The Avalon Archives: Kravenwood School of Magical Arts ((OOC))

[The Jeffinator]

This game is about students in their final year at the Kravenwood School of Magical Arts. It takes place in my own version of Avalon, a parallel world to our Earth, which is referred to as Humania by the Avalonians. The connection between the two worlds, which have been sealed off from each other for many centuries, will be explained in a second post.

We will use their last year at school as a method for developing our characters and the world in which they live. As they approach their graduation, events take a dark turn, forcing them to rethink their futures. More on this later.

Avalon

My version of this world is an endless ocean with one giant island and scattered smaller islands. The Eura Mainlands, or just Eura, is a long landmass that stretches from the southern tropics to the artic north. Each smaller island has it's own Regent, but Eura has eight Regions, and thus has eight Regents:

Braska, the land of snow and ice
Dragonspine, a long mountain rage and the surrounding area
Faewood, a large forest
Vanderaust, an area with rolling hills and many lakes and rivers
Kansa, a region with great plains and dangerous winds
Sunara, a large desert south of Kansa but north of Jyrasil
Jyrasil, a vast jungle
Kalida, a long stretch of beaches along the eastern coast

Government

The primary government of Avalon is called the United Republic of the Avalon Magistry, or often just "The Magistry" for short. It has many offices and departments and is headed by the White Court, which consists of the Nine Magisters and a staff of Submagisters. It is located in Vanderaust, in Dalgon City.

The only military held is a sort of army/police force. With all of Avalon under one government, war is non-existent. The only battles are against criminals, gangs, mobs, etc. So, we have the Guard Rangers. Their ranks are: Private, Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Colonel, and General. There are teams of Rangers that vary in size from just a few (small towns) to hundreds (huge cities). Each Regent has a Captain assigned to them, and together they decide how the distribute the teams among the Region. Majors and Colonels, along with the General (only one) work at the Magistry directly. The General of the Guard Rangers answers directly to the White Court.

Kravenwood School of Magical Arts

While there are many magic schools out there, Kravenwood is considered the best. Its campus sits along the eastern bank of Vander Lake, which is just south of Dalgon City.

The late summer/early fall after one turns 13, they may take the Entrance Exam if they seek enrollment. Usually, a child will begin attending Learning Lessons at their local library between ages 5 and 7. Here they learn reading, writing, mathematics, etc. Once they pass the regulars (usually around age 10), they can take Advanced Studies. This is usually required if they hope to get into a good school when they turn 13. It's possible for them to learn magic from a parent or private tutor, but this is not common.

When a potential student takes the Entrance Exam, they have yet to learn any actual magic (usually), but they should know about spellcasting from their Advanced Studies courses. Magic comes from Mana, the energy of life. It can be harnessed by will alone, but for the more complex spells, you need certain channelers, such as wands, staves, scepters, etc. That and engraved Dragon Runes.

A wizard attends Kravenwood for seven years. They usually graduate the same year they turn 20, which is the legal age of adulthood in Avalon. They spend three years learning basic magic, and then the other four in their chosen Astras.

The Astras of Magic are:

Red Astra, fire magic
Blue Astra, water magic
Green Astra, nature magic
White Astra, ice magic
Grey Astra, storm magic
Brown Astra, sand/rock magic
Purple Astra, shadow magic
Black Astra, death magic (forbidden art)

What they learn during lessons:

Years 1-3:
Basic Mana Manipulation (harnessing invisible energy, both offensively and defensively)
History of Magic
Herbology
Alchemy (potions)
Dragon Runes
Various other classes that teach them about being a wizard

Year 4:
In addition to advanced versions of their other classes, students begin training in their chosen Astra. They start out with turning their Mana into the element of their Astra.

Year 5:
In addition to advanced versions of their other classes, they learn how to make their Astra take shape, forming simple creations.

Year 6:
This year, they no longer attend their other classes. They begin using Dragon Runes to cast more complex spells. They bond their first wands by cutting the tip of their finger and then running it along the wand, writing their name in blood using Dragon Runes instead of normal letters. The wand lets them better focus their Mana, and can react to them better because of the blood bond.

Year 7:
In their final year, students learn even more complex spells, and begin dueling each other. In the last few months of the year, they take the Graduate Selection Tests (GSTs). In the First Exam, students take a written test.

In the Second Exam, they must search through Faewood Forest for seven badges, each one representing an Astra taught at the school. However, there is a limited number of badges, so some may have to duel to protect theirs or acquire someone else's. There are magic eyes in the forest to watch and record as the test unfolds.

The Third Exam is a dueling tournament at the Dalgon City Stadium. Here there are many recruiters from different employers, and most of them will review your results from the first two exams and watch the third with their own eyes. If you're good, they may remember your name when you are job hunting after graduation.

