Colony
Poe and Palahniuk's Prodige
- 642
- Posts
- 11
- Years
- Music City, USA
- Seen Sep 24, 2019
Vale Institute of Magic
Spoiler:
Background
On July 19th, 1941, a phenomenon occurred that changed World War II, and the entire world: denizens of Earth discovered that they could use magic, bending nature to their will. Not only that, but they found their bodies more durable, and capable of handling the extreme strain of controlling the elements. This was quickly put to use in medical, physical, and technological research under now-famous names such as Einstein; but more importantly it found a place on the battlefield. Magic's first offensive use in the war had been December 7th of that year, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
In response to the destructive nature magic posed to the world, at the end of the war the United Nations, in correspondence with the governments of various countries, had worked to keep public recognition of magic to a minimum. Conspiracy theories abound, magic soon became truly known only to mages and government officials. With the rise in mages and the Internet, however, it was necessary that institutions be built for the sake of isolating young mages and teaching them to control their abilities before they became a threat to anyone's safety, and before magic as a whole had to be revealed to an anxious public. Various government-funded boarding schools were erected across the world, and the United States alone now has 21 academies working in concert with surveillance networks to find as many magically-endowed citizens they could find. The oldest of these is the Vale Institute of Magic, known to non-mages as the Vale Institute of Higher Learning.
Located somewhere in the High Plains of the western United States, the Vale Institute of Magic is one of four high schools, ranging from grades 9 to 12, and is currently run by a powerful mage named Kristen Vale. Through any means of communication they can muster, Vale contacts young adults around the country (and sometimes in other countries) and invites them to complete their schooling at the Institute, providing not only control over one's magical prowess for use in battle and many recreational pursuits, but the full benefits of a well-funded education system. Roughly a thousand students attend at any given time, and they're typically accepted into their college or university of choice, or as apprentices for multiple vocations where they can put their magic and education to productive use. Needless to say, magic academies are pretty great.
Attendance comes with some hefty risks, though. While Vale has some of the best medical mages in the country (only surpassed by the US government), students could lose their lives, much like if every student was equipped with a loaded gun. Rumors also tell that the headmistress isn't as righteous as most believe she is. Some believe she has some hidden agenda for the students and faculty of the school. But that's just a rumor.
You are a student who, one way or another, was invited to the Vale Institute of Higher Learning for the start of a new school year, offered the best education the United States could offer. You may be new to your powers, or a seasoned veteran of the magical arts. You'll be making new friends, and learning about magic, yourself, and things about the world you may not need or want to know.
The School
Main Building: To the north end of Vale's campus is the main building, a fairly simple rectangular brick-and-mortar building standing three stories tall. First year students' classes and faculty offices are on the first floor, along with the cafeteria; infirmary; and the entrance to the gymnasium, which doubles as a basketball court. Both the cafeteria and infirmary are found in the east, while the gym is located in the west wing. The cafeteria offers a wide selection of professionally-prepared food on its own, as well as a few kiosks that give students quick access to Subway, McDonald's and Pizza Hut. Kitchen-inclined students have culinary classes here. The second floor is made up by second and third year classes, and the third floor holds the headmistress' office and fourth year classes. Classes are based on years of study at Vale (and in some cases experience), rather than being segregated by age.
Magic Fields: Along with traditional sports fields found immediately west and east of the school, behind the building to the north is a collection of eight magically-charged battlefields (about half the size of a football field) tended to by a small group of Vale staff, including a groundskeeper to allow students to practice using their magic in various environments.
Recreation Center: The recreation center is the place to go if you want to have some unconditional fun on campus. You can find all sort of stuff here, such as TV, games, and some athletic equipment for the more physical students. The school's 50-meter swimming pool is located here. Half of the pool is inside while the other half is outside, and both are separated by a sheet of glass to keep the outside from getting in.
Dorms: There are two gender-specific dorm buildings on the south side of campus, with the boys' dorm to the southwest, and the girls' southeast. Student rooms are furnished with two twin-sized beds, two computer desks (including a MacBook Pro), two dressers, a closet, and a full bathroom. They can be decorated however students wish, and they can even exchange their desk or bed.
