Grey

Academy Of The Arcane Artes

I just want interesting character and combat dynamics between Shen, his partner, and their potential other partner.

Academy Of The Arcane Artes

Shen Huanglong
Welcome to the Academy of Arcane Artes, Fleshbag

---

"*Fweh*" Shen sounded as he spat out snow that had gotten into his mouth during the crash. Speaking of which, hopefully the griffin got out alright. The Asian looked around his general vicinity. ...Huh, that was peculiar. The griffin wasn't laid out on the ground, headfirst in a snowdrift like he was... Shen looked up, and there she was, as beautiful and as slightly crispy as he had last seen her. No wonder she'd - she? He'd been calling it a 'she', but what was it even? - had decided to drop him off. Literally. 'Okay then,' he thought, waving goodbye to the magical beast. Now to turn to the young fellow who had decided to-

Oh my. He was out for blood. And distinctly covered in snow. ...Maybe best to get out while he had the chance. "Yes, thank you for helping me Mr., ah, Leonardo Alexander Gladstone," Shen said with a bow, "but I must be... departing now." And so he did. Best to get out of that before it escalated. And lucky he did, because it definitely did escalate.

Now where was the main hall he was supposed to go to...
***
Shen blinked twice in his seat. Well that was certainly an interesting speech by an equally interesting headmaster! And that talk of partners... Maybe he'd get to meet a modern mage, or perhaps a regular human! He'd never met either before... OR maybe a new race he hadn't seen? The options ran through his head as he funneled out of the hall along with the rest of the student body.

He stopped in place. If his family was outdated... Did that mean their social practices were as well? That Leonardo Alexander Gladstone fellow sure seemed fairly in line with their beliefs, but what if he was a pariah? Was that why he was getting into a fight with that hundredfold army of orcs? If so, then maybe Shen shojld just keep his mouth shut and gaze averted until someone instigated. Yes, that would be the safest option. At least until he figured out proper modern social ettiquette.

Academy Of The Arcane Artes

How's that for 'something', Lucius?

Academy Of The Arcane Artes

Shen Huanglong
The Yellow Dragon God

---

The chill of winter mountain wind bit at Shen's exposed skin as he walked towards the edge of the ten square kilometer property of his family. The snow was deep and there was naught but the light of the moon to light his way. The snow crunching between his feet and the sounds of wildlife were the only things accompanying him as he ran through the ten square kilometer land of the Huanglong. The young man slowed his steps. The only grounded means to enter - or exit - lay just before him, leading down into a valley, through woodland, and then, apparently, civilization. But he didn't need to go that far.

For from the heavens a majestic beast, a combination of lion and eagle, descended from the sky and landed before him, waiting for its rider.

Shen looked back, lights from the buildings on the estate stared back at him from the sea of blackened white of snow and night. Pleasant memories weren't abundant, but he still had a duty to his family didn't he? Could he really call this the right decision, to take the name of his brother and depart solely to prove a point?

Shen clenched his fist and turned his head away. Of course he could. This was the best decision. They couldn't allow such things as tradition and all-encompassing concerns about magical virility control them, when the mages of the modern world managed with the meager mana they could call their own! And what of the ways of the non-magical? They'd managed to create instruments that could be considered on par with certain magics with nothing more than ingenuity and brute, physical labor!

Yes, this was serving his family in his own way. He needed to show them that their ways couldn't - wouldn't work forever. That they had to adapt, not endure.

And to do that, he had to get on the griffin.
***
Shen decided he did not like flying.

Maybe it was the fact that he had an innate connection to the ground. Or maybe because the griffin saddle just was not that comfortable. Or maybe it was because they were going at an utterly absurd speed towards a rip in space. Or maybe because it was a new, foreign experience.
Or maybe it

...What was that middle one again? Uncomfortable seating?

Nevertheless, it looked like it was finally over. Looming in the distance was a large building, unlike what Shen had ever seen before. The architecture was sleek, there looked to be many students arriving as well, there-

(Alternative Mood Music)

"SLOWSLOWSLOWSLOWSLOW!"

....Well, when one finds themself hurtling towards a courtyard - no, a battlefield, upon which an army of a hundredfold had gathered, in which dragons of frost had been called forth to do battle, one tends to be at a loss of words as they try to comprehend what exactly brought them to that situation. Unfortunately, Shen didn't have time for that, as he was busy pouring a great deal of his mana into reinforcing his and the griffin's body for the inev-

POOF!

...itable impact. A cold, fluffy impact. The Yellow Dragon hast slain the snow dragon, like the prophecy foretold. Now he just had to deal with the nine others in his way.

