and then, after we'd figured out a title, the title we landed on was not only too long but also the post itself was too long, so I had to separate things and we needed to figure out a new title. Hence it being posted 20 minutes late. Oops. :P

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I hate you, Wilson. There’s no way I’m going to have enough time to play this one - and I've wanted to for a while.

Ah well, I'll take a spec doc link, and seethe with jealousy of the folks who actually get to play

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I will play, although my confusion might hinder my ability to actually be of use. I'll try to look over the rules . . . five more times.

 

Acaelus Starfire. Bookworm who almost never comes out of his room or the library.

 

Don't worry. :P They confuse us too, sometimes. There's a reason we need three GMs for this.

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I'll join as Ashad, the son of a Cealdish merchant who practically lives in the Stacks.

Edit: As there is already a bookworm, I will be a lazy student drifting through the University on his father's money. Playing cards is much better than Advanced Rhetoric with Hemme anyway. Anyone up for a game?

Edited by Mashadar Mistborn
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I'll join as Ashad, the son of a Cealdish merchant who practically lives in the Stacks.

Edit: As there is already a bookworm, I will be a lazy student drifting through the University on his father's money. Playing cards is much better than Advanced Rhetoric with Hemme anyway. Anyone up for a game?

 

I'm going to laugh if you're an Edema Ruh. :P

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How can a Player steal something?

 

 "If these points are not used to impress a Master, they do not roll over onto the next turn. Students do not have to know the name of the Master to impress them. They need only say the field (eg, Archives, Sympathy, Naming, etc). EP rolls over to following turns, until it is spent through elevations or disciplinary actions."

Does the first refer to unused ones, and the second to used ones? 

 

Do Masters advance players from E'lir to Re'lar to El'the?

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1. How can a Player steal something?

 

 "If these points are not used to impress a Master, they do not roll over onto the next turn. Students do not have to know the name of the Master to impress them. They need only say the field (eg, Archives, Sympathy, Naming, etc). EP rolls over to following turns, until it is spent through elevations or disciplinary actions."

2. Does the first refer to unused ones, and the second to used ones? 

 

2. Do Masters advance players from E'lir to Re'lar to El'the?

 

1. ...Good question. There are a variety of ways to steal money, but items are trickier, and I'm, not sure we ever nailed that down. That will require some conferring, perhaps.

 

2. Basically, yes. Example: Gamma is an unranked student, as such, he earns five EP/term. If he spends this EP impressing a Master, and is not chosen, this EP remains with that Master, making it more likely he will be elevated next term. If he does not spend this EP, he will lose it moving into the next term. (This is to prevent players pulling a Manet ("the eternal E'lir") and jump from unranked to Master in two cycles.)

 

3. Yes, they do. In the early game, it's decided purely by EP and dice rolls, but in the late game, the players will be able to interfere with it. 

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How can a Player steal something?

 

.....I believe that's a hold-over from when one of the items/actions (probably the thieves lamp and the pickpocket) was able to steal items as well, but now those only steal currency, so stealing items isn't a thing anymore. The item destruction is most definitely still a thing though.

 

 "If these points are not used to impress a Master, they do not roll over onto the next turn. Students do not have to know the name of the Master to impress them. They need only say the field (eg, Archives, Sympathy, Naming, etc). EP rolls over to following turns, until it is spent through elevations or disciplinary actions."

Does the first refer to unused ones, and the second to used ones? 

 

Correct. EP that not used to impress a Master doesn't roll over to the next turn, but if you use your EP, then it stays within that field until it's used for an elevation or to get rid of discipline points.

 

Do Masters advance players from E'lir to Re'lar to El'the?

 

Yes. If the Masters are not PC's, then the elevation will be randomly selected out of the players who have EP with that Master. Once a PC is a Master, however, they can elevate anyone of their choice who has EP with them. Same with the discipline points for the Masters.

 

EDIT: ....and ninja'd

Edited by little wilson
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I'll sign up as Varda Elentari, a mediocre student who's been around for a while.

I'm tempted to make my character this time the newbie one who only asks questions, since I'm sure a lot of that will be happening, but after thinking about it I'll be the same character as in MR10 (which also happens to have been Wilson's game). She is experienced and practical, but also fairly generous and disinclined to vote. I'm sure RP will happen, and I'm going to set a limit for myself of once every cycle. If I do not do that, go ahead and vote for me, just as motivation if nothing else.

This character (developed a bit since last time) is also someone for making plenty of plans, but not for logic. She is an instinctual person, who can say if something's wrong, but not exactly why. (This is something of a difficult thing for me, because I really like pointing out assumptions and logical flaws. I'm going to try not to do that.)

She's also a very private person, so do not expect any roleclaims unless absolutely necessary.

For clarification if we get anyone new this game or who hasn't played with me before: The above section is describing my playstyle this game and how I act in thread, not my RP character, who could be completely different. (My RP character will probably in fact be fairly similar because this character wouldn't tend to be very original or different in RP from real life, but that's not the point.)

If I act out of character for any reason, go ahead and vote for me. I do not mind in the slightest, and in fact would welcome consequences for going out of character.

Thanks, and I hope this is a great game!

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Oh no it's already time for this game to run?? Dang! I really wanted to play this one but there's just no way I'll have the time to right now- I don't even have the free time I would need to spectate the game and just watch it play out. Bummer. :\

Well, good luck to everyone! Have fun!

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