CA 2: Clawford

Claw|Bastien> The firmness of the handshake is hardly a surprise coming from someone who had taken a dueling class. He probably already had some training. He's a bit surprised by the remark about his things, however. It's odd, given the size of the room he had put his baggage out of the way, it didn't seem like it would warrant a comment, had someone brought the rest of his stuff already? Or maybe Hiall was just observant. Or... well he would see soon
<Claw|Bastien> enough. "Likewise, it's a pleasure." He hopes he and Hiall can be friends, it would be inconvenient to live with someone who was hostile to him. ||
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<Nick|GM> "I don't know if you all have noticed, but we're all scheduled to be in classes for magic. I haven't done any magic before, and I doubt most of the others have either. How does that work? Are they going to teach us how to do it first?" Hiall asks.
<Nick|GM> "I dunno," says Lia. "If it was something we needed to worry about I'm sure someone would have told us." ||
<Claw|Bastien> ...
<Claw|Bastien> "I also think we would have been warned if we needed to prepare. They will probably teach us how to access our magic first. From what I've heard using magic without help or training is rare and require terrible circumstances... If only those went through that could develop their magic there probably wouldn't be more than a handful of people able to do it in Lestirn..." ||
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<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> Sandra says "Who knows?" in a suspiciously sing-song tone. Cecelia gives her a sarcastic look. ||
<Claw|Bastien> ...
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<Claw|Bastien> Bastien smile slightly. He'd almost forgotten that some of them knew more than others. He was still curious but again he did not have anything to bargain for the information. Yet. Her reaction had told him something though. "Well, I guess we'll see tomorrow anyway." She had made no mystery that she knew something about tomorrow's initiation, so it was probably linked to the magic. Would there be some kind of ceremony to unlock their
<Claw|Bastien> potentials? ||
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<Nick|GM> Hiall doesn't seem to grasp the implications of the reaction. "Tomorrow? I thought classes didn't start for two days?" ||
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<Claw|Bastien> "I've been told there is some sort of initiation tomorrow. But we don't know what it is exactly. Well, most of us don't know what it is." ||
<Nick|GM> "Oh, I see. And you aren't sharing?" he asks Sandra.
<Nick|GM> "If you give me a reason to share, I'd be happy to," she responds. ||
<Claw|Bastien> "Well, I guess I'll unpack while you two bargain. I know I'll see tomorrow anyway." ||
<Nick|GM> "Alright. Bastien, right? I guess we'll see you for dinner," says Sandra. ||
<Nick|GM> ((response then timeskip?))
<Claw|Bastien> ((okay, I kinda wondered if someone had already gone through my stuff and left it strewn around, I guess that question mean it wasn't))
<Claw|Bastien> "Yes, I'll let you know if I change my mind." ||
<Nick|GM> ((Nah, your stuff is fine))
<Nick|GM> |||
<Nick|GM> ...
<Claw|Bastien> ((dinner time, I'll be right back))
<Nick|GM> Dinner that night is good, very filling. Several more students trickle in over the course of the afternoon and evening, more than doubling the population of the hall. Some of the names stick with him, some don't.
<Nick|GM> Saria, Kyle, Vinnie, Collette, Rius, Wellsa, Duncan. Some families he knows, but it's hard to match the family name to the first names, and the faces to the family names, and the first names to the faces. It's all very confusing. He's sure he'll get a better grasp on who's who in a week or so, but for now it's all beyond him. He goes to bed. From his bed he can't see Hiall's, but he knows Hiall's in bed too. It was a big day, and tomorrow
<Nick|GM> promises to be big too, what with Sandra's hints. He falls asleep.
<Nick|GM> |||
<Nick|GM> ...
<Claw|Bastien> ((back))
<Nick|GM> ((folding laundry, will finish my post in a few minutes))
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<Nick|GM> ((... for real this time))
<Nick|GM> The next morning, they make their way to breakfast. It's much simpler than the previous night's dinner; there's bread, eggs, bacon, and potatoes.
<Nick|GM> ((would you eat with the people you met and were talking to before, or near new people?))
