Inertia

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

Tag(s): Everyone at the table

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Ixius placed the cutlery neatly to the side of his finished plate. He wondered if it was necessary to bring the plate anywhere, but followed the other students who had messily left their plates on the table. The magus listened to the comings and goings of his own table with disinterest. He did notice that Anise looked as downtrodden as Selena was but chose to say nothing. The conversation, at the very least, veered into a different direction. It devolved into a life as an adventurer and its glamour, Ixius couldn't help but frown at the rose-tinted discussion.

The talking ground into a halt as the same brute practically bulldozed into Selena. Finn, Arn, Lorelei and Karya practically jumped into action. Finn even shook the table as he stepped over it and to where Selena and the brute-of-a-student was. Ixius thanked his lucky stars that his book nor plate was stepped on. His eyes trained onto the situation unfolding- the monkey-like agility of Finn and the raw physicality of the brute... To Ixius, it was like observing two apes beating their chests. Even if he did think that Finn was more justified.

Luckily, Lorelei stepped in before the situation devolved into the a physical altercation and breaking the rules right after it was clearly stated to them and in-front of those same teachers. A deep voice rumbled right behind the two soon after, it was one of the teachers- Vermont. Even his voice was enough to make Ixius come to a halt, and he wasn't even directly involved. The situation that threatened to engulf Finn and the Brute blew over with the teacher's arrival. This group stands out in more ways than one. Ixius had even caught a few of the teachers staring in their general direction. He began preparing to leave. Ixius had even caught a few of the teachers staring in their general direction.

"I'd say it's been a pleasure... but," Ixius stopped himself and turned to leave, waving at whoever cared to see it, ... Ta." The red-eyed magus looked for an Athena crystal-ball to find the location of the 'Library' of Hoseforn seeing as he had free time. The location was imprinted onto his map and he began heading there. A few students openly gawked and whispered as they swiveled their head to follow Ixius. He had to stop his eyes from rolling out of his head at how 'inconspicuous' they thought they appeared. To be already subject to such infamy by proxy was something new. It didn't help that his robes laid on-top of the school uniform made him stand out quite easily.

Ixius took in the familiar smell of a library- The Hall of Mysteries. It felt like home for him, even if it didn't quite compare to the vast, nigh-endless libraries of the Librarium, it was something. There were barely any students present, as most likely would just spend their last bit of free time to do something more 'fun', but this was 'fun' for Ixius. The magus silently commended the students who were present however, most seemed to be third year students and had an intense look about them. Like Ixius, it seemed that it was best not to bother them, and he preferred it that way.

Ixius ran his fingers through the spine of each book, each bump triggered a calm, nostalgic feeling. He had a feeling that most of his time would likely be spent here, and he was probably right. After enough wistful meanderings he picked out a book- another one related to the basic simple principles of matter teleportation. It was the full version of the same, abridged, book he has. With the book in the crook of his arm, he found an empty seats among a sea of empty seats. He opened the book and quietly began reading, as he's always done.

"Now that I think about it, that grimoire that that mage had was odd..." The red-eyed mage mused to nobody in particular as he turned another page.

DIVINE INTERVENTION

A warm, comfortable silence blanketed the car after each person (sans the driver) had spoken their piece. It nestled itself softly into the background amidst the music playing on the radio and the soft clanging of inspected weaponry. However, all good things must come to pass. An inhuman, demonic screech sounded through the lonesome street and soon a rhythmic thumping got closer and closer. Jin and his fellow exorcists all snapped to attention, honing in on the sounds.

The priest's eyes landed on the horse-like demonic beings following after their vehicle. Jin's never seen demons such as those, only various myths and and hushed rumours that travel around follow exorcists. What he did know, however, was that demons came in all shapes and forms. Jin, under normal conditions, would have formulated some sort of plan with backups but it seemed that The Serpent would not give him nor his fellow priests the luxury.

"지친 이들을 위한 휴식 없음." Jin mumbled to himself, unconsciously slipping back to his mother tongue. The priest offered a short prayer of deliverance for him and his colleagues.

The horse-like demons would soon catch up and each exorcist played their part. The driver was fiercer than Jin had initially given him credit for- as the one demon laid wayside on the road can attest to. The car shook as he flicked his eyes to the demons ramming the right side of the car. Alistair, through sheer brawn, pulled one of the demons into the car and continuously stabbed downwards until it limped, dead on his lap. The young, disgusted priest chucked the demon out of the window.

At the same time, Ekaterine shouted out words to invigorate the rest into action. Her excellent control of her weapons and concentration surprised even Jin. Her reputation far preceded her- her handling, aim and odd calmness in the face of danger were signs of a seasoned expert. Before long three of the demons lives were extinguished with each resounding gunfire. If anything, her zeal was much more intense than anyone else in the car.

Yu pushed upwards onto the roof and stabbed the demon off it, it careening and crashing behind the five demons chasing them. The cold priest would light his censer, smoking out the demons right on their trail. It had an effect, it seemed to weaken and slightly slow down the demons.

