"Sigil Prep" RP - First Day (Monday, 10/1)

[Drayco]

((Discthread.
Nothing else to report. Enjoy the school year!))

It's Friday! A time of celebration, except for maybe the new students of Sigil Preparatory Academy for Adventurers.
Most of them have come from their various worlds across the planes only this morning, the travel plans mostly involved portal circles

Any luggage they couldn't carry on their person being transported to their assigned rooms that they don't know yet. An early lesson in packing light, it seems.
In addition, all magical and adventuring-related equipment they brought with them has been confiscated for the time being. Armor, weapons, magic trinkets... everything the students couldn't physically live without, barring a few subtle exceptions, was taken from them at check-in. Check-in mostly involving a medical diagnosis spell being thrown at them, since check-ups are incredibly easy when it just involves a snap of your fingers. In exchange, all students with confiscated items were given a single slip of paper with a comprehensive list of the items on it, with a single phrase at the bottom:
"You'll get them back on Monday."

Now roughly 2 in the afternoon, all of the couple hundred Firstyears have gathered in the slightly dusty Runeguard Coliseum (which looks eerily like the Roman one, back when it was still only lightly used and bloodied). Half of them probably still have Port-lag, and the rest are probably too busy noticing the sheer variety of humanoids and near-humanoids in this crowd. Sure, half of them look human, with another several elves, orcs, a dwarf or two, and a number of halflings and gnomes up front... but there's one nine foot tall anthromorphic praying mantis, and at least a few people who stand out even more in the crowd. And in one case, a guy with blonde hair and desert-themed clothes sitting crosslegged in the air just above the crowd, with an arctic fox on his head. Huh.

Welcome to Sigil Prep.

For the moment, all is fairly quiet, aside from the chatter of gathered students attempting conversation. The only indication of what's to come is a podium up at the front of the crowd, with a tall booster chair behind it.
Oh, and about a dozen suits of clearly animated armor standing here and there with large clubs in their gauntlets, likely the security guards for the school.

((Commence mingling. Speech tomorrow.))

[nokvok]

((Davarioc))

There he stood now, bared of his weapons with just his bag and a piece of paper in his hand. Davarioc knew that piece of paper would make it easier to get his weapons back on monday, so he clung to it.
The head pulled a little down between his broad shoulders, the black orc stood at the stony railing and let his eyes wander over the scenery.
If he imagined all the strange creatures to look like black orcs, this gathering could easily have been a Numba Kes, a communal gathering.
Of course non of this Toola would understand how a Numba Kes would work, so yeah. Aside the physical crookedness this really was something new and different... and by the looks of it Davarioc needed to start picking a seat soon not to stand out.

[ChewyChunkyChocolateMonkE]

Well, here I am. Reginald thought to himself as he looked around him. Never in his lifetime had he seen so many different races, let alone so many people. Sure, he’d a dwarf here, a Halfling there. Even the occasional elf, but never so many of them at once! Reginald leaned back in his seat, closing his eye for a moment. He smiled to himself as he pictured himself as a great warior, leading the charge against an evil overlord’s keep. Soon. he though to himself. Soon I’ll be able ta rescue damsels an’ right wrongs an’ save kingdoms! This is gonna be great…
Reginald opened his eyes again after "he" beat down a dragon with its own tail and looked around some more, his eyes finally resting on a big black furry thing standing by some rails. Not wanting to be rude, Reginald stood up and walked over to whoever this guy was, taking a spot next to him. He turned to look at him and gave a friendly smile. “Sure is a big place, ain’t it?” he said in an attempt to break the ice.

[Drayco]

Davarioc can spot a couple others in the crowd who are... well, orcs, but not by his standards. Not nearly as hairy, a couple with greenish-gray skin, and one other with white skin and a long mane coming back off his head. Not a single person close to his orcish standards.

