Post by Kaija on Mar 24, 2022 19:55:11 GMT
Beatrice J. Dubois
Sanctuarium Illuminationis
Otherwise known as the Shadow College.
An underground cabal of magicians and wisemen who value knowledge and the arcane above all else; money and ethics included. And while the college does have a few rules to maintain order, they exist more to protect its students and its stores of accumulated knowledge over... the world at large or any outsiders who might fall victim to their experiments in the pursuit of knowledge. Some- the greats- are recognized by the institution's agents and offered a chance to join. Others- even greater- manage to find their own way in. Others, like Beatrice, are born into it.
Enrolled through nothing more than nepotism.
Many would consider it a blessing, but there are things that go unseen within the walls of the Sanctuariam Illuminationis. Expectations of greatness from birth. And the elder keep a closer eye on those born on campus than those who choose to join. After all, the college invests a great deal of time and effort into its students. They aren't very fond of losing them. Or, at least....
...not the knowledge that they carry.
The Pilgrimage
While no two men share the same story, Beatrice's journey is far from a unique one.
All academy students are required to pay tribute to the college in order to rise up through the ranks and gain access to more private information. And, in the grand scheme of things, the campus-borne is very much a novice when it comes to the arcane. In order to advance in rank and authority, she- like all students- must journey out into the world and acquire knowledge that the elders find worthy.
And that's the problem.
The enigmatic nature of the college leaves the full breadth of its knowledge unknown. And "value" is largely subjective. Put simply, Beatrice doesn't know what the college doesn't know. Nor does she, quite frankly, know just how much of the world that she, herself, is unaware of. Fortunately the Pilgrimage- the search for rare and esoteric knowledge- is not known for being a quick and easy one. This particular instance?
Unlikely to be any different.
Education
In preparation for her future as wizard, the College has engrained a handful of skills into Beatrice.
[li]Encoded Thoughts: Beatrice's mind is extraordinarily hard to read or control. No doubt a safeguard instilled into her mind by the ever-secretive college[/li]
[li]Etiquette: Beatrice has been trained on how to properly conduct herself in the presence of nobles and at the dinner table. Her presence, alone- how she carries herself- speaks volumes to her good home training.[/li]
[li]Attunement: Beatrice is sensitive to the presence of magical items or the act of spells being cast in her vicinity. In addition, she finds more ease than most when it comes to using enchanted tools, should she ever find any.[/li]
[li]Calligraphy: Beatrice keeps a notebook kept tightly at her side at all times and can record information much faster than the average citizen... not that literacy is all that common, anyways. She often shifts languages through her notes; a habit drilled into her by the academy to make reading them far more difficult.[/li]
[li]Codebreaking: Beatrice is skilled at recognizing patterns in written text or spoken language. If given enough time, she can decode most texts for whatever information is hidden within.[/li]
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Spells
Magic. The power that grows with knowledge. As a novice wizard, Beatrice has acquired just enough magic to merit her being allowed to roam away from the campus grounds with confidence that she might return with new knowledge. She's only able to focus on one spell at a time.
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[li]Arcane Eye: An invisible, intangible sphere around the same size as one of her own eyes. Beatrice can "transmit" up to four of her five senses through it with the exception being her sense of touch. Every sense that she channels through the eye is lost to her while it's being chanelled.
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[li]Barrier: A bright, defensive wall of force that dampens and deflects incoming attacks. It can be shaped and/or stretched to meet a situation's needs, and Beatrice can choose to carry it on her person or set it in place. When pressed against an opponent, it works to push them back and give her some breathing room.
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[li]Counterspell: Unravelling magic that can be cast around oneself or onto one other person in order to neutralize hexes before they set in; both positive or negative. Coupled with her attunement to magical energies around her, this spell is Beatrice's main defense against more subtle spells that are difficult or impossible to percieve by conventional means. This spell cannot be used to dispel magical effects that have already set in, however.
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[li]Flamethrower: A gout of flame that erupts from her palm. Great for scaring off beasts and would-be offenders. Pretty decent at searing the flesh of those who choose not to back off. If she so desires, Beatrice can charge the flames for a few moments and choose to release her flame as a longer-ranged explosive fireball instead of a continuous gout, though this takes a bit longer.
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[li]Radiant Beam: The caster generates and focuses light around their fingertips before firing it at an opponent in a quick burst. When fired from single digits, the beam functions to cause an irritating sting and can temporarily blind opponents. When fired from multiple digits towards a single target, the concentrated beam is capable of searing flesh and leaving third or even fourth degree burns throughout their tissues. This spell is known to be effective on spirits and undead.
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[li]Alter Appearance: Beatrice can disguise herself as someone else and match their voice. Or, as someone who doesn't exist. If she remains completely still, she can even alter her appearance so as to camouflage with the background. Though, that falls apart as soon as she starts moving.
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[li]Academy Door: When Beatrice interacts with a door with her right hand, it functions as a normal door. When she interacts with a door with her left hand, it opens not to the interior of the building but to somewhere on the shadow campus. She chooses not to use this when people are watching for fear of, well... certain consequences.
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[li]Dancing Lights: The most unique spell in Beatrice's arsenal. Produces three glowing lights that can be directed to either float above the caster or latched onto specific locations nearby to produce light in a distant location. Unlike her other spells, Beatrice does not need to devote concentration towards it in order to keep an area lit.[/li]
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Rituals
- The Dubois Hut: A warm, sturdy shelter for Beatrice and any of her traveling companions to rest and sleep within during long excursions. The hut is very difficult to dispel by magic means, protects from outside magic, and is immediately dispelled the moment that the caster exits. If the hut is dispelled, another ten minutes is required to recast it.
[li]Return Home: When the caster stands at the center of the carved runes, they are warped back to the location that they identify as home. In Beatrice's case, this spell takes her back to her dorm at the Shadow College on activation.
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Equipment
Beatrice travels light, but keeps a few tools on hand to help her in her journey.
- Obsidian Knife: Though she has absolutely no skill with it, it is an extremely useful tool for carving runes, traversing wilderness areas and, well... cutting things.
[li]Knapsack: Where she keeps her coin and whatever else she might happen to pick up on her journey.[/li]
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Oscar
Like any decent wizard, Beatrice keeps a familiar at her side to watch her back when she's focused on other things. A small black cat who doesn't like to stray very far from its owner, ever vigilant and seemingly never concerned with whatever happens to catch its owner's attention at any given moment. It is a construct of gemstone and sorcery maintained by the large gemstone at its core. One more exam that the young wizard had to pass before being granted a taste of freedom.
The academy despises the fact that she even bothered to name the damn thing.
He is her guardian. A watchful eye while far from the comforts of home. When threatened, Oscar can grow to the size of a jaguar to intimidate offenders; gaining the strength of similarly sized beasts, to boot. And, when push comes to shove, he is capable of shaping portions of his mass into tendrils to lash out at enemies, stab them, grapple, or move heavier objects around. If the gemstone as his core is shattered, he will perish, but Beatrice can always make a new one with enough time and a new stone.
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