As these situations happened, Jin fished the vials of clear, holy liquid out of his pouch. He holstered his pistol to the side of his chest. Next he rolled the window downwards (property damage, after all) and, while grabbing the rear interior handle, pushed himself out of the window. The scarred-priest faced the five horse-like demons chasing them and took a moment to adjust his aim. Three vials flew out of his hand and broke on one of the demons head; the liquid made its flesh to sizzle and smoke as its flesh sloughed off its form. The pain caused it to writhe and fall into agony and to tumble backwards.

In what Jin would call divine intervention, the demon rolled over and crashed into one of his fellow demons. The momentum essentially bludgeoned the other demon into the floor, tripping the other and grinding them onto the thorny asphalt. Both demons slid through the roads and turned into a fine, red misty meat-paste.

This was no time to celebrate, however. Jin clasped the colt into his hands and aimed, "God, guide this unworthy servant's hand." He cocked the gun and aimed at the demon in the middle of the pack. The colt cracked as a bullet careened out of the barrel as it harshly recoiled upwards. The bullet pierced through the air and punched into, what Jin assumed, its brain. The single shot caused it to fall limp and tumble violently onto the road, unluckily it didn't take anyone else with it.

A bump on the road caused Jin to slink back into the car to steady himself and catch his breath. He wasn't alone in this hunt, however, and he entrusted the task to his fellow exorcists- he was unsure if he could get another shot like that without wasting limited ammunition.

The Prince's Royal Guard

Even Acrius could tell more eyes were on him as he walked to the plaza, the assassins unconscious, freshly seared body in tow. Each step seemed to stupefy a portion of the festivities, as more turned to gape at him. The men, naturally bewildered, the women... with looks that he was unfamiliar yet familiar with. The swordsman couldn't tell why, however. Perhaps it was the semi-dead body on his shoulder. As he ruminated in his thoughts a decorated guardsman approached him, similar in garb to Rudolph. Likely a captain. After a brief conversation, he had turned him over to Helt and ascertained where Leonidas was.

"Shit, shit, shit," Acrius' pace quickened. This likely meant that the prince was still gobbling away at the food brought to him. If that 'servant' didn't listen, if they even were a servant, then there would be hell to pay. His eyes scanned the plaza and it spotted the prince still eating merrily under his tent.

Acrius did feel it was his fault that he chased the assassin instead of making sure the Prince was safe, a dumb and hasty decision on his end. He approached the prince at a near running speed as a few heads turned his way.

"Leonidas- Prince Leonidas," Acrius grabbed Leonidas' hand and threw the leg of chicken to the floor, "The food's been poisoned. I believe that assassins have paraded as some of the servants. How much have you eaten?"

"Either way, it is unsafe in the open like this," Acrius practically hoisted the Prince out of his chair, "We need to head back to the barracks for your safety and call for a healer."

Acrius recognized one of the observers in the crowd gawking at them. "PETYR!" The orange-eyed boy shouted through the stirs of the crowd, "Help me escort his highness back to the Barracks, quickly."

DIVINE INTERVENTION

Jin (진)

Ordinis Sancti Exorcistarum Christi

Ordinatus Capitulum Exorcistae de New Mexico

	NAME: Jin Dak-Ho (진 닥-호) ______________ AGE: 29 ______________ HEIGHT: 6'0" ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: September 5th, 1941 ______________ FAITH: PROTESTANT ______________ NATIONALITY: South Korean ______________

PERSONALITY
^{______________}

Jin always portrays himself with a smile. Usually a soft, gentle smile can be found on his face not too dissimilar to that of a patient parent. He is very gentle and soft-spoken, always having a kind word to say to people around him. Jin is not prone to anger, in-fact it seems nigh-impossible to truly rile him up (atleast, if you're human). He is considered an oddity amongst his fellow exorcist, considering his line of work and how it can, eventually, mentally and physically degrade any man. At the very least, the Korean has a seemingly endless amount of mental fortitude.

Jin is one of the few exorcists in South Korea as the prominence of Protestant churches were very low at the time. Many visibly recoil when they see a priest with many scars and gashes on him- his most prominent one a large gash over his left eye (The eye still remains fully functional, however). He meets their reactions with a hearty chuckle and usually jokes about it- whether stating that he was an ex-convict or was part of a bike gang (Kkhangpae (깡패)). That said, he uses clothing to cover up as much of the scars as he can (even using an eyepatch at times to hide his largest gash). This is because Jin has some reservations about his scars stemming from the stigma in South Korea in regards to personal beauty.

Underneath, Jin has some misgivings with his faith. Ultimately he believes in God's visions and plans. He's even waved away all the natural and man-made suffering that plagues the world. His faith, at times, can be shaken by the unnatural sufferings that occur. After five or so years of exorcisms, seeing all those whose suffered causes his heart to ache. He believes that none deserve to suffer from daemons, and wonders why a kind, benevolent God would allow such preternatural suffering to occur to his followers.

EQUIPMENT
^{______________}

- Consecrated Iron Batons: Jin wears these batons in a reverse grip. He uses it to fight defensively, it burns and sears daemons who come into contact with it. It is a simple iron baton blessed by his church and has been his main weapon of choice in close-quarters since beginning his exorcisms.