Once again. Shen did not like flying.

Quickly he moved his right arm to brace for impact while the other shot out, firing a blast of flame. The searing lion-eagle and rider tore through the remaining dragons like a dragonslaying spear of flame, like a majestic star come crashing from the heavens, killing the dinosaurs. Except this time they were on fire and distinctly not dying of an ice age. And they were dragons, not dinosaurs. However, instead of celebrating victory, the only thing on Shen's mind - or rather his face - was a snow drift.

"...Ow."

Academy Of The Arcane Artes

What an interesting conversation!

Mahō No Ko, the Magical Children

A dark cat paced back and forth before him. An omen on a day of omens. Now, Levi wasn't really much of a spiritual or superstitious sort, but what else could you call waking up in some dank basement-esque structure with no windows along with a few other folks who seemed not to have their shit together? It surely wasn't some regular occurrence, that was for sure. The people were speaking, questioning their reasons for being here. It wasn't his place to speak, so he just listened. A few foreign loan words, a rather odd claim about defending the town like some Saturday morning cartoon, and an exchange of names. Nathan, Erebus, Taimu, Katherin, and then the other guys who didn't say a thing. Each had some kind of beast before them. How interesting.

Suddenly, a scream. Slightly muffled, but still audible in the room given its general echo-yness. The blue hoodied young man turned his head to look towards the blonde kind that looked like she was kind of just trying to make herself seem smaller. He'd barely heard it, but the question was there. "Underground by the sound of it," Levi drawled nonchalantly, "'Maho Underground' the girl over there - the one that seems know what's up - said." He shrugged. "No idea what that means though, but I heard something about defending the city."

Academy Of The Arcane Artes

...What.

Academy Of The Arcane Artes

Hey, it's not my fault it took goddamn forever to get it to approved by 3 GMs.

3 GMs, including myself I may add.

Academy Of The Arcane Artes

Finally got my CS approved. I'll see about writing up a post that's at least slightly more serious than the OP. Probably not though. Got a science project worth... a lot, to do.

Academy Of The Arcane Artes [Character Bin]

Character Sheet

Full Name
Huanglong Shen
Fake Name
Huanglong Fai
Gender
Male
Age
17
Year
First
Birthday
January 29, 2049
Astrological Sign
Dragon
Species
Human
Class
Geomancer
A class designating spellcasters who utilize the terrain beneath their feet in their thaumaturgy. While some Geomancers might keep to the fringe of battle, providing assistance to companions by enfeebling foes with the powers of nature or conjuring magical fields to buff allies, others transform the earth and destroy their foes using the nature they've attuned themselves to.
Weapon
Shen possesses no weapons or magical artifacts, but he does practice a five-style martial art that perfectly suits his affinity towards all five of the eastern elements, so he has that going for him at least. His skill level is roughly equivalent to someone who could make a national championship, but not win it.
World
Earth
Short Biography
The Huanglong are an ancient bloodline of magi that can trace its roots back to when the Xia Dynasty was still yet to establish itself. The family itself is incredibly traditional and isolationist, remaining static in an attempt to delay the inevitable decay of Earth's mages, and their ancestral territory, nestled atop a node of leylines deep in the mountain ranges along the Yellow River, is so spiritually potent that it could be referred to as the closest thing to Lucis on Earth.

Born possessing a downright pitiful level of magical potential by Huanglong standards, Shen was obviously a disappointment to his family, especially given he was the first-born of the Huanglong main branch. The only reason he hadn't been quietly smothered and passed off as a miscarriage was due to his affinity for the five elements, a significant change from the family's usual affinity. Needless to say, his childhood as the 'never good enough' child wasn't very fun. His training in the magical arts was minimal at best, and his martial arts training was for the sole purpose of being an effective punching bag for the future head of the Huanglong, his younger brother Fai. Although no favors or leniency would be allotted to him, so long as he didn't get in anyone's way and provided sufficient assistance around the estate, the clan elders left him to his own devices. And with the ample free time at his disposal, Shen would raid the family library or watch the news on the one channel their old TV had, forcing himself to take in as much information as he could to find ways to improve both his spellcraft and the traditions of the family. Even if the everyone thought he was a lost cause, he would show them that with nothing but sheer skill and the assimilation of outside values, he could surpass his 'perfect brother' and lead the family to a new generation of prosperity! ...Of course he'd fail to convince them to even let him try, and with each embarrassing refutation his contempt for the family and their outdated traditions grew. When he did get a chance to strut his stuff, it became nothing but a comedic spectacle for the family, an opportunity to laugh at the childishness of their failure. But that day, the raven carrying a letter accepting his brother into an academy of the outside arrived once more, like it had for the past few years. Of course, each time Shen had burned the letter out of spite, jealousy, or something else entirely. However, this time an idea struck him, and instead of burning the letter, he chose to do something else. He'd steal his brother's identity, he'd join this academy...