Before too much mingling could occur, a storm started to rapidly brew over the podium.... and then, with a clap of thunder echoing across the Coliseum, a bolt of lightning strikes down onto the podium, a circle of runes flaring out where it hits, a type very similar to the runic portal circles most students arrived here through, with some extra flashy effects. From midair amidst the circle... a kobold walks out, clad in black robes with extravagant silver trim and a tall collar, his silvery-green wings furled around his shoulders like a cape. He walks over to the podium, and hops up on the booster seat cleverly placed behind it.
"...ahem."
He taps the podium, then frowns.
"A-HEM!"

"Gah! Sorry!" A white-haired young human man in similar robes, albeit with far less trim, runs out from the runic circle, which hasn't bothered to vanish yet. He wears a pair of glasses with several extraneous lenses, and a chain coming off one side and going to the matching gold earpiece if it was a monocle of some sort. He frantically casts some kind of spell on the podium, tracing a few runes here and there. "Sorry..."

"Thank you, Hizumu." The kobold says, his voice now carrying across the area, audible to everyone's ears. The white-haired guy hurries back through the portal circle, and vanishes. The kobold turns back to the crowd, and smiles as much as a kobold can...
"Welcome, new students! As the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Barakizel Vorasvim, I would like to cordially welcome you to Sigil Preparatory Academy for Adventurers. You'll be seeing a lot of me, since right now, I command your destinies as they pertain to your First Year."
He holds his hands to the side, lightning and runes arcing through the air from his clawed hands, showing off in an utterly flamboyant manner. He stops a few moments later, laughing maniacally.
"Now that you're all suitably terrified, welcome. I'm not one for long, monologuey speeches, so I'll give you the short of it. You are all here for the same reason, whether because of connections, funding, or destiny. You're here for your First Year to see if you're good enough to make it to the real schooling. The classes will be tough. The exams will be tougher. The Final will be murder. And if you survive it all, you'll be true students of Sigil Prep, ready to learn the real tricks and tactics of true Adventurers. Until that day, you might not even see me again."

One of the others in the crowd, a particularly large brutish orc, raises his arms angrily. "Throg not come here to take tests! Throg come here to smash puny monsters and fulfill great destiny! Little lizard monster not stand in--BBZAAGHTLGHLKK!" The kobold barely gestures, a lightning bolt arcing down from overhead, striking the loudmouthed orc and making him convulse from the zapping. He then topples to the ground, not moving, burnt to a blackened crisp.

He rests his hands behinds his back, and nods to the crowd, continuing along as if nothing happened. "Today, your new lives begin. Any intelligent questions?"

[The kool]

Avery came stepped into the stadium after arriving with his note in hand, and a scowl directed at those with his stuff. If they so much as chip one of those figurines... His countenance quickly lightens, though he feels stuffy in this... this crowded bowl. Too stuffy. So he decided to get a bit of fresh air, and takes to the skies briefly, stretching his wings and soaring above the crowds, sparing not a glance for any of the meaningless faces below. It's not like there was anyone of importance there.

He found he quickly had to land once more, however, as the storm rolled in with magical speed. It was never a good idea to fly in a storm, even a controlled one. So he brought himself down next to a pair that didn't seem as lowly as the rest of those present, the strange fellow with the desert clothes and arctic fox. Seeing no need to disrupt the procedures to start a pointless conversation, he listens to the Dean, though without much interest. Anyone of any intelligence would already know what they need to know, and wouldn't have to ask inane questions when nothing has been brought up yet to bring anything into confusion.

[Drayco]

Said guy in desert clothes was floating in midair with no clear indication HOW he was doing it, and seemed to be half-asleep even through the various lightning strikes, daydreaming. He looks very, very bored.

[TingYi]

Jolitha raised her long slender arm, and waited to be called upon. A call like that just begged to be answered with an intelligent question. She hoped to manage just that.

[nokvok]

((Davarioc))
From close the Black orc was much more broad that big, Reginald towered Davarioc by surely more than one head, without having a chance to actually surpass the loin-cloth clad savage at body mass. Davarioc had to admit that it was a ridiculous idea to find Numba Haloc, so he gave up.
Having not reacted at all to Reginald's approach, he threw his head back, barking out a indistinguishable sound as response to the human's attempt at small talk... for the skilled anthropologist this gesture would mean about the same as a human shrug, for the unskilled it probably was somewhat menacing.
And right when Davarioc opened the mouth to greet Reginald, the storm and thundering began... so instead of a sense making response the orc merely grunted "Awak." and turned astonishingly unimpressed toward the spectacle.
'Awak', so would tell an appropriate empowerment to understand Black Orcish, meant as much as 'Attention, here comes what we were waiting for.' or more casual 'Here it comes'.
Due to having missed the chance to actually find a seat, Davarioc followed the short speech standing, leaning onto the railing.
An Orc was grilled... it happens.

Davarioc hit both fists onto the stone rail and expelled a rather loud grunt, then put forth his questions without hesitation... not having looked back, the humble request from Jolitha escaped him... etiquette rituals were beyond Davarioc anyways.
"Are there rules? - Where will we live? - How do we get food?" The Intelligence of those questions are up to interpretation.

[Jesse_God_of_Awesome]

Tyrone sat cross legged on the ground and gave the kobold his burning attention, his fists clenched with DETERMINATION and his face scowling fiercely in DETERMINATION so he could show he was DETERMINED.

Then he watched the orc guy get zapped. Poor fellow, obviously he was one of those students with 'special needs'. He did unclench his fist to raise his hand, "This Final, does it involve actual murder?"

An honest question considering he was raised by by people who might say things that don't sound like they're supposed to be taken literally but laugh at you when you fail to do so and find yourself in a great deal of pain for it.

"Didn't I say, young pupil, this would be a trial by fire?" Here remembered his sensei laughing as poor Tyrone burned.

[Drayco]

The Dean is about to call on Jolithia, when Davarioc... well, raises his hand louder. He motions a 'one moment' to the young lady, and turns to Davarioc. He counts off on his fingers as he responds to the questions. "There are a number of rules, most of them summed up by... get to class on time, listen to the teachers and faculty, and don't break anything you wouldn't want broken if it was yours. Or else the armors will break you. And avoid STARTING fights. Besides that... largely, take rules as they come to you. Part of being an adventurer is learning on the fly."
Next question.
"You will live in the dorms. I'll get to that when I dismiss you from this overblown pep rally."
Last question.
"Jean-Quina Hall, the vaguely greenish dome-shaped building off over thataways, is the cafeteria building of sorts. I recommend you check the place out by the end of the day. They have a number of different types of food for most student needs, and for the remainder that they don't, they'll work with you to figure something out, up to and including hunting for it yourself. However, I will note that food is not always plentiful or available, so you shouldn't put off eating unless you have to."

He nods to Davarioc, then turns back to Jolithia-- as someone else interrupts.
"Maybe."
Is his only response to Tyrone.

He nods, then turns to Jolithia again. "Now. You were asking?"

[TingYi]

Jolitha waited patiently. She did not mind. Her arm would not get tired in so short a time. At length, her turn came and she lowered her hand.

"You have indicated both that we'll be seeing a lot of you and that until we pass our exams we might not ever see you again. Do you wish to imply that only the best and brightest students will get your personal attention as we prepare, or perhaps only those who are propelled by destiny? Or do you mean to indicate that our seeing you again is contingent upon our survival? Or perchance will we only get your most worthy and useful advice upon our advancement?"

Jolitha folded her hands behind her back and looked up at the Dean expectantly. Her mind was already turning at the indicated rules and implications. They were pretty open for interpretation, which was how she liked it.

[nokvok]

((Davarioc))
That the Dean addressed somebody behind him who Davarioc hadn't heard talking caused the Black Orc to turn his head and take muster Jolitha quite bluntly.
Raising and arm - getting called upon - asking. Despite that it looked like this practice was known and accepted here, it seemed incredible longwinded to Davarioc. Just like the Question, though at least it hat some immediate reference as opposed to that question about the finals which laid years ahead...
Each minute was a well of informations for this carrier of the destiny of a whole folk.