<Claw|Bastien> ((People I already meet))
<Nick|GM> Hiall takes some of the bread. "Huh. It's different than what I expected. I went to Soliton once, and I thought the bread here would be like that, but it's not. Is this what they have near the capital?" ||
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<Claw|Bastien> Bastien himself take a healthy breakfast, but stay frugal on the bacon and eggs, he assumed he would need the energy but those were a bit too rich for his stomach this early in the morning. At this hour he preferred the bread and potatoes, filling but easy to digest. "Close, but not quite the same. It's got a bit less salt I'd say. How was the bread in Soliton?" He's genuinely curious, he hasn't traveled much before coming to the
<Claw|Bastien> Academy. ||
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<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> "It was dark, dense. Not super appetizing. Weirdly sweet."
<Nick|GM> Breakfast continues uninterrupted until everyone is finished eating. A few people start to get up and are instructed to remain sitting. Apparently there's about to be an announcement.
<Nick|GM> Sandra leans over. "So, do you have any guesses?" ||
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<Nick|GM> ((got to get food, brb))
<Claw|Bastien> He did. "Only thing that I can think about is that it's for our magic. Some kind of ceremony to awaken it maybe... But how I can't guess..."  ||
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<Nick|GM> "Well, you aren't wrong," she says. It looks like she's about to say more, but she's cut off by a voice from the front of the room.
<Nick|GM> A short woman in a boring brown suit is standing by the door.
<Nick|GM> "If all the students could please follow me to the auditorium," she says. Her voice is loud and commanding. ||
<Nick|GM> -||
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<Nick|GM> There's a cascade of students rising. ||
<Claw|Bastien> Bastien follows suit. He wonders about Sandra's response. He wasn't wrong? Given how little detail he'd given he'd expected to be either right or wrong. Not wrong implied that things weren't as he'd said but close. What detail could he have gotten missed? Not a ceremony? Not something to awaken their magic? He doesn't speak, more interested in watching around him as he overthink a four words answer. ||
<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> They all file into the auditorium, and the lady from before gets up on stage. There's a wait as the last few students trickle in, and then she begins.
<Nick|GM> "Good morning, students, and welcome to Caverswall Academy. I hope everyone moved in well, and that your initial experience has been good. Today is the new student initiation, for all new students to be introduced to our fantastic school."
<Nick|GM> "Our professors will pass among you and hand each of you a slip of paper with a number on it. Once you've received a number, you are to go out into the hallway where numbers are on the walls. Stand by the number that matches your paper. Others who have the same number as you are on your team. Teams will only have students from one house." ||
<Nick|GM> -||
<Nick|GM> Professors start moving back and forth along the rows, handing out pieces of paper. Bastien gets his.
<Nick|GM> "Bastien Ambroise. 14" ||
<Claw|Bastien> ...
<Claw|Bastien> Teams? Well... he guesses he'd gotten the ceremony part wrong then, this sounded like a competition. He doesn't lose time standing up and walking back to the hallway, looking for the 14th spot. He's puzzled by this development, how would a competition unlock their magic? He hadn't really participated in games but he had been competitive in the past, trying to show that he was the best suited to be the heir of his grandmother and it had
<Claw|Bastien> never sparked anything magical. ||
<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> He finds his spot quickly enough. There's a girl there already, with dark hair and eyes. She looks to be from east Lestirn.
<Nick|GM> "14?" she asks. ||
<Nick|GM> -||
<Nick|GM> The accent confirms his guess. ||
<Claw|Bastien> "Yes" He answers, showing his paper. And since they'll apparently be on the same team it'd probably be better to know each other's name. "I'm Bastien Ambroise, nice to meet you... ?" ||
<Nick|GM> She reaches out a hand. "Delia Ses."
<Nick|GM> The Ses family is the ruling family in Road's End, he remembers.
<Nick|GM> If the lady was telling the truth about the teams being only one house, she must have moved in quite late yesterday, as he doesn't recognize her. ||
<Claw|Bastien> Powerful family, not the most powerful but Road's End was on the map that's nothing to sneeze at if he managed to impress her he could probably gain a great ally. He gives her hand a polite shake. "Do you have any idea of what to expect? We weren't supposed to be told but some of the others seem to know more about what's going on..." ||
<Nick|GM> "My mom was worried about it, so I have a guess. I expect they're trying to open our access to our magic before classes start, because that's the only reason I can think of for putting us in a dangerous situation," she says. ||
<Claw|Bastien> That gives Bastien pause. "But... From what I heard you need to be in a life-threatening situation to unlock your magic." The implications are... worrying. Would they take the risk of killing them? There were noble sons and daughters from all the greatest families attending the academy. Would the most powerful people in the kingdom really be okay with the idea of their children potentially dying? The answer isn't reassuring: maybe, if
<Claw|Bastien> they have all gone through it themselves, maybe then they would accept that their children had to do the same thing. "I guess we should expect the worse then..." ||
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<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> "I don't know. I think there might be more to it than a life-threatening situation, because not everyone who's in a situation like that uses magic, but everyone who goes to a school for it does. But I don't know what else it could be."
<Nick|GM> Before he can respond, Cecelia walks up to the two of them. "Are you on team 14, Bastien?" ||
<Claw|Bastien> She recognized him but that didn't mean much, he was curious about how she would interact with him on the team. She had been pretty indifferent before. He still didn't knew her family name. "Yeah, I am. Cecelia, this is Delia Ses. We were just trying to figure out what the initiation could be... Perhaps you know more?" She did seem to be friend with Sandra, and Sandra apparently knew a lot more. ||
<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> "Nice to meet you, Delia," she says.
<Nick|GM> "Nice to meet you."
<Nick|GM> "Sandra didn't tell me anything. She told Seb, apparently." ||
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<Claw|Bastien> "Ah, I'd hoped she'd shared with you." Guess she's all business when it comes to these things, no favor for friends. "Well, so far it sounds like it could be dangerous, but how we don't know. Maybe we'll get to know more if one of them join us..." He looks around the hallway, to see how big the other groups are getting. He wonders how many more can join a group before it's complete. Would the teams be very small or somewhat bigger? ||
<Nick|GM> Other teams look to have three members too, so maybe they're full. ||
<Claw|Bastien> "Or maybe not. Looks like whatever it is we will be in teams of three." ||
<Nick|GM> ...
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<Nick|GM> One of the professors says something, but with all the students talking around him he can't make out what they said. The other teams start moving down the hallway.
<Nick|GM> "What'd she say?" asks Cecelia.
<Nick|GM> "I didn't hear, but it looks like we're moving," Delia replies. ||
<Claw|Bastien> "Let's hope she was just saying to move then." He follows the movement, keeping pace with the rest of his group. He doubted that the professor would have said anything important when there was a chance some wouldn't hear. ||
<Nick|GM> Eventually the direction of their movement becomes clear. Outside. They exit out a side door facing away from the river. The scrub brush and rocks make for a sparse landscape, with the occasional pine tree. Farther from the school the trees thicken in earnest into a forest. ||
<Claw|Bastien> Where are they going? Is it the forest? He doesn't have much experience in nature... Aren't they monsters in the countryside, that far from any major city? ||
<Nick|GM> ((not *monsters* per se, just large and dangerous animals :P))
<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> "I wonder if they'll make us fight bears and pine lizards," Delia says. "That would definitely be dangerous enough." ||
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<Claw|Bastien> "Maybe. At that point, I have no idea what to expect." He squints his eyes, trying to look ahead. Were people stopping at some point? This whole situation worried him, he was out of his depth here. ||
<Nick|GM> ((d6, please))
<Claw|Bastien> $roll 1d6
<[ATM]> Claw|Bastien [5]  = 5
<Nick|GM> There are staff members that don't quite look like professors standing around, holding up numbers. He assumes they should approach the one holding their team's number. ||
<Claw|Bastien> He points toward the staff member in question. "Here, they're holding our number." He switches direction to go directly to the... they didn't look like professors. He wonders what function they have in the school outside of this initiation. Caretakers perhaps? ||
<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> "Oh, you're right," Delia says. "Maybe they aren't going to take us out into the mountains after all?" ||
<Claw|Bastien> "Let's not eliminate the possibility yet, there's still time for them to lead us into incredibly dangerous places filled with savage beasts." ||
<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> Cecelia laughs nervously. "Yeah."
