Long Game 18: Holly and Iron

[little wilson]

Term 1: Month 1 - A Silence of Three Parts

 

The University of Imre lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts.

 

The first was the silence of things lacking; night had fallen over Temerant, and with it, the world had fallen still. Had there been students in the taverns, celebrating, or bemoaning their tuitions, perhaps they would have driven it away, scattering it like leaves in the wind. But there were none to be found. Had there been artificers, working into the night at their forges, their trade would’ve shattered the silence. If there had been troupes performing in the villages, singing songs and entertaining, they would’ve filled the silence with sounds of joy. But of course, there was no music.

 

The second was smaller, and less obvious. It could be found in the whispered conversations of the Mews, in the darkened windows of Imre’s inns. A furtive, unquiet silence, a feeling of unease. Contained within the first, it made a harmony of sorts.

 

The last was not a subtle thing, yet, one could spend weeks wandering the University and not notice it. It could be seen, if one was in the right place, in a small red stain, seeping under one of the doors in the Crockery. It could be felt in the frantic, surprising cogent writings of the room’s lone inhabitant. It was in the peaceful expression on her face, contrasted by the violence in the room around her.

 

The woman lay on the floor in a pool of red, eyes empty and clouded. She lay with a perfect stillness, that could only mean one thing.

 

The third silence was hers, just as the room was hers. It was the chill, empty silence of a life ended.

 

---

 

Brean Bentley has been found dead, killed by the Skindancers!

The first month of term one has begun! Game PMs are being sent out right now. Feel free to PM players at your whim.

 

 

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

Edited February 29, 2016 by little wilson

[Mailliw73]

When will we see Social Classes?

[Mark IV]

Love the RP Wilson. Absolutely brilliant.

Maill, you yourself could start with the social classes.

Edit: so, the tuition has already been paid, I'm assuming?

Edited February 29, 2016 by Mark IV

[Aonar]

Love the RP Wilson. Absolutely brilliant.

Maill, you yourself could start with the social classes.

Edit: so, the tuition has already been paid, I'm assuming?

For this term, yes, Tuition has already been paid. You'll have to worry about that soon enough, though.

[little wilson]

When will we see Social Classes?

 

.....They're totally in there. 

[A Joe in the Bush]

.....They're totally in there. 

I know I saw them. I have no idea what Mailliw was talking about. 

 

EDIT: Changed Colour to Blue.

Edited February 29, 2016 by The Only Joe

[Mark IV]

So, we can start PMs, right? Each PM will include all three GMs, I'm guessing.

[Aonar]

So, we can start PMs, right? Each PM will include all three GMs, I'm guessing.

Yup.

[Wonko the Sane]

"And your name is..." The master looked up expectantly.

Sev sighed. He had been dreading this moment. Ah, well; Best to get it over with quickly.

"Seventh Son."

The master paused. "I'm... Sorry?"

"You heard me, old man. My name is Seventh Son. My parents have many virtues. Creativity is not among them. Now, are you going to ask me your pedantic questions, or should I find someone whose intelligence is more suited to the task?"

Admissions went downhill from there. Sev walked away, furious. He was certain they had made the questions harder just to taunt him. Thirteen talents indeed; everyone else he'd talked to had been given ten. This was outright classism, that was what it was. They were all jealous of him. Well, no matter; he could afford to pay.

After he had inquired as to the finest inn in the area, Sev went and acquired rooms at the Horse and Four. The sleeping arrangements werre more pedestrian than he was used to, but he'd been expecting that. Gah, why was Father forcing him to attend this accursed school? He was practically living in squalor, and for what?

Sev found his room and shut his door -- perhaps a little harder than he needed to.

--------------

Greetings, commoners; as I am one of only two Vintish noblemen currently attending this school -- and the other is a madman -- I'd like to declare myself the leader of this little endeavor. Any ideas on where we should start?

Edited February 29, 2016 by Wonko the Sane

[Mashadar Mistborn]

I am Cealdish. My story worked, though I can't write insulting poetry about Ambrose now. 

[Mailliw73]

I know I saw them. I have no idea what Mailliw was talking about. 

Suck up.

 

So, Dow is a Yllish Nobleman? What is that? Yllish Commoner or one of the Noblemen?

[Silverblade5]

Dang. I only just saw this, and had been hoping I could join in.

[A Joe in the Bush]

Suck up.

Hey, it worked for Ambrose didn't it?

 

EDIT: Changed Colour to Blue

Edited February 29, 2016 by The Only Joe

[little wilson]

Dang. I only just saw this, and had been hoping I could join in.

 

Guess what? It's your lucky day. We're adding you in. It's only 3 hours in. We'll roll you up what you need and send it to you in a PM.

[Paranoid King]

Greetings, commoners; as I am one of only two Vintish noblemen currently attending this school -- and the other is a madman -- I'd like to declare myself the leader of this little endeavor. Any ideas on where we should start?

The man was obviously sane, but he held himself with an air that made one one despise him. But then, that's always how it was with these vintish noblemen, wasn't it? Delta had no plans to accept him as a leader, or in fact, to pay any attention to him at all. There were many more important things to do. Such as taking a trip to the library.

