Dungeoncrawler's Academy

edited 2013-04-25 23:47:06 in Roleplay & Games

"Almost 300 years ago, Iskander Duvalion discovered the mysterious Infinite Dungeon beneath the Wrakhem Desert, and founded a school dedicated to the study and exploration of this strange locale. Since that time, the Dungeon's ever-shifting passageways and possibly infinite floors have been mapped to the extent that the students of the so-called "Dungeon-Crawler's Academy" can explore it in relative safety. 

Today, you and your classmates will be permitted to enter the Dungeon for the first time. There, you will find fantastic treasure, face fearsome creatures, and hope to delve deeper into the dungeon than anyone before you. But be wary, for the lower floors of the Dungeon have never been as extensively mapped as the upper, and it was on the 844th floor where Iskander himself disappeared under mysterious circumstances all those years ago!

....

But! You don't have to worry so much about that."

The bespectacled, sharp-nosed professor let a thin grin spread across her lips. "The important thing is the discovery! I remember my classmates and I had a rollicking time in the Dungeon many years ago, and now I teach here. It's a mystery, but it's one to be as much enjoyed as respected. Now, I'm aware that not all of you are from the same prior classes, so you've got some time to get to know each other before you set out. Normally, I'd get to know you all myself a bit too, but I have other duties to attend to today, unfortunately. Oh! Here, you'll need these." 

The Professor pulled a number of small, brownish rucksacks tied by golden thread seemingly out of nowhere, and handed them to each of you.

You're in a fairly spacious dome-shaped room, there are a number of couches to either side, and the entrance to The Dungeon is at the front of the room. At the back is a long hallway, leading to where your new dorms will be--among other places--when you're shown them later. As your professor exits through this hallway, you feel the texture of the pack, and turn your eyes toward your classmates.

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Comments

  • edited 2013-04-26 02:28:23
    ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    Nathan looked at his classmates for a bit before trying to follow the professor. "Professor," he started, running after the woman, "How exactly do we know that Iskander disappeared on the 844th floor, exactly? It seems sort of a specific number"
  • N. immediately pulled open the rucksack and peeked at it's contents. A Bluestone ring; a Lifesaving Charm; and the big one, Duvalion's Bestiary. He touches the edges tenderly. So much information.
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    Seeing the professor already gone, Nathen sighed and turned around to go join his classmates
  • edited 2013-04-26 13:09:22
    ...And even when your hope is gone
    move along, move along, just to make it through
    (2015 self)
    "Hmm.  Looks like a former student has written in my copy"  Lucretia thought. "Turn to page 118".  She did.  "Turn to page 267" she did.  "Turn to page 61" she did. "turn to page 212".  She did.  "turn to page e^3". She did.  "turn to page 126" she did.  "Turn to page sin(12) + i" she did. "turn to page 39". she did.  "Turn to page 118" she did.   "Turn to page 267"  She did.

    After a few minutes of this; Lucretia began to suspect something was up.
  • Shrugging her shoulders after looking at her other classmates. Demei casually sat down on one of the couches, her eyes trained on her classmates.

    "So, is anyone here even worth knowing?" she growled out sarcastically, rolling her eyes slightly.
  • N. glanced at the student who had interrupted his reverie. A skald, from the looks of it. Typical. He considers snarking at her, but he decides that she's not worth the time. He moves towards the opposite side of the room.
  • "H-hello, everyone!" Belighor said quietly, trying to face his fellow students. "I, er, I l-look forward to working... with... you all..." Noticing that most of his classmates were intimidating at best, he shrunk into his cloak and scarf, backing away from the others. "I'll just... s-stand over here..."
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    Nathan looked at Belighor. He observed him for a bit before shrugging and walking over

    "Hey, how are you doing?"
  • edited 2013-04-26 21:34:25
    “I'm surprised. Those clothes… but, aren't you…?”
    Kenneth peeks over his copy of Duvalion's Bestiary and gives the aggressive girl a peculiar appraising look. He smiles slightly.

    "No."
  • edited 2013-04-28 22:25:49
    ...And even when your hope is gone
    move along, move along, just to make it through
    (2015 self)
    "So, are any of you not averse to the smell of rotten eggs?" Lucretia asked, to nobody in particular.

    "If anyone can stand those kinds of smells and worse, I'd love to have an assistant for my experiments."

