In the city of Gitbin, magic is widely accepted and encouraged. But that doesn't mean it's widely practiced. The four spiraling towers that reach higher than the other buildings in Gitbin are competing schools and have their own ideas of how to compete. All of them agree to not just take anyone in. Rich people are able to pay their way in, though, and so it's a given that nobles are magic users one way or another.

The schools:

Black School - This school focuses on making magic more destructive and rumors speak of them even condoning necromancy to some degree, though they deny it and nobody has shown any evidence of it. The results can not be argued, though, as their students wind up a deadly force when they go adventuring.

Blue School - This school focuses on the mechanics of magic, its history and stuff. Of course, the mud flinging of other schools accuse the Blue School of teaching its students about forbidden magics, such as those used in Bael Turath. While they deny such specifically, they have been quoted as saying, "Even if it were true, it is our duty to spread knowledge in the name of Ioun." This school has been the most liberal in student acceptance.

Red School - This school tries to balance everything and teach everything, offering extra curricular in every topic, be it destruction, utility or aid. However, it also has the distinguishing boast that this school can teach its students how to learn magics from one's opponent. The bad rumors about this school involve saying that they supposedly collect blackmail on the other schools. But so little proof supports this as the other schools seem to continue bashing the Red School as though they had no blackmail.

White School - This school focuses on aid. How do you enhance the growth of your garden? Heal someone's scratch with magic? Or make armor more durable? This school boasts having more rituals at its disposal than the others, but its student body is the fewest. Interestingly, the worst rumors about this school is that the student body would be the most likely to run during a city invasion. Of course, other rumors such as them withholding aid from people unless paid as a "protection racket" of sorts.


School is out for the day and Quelenna is exiting the red school. She is wearing the red robes of a 1st level graduate. With a smile, hugging her spellbook, wand at her side, she turns her head to look in the direction of each school as they are all in view of each other due to being at each corner of the city and being the tallest. With confidence, Quelenna begins walking towards the center of town.

A magic hover-car wooshes up to her and halts just in front of her. The girl driving the car is her step mother, who is an artificer. "Hey there, Lenna-babe." the way-too-young-to-be-Quel's-mom eladrin lady says, "Your dad says to come home. Says it's important."

Quelenna hugs her book a little tighter and lightly shrugs a shoulder in a minor cringe as her expression turns to one of light annoyance. "I'll walk."

"He said it's urgent. Please don't argue this time around? He needs you there ASAP. Look... it isn't me askin', it's him askin'. I'm just the messenger..."

Quelenna sighs heavily and gets into the hover-car. The step-mom smiles and scoots her goggles down to cover her eyes while handing Quelenna a pair. Quelenna puts 'em on reluctantly and the car zooms off, causing Qualenna to let out a stifled scream.

(OOC: Please gimme some idea where your characters are, their daily routine, and what they are currently up to so I can get our characters together. Also, feel free to presume your character knows the following characters: Honey, Mara-Kai, Meriele, Quelenna.)

Gale is a graduate of the Blue School, and is at the library as usual.  Nothing much going on with her.  Occasionally flipping a page is all.

Jake is among the youngest graduates of the White School, and is enjoying a walk with his familiar, Robbie T. Trashcan.

"Arf Arf!" Mr. Trashcan arfs.

"You said it," Jake agrees, "Let's see if we can find anything fun going on."

  Hoal is of the Blue School persuasion.  While one could claim this should be of little surprise, only his studious nature and previous history with Ioun establishments would hint at this.  Swordmage arts are clearly on the Black School's destructive arts end of things.  While the Red School's balanced, study your opponent's mindset would be equally at home with such.

  In fact, the only safe assumption would have been to say 'White School, nowhere near what Hoal would touch' out of the lot of them.  But now we're into transparent Post padding territory so, on to actual character related content!

  Like a certain human Mage, Hoal is also in the library along with his Sister Mara-Kai.  Returning a tome regarding Eladrin Longsword technique.  No, he didn't check the thread title.  It's just that a good chunk of Longsword extras are Eladrin related, Eladrin's all know how to use them, and Hoal himself favors a longsword.