"Excuse me," he began, "do you have any books on Things? I was conducting an exhaustive study of them, but ran out of source material."

The librarian raised an eyebrow. "You want a book about things? You can start anywhere in that case. This library is entirely devoted to learning about things."

Wonderful. He feared a Thing invasion, and Things were poorly documented. He had made the right choice in coming to this university. As he wandered through the vast catacombs, he trailed a finger along the spines on the books, searching for one to more closely study. His mind wandered as well, thinking back to the discovery made that morning. Those in the crockery were never particularly stable, but very rarely prone to suicide. He hesitated, considering that it might not have been an accident. Was it possible that the Things had spread to here, bringing with them the scent of madness and the touch of oblivion? They were said to be immortal, only to be slain with silver and courage. They could take the form of any, and they could spread like a disease. Delta's mind reeled with the horrifying possibilities. His only hope was to discover the root of the Things, and destroy it. Despite having an entire library devoted to the Things, he had not yet met another person who knew of them and what they could do. Pulling a book out at random, Delta began his research.

Half an hour later, Delta could see that his cause was hopeless. Despite the librarian's advice, he could not find a single book about the Things. Perhaps he had not clearly defined what he was looking for. Returning to the front desk, he rephrased his initial question, and was directed to a section on one side of the library. Skindancers weren't even close to Things! But perhaps some mythologies had drifted down from the originals. These books might contain some useful info. As he settled down to begin reading, Delta noticed another person perusing the stacks. But there was something . . . off about them. He had seen them before. Every time he visited, that man was in the stacks as well. Although Delta had no proof, he was sure of it. Acaelus Starfire had something to do with the murder.

[little wilson]

Rules Clarifications

 

Q. If you use Banned Books to learn actions in another field, can you use multiple Archives action periods to use multiple abilities in the field you've learned?

A. No. Archives actions are specific to Archives. You cannot use Archives actions for abilities gained with Banned Books. Only the first action period can be used for anything. All other actions labeled for specific fields can only be used for those fields.

 

Q. Does your chance of learning a new name reset if you don't use the new name but only use the Name of the Wind?

A. Once you learn a name, your chances of learning a new name reset. If you continue using Wind, you will not increase your chances of learning a third name until you use the new Name you learned.

 

Q. Do stipends come every term or turn?

A. Every term.

 

Q. Can an El'the be promoted by an NPC Master to the Master before gaining 15 EP in that field?

A. No. An El'the must have 15 EP in the field in order to become the Master of it.

 

Q. Are coins transferable?

A. No. The only things that are transferable are items. Services (like the bodyguard and assassin) are also non-transferable.

 

Q. Does the Skindancer sabotage take an action?

A. Yes. It takes the first action period (assuming you have more than one action period available).

 

Q. Is it possible to visit Imre the first month?

A. No. The earliest you can visit Imre is next month. Everyone starts at the University. However, if you'd like to visit Imre next month, you need to say that this month, so we can give you the information for Imre at the start of the turn.

 

Q. When can we put in lodging orders?

A. You can put them in whenever, but we don't actually need your orders until Month 2, since you spend the whole term at the lodging you've chosen (unless something happens to it mid-term). The cost for the lodging applies for the whole term and not per month.

[Clanky]

"I've got it this time guys! I've definitely got it!" 

 

"What now Klin..."

 

"Grass! It's grass!"

 

"Huh?"

 

"The missing ingredient in my eternal youth potion! Every winter it looks like it's all withered and brown but it isn't actually dead, it always revives in the spring. It must be what I've been missing!"

 

" 'Sigh' Why are you even still working on this Klin?"

 

"Well isn't it obvious? I want to be Forever Young."

 

"Do you really want to live forever? Forever and ever?"

 

"It's so hard to get old without a cause, I don't want to perish like a fading horse. Youth's like diamonds in the sun and diamonds are forever"

 

"What?..... You're so weird Klin. Why do I hang out with you."

 

-----

 

So I don't really have any thoughts yet. Just want to remind people that even if your vote doesn't get someone put on the horns doesn't mean that nothing happens to them. Tuition still increases from having complaints filed against you.

 

Also isn't there supposed to be 48 hours in each cycle? The countdown timer has it ending 36 hours after this thread opened?

[Silverblade5]

Guess what? It's your lucky day. We're adding you in. It's only 3 hours in. We'll roll you up what you need and send it to you in a PM.

Yay!

[A Joe in the Bush]

So I don't really have any thoughts yet. Just want to remind people that even if your vote doesn't get someone put on the horns doesn't mean that nothing happens to them. Tuition still increases from having complaints filed against you.

Not really. Having a complaint filed against you increases your tuition by one Jot. Filing a complaint against someone else decrease your tuition by 5 jots. Since everyone can cast 2 votes, you can get 10 jots per turn, just from voting. (By ten jots, i mean pay ten jots less.) So while it does increase your tution, I would argue that it doesn't change voting enough for us to be scarcer with our votes. (I know, you didn't say we should, I'm just nixing that idea in case someone does suggest it.) 

