ERode

Iris Ascendis

_@Nanaya

“Hm.”

Otis, if nothing else, observed the decorum of the question-and-answer, allowing the two to finish speaking completely as he mulled over their response. Politics weren’t uncommon, and he had already expected the majority of factions across Castalia to be dipping their fingers into the pockets of Wingram Academy, gradually peeling and teasing away at merit in order to replace it with nepotism. There was the mention of the board of directors, that instrument of idiocy and vested interests, and the Principal herself appeared to be moving outside the bounds of the academy.

And, of course, there could be no clearer indication of a bullheaded desire for violence and domination than to take the true nexus of Wingram’s artificial leylines, the power spot in which the most ambient essence was present…and seal it off, only unlocking it when two idiots wanted a fight to the death.

“They still turn to war for solutions.” The Strigidae let out a sigh, clearly communicating that he wasn’t about to pull his gun and just kill his way in. It would be worthwhile to speak with that janitor, that ‘Michael’. They had appeared near the end of the entrance examination. “I suppose I shall appeal to the Principal then. Thank you for your time.”

And then, just as quickly, he turned around, amber gaze honing in on the one behind him.

“Valen Leuvalt.” The flame-haired heir’s gaze was cold, but Otis’s was simply bereft of any emotion. “I wish to enter the tower. Will you invite me in as a guest? Or do you not have the authority to do so?” Well, once it started, of course it'd keep going. "And setting that aside, I'm curious too about the Ascendis Trial that you presumably were invited to. Did it take place in the proving grounds as well, or was it largely just a formality owing to prior merit and influence? What was the experience like too, handling the majority of the prospective students? I imagine that you'd have utilized a Hexagrammic Fortress spell in order to withstand their attacks, but that feels like a simple solution to the unique problems that Ethos are wont to present. Unless, of course, your own exists simply to create an inviolable territory between yourself and others, which I'd admit seems appropriate given the character you have performed, but that seems more as if I'm working backwards from the answer now."

He tilted his head to the side. So far to the side his ear touched his shoulder, his gaze unflinching all the while.

"A pity, really, that we walk at different speeds."

Otis had been gone before Valen had emerged to join the brawl. And Otis had arrived on foot, even after a detour, before Valen had reached the steps of his own home. With all this, it was unlikely they would ever be side-by-side. It would be best that they only crossed paths.

Iris Ascendis

Damn, missing out on the DRAMA.

Children of the Otherworld - An Isekai Story

DM as in Direct Message. Ya know?

Children of the Otherworld - An Isekai Story

I'm still waiting for a DM response myself, but can probs post by tonight no problemo.

Children of the Otherworld - An Isekai Story

<Snipped quote by Expendable>

To answer your question because I didn't see it. Yes. There are some very crude torches in the tunnerl but they don't give much light since, As a goblin, you do have natural darkvision.

@TheNoCoKid

Is it safe to presume that any race that has darkvision in DnD would have darkvision here?

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

The forest was appealing, in the absence of any others. It was to be expected, after all. The runts had come together under the presumption that their numbers would make them more effective, but the success that they found with the Elwets wasn't mirrored during their escapades up the mountain. Impatience brewed soon after, thoughts bubbling up to the surface with regards to the efficacy of simply doing things alone, and then, just like that? A collective of six turned into just six individuals, each with their own thoughts and their own hunts.

It was good to know though. Possessing the memories of being a human didn't necessarily make one a better comrade. Possessing special abilities given to them by a deity didn't necessarily make one's life easier.

And then there was the current situation, with one of the largest of the orcs looming before her now, his countenance undeniably bear-like. The mass of a day labourer, this one had. If they were human, she'd have expected liver spots too, a nose twisted by a break that was never set. "It's Esfir," she responded, gaze settling upon the giant's neck. "Another one of the runts made a bug explode and that caused the...camazot to screech out too."

She scratched her chin.

"But what are they? Never heard anything like it."
@Zeroth

Children of the Otherworld - An Isekai Story

Alas, he could've employed his modern-day seduction skills instead. She clearly has experience with dealing with life-death threats, but does she have experience with the kabedon ear-whisper?

I think not.

Children of the Otherworld - An Isekai Story

Though if you can materialize objects out of thin air, you’re not a smith of anything. You’re just a goddamn grimyass wizard.

Iris Ascendis

_@Nanaya

What struck him was not the scenery, but rather, the distance.

This had to be months worth of travel away by conventional means if it was far enough to reach the coastline. The sheer amount of power that it must take to create a portal like this was heavy, and that didn’t even account for the fact that the portal was a one-way trip. Wingram Academy, an artificial nexus of leylines, could provide enough power for such a movement, yes, but if his understanding of geography was correct, this was now in the realm of Vaal Kastrix, which had much lower ambient essence to be making that same portal back. Did the Principal have an Ethos that enabled such movements, or was it simply a testament to her power?

It was a curious thing, and that wasn’t even taking into account the relationship she had between herself, the Bronsteel duplicate, and this decrepit gnome. He could infer that the Bronsteel duplicate was a result of the gnome’s work or that the gnome was responsible for their maintenance at least, but to what extent that went, Otis was still uncertain. A prolonged investigation then. Through his Adapa, the Strigidae remotely controlled his construct, allowing it to wheel inside the gnome’s residence, before slipping underneath the sofas that Raja sat upon. There was a soft click as its wheels retracted into its own form, rendering it to just a stationary, brass ball, and from there it laid, the Seeker essence fading away while its audio-visual transmissions spell continued to consume atmospheric essence.

With another few adjustments, Otis set his grimoire to record the transmissions for later review, before closing the book entirely. Such a fascinating little discovery, and at mere chance at that! He had to speak with the gnome some time soon. There was a mystery to untangle here, and while Otis was certain he could’ve gotten something substantial simply out of interrogating Gulliver himself, testimonies could lie while evidence did not. What a grand place Wingram Academy was! What a grand collaboration already, rife with backroom dealings!

…

And then there was the Iris Record, the Ascendis Dormitory.

Two guards, dressed in black for intimidation and professionalism. He mirrored the stance shift of the orc woman, his amber gaze bouncing between the two of them. So this was where faculty lived, where particular students earned the right to reside in.

“There’s already students registered here? Who? I’d imagine the Leuvalt person, considering his background, and maybe Bronsteel, because of his part-time job, but is that all? What’s the condition for getting that sort of approval to begin with, considering how no examinations outside of a single impromptu entrance exam had occurred? And you’ve mentioned that this serves as a residence for two types of people, but what’s this about a proving ground?” Questions flowed easily, a stream with neither source nor destination. Or perhaps it was more like a tap from which water fell, capable of stopping on a whim. “I’m here because this tower is the tallest building in Wingram Academy, and I would like access to the very top. Who do I speak to for this?”

Children of the Otherworld - An Isekai Story

There's spells, ye. The whole point of Morg's Elves is that they're big on magic and spells.

Presumably we learn them from being taught them by the natives, if we have the genetic potential for it.