    "Ugh.  This is going nowhere." Lucretia said, placing her hand on her nose.
  • Deliberately ignoring Lucretia, Belighor turned to face Nathan, nervously tugging at his scarf. "Uh. H-hi. N-not that good, to be honest. Extremely stressed. New, intimidating people. N-not that I'm saying you look frightening or anything..." He trailed off. "I'll j-just... check out what's in this rucksack." Belighor made an attempt to nonchalantly back away from Nathan, but ended up running straight into N. "Eep."
  • Reina finishes the last piece of fried shrimp from her lunch box. The lunch box has a design from an old video game she vaguely remembers playing when she was 8. The logos colors are incorrect, she'd always been told.

    She looks inside the lunchbox and immediately winces in disgust. "aw crap, coconut." She raises her voice and raises the dessert over her head, shouting "Hey, anybody like coconut? C'moooon. Whoop--"

    The coconut pastry drops inside the rucksack. Strange, It was closed just a while ago.
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    Nathan raised an eyebrow, a bit confused by Belighor. He decided that, since everyone else was off doing their own thing, he might as well work on his mechaspiders. Going to where the device was stored in the room, he took out a wrench - useless in the dungeon, but pretty good for keeping his devices in tip top condition in the academy. He began to tighten bolts and screws
  • N peers down his nose at the tiny person who had bumped into him. Short, frightened, mousey even. However, he doesn't appear to be a skald or a ranger.

    As much as he doesn't like socializing, N had heard stories about wizards who try to take on the dungeon alone. When their Lifesaving charms weren't being 'misplaced', melee/ranged support would 'strategically retreat' in the middle of a battle or 'mysterious' holes would appear in their rucksack. Friendship, as it seems, is just as important as magic in the dungeons, and the mouse boy looks like he could use a friend.

    N suddenly realizes that he's been staring at the little mouse boy for about half a minute

    "My apologies", he mumbles, awkwardly stretching out his right hand hand. "N. Lancaster., pleased to meet you."
  • Belighor looked up at the person he had run into, flinching a bit. Upon realizing he wasn't about to get yelled at, though, he breathed a small breath of relief. "I-it was my fault." He said, nervously shaking N's hand. "I'm B-Belighor Sydoria. It's a pleasure t-to make your acquaintance." This person seemed friendly enough, at least. 
  • "Right then." N's lips curled into something of a smile. Usually, the first part of the conversation is the worst.

    "So, Mr. Sydoria, what schools are you in?" N hoped for Fire or Force. One can only do so much damage with barriers and light.
  • "M-my schools?" Oh no, oh no, this wasn't good at all. People tended to not react well to male witches, a fact Belighor knew all too well. It had been going so well, too. "Er. School. Singular. B-barrier. I'm a witch..." Belighor nervously took a step back, hiding most of his face with his scarf.
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    Nathan swore as he caught his finger on a metal edge. "Fucking-I thought I sanded that down!"
  • ...And even when your hope is gone
    move along, move along, just to make it through
    (2015 self)
    "Language, peon!  I don't have to hear such uncultured rubbish from putrescent swine like you.  I didn't even use such language the day I exploded my parents."  Lucretia said.
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    Nathan looked at Lucretia. "...Make me not swear"
  • "Oh. Unfortunate," N mumbled without thinking. As a rule, N tried to avoid the narrow-minded thinking that many students had towards male witches. Non-traditional as male witches are, witchcraft means more magic, and all magicians should embrace more magic. What was more worrying was the school.

    Once again, N realized that he stopped the conversation to muddle in his own thoughts

    "Well, no large matter, my good man. I'm in the barrier school as well, actuall--" N held out a hand as he turned to the argument. "What the dickens is this..." he murmured.
  • edited 2013-04-28 22:48:14
    ...And even when your hope is gone
    move along, move along, just to make it through
    (2015 self)
    "The components of the human body are the same as the components of a bomb.  You're nothing but a stable explosive, waiting to go off, given the right spark.  All I need to create an explosive that's ounce-for-ounce more powerful than TNT is water.  And your body is 60 per cent water."

    "if you want the water particles in your tongue to stay water, then hold your tongue or lose it.  Or, maybe, I should use the water that makes up your eyes." (Lucretia couldn't actually work with anywhere near that amount of accuracy; but that's not the sort of thing you mention in a threat.)

    "And, even if I don't explode you, you have to eat eventually.  Poison is a wonderful thing.  The cohesive bonds of sulphur, the adhesive bonds of hydrogen and carbon..."

    "But you wouldn't know; you've probably never created anything more structurally sophisticated than a tinkertoy tree."
  • “I'm surprised. Those clothes… but, aren't you…?”
    Kenneth listened intently to the strange girl in the poncho, eyes occasionally flitting back to the conversation between Belighor and Lancaster. After a moment, he moved over and quietly sat next to her, making sure not to attract her attention. He gave her a look akin to a cat examining a dying bird and grinned, then leaned in spoke at middling volume.

    "You're bluffing, but I like the attitude."
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    Nathan walked up to Lucretia. "How about you shut the hell up?" He was getting a bit angry. Short fuse. "You couldn't do that. And even if you could, you'd get kicked out for attacking a fellow student in the academy itself" He was bluffing himself now. He had no real idea if the instructors would kick out anybody at this point, due to the life saving charms they received
  • "Hmm." The tinkerer and the nutty sulfur girl. Both wizards or witches, by the looks of it, though Mr. Fix-it could easily pass for one of the lesser classes. The tin man could be a useful ally in the dungeon, but that kind of temper may harm more than help. Well, harm the wrong people that is. Heh. Ms. Rotten Eggs, judging from her actions and general demeanor, is certifiably odd in the head. However, she's obviously a poisoner of some kind, which should be useful for the early stages of the dungeon. Good for messing with the other mages too, if Fix-it's reaction to her speech is any sign. Ah, that speech...

    Yes. You'll take her side in this fight.

    N noticed another student shifting towards the poisoner. Shabby looking fellow. Someone who had the same idea as him, perhaps. "Come, Mr. Sydoria", he said, moving towards her as well. "We have a stake in this".
  • “I'm surprised. Those clothes… but, aren't you…?”
    Kenneth turned his head to Nathan, head tilted a little. He gave the ash-crusted young man a cursory examination and looked disappointed.

    "Do you want me to hurt you? I'm good at that." His tone was bemused.
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    "I'd like to see you try"
  • “I'm surprised. Those clothes… but, aren't you…?”
    "Really?"

    Kenneth paused, gaze tracing his opponent.

    "How do you feel about your joints?"
  • N stops a few feet short of the poisoner, listening to the Shabbyman. He frowned. He didn't sound like the others; no voice quavering, no blustering.

    N, in general, is terrible at reading subtext. He prefers regular text, which usually has words like "bemused" or "threatening" to explain how something is said. He is, however, good at analyzing details, which allows him to compensate. And his analysis said "verbal threats + calm voice + cold gaze = a threat". A true competitor, even. N glances at the hallway, hoping that the Professor was returning. This might actually get out of hand.
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    "I can make your mana burn away before you even try" Once again a bluff. His spell doesn't work THAT well yet
  • “I'm surprised. Those clothes… but, aren't you…?”
    Kenneth straightened his head, blinked, tilted it the other way. He rolled his eyes.

    "No, you can't. Just like she—" He nodded to Lucretia. "—can't make your head explode."

    He smiled, a few sharp little teeth showing.

    "But I could make you very uncomfortable if I wanted to. Maybe leave a few marks. It would give your face some character."
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    Nathan paused for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Dammit we were just topping bluffs on bluffs weren't we? Jeez, I may lose my temper easy, but it would be sad if I lost it over empty threats!"
  • “I'm surprised. Those clothes… but, aren't you…?”
    Kenneth raised his eyebrows slightly.

    "You think I was joking?"
  • "What kind of maniac sharpens their teeth?" N whispers to himself. His hand goes into his pocket, curling around his trusty pen-knife.
  • "Students"

    the voice was flat, and monotone. Somewhere between robotic and earthen. It emanated from a large humanoid creature composed of a bluish-grey stone. Its fists were huge, and it was covered in light pink arcane scrawls, which make you feel a little nauseous to even glance at. 

    "A reminder that the penalty for fighting is expulsion. You will not be warned again. Especially those of you that have past records."

  • ...And even when your hope is gone
    move along, move along, just to make it through
    (2015 self)
    "Past... records."  Lucretia's pupils narrowed and her eyes widened.  Her heartbeat came in pounds. 

