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| Avalon; Magic School | |
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| Topic Started: Sep 22 2009, 09:08 PM (5 Views) | |
| Garan | Sep 22 2009, 09:08 PM Post #1 |
 
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Name: Avalon Leader: Barnabas Luther Magic Type: Praesul/Healing Description: Avalon is secluded on a small island in difficult, rocky currents. Most of the island's coasts are sheer cliff faces, but a small cave to the west allows access. The school itself is a tall, round castle looming in the center of a circle of apple trees. History: Many years ago, there lived a legendary king named Arthur who reigned in glory until felled by his own son. The greatest minds and hearts of the age were deeply stricken by the loss. Exactly one year after King Arthur's death, a number of these men and women convened near the battlesite and every year since. This was the first meeting of the Great Circle of Avalon, named after King Arthur's final resting place. At first, the Circle only looked to the past, reminding each other of the great deeds of the fallen knights and the magics that were lost forever with Merlin. As the years went by and the land slowly lost the gleam of that golden era, the memories shared by the Circle gave hope to the members within. In the words of the famed alchemist and member of the Great Circle of Avalon Nathaniel Critch, "[we] share a grate bonde...recolynge me auld lif bryngs me thorough theyse difycoult tymes (Letters, 275)." (At the time of writing Critch was deeply in debt and gravely ill, never to recover.) The blessings of the next years to come for Critch and the rest were most definitely mixed. Sadly, the past began to fade in the members' minds, as is only natural. This happenstance was marked by a period of depression, in some cases near despair, in most of the Circle's lives. However, as the memories of what was left behind disappeared, they were gradually replaced by a general interest in the future. Some excelled in their chosen fields. Others became deeply entrenched in an intellectual movement destined to change the face of magic. One repercussion of this movement was a concern for the fate of magical education. The likely outcome of the status quo and what should be done for the future was a topic debated endlessly among these people. Near the midpoint of this muddle, three like-minded thinkers hammered out a plan to build a school for magic. This was the school of Avalon, named for Arthur and the Circle they all belonged to and put forth as a refuge for all who would learn to heal others and help heal the world. The founders, John de Quincy, Sybilla de Quincy and Richard Fletcher, were very interesting in their own rights. De Quincy was the third son of Lord Leuvigild de Quincy, a landed noble who was known for his novel take on the subject of law. His books were very well regarded at the time. He planned his son's future nearly from birth; he saw John as a Knight of the Round Table, and John's heightened moral code and inherited sense of justice only seemed to confirm such a destiny. During his service as a page, however, he discovered an innate love of magic and was lost to the craft for the rest of his life. His father was by all accounts disappointed that he never became a knight, although it is believed that they kept a good relationship until Lord Leuvigild's untimely death at the hands of his third wife, Nicola. Nicola could not stand John, and turned him out to fend for himself at the age of 15. John found work as a healer in a small town and spent the next decade tending to the inhabitants and livestock, although he regularly entertained some of the more famous magicians and intellects and was reputedly a good friend of Merlin himself. He suffered from lifelong heart problems, which may have been a factor in his decision to become a healer. John de Quincy's life changed yet again when he met the love of his life and fellow Avalon founder Sybilla Wentworth de Quincy. Wentworth had spent her childhood in a convent, and was expected by everyone around her to join it when she came of age. According to John de Quincy, even she believed this. However, the night before her 14th birthday, she ran away, leaving any possessions or ties behind her. The next few years of her life are a mystery, although it was rumored that she could raise the dead. In fact, there is a very famous song that tells the story of "Sweet Sybilla" and how she laid a kiss on her dead lover's lips and turned him back from the path of the dead by the sweetness of her breath. Nothing more is known of her until she is mentioned in de Quincy's diary on the eve of his twenty-fifth birthday as his fiance'. They were married that spring and spent the next sixty years together, until John de Quincy's death at the age of 89. After that, she disappears from historical record again and her fate is unknown. Richard Fletcher, on the other hand, left very clear records. He was born, along with his twin brother Colin, in the midst of a thunderstorm. He claimed that this was an omen of his life to come. Fletcher was a dreamer; he spent most of his life attempting to improve society in some way or another, although he rarely succeeded. His existence was plagued with negative rumors which made his quest for better ways of living even more difficult than it would otherwise have been. As a result of this, he became very cynical and was usually depressed. He gained a reputation as a rake. It was said by many that he had become a werewolf, although there were never any supporting facts and his behavior indicated otherwise. He was regularly without money, sometimes barely surviving. In Fletcher's late 20s, he became aquainted with the middle-aged de Quincys, leading to a surprisingly deep friendship and frequent correspondence between the three. The regular exchanges of thought led eventually to the idea to start a school together. They circled around it for several years, with plans and designs changing wildly. One suggestion remained constant, however: the name Avalon. Six years after the genesis of these plans, John de Quincy discovered a similar interest in an elderly gentleman by the name of Sir Foric, who claimed to have been a member of the round table (but was most likely not, as he does not show up in any records). Sir Foric, after hearing the ideas put forth, proposed to invest some of his massive fortune into the school, and after long negotiations, did. Despite many issues and construction mishaps, Avalon was built and opened on a small island off the coast of England which had been a surprising bequest from Leuvigild to his son years before. After a rocky start in which few students applied, word of the academy and its quality began to spread. The student population gradually increased until not only Avalon but the idea of schools in general began to spread. Students found a haven of learning and academia unlike any other at the time. Graduates found themselves in high regard and influence. Rumors from this time indicate that special societies formed inside Avalon for various purposes lost to time. The height of Avalon continued for nearly three decades, but sadly, misfortune fell upon the school. Fletcher fell out with the de Quincys, believing that Avalon dismissed too quickly any form of defense or offense, and after a period of strife broke off from Avalon to form his own school of magic focusing on these issues. John de Quincy's health failed him soon after. Lacking an heir, he and his wife searched for a replacement to run the school after their deaths. This was a difficult undertaking, and Sybilla and her by now bedridden husband finally compromised on a young nobleman named Barnabas Luther. Knowing that Luther had no experience in running a school, using magic or even teaching, they decided to hire several former graduates of Avalon as teachers, and simply train Luther in the financial and operational aspects of the school. Unfortunately, John's death came much too soon, and his (by all accounts distraught) widow vanished long before Luther's training was complete. Luther was unable to cope with leading the school on his own, and Avalon gradually fell into a state of disrepair, as it remains today. Although it is said that students are taught just as well and in much the same way as they were in Avalon's prime, the school has declined greatly in prominence and is largely forgotten. --From The Book of Magic and Learning by Isabella Kempe [Spells] ((For each rank you may set your own ranks for magic in here but place spells in beginner intermediate and advanced with a description of what the spells do and look like. 3 spells for beginner, inter. and advanced.)) Avalon's spells are activated silently by a force of will guided by the mind. Some have found that certain sounds (such as clapping the hands at the start of Ghost Candle) may help the process, but these are different for each magician. Except in rare cases of exceptional skill, all healing spells are activated by touch. Beginner: Mending: Heals paper cuts, bruises, headaches, ingrown nails, etc. Invisible, except for the cuts & bruies healing, of course. Convalescence: Cures minor diseases and inconveniences such as colds and indigestion, and eases the passage of more serious illnesses. A slight green glow eminates from the hands of the caster. Paperwall: Throws a light shield between the caster and the target. When casting, amber appears to flow from the hands and shape itself into a barricade. The barrier throws an amber tone onto anything viewed through it, but is otherwise transparent. Intermediate: Ghost Candle: Casts light to see by. Stop: Stronger version of Paperwall. Splintheal: Heals (properly set) broken bones and cuts that would normally require stitches. The spell is accompanied by a sharp, bright flash of light. Advanced: Burning Star: Caster calls down the light of the sun. Rebirth: Heals most grievous wounds and purges all but the most persistent diseases. Painful for the caster and the subject, and carries a risk of death for both, depending on their respective health and strength. Both people are engulfed by white light, and for several seconds appear to be made from it. In some cases, a residue of ash is found on the ground afterwards. Lifewall: Shield that (barring the unforseen) can not be broken without the death of the caster. This both means that the death of the caster will cause the collapse of the shield and that the collapse of the shield will cause the death of the caster. Only use as a last resort. A sheer wall of swirling black & white smoke appears where the caster wills it. Ranks: Beginner = Hedge Witch/Wizard Intermediate = Garden Witch/Wizard Advanced = Free Witch/Wizard |
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