<Nick|GM> They arrive at the number 14. The man holding the number looks only a few years older than them, maybe 20 at most.
<Nick|GM> "Alright," he says. "Team 14?" ||
<Claw|Bastien> "Yes" Should they introduce themselves? It didn't seem like a social occasion, but he does wonder if this man is an older student. That doesn't exactly reassure him. ||
<Nick|GM> "Great," he says. "I'm Marce. I'm a fifth-year student here, and I'll be taking you to where you'll start your initiation. You can ask me questions, but I can't answer a lot of them, so I apologize in advance." ||
<Claw|Bastien> "I'm Bastien." Well, he can guess the answer to that one but he may as well try. "What's the initiation?" ||
<Nick|GM> He shakes his head. "Sorry." ||
<Claw|Bastien> "I'd guessed." He tries to think of another question but anything he could think of would just sound whiny. Well maybe not everything. "Where are we going?" ||
<Nick|GM> "Over that way," he points. "And on that note, lets head out."
<Nick|GM> He starts hiking in the direction he pointed. When he turns around, Bastien notices he's wearing a large backpack. ||
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<Claw|Bastien> That answered very little. As he follows Marce he looks ahead toward the place he pointed, trying to determine their destination. He also wonders about that backpack. Supplies? He looks at another group to see if the person guiding them is also wearing a backpack or if this is an oddity of their guide. ||
<Nick|GM> All of the guides seem to be wearing the same type of backpack.
<Nick|GM> "Where do you think we're going?" asks Delia. "I guess my guess wasn't as crazy as I thought..."
<Nick|GM> ((mind if we break here for today?))
<Nick|GM> ((I've got to go get dinner and I know it's late for you))
<Claw|Bastien> ((you can pause if you want, but in the absence of commitment tomorrow I can totally stay for several more hours... not like my sleep schedule isn't already gone to hell anyway :P))
<Nick|GM> ((alright, pausing))
<Nick|GM> ((maybe resume in an hour or so))
<Claw|Bastien> ((o7))
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<Nick|GM> ((back))
<Nick|GM> ||
<Nick|GM> ((whoops))
<Claw|Bastien> ...
<Claw|Bastien> "I'm not sure. We may walk for a while but I don't think it'll be too far." That backpack wouldn't be enough supplies if they had to go far. Not that he knew much about nature, it just didn't seem like it would be enough if they had to walk for half a day. ||
<Nick|GM> "Oh, I almost forgot," Marce says, stopping. He takes off his backpack. "I'm supposed to give you-" he rummages around "-these."
<Nick|GM> He pulls out three pairs of what look like expensive, heavy boots. They have initials on them, different on each pair. "DS," "BA," "CC." ||
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<Claw|Bastien> "... It may be a bit farther than I guessed." He takes the boots marked with his initials and put them on, holding his normal shoes in his hands would be easier than carrying the heavy boots anyway. ||
<Nick|GM> "I can take your normal shoes. I'll drop them back off in Cathartid hall," Marce says, reaching out to take them. ||
<Claw|Bastien> Bastien hand them over. "I guess that means you'll be coming back before us?" Were they going to simply drop them in the middle of nowhere at the mercy of all predators with no one to help them? ||
<Nick|GM> "Oh, I probably shouldn't have said that," Marce says. "Just keep walking for now."
<Nick|GM> Cecelia grumbles something under her breath and puts on the new boots. Delia's already ready to go, leaning against a tree. ||
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<Claw|Bastien> Bastien follows. So not only they were being dropped in the wild but they weren't supposed to know about it. So... they wanted how they fared in a hostile environment without support or preparation? What was the link with magic? As they walk he tries to memorise some landmarks to make sure to be able to find his way back... ||
<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> They're walking for a long time. Bastien and the others aren't used to such physical exertion, and it's draining. There's not much small talk, because the constant, mostly up-hill hike leaves them out of breath. Eventually, Marce stops, and takes out a package of bread and dried meats.
