Gisk

Hogwarts: Ignition - Year One

Well, I assume we're still talking about HP whatever we're doing.

So we could keep it Hogwarts/modern, just start from scratch. I think a lot of people are fond of this because it is relatively easy to relate to the world. There's still some variation, though. I think it might actually be best to start in a later year(I'm fond of fifth) because, let's face it, none of us are eleven(most of us probably aren't fifteen either, but it's easier, I think). It lets us explore more mature themes, we can have assumed rapports and relationships, as well as pre-acquired magical skills, so we don't have to spend so much time on exposition/learning curve. Let's be honest, everyone wants to get to the magic. And I think people can get frustrated when, for the first ten pages, every other interaction is "Oh, hi, we haven't met, my name is Barney Rubble. You're house Gunderstank? No way, Weaselthorp for the win!"

Overarching plot and conflict can vary. I've got some old ones I can whip out, including other mysterious villains, or Dark Art clubs(kind of the Anti-Dumbledore's Army). The latter would be very character driven.

We could also do stuff outside of school. If you remember in book seven it's briefly mentioned that Hogwarts grads usually do a tour around the world to learn about other magical cultures, could be a small group RP focusing on a group taking their traditional pilgrimage.

Could be Aurors vs Dark Wizards.

Could go medieval Hogwarts, or medieval in other countries. Depends on what people like.

@Eyeris@MiddleEarthRoze Don't know if either of you want to chime in/get in on this.

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

Cecil was screaming now. A wordless, somewhat high pitched scream. He was on the ground and he wasn't sure why, lying on his right side. Somewhere in his mind he recognized that a lot was happening right now, but his vision was narrowed only to himself and his immediate feelings. But his perception was widening, and soon he was trying to look outwards. When he looked across the battlefield, he saw Yvette also on the ground, with one of the Divers poised to strike with a sword.

He was still screaming when he pointed the Variable Ammunition Dispenser at the Diver and pulled the trigger.

Hogwarts: Ignition - Year One

Yo, I am here.

If we build something up, I'm up for helping GM. I'd prefer that, in fact, to this. It's never been a secret that I was not fond of the plot that the original GM put in motion.

The New York Academy of the Magic Arts.

So apparently America's magical history is going to be fleshed out in a new expansion to Pottermore. Tomorrow.

I'll have to read it to ruin all of my hard work here in NYAMA :D

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

I am still around, of course.

Gates of Khu-Shabash (Middle-Eastern Fantasy)

Character

Name: Da’ud Aldhy la Yuqtal
Age: 30
Sex: Male
Species: Human
Place of Origin: Al-Mashriq
Weaponry: Carries a khopesh sword, but no other arms.
Magic: Da’ud’s magic is in the form of charms and ritual.
Tamimat Alaliha is a string of amulets, each devoted to one of the gods, and each bearing a power. The material of the amulets is unimportant, Da’ud’s are made of smoothly polished carved wood. He wears them around his waist over top his sash.

Tamimat Anu is a central amulet, the largest and the first in the chain. It must be invoked first, to show respect for the God of gods. Since all of the amulets are invoked through the first, only one acts at a time.

Tamimat El is the second, and it and all subsequent are the same size. It is believed to guide the breaking of a Darda’i’s armor and therefore the course of their penance. When invoked, it sharpens the blade and speeds the arm that swings it. It can only be called upon if another is in mortal danger.
El is the main source of a Darda’i’s magical power. They fight in twirls that produce wind and kick up dust and sand in clouds. He can ride the wind to glide short distances like a Jinn.

Tamimat Marduk is the third. It strengthens the bones and protects the wearer from grievous harm. Like Tamimat El, it will only give the wearer patronage if their cause is just.

Tamimat Ea is the fourth. Ea’s dominance of agriculture ensures that the Darda’i never goes hungry.

Tamimat Ba’al is the last. Though the Darda’i reject war, they worship Ba’al for his lordship of change, and of death. When invoked, this amulet gives a voice to victims of violence, calling them to the land of the living to commune with the ascetic who wears the tamimat.

History: One cannot aspire to become a Darda’i. The first step in their path is in the wrong direction. The Darda’i are a sect of warriors who have rejected war, and so the only way to join them in earnest, is to have first(in equal earnesty) been a fighter and killer of some description.
For Da’ud, this was in the form of a mercenary. He was no prince or knight of great pedigree, fighting for his beliefs, he was simply paid to fill the ranks of various armies. This was a roll he played since he was very young. Younger, indeed, than it should be considered right to have recruited him. But recruited he was, nonetheless, and so he found it to be a good way to earn money. He worked in this way, free of loyalties or moral scruples, for years.
These freedoms came to weigh heavily on Da’ud, and so it was with a sense of relief that he betrayed his last employer. His reputation by that time made him a well paid member of a raiding party sent to by a warlord to silence a village that was dissenting from his rule. When Da’ud and his comrades drew their weapons upon entering the village, they found a small number of Darda’i standing between them and the villagers. They had weapons, but they used words first, and against Da’ud that was enough. He knelt on the ground, his weapon lying before him, and allowed the battle to play out. When it was over, one of the ascetics bid him to rise and join them, and he did.
Appearance: A tall man shaped by violence that he has put behind him. His face is calm and pleasant, with a beard that is full, but cut short, much like his hair. His mustache curls up at the corners handsomely. His hair is curly, but well controlled with biweekly cutting.
He wears a hauberk of metal plates, held into a single garment by chain mail. It is notably quite damaged, with several splits and a large swath of the mail missing on the front right corner.
His groin and the outside of his thighs are protected by a similarly scaled garment, and he wears bracers of leather with metal plates sewn in on his left forearm(the right side has been broken and abandoned) and calves.
His head is adorned with a spiked helmet that reaches down over his ears. The front has a visor that is wrought in an artistic rendering of Da’ud’s own face, split down the middle and hinged at the ears so that it opens like a cabinet. Under the helmet is a shawl that extends down to his shoulders.