[Drayco]

The Dean blinks, then grins. "I think we found our Firstyear valedictorian already..." He mutters, though the speaker effect means everyone hears it anyway. "Nice catch. Yes, you've spotted a clever hint in my little speech. I am more specifically known as the Dean of Destiny, something that some upperclassmen haven't even figured out. One of the potential ways for admission into the school is an epic destiny worth our notice to make sure you get here first, if only so you can later advertise that you learned from us when you're sitting at the top of the world. Doubly so if you're a bard, or travel with one... Buuuuut I digress. Though only some of you were officially admitted on the purposes of Destiny, that doesn't mean you all don't have one. Since we have a genius in our ranks, I'll give you a tip the Financial Aid officers don't want you to know."

He leans forwards on the podium. "If you get admitted on the grounds of Destiny, it means you wouldn't have gotten here otherwise. The rest of you may still have particularly epic Destinies, but why would the school give you free rides if you're going to come either way?" He laughs lightly, then rubs the 'goatee' of frill on his chin. "But free ride or not, you still only get one shot to make that Destiny count. In fact, there's a fair amount of you who do have such a Destiny, but we shall see which of them turn out to be worth more than frivolous prophecies."

[ChroniclerC]

The fox on the floaty guy's head fidgeted nervously. Ever tried to balance on a round object half your size? Likal didn't like it. And he knew that Drayco knew that he didn't like it. That was why he was up there, of course. He could just nip at ears or nose, but that would just get him thrown off. No, he'd have to think of a more clever comeback later. For now, he just worked his way down to the shoulders. "I see Dean Barry is as overblown as ever," he muttered in his friend's ear.

[TingYi]

Jolitha stood a bit taller at the compliment, even though her question wasn't directly answered. At least, she had made her point. That would be enough for now. No need to sidetrack this meeting, especially as she'd already gotten some very useful information. She was already scanning her classmates, weighing her initial impressions. Quite a few of them looked to have potential. But of course, if they didn't have potential they would not be here.

[SleepyOrigami]

A young looking human girl with light blue pigtails wearing a loose fitting (and easily removed) bright pink robe who happens to be sitting next to Jolitha raises her hand in a similar fashion and waits to be called upon. She her expression is cheerful and yet very focused and energetic.

[Jesse_God_of_Awesome]

"What about him?" He pointed to the Thog the unfortunate example orc, "Is he dead?"

[The kool]

Avery's attention was caught by the motion beside him, and he wondered again about this strange man, this mortal who was free to roam the skies. He tucked his wings neatly into place behind him, and tried to break the man out of his reverie. "It is courteous to at least show a token amount of attention, even if you know everything he has to say. He is the Dean, after all."

[Drayco]

The Dean is about to call on the froggy girl, when someone else interrupts. "...I don't know. Feel free to poke him. Or any of you aspiring healers, go nuts. If you interrupt someone who's demonstrated their ability to see the future and control the mighty force of lightning, and you interrupt them so rudely..." He pauses a good, long moment to let that hint be taken. "...well, let's just say that an adventurer must know when to follow typical rules of etiquette."

The floating guy shrugs, almost just in time for Likal to have an easier time getting down from atop the mass of spiky blondeness. He then looks to Avery. "Yeah, courtesy ain't quite my thing. And the Dean doesn't really care, I know that much for sure."

[The kool]

At this point, Avery is only barely paying attention to the Dean. "Why, do you know him?" Hmm, here perhaps was someone of note. Someone worth socializing with.

[Drayco]

"More or less." Says the flying guy. "Name's Drayco Sutarousha, by the way."

[Jesse_God_of_Awesome]

Tyrone goes to check on Thog, doing as best he knew to check for life signs.

[nokvok]

((Davarioc))
Davarioc didn't feel obliged to help Thog at all. He wasn't a black orc.
Instead he turned back just in time for Jolitha to notice that he had been directly starring at her for a few moments. But now he turned his attention to the Dean 'of Destiny'. Destiny being a thing Davarioc had been increasingly interested in the last few month.

[Drayco]

Thog

Tyrone gets a staticky zot as he reaches down. Aside from that, nope, he be a dead orc, unless the lingering magic lighting spontaneously acts as a defibrillator.

[SleepyOrigami]

The Dean is about to call on the froggy girl, when someone else interrupts.

The 'froggy girl' continues to hold her hand raised waiting patiently for the Dean to call on her.