 

Querey for the GM's hallowed be their names; Do we have 5 EP as of this Month, or do we get the 5 EP at the end of this Month?

 

 

The one called Reader carefully sorted through the stack of books on his table another time, noting each title before setting it aside. For the fourth time, he failed to see The Compendium of Neutralities found in the Wyldes. It was becoming more and more probable that someone had taken it from his table while he had been studying the second volume of Dissertations on the Impossibilities of the Celestial Bodies. Whether they had taken it maliciously, or unknowing that he had been using it, he cared not. He stood and surveyed his surroundings, looking for possible culprits.

 

The stacks were mainly empty, most students gossiping about the recent death in the crockery, or sleeping their lives away. The only student he saw and recognized was Acaelus. Starfire was in the stacks almost as often as he himself was. Perhaps he had seen who had taken The Compendium. He pushed his chair back under the table, carefully stacked his books in reverse Alphabetical order, and made his way to Acaelus's table. Before he got halfway there, the hair on the back of his neck shot up, warning him of danger. He sprang sideways, landing on his side and crawling under the nearest table. He peered out from beneath the chairs and saw the source of the danger.

 

There was a man following Acaelus. He didn't look like anybody that belonged in the stacks. He looked rather crazy. (Yes, he was well aware he was currently crouching underneath a table and staring at a man. He was perfectly self aware of his own particular brand of craziness.) Reader thought back, trying to remember if he had sen the man before. Hadn't one of the scrivs mentioned his name was Delta (Paranoid King)? Why was Delta stalking Starfire? Was a fellow scholar in danger?

 

He settled in underneath the table, determined to watch this strange man.

 

---

 

I was originally going to vote for the other bookworm, but PK beat me to it, so I'll vote for him instead. And to be clear, that's only One vote on PK, not two.

Edited February 29, 2016 by The Only Joe

[little wilson]

Not really. Having a complaint filed against you increases your tuition by one Jot. Filing a complaint against someone else decrease your tuition by 5 jots. Since everyone can cast 2 votes, you can get 10 jots per turn, just from voting. (By ten jots, i mean pay ten jots less.) So while it does increase your tution, I would argue that it doesn't change voting enough for us to be scarcer with our votes. (I know, you didn't say we should, I'm just nixing that idea in case someone does suggest it.) 

 

This isn't exactly true. Your tuition is increased by five jots per complaint. Your tuition is decreased by five jots if you file a complaint. It's not per complaint filed.

 

Querey for the GM's hallowed be their names; Do we have 5 EP as of this Month, or do we get the 5 EP at the end of this Month?

 

You have 5 EP this month. Next month, you will also have 5 EP. And every month thereafter.

[A Joe in the Bush]

This isn't exactly true. Your tuition is increased by five jots per complaint. Your tuition is decreased by five jots if you file a complaint. It's not per complaint filed.

 

 

Tuition Inflations

Participate heavily in messages but very little in the thread: 1-4 talents (75-85% of the communication being in PMs, as opposed to in the thread, is 1 talent; 86-90% is 2 talents; 91-95% is 3 talents; and 96% or higher is 4 talents)

Have complaints filed against you: 1 jot per complaint

(Emphasis Mine)

The rules say complaints filed against you increase your tuition by a single Jot, not five.

Edited February 29, 2016 by The Only Joe

[little wilson]

(Emphasis Mine)

The rules say complaints filed against you increase your tuition by a single Jot, not five.

 

Yeah, that's correct. But the point still stands that you only get 5 jots maximum reduced from tuition regardless of how many complaints you file. So you still can't get a full talent reduction for filing 2 complaints. But if you get taken on the horns, you could potentially end up with a talent inflation just from complaints. Possibly. But only if you're really unliked.

[A Joe in the Bush]

So it still goes up by one jot per complaint against you, but you can only decrease it by 5 jots, whether you file one complaint or two? Do I have it correct now?

[Mark IV]

Walking up to the gates, Marcos felt anxious. Not exactly the feeling he would have anticipated, but anything was fine. It was the University! Marcos was finally achieving his dream!

To his misfortune, Marcos' steps into the University were accompanied by hushed conversation. He could faintly hear words like "killed", "fae" and "skindancers". Fae? In the University? Murder? This might be some prank. Atleast he hoped it was. What else could it be?

The interview had already been given, and Marcos' fees was decided. He was just reporting to the bursar for his payment. 10 talents. That was a lot. Especially considering the fact that he had to pay rent for staying at the Golden Pony. And, he had barely a larger stipend than his tution. Hmmmmmmmmm.... perhaps he could borrow some from another student. He'd deal with that later. For now, he had two months of carefree education.

-----------

Again, sorry for the bad RP. But, can we borrow money? Or is that forbidden? I'm assuming it's forbidden.

[TheMightyLopen]

I don't have much to say right now, so I'm mostly just posting for the sake of posting.   I'm gonna have to post pretty often if I want to use PM's much.

 

I haven't read through the rules enough to understand things well enough to give much advice. I guess don't forget to use your Elevation Points for this Turn? That's all from me for now! I may try and do some RP tomorrow, as well as place a vote somewhere, but I'd like to look over the rules first before I do that.