Magic

Mana Manipulation lets you channel your life energy through your limps to increase physical abilities such as strength, speed, stamina, agility, etc. You can also expel Mana from your body in a wave of energy or a small blast, as well as use it to move or pick things up. Basically, Mana Manipulation is about the same as a Jedi's powers.

When you start learning an Astra, you can do more. For the sake of this explanation, let's use Fire Wizard. Simple spells may be like Fireblast or Fireball. More advanced spells may be Wall of Flame or Hell Storm. Then, when you use Dragon Runes, they get even more complex.

Generally, wizards have Runes written down ahead of time for quicker access. If one uses a spell often, they may have the Runes tattooed on their hands or arms for permanent ease, but more often wizards have necklaces, rings, bracelets, and other items engraved with the Runes. Some carve them into staves and scepters.

Basically, the Dragon Runes provide a more defined direction for the magic, helping to focus it for more specific outcomes. For instance, if a wizard tries to cast Fire Clone without Runes, they are going on nothing but the images in their brain at the time of casting. If they have any kind of negative emotions buried, the clone may adopt those and go on a murder spree.

By writing down the exact outcome you want in Dragon Runes, you can let that guide the spell instead. The only reason they don't do that in normal letters is because Dragon Runes have been used for centuries and seem to react best to magic. So, for the Fire Clone, instead, you would write in Runes, "bring forth now a body made of flames, modeled after my own, but completely obedient to my every will."

Obviously, in English, that sounds like a mouthful. But in Dragon Runes, it's different. Like, you could look at a large symbol and think it's a single letter, but actually, it's an entire phrase -- each part of the symbol is its own word. Like, let's say you see an X with an underline and a circle around it. Each slash of the X would be a word, as well as the underline and the circle.

One method that has become popular is writing out spells on cards, that way you could have a deck with you at all times and have a greater variety of spells on hand. Most wizards keep track of all their abilities in spellbooks, but those are too big and heavy to carry around.

When a wizard casts a spell, they will run their wand over the Runes of the spell they want to cast, and then will forward the Mana to achieve it. As in the case of cards, one will grab a card from their deck, and if they want to use it, they will swipe it along the tip of their wand and then cast the spell. Usually the Runes are written in a strip format for easier swiping.

Anyway, a lot there, but anyone interested? I'm going to be playing a Storm Wizard and a hidden Death Wizard.

[And 1]

Sounds like an intresting thread lot to remember but intresting so what the heck I'm in.Will work on a charcter for it asap.

[The Jeffinator]

History of the Worlds

In an age long past, to save themselves from a plague that was fatal only to them, the ancient dragons cast a powerful spell to shed their dragonhood. Prior to this, the Dragon Wars had raged on for centuries, a bitter feud between the Draconic Empire, who wanted the lesser races to bow before them as gods, and the Zangaard, rebels who wanted all races to be free. The Dragon Wars started when Zangaard began rescuing slaves of the Empire. The good dragons of the rebellion created Atlantis, an island hidden by many magical spells, powered by thirteen Crystal Spires -- twelve in a circle along the shores, and one larger one in the center of the island.

Atlantis not only acted as the headquarters for the Zangaard, but provided a safe haven for the refugees they rescued. The island remained their base of operations until the last years of the war. To prevent it from falling into the Empire's hands after their location had been compromised, the rebel leaders cast a spell to fling the island into oblivion, thus preventing the power of the Crystal Spires being used against them.

If there were any true gods, they must have been angered by the scope the war had achieved, because a plague surfaced that only effected dragons. They began getting sick and dying by the thousands, and the remnants of the Empire and Zangaard united to try and save their race. In the end, they were forced to morph themselves into mortals with a powerful spell. They became humans, elves, dwarves, faeries, orcs, ogres, trolls, and a handful of other races from the ancient world.

The reborn dragons managed to harness some level of their magic in their new forms, which was passed on to new generations, and thus the first wizards surfaced. However, the human wizards seemed to corrupt easily, leading to new wars. Finally, the other wizards created Avalon, an alternate world that was sealed off from humans. The other races moved to this world, leaving the humans to corrupt their world alone.

Eventually, most of the wizard bloodlines were wiped out due to constant wars, leaving only a handful of humans left with magical powers. In Avalon, on the other hand, civilization flourished, leading to a point where almost every single bloodline had magic.

In the human world, magic became so rare its very existence was in question. This began to change when a young wizard named Merlin set forth on a series of adventures, proving there was still magic in the world. However, there came a time when people began to fear magic, and all wizards were suddenly referred to as witches, servants of the devil. Regardless of how powerful wizards were, they were no match for hordes of rioting villagers. Not unless they wanted to slaughter them all and further cause fear, that is.

There came a time when wizards finally began killing the humans that rose up against them, which Merlin wanted desperately to stop. In one battle, an evil wizard tried to send Merlin into oblivion. He cast a spell to prevent it, and somehow, the clash created a subdimensional tear that flung Merlin to Avalon. The portal closed as quickly as it had opened.