- Colt Paterson: A gun given to Jin by his clergy. He wasn't privy to the inner specifics on how it was forged and made- just what it is capable of. The design is plain other than an etching of 'Psalm 27:1' on the grip. The bullets it carries can harm and potentially kill daemons given a good enough shot. Jin usually has it on his hip, with it's holster. Jin maintains it on a (needlessly) daily basis.

- Vials of Holy Water: Small vials of holy water blessed by his church. They hang on his belt. The use is simple enough, throw on a daemon if need-be.

CAPACITY
^{______________}

Jin's first few years as an exorcist was bloody, to say the least. His inexperience and naivety had led to many near-death experiences. As such, he's built up a large tolerance for pain (during this period); his pain threshold is higher than most normal humans. It would take an inordinate amount of pain to get him to scream out in agony.

Jin's fighting style is mainly based on speed due to his lithe Korean frame. His weapons are used to block (while simultaneously hurting daemons) while retreating and counterattacking. This is due to personal experience, as he thinks it folly to overpower a daemon as opposed to using speed to outmaneuver. He is adept at using his own, rather unorthodox style, baton. He can also turn to a normal grip to extend his reach but lower his defense. To supplement his short reach is his Colt- he has near-perfect aim on despite being an older type of gun.

Aside from those specifics, Jin has memorized multiple exorcism chants and can recite it at a quick pace. So far, he's had alot of success with the exorcisms found in 'Rituale Romanum'. He has knowledge of turning water into holy water and can use it on the fly if needs be.

DIVINE INTERVENTION

Jin (진)

Ordinis Sancti Exorcistarum Christi

Ordinatus Capitulum Exorcistae de New Mexico

	NAME: Jin Dak-Ho (진 닥-호) ______________ AGE: 29 ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: September 5th, 1941 ______________ FAITH: PROTESTANT ______________ NATIONALITY: South Korea ______________

PERSONALITY
^{______________}

Jin always portrays himself with a smile. Usually a soft, gentle smile can be found on his face not too dissimilar to that of a patient parent. He is very gentle and soft-spoken, always having a kind word to say to people around him. Jin is not prone to anger, in-fact it seems nigh-impossible to truly rile him up (atleast, if you're human). He is considered an oddity amongst his fellow exorcist, considering his line of work and how it can, eventually, mentally and physically degrade any man. At the very least, the Korean has a seemingly endless amount of mental fortitude.

Jin is one of the few exorcists in South Korea as the prominence of Protestant churches were very low at the time. Many visibly recoil when they see a priest with many scars and gashes on him- his most prominent one a large gash over his left eye (The eye still remains fully functional, however). He meets their reactions with a hearty chuckle and usually jokes it- whether stating that he was an ex-convict or was part of a bike gang (Kkhangpae (깡패)). That said, he uses clothing to cover up as much of the scars as he can (even using an eyepatch at times to hide his largest gash). This is because Jin has some reservations about his scars which stems from the stigma in South Korea about personal beauty.

Underneath, Jin has some misgivings with his faith. Ultimately he believes in God's visions and plans. He's even waved away all the natural and man-made suffering that plagues the world. His faith, at times, can be shaken by the unnatural sufferings that occur. After five or so years of exorcisms, seeing all those whose suffered causes his heart to ache. He believes that none deserve to suffer from daemons, and wonders why a kind, benevolent God would allow such preternatural suffering to occur to his followers.

EQUIPMENT
^{______________}

- Consecrated Iron Batons: Jin wears these batons in a reverse grip. He uses it to fight defensively, it burns and sears daemons who come into contact with it. It is a simple iron baton blessed by his church and has been his main weapon of choice in close-quarters since beginning his exorcisms.

- Colt Paterson: A gun given to Jin by his clergy. He wasn't privy to the inner specifics on how it was forged and made- just what it is capable of. The design is plain other than an etching of 'Psalm 27:1' on the grip. The bullets it carries can harm and potentially kill daemons given a good enough shot. Jin usually has it on his hip, with it's holster. Jin maintains it on a (needlessly) daily basis.

- Vials of Holy Water: Small vials of holy water blessed by his church. They hang on his belt. The use is simple enough, throw on a daemon if need-be.

CAPACITY
^{______________}

Jin's first few years as an exorcist was bloody, to say the least. His inexperience and naivety had led to many near-death experiences. As such, he's built up a large tolerance for pain (during this period); his pain threshold is higher than most normal humans. It would take an inordinate amount of pain to get him to scream out in agony.

Jin's fighting style is mainly based on speed due to his lithe Korean frame. His weapons are used to block (while simultaneously hurting daemons) while retreating and counterattacking. This is due to personal experience, as he thinks it folly to overpower a daemon as opposed to using speed to outmaneuver. He is adept at using his own, rather unorthodox style, baton. He can also turn to a normal grip to extend his reach but lower his defense. To supplement his short reach is his Colt- he has near-perfect aim on despite being an older type of gun.