Ridgeton: The school is found at the center of a small, magic-filled town only about ten miles wide. Still, Ridgeton houses many magic-oriented residents, and a few restaurants, shops, facilities, and even a strip mall and movie theater. Students can work at these locations for extra money, and their student IDs double as debit cards. Vale rewards students with an allowance based on positive performance, behavior and achievements during their time at the school.
Magic
No one really knows where magic came from. Some scientists theorised that magic leaked in from a neighboring universe or alternate dimension, lending to their belief in various multiverse theories. Others dug into the existence of qì, the energy that flows through all living things. Others also turned into religious nuts. What we do know is that magic allows humanity to control and manipulate the natural world in ways most could only dream of. Magic users are known as mages.
There are four base elements from which all magic blossoms, and anyone can learn:
- Fire
- Earth
- Water
- Air
Most people (about 90% of humanity) aren't born with the ability to use magic, but with determination (or should they undergo trauma), they can learn how to use it. The lucky ones, however, find that they operate on a certain "wavelength", so to speak, which makes them compatible with a magical element from birth, but they may not even realize they can use it, leaving less than 5% of humanity capable of using magic. Academies like Vale exist across the world to raise that number and make it conducive to human progress.
With time, talent, and training, a mage's element evolves, taking on new forms. An ember becomes a spark of electricity, a bundle of stone hardens into a ball of steel or blooms into nature's bounty, water freezes over or seeps into the skin and recovers it from damage and stress, and the invisible air solidifies into smoke and vapors.
There are three other elements to magic, but they are not taught at Vale due to their rarity, and they cannot be learned. These mages are "chosen" by the element they wield by overwriting their original magical wavelength, and may very well have controlled one of the four elements before the new one supplanted it. They are named the Light, Darkness, and Spirit elements, and supersede one's ability to use the natural elements.
Light and Darkness wielders are able to manipulate the power of light, or the lack thereof. It's not unheard of for a Light mage to literally become a beam of light or make a solid shield, or for a Darkness mage to sink into the shadows or make a spear. Although their individual abilities and limitations are aligned with the four natural elements, no one really knows what would happen if Light and Darkness mages could combine their efforts.
Spirit mages, however, don't have control over the physical world. Spirit mages manifest their force of will. By generating and using their own energy, rather than that of the elements surrounding them, Spirit mages can achieve a variety of feats, from mimicking the properties of other elements to increasing the abilities of other mages. With diligence, patience and years of practice, officials believe the few Spirit mages there are would be able to transcend the limits of a physical body; they are power personified.
Rules
∞ All PC and RPC rules apply.
∞ All IC posts must be at least 100 words in length.
∞ Do not use abbreviations like "lol" or "omg".
∞ Do not double post.
∞ Do not godmod or bunny other players' characters.
∞ Do not use abbreviations like "lol" or "omg".
∞ Do not double post.
∞ Do not godmod or bunny other players' characters.
∞ Colony and Songbird are the GMs of this roleplay. Please do not question our decisions. Chances are we've already answered it.
∞ Respect your fellow players; communicate. It hurts everyone when you don't.
∞ You can't win everything. Be prepared to take a loss at some point.
∞ This RP is rated M for mature/16+. Themes involving excessive gore, explicit bedroom scenes, or overt amounts of swearing are still banned.
Accepted Characters
∞ Zane Reav - Colony
∞ Shion Kavanagh - Songbird
∞ Domingo Hernández - Geras32
∞ Alma Sophia Jones - Nakuzami
∞ Jack Marrick - Lord Sephear
∞ Violett Fuerst-Shaw - Grif of Hearts
∞ Nasrin Nouri - doge
∞ Michael Graves - DreamOrDestruction
∞
∞
∞
∞
∞
∞
Signup Sheet
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Element:
Spells:
Appearance:
Personality:
History:
Other:
Day One: First Announcement
A loud bell rings across the campus, quickly followed by a woman's voice. "We here at the Vale Institute would like to extend a warm welcome to students both new and returning. Please relax and take the time to roam the school grounds. Shortly after noon, you will all be called to report to the field behind the main building."
After hearing the opening announcement, your character has plenty of things to do. Some include:
∞ Explore the school grounds.
∞ Meet some new people.
∞ Do some last minute practicing.
∞ Get a snack at the cafeteria.
∞ Play some games on your device of choice.
∞ Or anything that doesn't get them killed.
Last edited:
