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[The_Two_Eternities]

If my affinity is plants, is gardening a locked skill?

Gardening is a perfectly normal hobby that doesn't need magic(unless dealing with magical plants), as is Music. Why would it be locked?

The exact text is "Skill: A non-magical skill of some kind, one that isn't directly related to your Art or Affinity. Everyone has something they're good at that isn't their work. Maybe you know something about carpentry, for example, or tailoring. Perhaps you're an excellent storyteller, or lute player, or cook. Or enjoy climbing mountains or gardening or pottery. Anything from hostage negotiator to underwater basket-weaver is acceptable."

So the questions are: Is music directly related to songs? Is gardening directly related to plants?

[Naturegirl1999]

If my affinity is plants, is gardening a locked skill?

Gardening is a perfectly normal hobby that doesn't need magic(unless dealing with magical plants), as is Music. Why would it be locked?

The exact text is "Skill: A non-magical skill of some kind, one that isn't directly related to your Art or Affinity. Everyone has something they're good at that isn't their work. Maybe you know something about carpentry, for example, or tailoring. Perhaps you're an excellent storyteller, or lute player, or cook. Or enjoy climbing mountains or gardening or pottery. Anything from hostage negotiator to underwater basket-weaver is acceptable."

So the questions are: Is music directly related to songs? Is gardening directly related to plants?

yes, thank you for wording the question more clearly. NJW2000, please rule in on this

[NJW2000]

So the questions are: Is music directly related to songs? Is gardening directly related to plants?

-snip-

This isn't worth worrying about too much. I wouldn't put "gardening", Naturegirl, because your character is going to be amazing at gardening by non-magical standards even if you put something else as a hobby. TricMagic seems to be thinking of playing instruments rather than just song, and not all singers are good instrumentalists, so if you want someone who can get pretty good at a new instrument with a few hours practice, stick with what you have, Tric.

I'll give the reasoning behind the "not directly related" caveat. It's so people have characters that are a little more well-rounded, characters that are about more than just their magical ability. The hope is that this might prompt people to think a bit more about who their character is, what they're like. It might even encourage a little roleplay, or solving problems through something other than throwing magic at them. Of course, I'm very happy with the possibility that some characters are just about magic, it's obviously a very important part of any wizard's life. I'm not here to enforce my preconceived notions of how people should RP or play, this is just a subtle nudge which people are very welcome to ignore. If you really want to, leave the non-magical skill section blank.


In short, having a skill that is directly involved in or can be replaced by your magical ability will probably add nothing, which is why you shouldn't do it. I'm going to assume that wizards are fairly skilled in anything that is necessary to accomplish their specialism, or that can easily be done through their specialism.

For example, unless you specify otherwise on your sheet, I'm going to assume that any song mage is very good at singing. A plant wizard is always going to be a good gardener, because anyone who knows plant magic is going to know a lot about plants and can use magic to make the plants grow better. It's true that, say, non-magical gardening or singing in general might actually involver a bigger skill set than song magic or plant magic, so this might mean players get a bit more than they have written on their sheet in terms of abilities. This will just mean that, say, Naturegirl's character could grow something that would normally take five minutes and a quick spell, but in a year and without using magic. I think we can all live with that.



In other news, sheets are still trickling in, so we'll give it another day in case anyone missed this.

[Naturegirl1999]

Do you think my entomology skill is valid?

[NJW2000]

Yes, absolutely, that's very different from plant magic.

[TricMagic]

That was what I was going for. Just general and good musical ability beyond the magical side.

[NJW2000]

Ok, as I mentioned in the OP, players have been selected by random draw, so the timezone someone lives in doesn't affect their chances of playing. VishDaFish, Parishbre56, The_Two_Eternities, NatureGirl, Syvarris and Ozarck are all in, and ziizo, Egan_BW, Yottawhat and TricMagic are in the waitlist in that order. From now on, the waitlist will behave as a normal queue.



Turn 0: In which nothing happens


Six mages stand on a muddy track in the pouring rain, crowded around a map of the nearby lands, discussing where the school is going to be. Finally, a vote is taken.

The West Isle is sparsely inhabited, playing a small part in the politics of the lands of the Wyvish sea, the extent of the known world on this planet. It has the highest concentration of magical energy to be found anywhere on this world, not that that's anything special by your standards. That's why the school is going to be here, rather than in Merril, Codnor or Baslow, or any of the innumerable smaller islands scattered across the oceans.

The administration has identified five different potential locations for the school, fives nexuses of the occult energy vital to developing powerful young mages. It would be most sensible to teach in one of these five spots, in order to tap this potent magical resource.

Spoiler: potential locations (click to show/hide)

The five locations with ideal occult properties for the creation of a magic school are:

1. Ockell Port : a location in a medium-sized port town, bustling with life and activity. Ockell is the largest settlement in the West Isle, and the centre of government and commerce. Ships from Merril frequently come and go, and vessels can even be seen hailing from lands as far as Codnor. The only location that's actually in a settlement.
 
2. Wheatcroft Hill: in the warm south of the island, a gentle hill rises from the agricultural land, surrounded by grassy plains and golden fields. A prosperous village sits in a valley a few miles away, and a mild stream rolls past the base of the hill. A lovely spot, if a little boring.