Aside from those specifics, Jin has memorized multiple exorcism chants and can recite it at a quick pace. So far, he's had alot of success with the exorcism found in 'Rituale Romanum'. He has knowledge of turning water into holy water and can use it on the fly if need arise.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

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Mentions:

@Heartfillia @Aerandir @mantou @datadogie @Omni5876 @ChaoticLaw @Tae @StOpossum

^{Collab with: @StOpossum}

Ixius’ meal was simple, it was plain white rice with eggs and a side of bacon. The egg was cooked to near perfection (atleast in his opinion); the yolk oozed out as he cut it with his spoon. Next he cut the bacon then placed it and a bit of rice onto his spoon and put it into his mouth. The flavours danced on his tongue and merrily travelled down his throat. It was delicious, to say the least. The bacon was high quality and the egg was simply pristine.

The raven-haired magus couldn’t help but overhear the conversation between Anise and Selena. As impossible as it should’ve been, this girl that sat on their table was a living, breathing Kitsune. It seemed that the rumours were just that, rumours. This was a rather large discovery and one that would likely come with repercussions in the future, just the thought gave Ixius stop.

Ixius eyed the girl, even someone like him could tell that she felt uncomfortable. And if he noticed and that Anise didn’t, she lacked self-awareness. Selena seemed like she wasn’t yet proficient in the common tongue.The Magus could almost physically see her retreating into a shell.

A sigh escaped Ixius’ lips, he felt pity for Selena. ”Hey, Mage. Are your eyes simply for show?” He directed his words across the table, to Anise, much less subtly than Karya, ”That Kitsune... Selena, was it? Clearly looks uncomfortable. Have some awareness, you’re spoiling my meal.”

”... recent changes? Not in detail, no.” Ixius replied to Karya's enquiry, ”The Librarium’s been in a stir recently. I’d heard bits and pieces from the higher-ranking Magus but nothing definitive.”

She was brought back to reality not just by her girl beside her, but also a black haired boy all the way on the opposite end of the table. He certainly did make it a point to be as prickly as possible. ”Well with the amount of vinegar you manage to speak with, I don’t think I'm to blame there.”

She looked him over a bit. She could have sworn he mentioned something about the Librarium. She had heard a little of that if she recalled from Crampernap. He wasn’t too fond of them, she last recalled.

That said… Selena did seem to be uncomfortable. Perhaps she had gone a little overboard. She cleared her throat and sat back down in her seat. “Fine. I don’t have a way to make proper notes anyway.” She turned to Selena and gave her a quick smile. ”Thank you for that. I would love to talk more about that later of course. Maybe prepare some questions of your own?”

She left the question open to her but decided to give her a break, turning her attention back to Ixius across the way. ”Well then, mister Magus, what sort of bits have you heard?”

Ixius craned his head to Anise again, a slight frown on his face. Vice Dean Maurine had essentially confirmed one piece of information for him. He didn't know if he could speak about it but by all accounts, he wasn't exactly forbidden to say- and his fellow Magus DID speak about it as if it wasn’t a secret. The red-eyed Magus opened his mouth but closed it… he also had no obligation to say it to this bunch but he felt a few of their eyes on them. Ugh...

After a moment, he finally began speaking, ”Well, since you asked so politely...” Ixius began, soft meltings of sarcasm in his voice, ”Well, I hope you lot can infer the basics of what Vice Dean Maurine said. The need for a bodyguard and such... it’s very likely that people are being attacked or kidnapped by some unknown means. ”

”Simple, no? The astute amongst you have probably already gathered that… I hope.” Ixius said, ”The bits I’ve… unintentionally... overheard from the Librarium was that same fact and that it has been happening for 7 months or so. This other ‘bit’ I’ve heard, which I’m personally unsure if it is unrelated or not, is that there’s been a string of killings where the bodies found were oddly mutilated...”

That was the breadth of Ixius’ knowledge, what they would do with said knowledge is up to them. The raven-haired Magus shoulders lifted into a shrug, ”Infer amongst yourselves what it could mean.”

”Satisfied, Mage?” Ixius said to Anise, ”You’ll have to make do… I don’t know much more.”

Anise turned her nose up a little bit, sensing the indignation in his words. Maybe her eyes were for show, but her ears worked perfectly fine. ”Well no, not really, but don’t let it shatter your pride, it can happen to anyone! Maybe the number of people around made it difficult to perform.” She was a little proud of that one. Lowbrow humor was never something she really shied away from.

She sighed, shaking her head. ” But… if you don’t know more, then I’ll have to make do with that.” Mutilated bodies could have a plethora of culprits, from monsters, to man. What she really needed was more information about who was turning up dead. Perhaps later.

What really was bugging her right now was the way he addressed her. Every time so far it has been Mage. No attempt to use her name. Even if he hadn’t heard, he could have easily asked but that was clearly none of his concerns. He already seemed like the kind to piss her off. Arrogant and self important. That much was apparent. She looked back over at him, softening her voice and taking on an elegant and demure demeanor. ”By the way, my name is not Mage. It’s Anise. Or are those ears just for show?”

”A wonderful riposte,” The Magus snapped his fingers after the word ‘riposte’, ”... from Mage, Anise.” Ixius turned back to his now cold meal shortly after as he didn’t see the point of continuing. He figured he’d let them digest the information he’d just provided.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

Tag(s): Everyone at the table

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Of course it had to be the table that Calven picked that had attracted the most conspicuous gathering of students. Their table stood out in more ways than one- two young Magus’, a student with mechanical appendages, a pink haired seemingly bunny-like student, a stoic white haired girl, and a seemingly petrified Dwarf. A Tiefling then arrived and had a blue-haired with yellow-slit eyes hanging around his arm, and, what seemed to be, a wood nymph.

This gathering... urgh, He silently hoped that no more would appear. The boy inched his seat and book away as the wet, wood nymph passed by him.

Ixius felt his nose itch at the many eyes staring at his table. The raven-haired magus despised being watched like some sort of exotic wildlife. Internally he blamed Calven and he shot him a dirty look towards the back of his head, his aura must've called these students to their table. He sucked in air and an annoyed sigh passed through his lips, he raised his fist upwards and slammed it into the table with a startling amount of force. The loud thump silenced a few of the gossiping and gawking tables near them.

”If you want to watch, purchase a ticket from the local theater instead and piss off,” Ixius raised his voice and hissed with knitted brows.

A few of them turned away sheepishly while others looked incensed at the freshman's audacity. It wasn’t as if Ixius noticed, however, as he had already turned back to his book. The boy hid it but his hand stung, Are these tables enchanted or something? He thought as he massaged his right hand with his left.

The procession started soon after. Ixius felt his heart thump as each teacher entered. They had this odd pressure about them- it was about what he expected from the old magic users. The mage unconsciously gulped- the drow woman and the man with the eyepatch, also seemed dangerous but in an entirely different way.

Ixius listened to the speech, it wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before (in the Librarium), but these teachers commanded an odd sort of respect from him. The speech was the general romp of rules and regulations each student had to follow, still he decided to keep it in mind. Getting expelled from Hoseforn’s Academy would bring shame to the Librarium afterall. Ixius was lost in his thoughts and awkwardly followed the round of applause.

Ixius didn’t catch what the headmaster said but soon plates of food and silverware appeared on-top of the table. Right on top of his book. The raven-haired mage daintily lifted the gravy saucer off of his book before pocketing it safely into his robes.

Ixius ears perked up as his hoped were dashed, another, albeit tardy, student wished to join the table. It was another Tiefling. The magus thought this one was a bit different from the other students- she seemed like an actual mage. Calven was also a mage, but if rumours were to be believed, he wasn't one Ixius would call a 'traditional' mage by any stretch.

The newer patrons, and the rest of the table began introducing themselves and, with little choice, Ixius listened. Again he would keep their names in mind. He deigned to introduce himself for the benefit of the newer patrons… atleast properly this time. ”I’m from the Magus Librarium, Ixius Delthrane.” Ixius’ mind flashed back to (forced) etiquette lessons from his superiors, that he found it wholly unnecessary. Still, he figured that his short and succinct introduction had enough panache to be respectful.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

This is the chunk I wrote for the Magus Librarium, though waiting for approval for Chaotic on it.

Magus Librarium

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The Magus Librarium is one of the largest consortia of Mages (formally known as Magus) on the continent of Ealinata. They are a collection of some of the best and brightest magic users that the land has to offer.

The Librarium transcends nationalities, mages hail from all over the continent - countries, kingdoms, and even other continents. To become a Magus is to give up their royalties to their kingdom. The Librarium, since its formation, has been neutral in any internal strife or conflicts within Ealinata. The Librarium is not to intervene nor take sides in any conflict between any nations, races, or clans. With that said, they have no real military presence as no country is insane enough to attack a large collection of mages. It is also a fact that members from almost all the kingdoms are Magus.

There is a special clause to their neutrality. Should a threat ever befall Ealinata as a whole, the Magus' Librarium will be able to overrule this clause and intervene to protect the continent.

Many Magus' specialize in a specific section and then a branch of magic. They set to find out the limits and dangers of magic. Their research and findings are then brought to pen and paper and stored for later deliberation. The Librarium's duty is to discover, research and archive any and all kinds of Magic in the known world. The council then decides if the magic is fit to be shared with the rest of the world or if it is to be locked away in the Libraries forever. An example of banned magic is Necromancy if any of its forms (though it can still be discovered and subsequently be used/abused by unscrupulous mages outside of the Librarium).

The Magus' Librarium lies within an island. From afar it looks like a bustling kingdom, the most eye-catching feature being the large tower smack dab in the middle of the gated walls. The tower holds the ever-expanding Library of the Magus. Frequent, non-magus visitors swear that the tower's height rises every year.

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The members within the walls of the Librarium all have ranks;

• Intiates/Sparks
• Novices
• Initates - To be taught/mentored under a High Magus
• Magus - Ixalven’s current level
• High Magus
• Arch-Magus
• High Arch-Magus

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They have a council that oversees any and all decision-making that directly involved the Magus Librarium- whether it be foreign political affairs, internal workings, and, research. All of it is decided by the council through a majority. There are nine seating council members that decide the day-to-day affairs of the Magus. A seat is only attained by being an Arch-Magus and gaining recommendations from at least give other Arch-Magus' and receiving at least 1/3rd of the current sitting council's votes. Only currently sitting council members can become High Arch-Magus'. The Council wears pristine white robes within (actual) gold ornaments and decorations.