...and he'd show them. He'd show them all.
Personality
Shen is intensely driven to succeed by a lifetime of being 'not good enough'. He seeks validation for his achievements, to make it at least seem like he's actually worth the space he takes up. His attitude reflects this: he's a determined, almost unnaturally tenacious individual - the kind who can set a goal and painstakingly figure out how to accomplish it with whatever he's got as his disposal. Extreme, almost reckless lengths - such as, for example, identity theft - can usually be considered probable if not inevitable, but he's moral enough not to prioritize killing the villain over saving the bus full of orphans, and smart enough not to act like a suicidal fool. Socially, Shen considered reasonably polite; he certainly isn't a massive asshole by any means, but he does have his moments of astounding bluntness. He definitely could be called naive and idealistic, at any rate. While he is moderately expressive when it comes to feelings such as wonder and joy, rarely will one see a blatant, uncontrolled public display of raw emotion from him. Over the years he's become very good at bottling up his feelings - mostly negative, but some positive - and though he may cautious about opening up to people, once you get to know him well enough you'll have your hands on a decent geomantic tactician with unwavering loyalty to his allies.

On another note, due to the general old-timey-ness and isolation of the Huanglong family, Shen finds himself enamoured with a good deal of the advanced technology and quaint intricacies of modern culture that he's only seen past a TV screen.
Partner
N/A
Fear(s)/Weakness(es)/Limit(s)
Lack of Qualifications
Shen obviously didn't get into the Academy by his own merits, that's for sure. Apart from his unique form of magic, he really has nothing going for him. No big guns or mystic swords, no secret techniques or superhuman traits, just his guile and what magic he knows.

Lack of Streetsmarts
Due to living atop a mountain for 99% of his life, Shen isn't all that used to modern life, which means he can be tricked into believing something false, so long as it doesn't offend his sensibilities, contradict his (admittedly rather meager) prior knowledge, and isn't so obviously incorrect that something like looking around the immediate location would reveal the truth.

Lack of Training
The circumstances of Shen's upbringing have left his skill at magic leaning far more on the theory side than the practice side, and though his skill in martial arts is considerable by human standards, he hardly has enough skill or strength to turn the tide of battle with it.

Sense of Honor
Shen was raised in a culture that places a large value on honor. He doesn't take slights against himself very well and he'll always keep his word no matter how inconvenient it is. He also refuses to show cowardice in the face of danger and run from a fight, or speak to others about personal problems plaguing him.

Ungrounding
Mobilized magical fields and leyline interference, his two trump cards, can only be deployed within a few meters from the ground or a structure immediately connected to the ground, such as the first floor of a building.
Strange Attributes/Abilities/Traits
Huanglong Thaumaturgy - "Leyline Interference"
The unique magical art developed by the Huanlong over the span of at least five millennia: the harmonization between a mage and the natural flows of magical energy, leylines. Practitioners can accomplish feats such as the siphoning of mana from the worlds' leylines to fuel spells and rituals of immense cost. Furthermore, the intimate spiritual connection to the earth allows for innate proficiency in both working with earth-based subjects, and the deployment and destruction of magical fields - as well as the 'impossible' ability to render them mobile.

Magical Affinity - Wu Xing
A magical affinity that allows its user to excel in the use of spells based around the five eastern elements: fire, water, earth, wood, and metal. Shen's spell knowledge in this field is rather minimal, however.

Mana Capacity
The Huanglong are considered one of the Noble Houses, a set of nine mage bloodlines from Earth of the 'old as balls' variety that have withstood the degeneration and near extinction of mages throughout the ages. As such, the mana capacity of their progeny far surpasses that of normal mages. Even if Shen's capacity is considered incredibly pathetic by his family's standards, he could still be considered at least above-average by average standards.

Ingenuity
Heightened capacity for insight and quick, lateral thinking. It's the trait that makes Shen effective, as it allows him to push the properties of their limits, as well as figure how to make do in a bad situation if the former fails him. Also used to research new spells and figure out how to upgrade existing ones with surprising ease, in addition to other general uses.
Themesong
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Spell List

...Yeah, just check back in a day or some such.