His under clothes consist of gray linen, and his sword is tucked into a wide blue sash that is tied over his hauberk.

The Darda’i believe that the only way one can rightly choose to reject violence, is to have already lived by it. You cannot preach against war, they say, unless you have fought one. They give up fighting for power or for money, and choose to lift their weapons only in the defense of the weak.

As penance for their time as killers, a Darda’i wears the armor they fought in at all times. Only one day a week are they permitted to remove it, on which they will typically spend their time cleaning themselves, cutting their hair, and ensuring that their armor remains as comfortable as possible for the week to come. At the same time, however, they do not maintain, or acquire new armor. As their armor wears down and breaks in the defense of the helpless, they become free of it. They believe this process is divinely guided, and that they will wear the armor for as long as they deserve.
This particular practice varies widely in strictness depending on the individual practitioner. Da’ud believes just as there is a day of rest, that the time after sunset is meant for rest, and so he allows himself to remove some pieces of his raiment at night.

Avatar: A New Cycle (Reboot)

Jalika briefly noted the man, but was more interested in the girl off to the side of the room. Some of those summoned here were quite young, so it didn't seem as far off as it might to others, but she was still curious about her. Jalika crossed the room, leaning slightly on her staff, and sat in a close approximation to a meditative stance next to her, her staff across her knees.

"Hello," she greeted with a simple smile. "I am Jalika. What's your name?"

Gates of Khu-Shabash (Middle-Eastern Fantasy)

Do you have concrete ideas on how magic works in this? Or should we explain and give background to the mystic arts that we use?

Gates of Khu-Shabash (Middle Eastern Fantasy)

Okay, cool.

I too want to brush up on my mythology.

Scattered Shades: Arcadia Chronicles

Finished Character

_{- - - - (Personal Details)}
First Name: Cecil
Last Name: Phyren
Age: 25
Gender: male
Home Nation: Teknoh
Appearance: 5’6 and 130 make Cecil a small figure, and the plain brown of his hair and eyes make him non-descript. His eyes seem large in his thin, soft face, and the dark circles under them are usually obscured by his horn rimmed glasses.

He dresses like the academic he was meant to be, crisp white shirt and gray twill pants held up by suspenders. He's opted for comfortable boots since joining the Survey Initiative, but this is his only concession to rugged practicality.

Personality: Not necessarily nervous by nature, but Cecil is a man who knows where he is comfortable. He likes quiet, and enjoys the exercise of his mind. It is the latter desire outgrowing the former that led him to join the Survey Initiative.
Communication is not his greatest skill, he has a habit of talking too fast and dropping ideas half way through in favor of new ones.
Cecil is a true believer. He has faith in society, humanity, and science.

History: A Teknoh native, Cecil first delved into the world of Arcan Science at the age of six in his mother’s home laboratory. She was away, and his father was no longer around, so he got into her equipment and books with no supervision. His fascination grew quickly, and he attended university before he was even a legal adult. During breaks, he co-opted the same lab he first explores for his own experimentation.

It wasn't long after his education was complete that he turned around and sought employment at the same institution he had just left. An old mentor got him a lab job, and he did it well, but found it to be unchallenging.

His mother was killed in a lab accident shortly after Cecil’s twenty-third birthday. Cecil disappeared into the spacious house his family had once lived in, and wasn't seen by anyone who knew him for two years.

When he emerged, he was surprisingly clean shaven and tidy, and seemed mostly back to his old self. He did, however, suddenly announce his decision to join the Survey Initiaive.

Occupation: Junker

_{- - - - (Power Matrix)}
Primary Focus: Arcane
Magical Capabilities:
His use of magic is primarily in magical technology.
Can make some decent conjurations on the fly, but greatly prefers more complex lab developed equipment.
Kinetic manipulation, but it's a last resort for him. He's spent a lot more time on technology than honing his magic skills.

Body Modifications:

Weapons and Equipment:
A sizable A/B. It's the size of a large dictionary and is in a padded hard plastic case, which itself is in a leather satchel. The satchel also contains an assortment of Machinist’s tools.

VAD: the Variable Ammunition Dispenser. The “dispenser” part is an example of Cecil’s brand of humor, as the device “dispenses” the ammunition at deadly velocity. But if you referred to it as a gun, Cecil would undoubtedly respond “it's much more than a gun!” And it is. The device, about the size and shape of a particularly bulky and squared rifle, plugs into an A/B and produces it's own Arcane Ammunition automatically, weaving the arcane energy from the battery into arcanite and charging it with an element or effect determined by the “setting” knob on the left side of the gun’s shell.
It takes longer to produce than an experienced Mage would, but it does so without any input from the user beyond the push of a reload button. It holds 25 bullets in the magazine, which can be ejected in the event that it needs to be loaded in the more conventional way.

Specialties: A brilliant machinist and Arcane Scientist. Has a passing knowledge of alchemy, acquired from occasionally working alongside more accomplished practitioners.