Averell listens to the instructions given, and he goes through the motions practicing while Ambrose and Vanadis actually cast the spell. When it comes time for him to perform the spell, he slowly and carefully uses the prescribed movements and words, and smiles wide when the gentle breeze is blowing and ringing the bell[sup]1[/sup].
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[sup]1[/sup]: Cr 1 + Au 1 - Sta 2 + Aura 4 +[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4570932/]stress die of 1, exploded to 5 which doubles to 10 = 14, halved is 7.
Although this is more than enough to hit the target of 5 for this exercise, could I add Averell's score in Concentration to these rolls seeing as we are in a classroom and his personality would warrant him concentrating on spell casting?
And I would like to point out that this is now the second CrAu spell Averell has attempted that has had the stress die explode. I'm thinking he may be budding into an Auram specialist or an Elementalist. Hmmm....
Ok, that works, too. I was not going to apply it, anyway, until the new college year started, to avoid confusion (since pbp timelimes can get pretty tangly).
Margerethe raises her hand repeatedly, but the combination of her small size and her Inconspicuous Virtue keeps her from being called on. She finally pushes her way, feeling a little frustrated, to the front and prepares to wow them with her mastery of the wind.
Fabricus merely nods as the students step up and complete the trial, but otherwise seems noncomittal. "Who is next? Remember to call to mind the sensations you experienced whether you succeed or fail and write them down."
Julius steps up and tries to imitate Master Fabricus' tone and gestures. His wind causes the windmill to turn even as a sheen of sweat breaks out on his forehead. He grins as he sits down.
Averell takes his seat after performing the spontaneous spell, grabbing a quill, a vial of ink, and some parchment as he does so. He then scratches his head a few times before putting that quill into the ink and then onto the paper.
[i]What does the wind feel like? It's as cool as the water, and as hot as the sun. It can be as gentle as a baby's breath, or as hard as a solid stone. We need air to live; without it we die.
But none of that can tell how it felt to have the air flowing FROM me. It was like running through the fields back home on the day of the summer equinox, the wet grass clinging to my breeches. It was like taking a bath without getting wet, streams of air flowing around me and doing what I wanted them to do. It was like my mother's breath on my cheek when she kisses me goodnight.
It's hard to say what it was truly like, because it didn't last very long. But I know it was special, and amazing, and worth doing again.[/i]
He reads what he has written several times over, making sure everything sounds right. He can't truly put into words what he felt, and even though he's only somewhat happy with what he put down, the smile on his face lingers on. The feeling of magic flowing through him...
...it can't be described, he adds to the parchment at the bottom. It's as if I am dreaming.
Margerethe dips her quill carefully in the inkwell and holds it over the blank parchment, scowling with intense concentration. It's several minutes before she finally puts the quill to work.
[color=purple]"I do not know if Latin has the words to describe the feeling when I finally was able to make the breeze today. I know that german dos not. It is not how it feels to wave a fan. It is not how it feels when wind is on your face or down your arms. It is like the air is part of me, and making the breeze, it felt like part of me left me, but I did not feel any lesser for it. I was a little tired after, but it was the same kind of tired as when I run and climb, and not because of my air leaving me, I think.
"I am sorry, Professor, if I cannot describe how it feels. Because I have never felt anything else like it.
Back at her desk, Vanadís leans back and closes her eyes for a moment, quill in hand. After a long pause, she starts to write. Her handwriting seems to change, the longer she writes, slowly becoming more languid and cursive.
Auram - the art of the breeze. It's the whisper of the voice of the manitou, just beyond my hearing. It's the syllables of the song of the clouds. Last but not least, it's the road the valkyrja take to visit the fields of honour. I thought it was but an airy thing, but it has worth beyond my ken; now I know.
She sets down the quill and breathes softly over the parchment, almost tenderly.
Ambrose writes. 'It was easy. I'm not sure it was entirely my facility for weather phenomenon, it just genuinely seemed easy. I wonder if everything is going to be this easy.
As the wind starts to blow Babette's face is straining and turning to a frown when the bell doesn't initially ring, but soon she is rewarded with a tinkle of the bell and she hops ups and claps her hands excitedly. Fabricus's expression doesn't change, he merely points back to her seat with paper and quill waiting for her. She eagerly takes up the quill and begins writing.
'The art of Creo was what felt strongest in me, I felt a strength, pure strength, to make something and send it into the world. Creo always seems to fill me with joy and strength. The Auram though, reminds me of dreams I had on the wing, I flew as a bird and saw all of creation below me. Is this how the angels see?'
Fabricus walks by and reads what people are writing and stops at Ambrose's. "You are very full of yourself and what skill you have, yet you can't put to words what stirred within you? 'It was easy'. Is that all? Is that what it feels like to be as smart and skilled as you? How very boring." he sighs. "Ambrose, I want you to be challenged, perhaps that is what this is lacking for you. You should be able to feel and put to words what magic is to you. It is an Art and art should stir within you and others. It will feel differently to each practitioner and witness, I know some magi that find magic painful to draw upon while others are so enamored of it that they cast spell after spell until they exhaust themselves. It is no secret, my own House requires external aid for our spells; a price we pay for another aspect of our Arts. Ambrose, if this was too easy, then let us see what you can do. We're going outside class and we'll try another test for Ambrose and others if they'd care to." he points his wand at the larger windmill that was on display, it is perhaps designed to actually be mounted on a farm roof. "Ambrose, if this is a challenge for you, then actually search within yourself for what feelings it brings. That acknowledgement will help you to realize your power." The windmill model floats in the air and Fabricus leads the class room outside.
((Any teachers that want to join feel free. This windmill should be more difficult to turn by the fact that it is larger and has tighter gears))
Vanadís eagerly walks along outside. Her eyes are drawn almost immediately up, following swifts and starlings, her finger tracing out a cloud up in the sky. Her face is still glowing with a happiness as she merrily bounds after Fabricus.
"Professor, it was easy. Should I bubble and froth and slobber and cream with joy for doing that which is easy, or doing that which is hard? If I celebrate this, does it mean that my accomplishments that will come mean to be celebrated even more when they come to pass?"
Ambrose goes faces the windmill, he has some measure of trepidation at the size of it, estimating the amount of wind needed and works his spell, taking a lot of time to get it right he casts, but it blows the wind for a moment and barely nudges the windmill.
"I can do better." He then works a ceremonial spell, taking 15 minutes...
He then tries again[sup]2[/sup], trying to conjure the wind as long as he possibly can and he manages to make it a diameter.
"That's better." Ambrose grins, "That was fun, and I'm tired."
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[sup]1[/sup]Cr 1 + Auram 3 + Sta 3 + Aura 4 +Focus 1 - Size 2 + Die 3[sup]3[/sup]=13/2 or 6.5
At D:Momentary the breeze barely moves it.
[sup]2[/sup]Cr 1 + Auram 3 + Sta 3 + Aura 4 +Focus 1 - Size 2 + Artes Liberales 1 + Philosophiae 1 + Die 9[sup]4[/sup]=21/2 or 10.5
This is an open ended spontaneous spell to create a wind for as long as he can make it go, at level 10 the greatest he can manage is a base 2, and at diameter duration.
[sup]3[/sup] invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4573366/
[sup]4[/sup]
A ceremonial spell should technically take 15 minutes per magnitude, and at a 2nd magnitude effect, it should be 30 minutes, but when you do an open ended effect, you don't know how long it's going to take, so we'll say it took 15 minutes.
This is the longest of the classroom threads by far, I'm awarding Fabrics 3 xp above his exposure xp. Qcipher, I'll let you award Ambrose's confidence and XP, just remember that it shouldn't be a lot of XP, since he already gets 5 xp from the class.
All the apprentices earn 2xp in this thread. The other teachers earn 1 xp.
All extra XP is used exactly like adventure XP, but let's say that it is limited to on screen activity and it is above and beyond any classroom or exposure xp.
We can wrap up anything that needs wrapping up here.
[Squee! I think I'm calling it exposure to Teaching. Won't make a full skill rank, but it's a start. Gods, Vanadís xp is spread all over the place, but I feel that's what happens when you use this much more naturalistic approach, instead of laboratory creation. I like it.]
Fabricus does not get provoked by the questions from Ambrose but instead studies his technique at using magic and his determination to succeed. Once the boy finally moves the larger and heavier windmill he nods. "Fun, tired. That's good, it shows effort and it feels good to succeed, I know that feeling of having effort rewarded." Fabricus leans closer, taking a knee in front of him. "But fun and tired were what you felt afterwards. The celebration you mentioned is what comes after. What did you feel during the calling up of the magic, when your first efforts weren't enough? What rising emotion or sensation came from your heart?" he asks as he touches the center of the boy's chest. "Magic is Art boy, it's not science. It's also not an obstacle or challenge; you can't defeat magic, but you can be a vessel for it, and through you express the beauty of magic. But until you find that spark of inspiration and discover it for yourself...then your magic will be incomplete. You crave power...but first you need to find the inspiration within. Now...what did you feel? Did you say to yourself 'I'll show that foolish old Verditius'? Were you angry that your skills were being challenged or insulted by the challenge even? If so, that is not magic. If you felt a flow of air, a rush of wind, or a connection to the etheric plane were perfect forms exist...then you are beginning to feel magic."
((OOC: 2 XP I understand. But do we have to spend it on what is in this thread, or on anything related to this thread? I'm confused by your last statement, Jonathan...))
Related to this thread, if you can demonstrate or reasonably explain why you'd gain knowledge of teaching. Silberluchs is a good example here, in that he observed Fabricus's teaching. Vanadís didn't actually teach, but he observed it onscreen. But there was no brawling in this thread, so it's not reasonable to spend it on brawling, for instance. Adventure XP can normally be spent on off screen activities, things that you would reasonably be able to say you've done in the background, but I'm being a bit more restrictive here.