  Incidentally, Hoal is returning the book partly out of shame because after four days studying Pact Blades he realized how completely useless that was.  Not because they only work with an Eladrin's Warlock powers, but because a Swordmage can use any blade as an implement, so in your face Eladrin Warlocks.  Nevermind Rods have many more practical for warlock enchantments.

  Where were we? Besides in the library.  "There is always some part of me that feels study becomes redundant after a certain point.  We have been raised in a studious environment, and have just departed classes. Am I here out of habit, rather than true pursuit of knowledge?"  He turns to his sister and adds, "Or would I be over thinking things once more?"

  Mara-Kai's insight was always good source of advice on these matters.  Unless she had been misleading him all these years of course.

OOC Style: Due to the Genasi race listing of 'They are all bald, their "hair" is magical special effects related to their element', I keep imagining Mara-Kai as having a stream for hair for her, well stream of hair.

Mara-kai looks over at Hoal. Irony, since girls are shorter than guys, generally speaking, the older sister is shorter than Hoal now that the two are done all the growing they will be doing in this lifetime.

Unless one of them gets the "Eternal Defender" epic destiny. Which is highly unlikely.

After all this ado over a few inches difference, Mara-kai answers her brother with a reassuring tone, "Pursuit of knowledge is one of the key elements of life. Without it, we are do not improve. Even the beasts of the forest learn and grow." she then goes to a more upbeat tone in her voice and says, "But you are right... we need a break from the books. I'm positive even Ioun takes breaks. So... burgers?"

Upon passing Gale, idle curiosity grips her and she glances at the book Gale is reading to see what it is. As she passes near Gale, the human can feel light humidity and even the "sprinkled water-drops" sensation one gets wading through a fog. But only briefly and not annoyingly.

OOC: Mara's hair IS meant to be a mini waterfall. So you imagine correctly.

A friend of Jake's from around comes over to him. Some 14-year-old half-elf. In surfer-dude accent, he says, "Hey Jake. If you're looking for excitement, you should totally check out center square. There's some doomsday dwarf there giving a speech about protecting the planet and stuff, ha-hah...." that was a surfer-dude laugh. Not a "how silly" laugh.

Meanwhile, at all the schools, anyone passing a DC 10 straight intelligence check will notice the fey regulars, such as elves, eladrin and gomes are... amazingly absent. Like only one or two sticking around.

Gale briefly panics from the idea of water damage to the book she's reading and snaps it shut.  She looks around for the source of such moisture and spots one of her Blue School classmates she's seldom seen or associated with.  Water genasi.  Gale lets out a sigh of relief.

"'No worries, Gale,'" she quotes to herself, "'A fire genasi's elemental manifestation is harmless to books unless a book decides to attack them.'  So says the Librarian.  'The same holds true of the elemental manifestations of the other genasi.'"

She clears her throat and offers a handshake and awkward smile.

"I'm sorry.  My name's Gale.  Blue School graduate.  I panicked for the sake of this book.  I felt water."

---

"Thanks, dude!" Jake answers his buddy with a smile and nod, "Wunna go with?"

"Yes."

"I was asking... both of you.  Yeah."

Regardless of answer, he heads for center square.

"Where's all the fey type people today?  Some kinda holiday I hadn't heard about going on?  Or maybe at the doom dwarf rally?"

  Hoal nods in agreement with Mara-Kai, "One can hardly learn or relax when in need of nourishment."  Following after his Sister.  When her presence causes such a startled reaction from Gale, he says "I apologize if we startled you.  I am Hoal, this is my sister Mara-Kai, also of the Blue School."

  Hoal finds himself idly wondering if the presence of his sister or another Water Manifestation would be a comforting, or mocking presence in a desert.  "Considering your reasoning for such a reaction though, I can hardly fault concern for the safety of written lore."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:47, Tue 22 Mar 2011.

At the center square is a dwarf who has a crazed look to his eyes. "Prepare yourselves! The time is near! This world will never be the same! I implore you! The mountains have been silent! The rocks have been barren!"

"Rocks are ALWAYS barren, ya loony."

