The light of the full moon shines upon you and your peers as you stand in the open courtyard of the academy. The sky is clear, with not a single cloud to obscure the gaze of the stars. A name is called---but not yours---and a child steps forward onto a stone platform."Place both hands on the orb," says the archmagus.The child complies. As his palms make contact with the glass-like surface of the orb, a faint white glow lights up from within its hitherto pitch black interior. The light gradually grows brighter until its luminosity stabilises, whence it begins taking on a pale blue sheen, like that of hydrangeas. Throughout the entire process, the child remains motionless, as if in a trance."A very fine result." The archmagus strokes his long grey beard. "Welcome to the academy."With a gleeful smile, the child skips back to the crowd and more people are called. Not all elicit a reaction from the orb, but among those that do, the light emitted varies wildly in brightness, colour, and intensity.Finally, it is your turn. The orb up close is far larger than you expected, almost twice the diameter of your thirteen-year-old cranium. You glance at the archmagus. His figure towers over you; and from where you stand, his visage appears obscured by the wide trim of his pointed hat."Go on," he prods, gesturing with his staff for you to proceed.As your hands get closer to the orb, a sense of unease begins building in the pit of your stomach. It reaches its zenith as you make contact, culminating in what you can only describe as a jolt of pure energy bursting from every inch of skin on your body that leaves you disoriented.When you come to your senses, you find yourself in a space of infinite blackness, stretching on and on in all directions. However, you still feel your feet planted on firm ground.Before you can react, a blinding light violently forks towards you, accompanied by a great roar. It fills you with a vision of...>A fractured sky with obsidian clouds thrashed about by howling winds.>A colossal wave marching through the void, bringing along with it effulgent sparks on its crest.>Folds in the void opening up like eyelids, revealing a massive eye staring right back at you.
>>6149410>A colossal wave marching through the void, bringing along with it effulgent sparks on its crest.Reject Eldritch knowledge and Heavenly Winds become a chad beach wizard.
>>6149410>Folds in the void opening up like eyelids, revealing a massive eye staring right back at you.Ophthalmology time. Is this spell better or worse?
>>6149410>A fractured sky with obsidian clouds thrashed about by howling winds.
>>6149410>Folds in the void opening up like eyelids, revealing a massive eye staring right back at you.
>>6149410>A colossal wave marching through the void, bringing along with it effulgent sparks on its crest.
>>6149410>>Folds in the void opening up like eyelids, revealing a massive eye staring right back at you.
>>6149411>A colossal wave marching through the void, bringing along with it effulgent sparks on its crest.The effulgent sparks seem like a major boon. The massive eye seems like a danger or a threat.
Rolled 1 (1d2)>A fractured sky with obsidian clouds thrashed about by howling winds.>>6149417>>6149484>A colossal wave marching through the void, bringing along with it effulgent sparks on its crest.>>6149411>>6149430>>6149475>>6149494>Folds in the void opening up like eyelids, revealing a massive eye staring right back at you.>>6149416>>6149427>>6149442>>6149527Tied between the last two. I'll settle t his with a coin flip: 1 for the wave; 2 for the eye.
>>6149761The wave it is. Writing.
>>6149762From the faraway darkness comes a colossal wave, marching through the void with nihilistic fury. On its crests are effulgent sparks, motes of light that gleam with the brilliance of heavenly lightning. What it all means, you have no idea.You want to run but something tells you to stand your ground. Stand your ground? Against that? You must be losing your mind. However much you struggle to flee, the wave edges ever closer while you seem to be stuck in the same spot. Could this be due to some strange spatial property inherent to this realm, something that you cannot possibly comprehend?What you fear most inevitably meets you. Dark emerald waters consume you, hoist you “above”--- whatever above might mean in this black dimension. On the cusp of being unable to hold your breath, you break the surface, cresting the wave. What previously you mistook as sparks now reveals itself as some form of pure electricity, crackling amidst the foam, white as milk.Gazing down at the infinite nothingness, a sense of mystical rapture supersedes the terror you felt before.Then, it all ends in a flash as a bolt of thunder descends upon you. Your entire being is annihilated, along with the wave and the very fabric of this bizarre void.Next thing you know, all returns to normal. It's as if nothing had happened. The archmagus stands opposite yourself as before, and so do your peers behind you. You face the orb, but its core now glows a deep turquoise—strangely reminiscent of the wave you just encountered—accented with streams of silver.“Good.” The archmagus nods. “You may return.”You respectfully take your leave and fade into the crowd. You are no reliable judge of what your result really entails, but you do notice the orb’s hue is darker than that of several of your peers (your folks back home would say this is a good thing); but even so, there was no shortage of people who achieved a similar if not deeper shade.The ceremony concludes without incident. Of all the youths tested tonight, there were two who stood out: Klaus Weschler and Erwin Schäfer, for whom the orb shone a glistening snow-white and murky earth-brown respectively. This was to be expected from the heirs of two great families. In any case, they have nothing to do with you. What lingers in your mind, what you are most concerned with at present, is that strange vision, or dream, you had.
>>6149805As you leave the academy grounds, one of the children breaks away from the group of people he is leaving with and accosts you at the gate. He glares at you without saying a word, leaving you confused as to what you may have done to provoke this. Eventually, the boy clicks his tongue, turns away, and walks off. From his robes, you can tell he is from a decently well-to-do family; you can only presume they reside in the inner district near the academy. He disappears in that direction while you return to your dwellings in the labyrinths—a maze of tunnels located below the inner district, whose reasons for being built have long been lost to time.You live…>Amidst a community of so-called “exterminators,” who make their living off eradicating certain pests (some of the magical variety) that show up in the labyrinth from time to time.>With a circle of underground alchemists who independently produce potions of all sorts for anyone willing to pay.
>>6149806>With a circle of underground alchemists who independently produce potions of all sorts for anyone willing to pay.
>>6149806>>Amidst a community of so-called “exterminators,” who make their living off eradicating certain pests (some of the magical variety) that show up in the labyrinth from time to time.
>>6149806>>With a circle of underground alchemists who independently produce potions of all sorts for anyone willing to pay.
>>6149806>Amidst a community of so-called “exterminators,” who make their living off eradicating certain pests (some of the magical variety) that show up in the labyrinth from time to time.
>>6149806>Alchemists
>Amidst a community of so-called “exterminators,” who make their living off eradicating certain pests (some of the magical variety) that show up in the labyrinth from time to time.>>6149869>>6149938>With a circle of underground alchemists who independently produce potions of all sorts for anyone willing to pay.>>6149825>>6149852>>6149907>>6149958>>6149981>>6150082Alchemists win this one. No post today. I have an exam tomorrow.