At first, the Nine Queens of Avalon ordered Merlin's immediate execution -- a human entering their land was not thought to be possible due to their enchantments, and achieving such a feat marked a great master, which could mean disaster. Before they killed him, however, Merlin managed to spare himself by pleading with the Queens and explaining the situation back in Humania, as they called it.

It took Merlin several years, but he finally earned himself and his good wizards a place in Avalon. He went back to Humania and managed to rally the last of the good wizards, and transported them to their new home.

They studied with the Avalonians and learned new spells and crafts, which they used to fight the dark wizards of Humania. Some of Avalon's greatest wizards came to help Merlin, and over many years and dozens of adventures, they had eradicated the dark spellcasters. The last known act of magic in Humania was a spell that was powered by a thousand wizards, a global enchantment to seal off any traces of magic that might pop up in future Earth humans. They returned to Avalon and once again closed it off from Humania.

Merlin, his followers, and their offspring where the only humans to use magic from then on. The great wizard himself pioneered a change in Avalonian structure, helping to end the racism that was first present when he came. By the end of his life, he had been accepted as one of the rulers of Avalon, now referred to as the Nine Magisters.

On his death bed, Merlin told his great grandson -- a young boy by the name of Argus Kravenwood -- how sad he was he could not realize his dream of uniting the different Astras of Magic into a single school. Moved by this, young Argus promised to make his wish come true, and Merlin died with a smile on his face.

It took many years and a lot of convincing, but Argus was finally able to get representatives from all the Astras to join his effort. Thus, the Kravenwood School of Magical Arts was created. Argus himself served as the first Headmaster, remaining in that post until his death thirteen years later.

[Drakkwall]

how many Astras can you choose? I ntoiced you stated "their chosen astras" so that means yo ucan pick more then one right? Cause I'd like to make a Black/Grey/Green Wizard, who is trying to overcome the bad looks on the Black astra, as death is just as much part of the world as life.

[knight713]

do you need a general spell list of what the characters can do

[The Jeffinator]

I was referring to "astras" in a plural sense as to each person's Astra, like, if there were three characters and each had one Astra, that would still be three Astras. "The men and their astras."

But, I suppose we could have a primary and a secondary. As for Black Wizards, they are forbidden, hense the reason I said mine was hidden, hehe. If you have a Black Wizard, he'd have to learn his magic (necromancy) from a dark master. I guess I should have delved a little more into why it is forbidden -- death magic has been labeled a foul, dark power, unnatural magic used to rip peoples' life forces away to strengthen the necromancer. Another reason it is frowned upon is the fact that it's very nature causes unrest among the dead. Hauntings are more prominent near necromancers, and more often that not, a dark wizard will capture any spirits he encounters by bonding them to a body or object. Necromancers have been known to use spirits of the dead to animate dead bodies (zombies) or suits of armor (death knights), and it is commonly believed that a necromancer created the first demons using various methods (vampires, banshees, succubi, incubi, devils, etc.).

Every so often, the non-humans will get angry at the humans, for it wasn't until after they arrived that necromancy became a dark art. It used to be used for good things, like bringing people back to life if they weren't too far gone, or letting spirits that had crossed over come back occassionally to see their loved ones. But when it turned to a dark art, the good spirits stopped answering any calls, not wanting to become an evil spirit at the hands of an ill-intended necomancer.

For years people grew more wary of necromancy, until about 300 years ago, it was outlawed completely by the Magistry due to the fact that a young death wizard tried to summon a spirit into himself for greater power, and instead came five. The five spirits turned the boy into a vessel of chaos, the voices driving him mad. He went on a spree of murder and destruction, destroying entire cities and killing thousands of people. The spirits gave him enough power so that he was nearly unstoppable, and over his three week reign of terror, over half a million people had been slaughtered. They finally managed to corner him and kill him. This boy was a human, which rekindled racism towards them.

After that, death magic was outlawed completely.

As for the spell list, I was thinking we could just make it up as we go.

[Drakkwall]

Okay, hmmm a Nature Storm Wizard would be something of a Tempest Wizard right?

[knight713]

so would a person who is brown astra who turn a person to stoen would that be considered illegal.

[The Jeffinator]

Hmmm. Yes, I'd say turning someone into stone is against the law unless it's self-defense or to protect the person being turned. Killing, transforming one against their will, invading and/or dominating their mind, torturing, etc. These kinds of things are illegal unless the actions can be justified.

As for the Nature Storm Wizard, they would have power over nature and storms, lol. Like, the nature spells would let them create and control plant life and communicate with animals, kind of like a druid. Storm spells would let them control the weather, create thunder, lightning, wind blasts, etc.