    That voice!

    "The Perse-phone!" 

    "I didn't think they even made phonolite anymore; much less painted it the color Perse."
  • Lucretia's copy of the Bestiary fluttered around inside her pack. Glowing visibly even inside the container.
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    "Wait, does fighting each other in the dungeon count?"
  • "Hmpf." Such a rule could only catch fools and firebrands. Anyone clever enough to get into this school can carry out a rivalry behind the backs of the administration.
  • edited 2013-04-30 10:41:22
    “I'm surprised. Those clothes… but, aren't you…?”
    Kenneth leaned forward to get a better look at the automaton. He appeared taken aback and curious at the same time. He wanted to ask the creature if it were a golem, but realised that Lucretia's Bestiary would soon be answering for him.

    He repressed a snicker at the ashen fellow's expense, but kept an eye on Lancaster when he could spare it. He wondered if the teeth had unsettled him. One cannot help hereditary traits. But one could always use them.
  • Lucretia's Bestiary copy hopped out of her pack under its own power, and flopped on the floor, open to a later page. The book then began to speak--the result of a centuries old Carry Voices spell--in the voice of Iskander Duvalion himself. A thin sheet of purplish energy also hovered above the book, displaying information that the voice didn't read out.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Monitor Golem
    Level: 99
    L: Academy Only
    Type: Construct / Spellcaster
    HP: 10d100+100
    MP: 10d100+100
    ATK: X (100d100, Fists)
    DEF: X
    Mg.ATK: X
    Mg.DEF: X
    Schools: Antimagic


    Monitor Golems are powerful, magical constructs created by the Academy's most brilliant minds to prevent any potential troubles with "problem students". They are roughly six feet tall and are hewn of a magically hardened, bluish stone. They are also one of the few legal uses of antimagic within the Academy's walls, as they are concerned primarily with pacifying troublesome students, rather than actually harming them. In addition, they are among the few golems that can speak fluently.


    Spell List:

    • Monitor Golem Antimagic Field: The Monitor Golem can immediately drain all magical energies from a fairly large area around it. This spell also instantly banishes any summoned creatures or other creatures held together by magical energies. [MP: 100] [Range 10: Ring]
  • N watched the process with a keen fervor. The spells on the Bestiary are quite a piece of work. He made plans to investigate why the poisoner's Bestiary activated first, and how the Carry Voice spell is triggered. A spell that old may hold tricks forgotten by time.
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    Nathan looked at the golem, then his spider, then the golem, then the spider again. "...Really tempted to see what happens..."
  • "Well now, what's this?"

    The smug, somewhat tinny voice that pipes up comes from a redheaded girl in a tacky green witch hat--the style that used to be popular several decades ago and is only now starting to become chic again--Her eyes match it, and she has a silver scepter inlaid with what appears to be an onyx stone slung over her shoulder casually.

    "Some amateurs having their first day, eh? You shouldn't fight amongst yourselves, one of you will have to take charge and lead this whole operation if you want to succeed." She puffs her hair for a moment. "That's what I did, after all."

  • edited 2013-05-01 11:37:25
    “I'm surprised. Those clothes… but, aren't you…?”
    Initially inclined to ask the golem about its pink markings—a feature that he found fascinating—Kenneth's attention diverted to the pompous redhead. After a moment of mantis-like examination, he spoke.

    "You don't look like a leader."
  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    Nathan ignored the girl, instead looking more at the Golem. "What kind of stone are you made of? What happens if someone tries summoning you, since you have the antimagic field? How are you even powered?"

    This could potentially go on for hours
  • The girl blinked.

    "You don't know who I am?" A thin line of silver ran down her chin, which she quickly wiped away with her sleeve.

    The golem meanwhile, responded to Nathan's questions with a terse "I am not at liberty to divulge any of that information."

  • ⊗¯\_(ツ)_/¯⊗
    "Any way I can find out? I assume there must be a path I can take through the academy that would let me learn"
  • edited 2013-05-01 16:47:15
    “I'm surprised. Those clothes… but, aren't you…?”
    "No, I don't."

    Kenneth was sorely tempted to laugh, but he kept his face expressionless. He recognised the danger in angering a poisoner of her type—he had seen that peculiar silver slaver before—but the circumstances made the temptation difficult to resist.

    He paused before asking, "Should I, you think?"
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