"If you were a dwarf, you'd understand what I mean. But to put it in terms you understand, where coal SHOULD be, it no longer is. When rocks SHOULD be solid, they crumble to dust."

"Yeah yeah..."

Very unsupportive crowd of people. VERY few of which are Fae. One of which is Quelenna. She steps out of the hover-car dizzy and her step mom seems a little entranced by the loony dwarf. "OK... I know dwarves are an odd bunch, but this is entirely too much." she says with a snicker.

Quelenna says, "Yeah, well... I'm here. So I'mma go see my dad." She goes towards her house, which happens to be at center square. The house EXPLODES, sending Quelenna flying a bit and causing the crowd to scream and panic.

Mara-Kai nods in agreement with her brother. "Yes. Apologies. I did not mean to startle..."

The sound of the explosion can be heard from the schools. Including where Gale and them are. "Oh my.." Mara says before rushing to a window to look. "The center square! There is a house there on fire!"

Jake was listening intently to the Dwarf's talking of rocks crumbling when KABOOM!  He winces, covering his ears.  Robbie starts running around in circles with his arms in the air.

"AAAAH!" he screams, "PANIC!"

"Calm down, Robbie!" Jake says, "People might be hurt and need us!  Let's go!"

He rushes in the direction of the blast.

---

"Nice to meet y.."KABOOM!

Gale jumps to her feet!

"Please excuse me," she says as politely as possible while rushing for the door, "People may be in need."

  Hoal considers, then quickly dismisses methods of reaching outside faster.  While it would definitely take less time than traveling through doors, halls, and stairways,  popping out of existence and back into it past the walls would still leave him a few stories up.

  "Excuses are hardly need in this situation Gale."  He comments as he runs after Gale.  "One can only hope as few people were harmed as possible in the blast."

Hooray for entering the scene late, but he wouldn't have it any other way.  It was just who he is after all.  Show up to put on an impressive display of heroics to get all the oohs and aahs from the rest of the party to be before even introductions could happen.

Making his way towards the scene of the explosion, he stands there in his plate armor, wielding his rather signature hammer, he simply waits for everyone else to arrive before really doing anything else.

Quelenna gets up and looks at the house. She is stunned for a moment, but hurries towards the house soon after. Her step-mom rushing after her. "Quel!" she yells, but the step-mom is not heard.

Ryujin would see a young boy and now two young women rushing into the burning building.

Once inside, whoever went in the building would see the support beams fallen and various things around the house on fire. There is so much smoke, though, that it's more dark than light. There is an eladrin man trapped under a support beam that seems to be catching fire. The man is unconscious.

Regardless of whether Jake beats her there, Quelenna yells, "Father!" and rushes to grab the beam, but is having a tough time lifting it. Her step-mom comes into the room soon after, covering her mouth and coughing. "Quel? Quel! There you are!" she hurries over to Quelenna and gasps, only to cough some more. "Aramil!" more coughing.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:21, Sun 27 Mar 2011.

Mara-Kai rushes after Gale, "Maybe we can form a bucket brigade." she suggests. The two will take a while to get to the center square. Soon, the group exit the school. There is a carriage there, waiting.

Figure this round, they get to a taxi. Next round, they get to the square.

"Robbie help!" Robbie says, "Robbie help!"

The metal familiar tries to help lift the beam but can't seem to budge it.

"Stay low, you two," Jake tells the women, "Smoke rises and can make you pass out.  I know how to move that beam.  With rope!  First thing's first, though.  Pour this healing potion into his mouth."

He offers a healing potion to Quelenna.  If she takes it, he then opens his backpack to take out some rope.

---

"Good idea, Mara-Kai," Gale answers.

She hops into the taxi carriage.  "Center square as fast as possible, please," she asks the driver.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:46, Mon 28 Mar 2011.

  While neither Mara-Kai or himself are of a more fire oriented manifestation, they both had  Fire resist 5 through differing means.  There was a likelihood they would need it soon.  As the three of them board the Taxi Cart, he turns to Gale and says "Yourself and any other trained Wizards in the area would be most effective there, as your Mage Hand cantrips could bring water closer to the source of the flames safely."

  Mage Hand! Punch out fire with Cantrip! Yeaaaaaah!