<Nick|GM> "Lunchtime," he says, and sits down. He seems a little winded as well, though he looks to be in excellent shape. ||
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<Claw|Bastien> It's not fancy, but after all that Bastien isn't going to be picky. He almost regrets not eating more at breakfast but gorging himself probably would have been more detrimental than anything else. Even more than food though, he takes the opportunity to drink water. It just wasn't as practical to drink while walking. And then he realizes. They had walked for half a day. And they would have to do the same to come back. ||
<Nick|GM> The group eats silently, until Cecelia speaks up after finishing her meal. "How much farther?"
<Nick|GM> "I, uh, probably am not supposed to tell you that really, but we're pretty close." ||
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<Claw|Bastien> That's somewhat reassuring, maybe they could make it back to Caverswall before nightfall then. Assuming they didn't get lost on the way back without a guide. He wonders why there is so much secrecy involved even now. Before when it would have prevented preparation he understood. But by now they already have a rough idea of what is happening and they couldn't really use any new pieces of information. ||
<Nick|GM> ...
<Nick|GM> Delia finishes her food as well, and instead of standing up, lies back, flat against the rocky ground.
<Nick|GM> "This is fun," she says. "Good first day at the academy."
<Nick|GM> Bastien doesn't know her well enough to tell if she's being sarcastic. ||
<Claw|Bastien> "It's certainly... new. And unexpected." He doesn't stand up either, he's tried and they'll probably have to walk again soon. He's letting his legs rest while he can. ||
<Nick|GM> Marce looks up at the sun. "We've got... a little bit to rest, but we shouldn't spend too long lounging around. We do still have a little bit to go."
<Nick|GM> Cecelia stifles a large groan. ||
<Nick|GM> ((loud groan*))
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<Claw|Bastien> "And there is still the walk back after that." He doesn't stand up either. "I'm going to use every second of this pause to its fullest." And then he proceeded to not move until it was time to go again. ||
<Nick|GM> The time comes far too soon.
<Nick|GM> "Alright," Marce says. "Let's go." He proceeds to start to walk again. ||
<Claw|Bastien> Bastien let out a sigh before standing up. And then a groan as he did. Somehow and against all logic moving again after resting a bit felt worse. But he follows nonetheless. ||
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<Nick|GM> Delia follows, and then, more reluctantly, Cecelia does.
<Nick|GM> It's maybe 20 minutes or maybe an hour before they next stop. There's a circular clearing, and Marce takes a smaller bag out of his large backpack, and sets it on the ground.
<Nick|GM> "Stay in this clearing until I come back," he says. "Don't hurt each other, and don't leave the clearing. Two rules. Understood? If you break either rule, you will be sent home with a letter of expulsion." ||
<Claw|Bastien> "I understand." It's pretty simple. He walks toward the bag and sits near it. May as well get comfortable, because they'll be waiting a long time. It took them half a day to get there. And Marce had let slip that he was going back to Caverswall. So if they had to wait for him to come back... they wouldn't be there in time for dinner. In fact, it looked pretty likely that they would have to spend the night here. ||
<Nick|GM> "Ugh, what? That's ridiculous," Cecelia says.
<Nick|GM> "Not to be rude, but yeah, that's awful," Delia agrees. ||
<Nick|GM> -||
<Nick|GM> Instead of answering, Marce turns as if to walk back into the forest, but a burst of pink and gold explodes behind him, obscuring him from view. When it clears, he's gone. ||
<Claw|Bastien> "Look like that's the initiation.  I'd say that staying here until he comes back certainly count as dangerous." He grabs the bag and opens it to see what's inside. What Marce left could tell them a bit more about what was expected of them, like how long they would have to wait... He doesn't know what would be worse, seeing food in there, or not seeing food in there. ||
<Nick|GM> ...
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<Nick|GM> The bag has food in it, thankfully. It's similar fare to their lunch.
<Nick|GM> There's also a gallon of water and blankets, thankfully. It's a heavy bag for its size.
<Nick|GM> "So, what now?" Cecelia asks. She looks like she's a hair away from panicking. ||