3. Grimtooth Point: The highest mountain in the East Isle, in the middle of a mountain range known as the Jaw. There's no village anywhere remotely near here. There are a couple of mountain caves. Nobody's sure what lives in them.

4. Mosswood Glades: deep in the shady Mosswoods to the north of the island, perhaps the wildest place in the West Isle. Located a good few miles from a small settlement on the edge of the Mosswoods, the Mosswood Glades offer ample sunlight, ready timber and sparkling streams. Despite all this, the residents of the West Isle refuse to have anything to do with them, or with the interior of the Mosswood in general.

5. Hookwind: a tiny fishing village nestled in the mountainous west of the island, exposed to the vicious winds and raging storms of the open sea. The school would be situated a little way from the village, on the opposite bank of the thundering river Blacktorrent. With dramatic cliffs to one side and the briny deep on the other, this place promises little comfort and less distraction.

Spoiler: The known world (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: The West Isle (click to show/hide)

The six wizards chosen to found the school should vote on where it will be, picking from the five spots above. Feel free to discuss this choice for a reasonable length of time.

[Naturegirl1999]

4: Mosswood Glades

[Ozarck]

"Wet enough for ya? Ahah ahahahahahah hah haaaaaaaaa~ How about that city on the coast? Seems full of activity and sights to see, people to mate, things to take. I bet we could abduct a lot of kids there. Ahah ahahahahahah haaa~"
Vote for (1) Okell Port

Spoiler: Hori Heera (click to show/hide)

Description: An extremely broad, quite short, sandstone colored lump of a man, extremely jovial on the surface. Attention span is aparently quite limited, rarely shows emotions beyond amusement or pleasure, hobbies: comedic taxidermy.

Art: Rituals

Affinity:Flesh

Skill: A particularly sturdy fella with great stamina. Good at hiking, carrying heavy loads, and lifting heavy objects.

Great Work: Wishing to combine the Excellent practices of the Agricultural World of Marnis V with the energy and enthusiasm of the Creative world of Delba III, Hori made a famously ill fated contract with some rather less than reliable otherbeings and instead of combining practices, ended up combining the people of each world. The contract is ongoing as of last news cycle, the horrible effects spreading at a steady clip across the worlds. Rumor has it the effect is no longer limited to the two worlds of the initial contract. At his trial, ... err, administrative review, Hori giggled incessantly at the images of the various victi- subjects in various states of being.

Spoiler: active mages (click to show/hide)

In order listed by GM:
-Oak Greensleeves, Shapeshifting Planter (Vish)
-Dr. Kansei Ifto, Kinetic Tinker (Paris)
-Magim Somar'ahneir, Combat Dreamer (2 Eternities)
-Dalia Hemsworth, Wild Planter (NatureGirl)
-Vids Iretineulqkin, Flesh Golemnist (Sy)
-Hori Heera, Flesh Ritualist (Ozpoop Squigglypants)

[Parisbre56]

"Don't be ridiculous! Our students need a place to go after school is over, a place where something happens! They need cafes and school supplies! They need streets and newspapers! They need scones and parks and holiday festivals! They need a place to stay and work after they graduate and a place where they can practice their art before they graduate! And they need a place for all the traders of magical supplies that will surely flock around our school!"

1!

[The_Two_Eternities]

Magim Somar'ahneiro smiles. "I couldn't agree more with Dr. Ifto. Speaking honestly, we are not in a position to eschew civilization."

1: Ockell Port

[vishdafish]

Oak smiles thinly before speaking in a mild but firm voice: "Pupils with courage and determination will naturally brave the unknown to join us. The hustle and bustle of civilisation only serves to distract our students from mastering magic. The Mosswood Glades have abundant resources and would serve as a fine place to build an academy."

4: Mosswood Glades

[Ozarck]

"Oh how wonderful! True intellectual dispute. And in complete disregard of the elements. Lovely" Hori giggles, jowls wobbling, water dripping comically from the tip of his pointed nose.
"I hope our final teacher also votes for Mosswood. That would give us a wonderful deadlock, which we would have to resort to creative measures to resolve."
Hori Giggles, slightly higher in pitch, wide mouth widening even further, a small twinkle in his glassy eyes.
"Or murder, I suppose. That always seems to resolve at least one problem. Hee hee hee~"

[The_Two_Eternities]

"Oh how wonderful! True intellectual dispute. And in complete disregard of the elements. Lovely" Hori giggles, jowls wobbling, water dripping comically from the tip of his pointed nose.
"I hope our final teacher also votes for Mosswood. That would give us a wonderful deadlock, which we would have to resort to creative measures to resolve."
Hori Giggles, slightly higher in pitch, wide mouth widening even further, a small twinkle in his glassy eyes.
"Or murder, I suppose. That always seems to resolve at least one problem. Hee hee hee~"

Magim shrugs. "In the event of a tie, we could hold another vote. I'm sure that the results would be the same, but the process of doing so would be amusing. Or at the very least, more amusing than murder."

[Ozarck]

"A revote! splendid! that's two options for what to do in case of a revote! This calls for a vote. Do we have any otehr suggestions on how to handle a tie situation? Currently, the vote stands at one for a revote, and one for murder. It's so exciting!"