There is a hidden shadow assembly that is directly under the council. Only Arch-Magus' and above know of their existence. They are known as the 'Silent Assembly'. It is a gathering of Magus who handle the darker side of the Librarium- Rulebreakers, Spies, Rogue Magus', etc. Any Magus that has broken the sacred rules and agreement of the Magus is subject to the Silent Assembly's judgment. This assembly seeks to maintain the code and conduct of the Librarium and makes sure that magic or knowledge from the Librarium is not leaked or abused by any individual. An example would be a foreign spy that has stolen magical knowledge about forbidden magic are hunted down by the assembly. Another example is that they also hunt down magic practitioners who use/abuse forbidden magics. Since the nature of their work is darker, they are not known to the general public nor even the general Magus population. They are made up of the most well-trusted Magus', as their work requires loyalty and devotion to the Librarium to prevent corruption. The Assembly wears a black ankle-length robe with distinguished white ornaments and enchanted armour when they work, and otherwise, wear the normal Magus robes when not in a meeting or a mission. On a mission they also wear a mask that heavily distorts their voice and lessens their permanence (they will be hard to detect and focus on and forgotten when looked away).

Since they are a neutral organization Magus are allowed to freely enter or leave any kingdom within Ealinata as long as they have the insignia of a Magus. Members of the Librarium can go anywhere within Ealinata nearly unimpeded- this is to be able to research and find magicks in all corners of the world.

Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers

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Collab between: Inertia & @mantou

Ixius’ ears pricked at the door clicking open again. Great, He sighed, he honestly wanted to be alone. More room for himself- his books, scrolls, and experiments. He didn’t bother craning his neck to look at Calven and continued reading his book. Hopefully, the stranger could read body language… but apparently not. The voice spewed out a vomit of words.

”Even though you seem pretty busy, care for a mana muffin? I made them myself, and they’re meant to restore your energy for this morning spent moving. Don’t worry, you can’t actually taste the mana in them.”

Never mind, he could read body language but just chose to willfully ignore it. Ixius could tell he would love this roommate, though he did ponder his last few words. Wait, did this bufoon say mana... muffin?

”Did you just say ‘Mana muffin’. What in the hells is that, and why does it sound vaguely familiar?” Ixius replied, he had heard of something like this back at the Librarium. He also didn’t admit that injecting mana into food was a relatively impressive but impractical feat. Rumours say that the conversion rate from mana inputted to output is abysmal.

”OH, my name is Calven by the way. Calven Fallard. Nice to meet you, roomie!”

This time Ixius did crane his neck and rested his cheek on the back of his hand before addressing the blond, ”Fallard… Fallard, the son of High Magus Theodore Fallard?” Ixius paused as he gathered his thoughts, ”The so-called ‘problem child’ of the Librarium.” It seemed that Ixius didn’t get the irony. ”What ^rotten luck to have a fellow Magus as my roommate. Ixius continued, flipping a page and letting the conversation lull to a stop.

Cal gasped, his excitement had grown stronger at the sight of the other students’ magus garb. Oh wow… How lucky AM I! he thought, eyes turned up to form crescents at the boy sitting down. The blond’s train of thoughts began, cycling through each and every future scenario spanning the next 4 years with his newfound friend. All situations had to do with magic, food, adventure, and their soon-to-be friendship. With Cal’s imagination having difficulty coming to a rest, even his roommate’s haughty remarks went in through one ear and out the other. And did he mention something about his father?

Ixius’ felt uncomfortable at the blond Magus’ blankly staring at him. It seemed that his gears were turning, trying to place who Ixius was. Should he bother introducing himself? It wasn’t like Calven, nor any other Magus as a matter-of-fact, would even know him. Still, Calven was a member of the Librarium, a high-ranking one at that, and that... deserved some respect, with another weary sigh, he deigned to introduce himself. ”Ixius Delthrane.”

As the raven-haired boy finally introduced himself, Calven internally came to a screeching halt.

The student chef exclaimed with eyes wide: “Ixius? Ixius DELTHRANE?” The boy mused as he recalled his father’s late-night telepathic meetings, discussing with other council members about a student called Delthrane. It wasn’t gossip, per se, but the meetings weren’t for very notable, or even good reasons to say the least… so Cal chose to leave it at that.

”Yes, that is indeed my name.” Ixius replied, the faintest hint of biting sarcasm in his tone.

The blond broke away from his thoughts and beamed back at his roommate, ”Ixius, my fellow problem child. It’s great to finally meet you!”

Ixius halted his reading; the red-eyed boy opened his mouth as if to speak but closed it after a moment of consideration. It wasn’t worth the energy talking to this gleaming pile of optimism, Ixius’ words would just bounce right off. The boy seemed to be the type to endlessly chatter, regardless if there was a participant or not. Instead, he replied with another turn of a page.