Also, I'm thinking of changing it slightly to have complex spells for regular Mana Manipulation, for abilites that don't fall into any Astra, such as teleportation, invisibility, enchantment, etc. I may use D&D spells as the basis for that.

Also, I was going to ask, do you think I should do away with the written runes and instead have them speak the Draconic language out loud when doing spells?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

[The Jeffinator]

Maybe we can use this list for spells: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/spells

[And 1]

That might be a good idea to say the spells out loud as the runes bit sounds a bit much.

[knight713]

you could have as both but have it where as if the use the runes the spell is not as powerful as when they say the whole spell.

i have a list of spells that i made up a long time ago but i have to decide which astra to make my character

[Drakkwall]

Hmmm... dhould we make sheets?

[The Jeffinator]

Hmmm. Yeah, maybe we could make character sheets. Though, let's not use stats. Let's just say one's Mana Pool empties as they use magic, and it can be refilled by absorbing energy from various sources, such as crystals that were stored with energy in advance. It will also refill on its own slowly.

To be fair, let's say everyone's Mana Pool is 100. Mana Stones have their own Mana Pools of 20, and the most one can carry is ten, making a total Mana Pool of 300. I guess we could say there are ten levels of spells -- the higher the level, the more Mana is consumed to cast it. The level number is how much Mana is required to cast it -- A Level 1 spell takes one Mana Point, whereas a Level 10 spell will use 10 Mana Points.

We could also say if you run out of Mana, you become weaker, drained of your power, exhausted. What do you all think?

Also, should we use another language or speak spells out as they are? Like, the chars could yell out "Fireblast!" as they cast it. Whatcha think?

[knight713]

intresting idea but it may get confusing on how powerful the spell is that they cast.

as for the language we could do as both that's if anyone else dont speak another language.

[The Jeffinator]

Well, if we use the D&D spells, they already say what level they are. They list spells as levels 1-10, and then we could make our own for tenth level spells. Just an idea.

[knight713]

in that case it could work out

[The Jeffinator]

Okay, how about we just say the wizards tap into their Mana to use magic by sheer will. They still use Dragon Runes and keep spellbooks, but that's just to focus the spell mentally. Like, they envision the spell in their Mind's Eye, it sees the Runes and guides their Mana. They keep the spellbooks and study them regularly to keep the Runes fresh in their memory.

Instead of Astras, we could say Branches of Magic. We'll remove the limit on that and just say people can learn a lot about one, or a little about many, or anywhere inbetween. Necromancy is still illegal, though.

We'll remove the Mana pool idea, too -- Mana does not wear out or run down -- the body does. Smaller spells do almost no damage, but magicks with bigger effects leave you more exhausted. If you do a spell that is too much for you or hold onto the flow of magic for a long period of time, it will wear down your body. Like, if you send off a barrage of large fireballs, you are going to be out of breath afterwards, but you'll recover within a few minutes. Now let's say you keep going before you can recover. Now you are barely able to stand and really heaving. But you want to keep going, so you send off one last massive fireball, determined to destroy all your enemies on the battlefield. Now you are so exhausted you fall to your knees and can't even focus your mind enough to cast another spell as the survivors of the fireballs surround you. Maybe, if you're lucky, you can focus enough to send out a ring of fire, but you will die along with them.

Depending on the scope of the spell, you can recover in as little as a few seconds to as many as three days. Throwing up shields and other defensive spells wear you down as well. The ONLY kinds of spells that do not wear you down are healing in nature, or things that have been enchanted in advance, like potions or amulets. Like, if the wizard who shot off the fireballs had an Amulet of Healing, he could activate it at any point to heal him to normal, and thus he could keep fighting longer, but once an amulet has been used, it must be enchanted again to benefit from it a second time. Potions can be sipped or gulped depending in the severity of the injury or exhaustion, but obviously, when a bottle is empty the potion is gone, and having too many of these makes agility a risk factor in a battle.

I will rewrite the first two posts, make them shorter, less to remember, and then repost it in a new thread. The history of Avalon doesn't really need to be so large, lol. As for the story, I was thinking over the course of their last school year, they begin to hear about a group of pirates and bandits rebelling against the Guard Rangers in the southern tropical islands. Everyone thinks this will end quickly like other crimes in the past, but as the months pass by, things get worse.

By the passing of the New Year, these outlaws have become known as the Deathmongers, and led by master necromancer Lord Calsuphur, they continue to conquer small islands. By the time the characters graduate, the Deathmongers have made it to Eura, and there is a war brewing all along the southern islands and the jungles of Jyrasil. Maybe our chars all agree to join the Guard Rangers and they participate in the Kinslayer Wars?

[knight713]

do you want a character sheet

[The Jeffinator]

What exactly do you mean?

[knight713]

name, age, so on

[The Jeffinator]

Ah. Sure.

[The Jeffinator]

Here's the new thread, finally.

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=677530