The chef attempted to feign a calmness he did not feel; the spring in Cal’s step betraying him as he made his way across the room to the bed. Unpacking was an issue on the schedule to be worried about later, after the feast. The boys had just gotten acquainted with each other - for now he just wanted to relax, kick his boots off, and release himself from his heavily-embellished magus robe. With a quick swipe past the clasp, his robe proceeded to fall to the bed with a light thud. A second heavier THUD followed as Calven lay sprawled on top of his garb, assuming a starfish position. He let out a sigh as he felt the mana that went into baking those muffins start to regenerate steadily.

The noise caused Ixius to glance at Calven, who was now practically sinking into his bed. The robes sank with him, the robes that signified one’s dignity as a Magus and he treated it like a mattress. Ixius got up, his chair screeched as it dragged across the floor, and turned to the blond. His mouth contorted, he couldn’t find the words. His hands shook unsteadily. Even his mana rose and fell in equal measures.

It’s his robes, he’s free to do as he wants- Ixius repeated in his mind, it was the only thing holding him back, He’s a high magus’ son, He’s a high magus’ son, He’s a high magus’ son.

Ixius massaged his temple as he slowly collected himself. ”So this,” He gestures to Calven’s, well, everything, ”... is why High Magus Fallard is greying, as young as he is.”

Calven lifted his head up in response, “Oh? I thought he just preferred the salt and pepper look.” he chirped. “You should try one of my muffins, you’ve been massaging that temple of yours for a while now. Speaking of which, toss me one!”

Ixius blinked incredulously. Was Calven really going to eat that muffin and leave crumbs all over his bed- and even worse, all over his robes? It was at this point that Ixius mentally checked out. He grabbed one of the muffins, there definitely was mana. It was carefully knitted into the bread, it seemed that his claims were atleast true. Ixius walked over to the lying blond and carefully placed it next to him.

Calven smiled, reached for the muffin, and was about to stuff it into his mouth before his roommate gave him a word of caution.

”Don’t leave crumbs in the room,” Ixius warned, mentally blocking out the robes’ desecration at the hands of this boy, ”If I find bugs gnawing at my research...” He stopped himself and shook his head. With another weary sigh he found his seat again.

Don’t leave crumbs when eating delicious food… that’s almost like saying don’t laugh when you hear a funny joke. Then Calven swiftly laid back down, muffin in hand, and bit into it, making sure all of the crumbs fell straight into his mouth to the best of his ability. The things people do for friendship.

Calven chewed twice, opening his mouth to speak, ”Therehh, hyou happfy?” consequently letting loose crumbs scatter on both the robe and the bed.

”So help me, Calven,” Ixius didn’t even turn from his book, but he could definitely tell that crumbs were already all over Calven’s floor, bed, and... robes. ”The moment I find a single bug- ant, fly, cockroach, I will separate our room by a barrier.”

The student chef promptly dusted the fallen crumbs off his bed, as if having them on the floor was a much better choice. The boy made a mental note to put in some effort to sweep the room out later. Calven finished dusting and shot a toothy grin to the back of Ixius' head, who was still very much engrossed in his book.

"Like hell I'd let you do that! Roomies stick together regardless of insect colonies." He hopped onto his feet to get to the next point of interest - the wardrobe. The uniforms piqued his curiosity when he ran into some students who had worn them earlier, though they were female. Exclaiming in advance, Calven excitedly unlocked the hatch to their closet and his voice died in his throat. The design was rather fetching, not too shabby in the slightest. The color scheme was especially appealing to the eye. However, the thing that bothered him the most was the fact that the uniform set came with a coat blazer. And a scarf. On top of that, he was also expected to wear the magus robes over it? Did the council not consider that their apprentices had pores to sweat from? The blond already felt a layer of sweat that formed on his back. Magus Librarium, really… no matter how adept at magic you are, you can't just ignore the heat rashes…

In the end, Calven decided to simply fold the red scarf into a pocket square and tuck it into the front of his magus robe. Unfortunately, he still had on two layers of long-sleeved garments, but at least he could have his magus robes unbuttoned to alleviate some of the stuffiness. Even if it didn't help much, the heat would have to be endured, and Ixius would have to endure his complaints.

Ixius glanced at the clock, and with Calven dressing up, he figured it best to follow suit. He barely spared a glance at the design nor make of the uniform. He fastened the belts on the long-sleeved torso and slid his legs into the white cargo pants. Like Calven, he carefully placed his robes over the uniform but left the middle bare to keep his uniform visible. The logo of Hoseforn and the Insignia of the Magus’ Librarium were both shown. Finally, he wrapped the red scarf (meant to be on his neck) around his right arm.

"Over-layering aside, we look pretty damn good if I do say so myself…" Calven stated while giving Ixius an unwarranted turn-around. Just then, a thought popped into the little chef's head.

"Hey… we forgot to bathe."

---

Forty minutes later, the two made their way down to their second stop. It wasn’t too difficult to find, especially with the help of the map Athena provided them with. A pre-marked route was easy enough to follow, and soon enough, they found themselves at the grand entrance of Hoseforn's Feast Hall. Calven quickly ushered an exasperated Ixius to the first seats his eyes landed on, and paid no mind to the fact that they were nearly twenty minutes early.

The Aphelion Event

Tell me if there's anything to change.

Edit: Changed wording and sentences a bit.

Lucas Banks

AGENT DOSSIER

Name: Lucas Elmer Banks
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Height: 180 cm/5 feet 11 inches
Entity: Anomalous
_{If you are anomalous please fill out this section. Write N/A if inapplicable.}
Nature of Expression:
The book found on site had a section that wrote about an eye- "The devil's eye is able to pierce through the veil and see through the tricks of the ones above. It grants a gift, that no human will ever attain. But, be warned, when one peers into the veil... something often peers back."

Agent Banks' right eye allows him to perceive the 'higher dimension'. This allows the agent to gather information from a vantage point no other agent could obtain. He states that it is like "peering through one [EXPUNGED] up kaleidoscope". Agent has reported being bombarded by clusters of tension and cluster-like headaches while the eye is in use.

The human mind is hard-wired to work in the 3-dimensional space, a fourth axis is nigh-impossible to imagine. It is believed to be the most probable cause of the headaches- his brain is unable to process or even comprehend objects in the higher dimension. It would be akin to 2-dimensional being trying to make sense of a 3-dimensional object, the mind is simple unable to visualize the extra space- depth. This is believed to be the case for Agent Banks, except as a 3-dimensional being against a 4-dimensional (or possibly higher) object/being.

Eye's Appearance

The pupil engorges, and the outer ring emits a dull, pale golden glow when in use.

The eye has no other (known) reported effect.

Containment:
Pain relief pills manufactured by The Bureau (stronger than what is available in the market) are to be given to Agent Banks when requested. The eye's usage can be stopped by forcefully closing the eyelid. Any form of unconsciousness produces the same effect. In the worst case scenario, The Bureau inducts a protocol that allows other agents to kill the agent, extract his eye, and store it into containment.

(NOTE: complete control of anomalies is impractical given the irregular nature of these. Therefore the following is considered:)

Risks:

• Agent Banks has no control over the eye itself- it is always 'active' and as such he is forced to wear anything (usually an eye-patch) that covers his eye. Agent still has anatomical control over his eyelid.
• Peering into the higher dimension is immensely headache inducing, with symptoms of the tension and cluster-like headaches being prevalent. Prolonged periods of usage can even induce unconsciousness.
• The eye can, at times, force itself open with seemingly no stimulus.
  > This is commonly followed by episodes that push the eye into overdrive and go berserk.
• Has shown to bleed at times when coming into contact with other paranormal phenomena.
• When exhausted, the eye can induce personal hallucinations (with the five senses) to the user, making them question reality.

Test Scores:
Strength: 6/10
Intelligence: 8/10
Psychology: 1/10

Remarkable Skills:
Agent Banks has shown excellent observation skills and spatial awareness. He is keenly aware of people around him, escape routes, objects that can be turned into weapons, etc. It is unknown if this is a benefit from the eye or is just a trait of the agent.

After years of prolonged and continuous usage, Agent Banks' mind has been slightly conditioned to the trickery of the veil. Without usage of his right eye he is able to perceive and process highly anomalous sites easier than most.

Personality:
Lucas is shown to be an extremely affable person- above the norm expected from agents. Frequently uses humour and wit to defuse situations or deflect/retreat from the harsh reality that agents usually face on a day-to-day basis. Is relatively more merciful towards safe anomalous creatures- especially if humanoid. Otherwise agent adopts a 'no skin off my back' attitude and forgives transgressions quickly and has developed quite a thick skin due to being anomalous in nature.

Social Liabilities:
N/A - All current relationships lie within The Bureau.

Service Record:
Lucas Banks was found after a paranormal event- Incident XI-231-Y1. After a brief altercation between cult members and The Bureau, the on-site agents charged into the church. An unconscious young child- now formally known as Agent Banks, was found at the heart of the scene. [REDACTED] bodies were found on the scene, eyes all gouged out of each body. Agents reported that the walls had various, unknown etchings. A book written in nearly indecipherable English was found on site- appears to be a book from the cult about a demon summoning. The young child's right eye was covered in blood and [REDACTED], before he was extracted by The Bureau. The boy reported not remembering anything before The Bureau found him. They found the boys real name- [REDACTED] through The Bureau's database. Child's parents were found dead in a homicide and the child went missing three years ago. Bureau has since assigned him a new name and identity to protect secrecy.

Agent Lucas Banks has since been under the watchful eye of The Bureau. His eye has been through various, rigorous testings to see what the eye is capable of. After years of testing they found that sees through illusions and even levels of reality bending from other anomalous objects. After careful deliberation he was allowed to train as a trainee for The Bureau, and was only allowed to go to the field after a decade.

His anomalous properties specializes against specific types of paranormal events, Agent Lucas took precedence in those cases. Since his deployment has had many successful missions against anomalous objects or creatures that uses trickery through illusions.