Noctis
Kaithe Dame
TokyoPewPew
ErosSense
Andreyich
Sp00ki
Silent Showers
Estylwen
wintersoldierMarch 3rd, 1526 SR
"They waged their wars in the dead of night. In sickness and in health, 'til death do they part - truly, zealotry was their spouse." - An excerpt from the Southern Rekordian war journal, 'Recollections of the Dysis Monstrum', published in 950 SR.
@Estylwen@ERode@Psyker Landshark@AThousandCurses
WINGRAM ACADEMY
The sun rose on another day in the Vaalin Union. For many, it would be business as usual, and perhaps the students of the school would finally have an ordinary day without trouble. Anxiety and unrest plagued the campus as the heroes of the future rose to tend to breakfast and hygiene or to gear up for the day ahead. There was little that was made public of last night's incident, other than a brief message sent out to students via essence mail that all was under control and that security would be redoubled in the days to come. Rumors spread quick among students, however, of a poor attempt at damage control - Nicole Malthruse had still yet to be seen since the battle, and whispers echoed of certain portions of the tower being put into a state of lockdown. Those of Compact 3 would perhaps only learn of such things through word of mouth, however, as the nullification rings would prevent Adapa access.
Regardless of what they were doing at any given moment, mannekin would arrive to the members of Compact 3 at 6:45 AM to escort them to the front of the school, by the entrance to the bridge. There was no time for delays, after all, with the situation as it was. 7:00 AM was the deadline to meet, after all, and it would be met.
Idling in the front plaza by the gates and bridge entrance would be a roster consisting of Alto, Michael, Doctor Kann, six mannekin with iron frames reinforcing the wood, and an elderly man. His robes were ragged and patchwork, but even though the colors were fading, he bore the trademark silver and blue uniform of a Shaktan mage. Rio would also be guided out towards them by mannekin, though perhaps more surprisingly, Davil and Chloe would each be led in from the campus town as well. The Wund boy was wrapped in bandages and was being pushed out in a wheelchair by a mannekin guard, but nevertheless waved in greeting with a wide grin. Chloe appeared, physically at least, to be none the worse for wear; the only striking difference would be the uncharacteristically humble attire she wore - a grey tunic, black trousers, and a bland yet warm brown cloak that she seemed none too pleased with. She side-eyed Davil with concern as they approached, but said nothing.
Alto would casually raise his hand up with a sighing smile and a cocked brow, showing off the ring he shared in common with his students. "Fair's fair, they said. I'm in it with you guys too, or at least... those that could be here," he would spit the last part out with a hint of regret.
Kann would pull the elderly mage in with an arm around his shoulder, and gesture him to the class. "This is Mister Fianchetto! He's here as an impartial observer on behalf of the capital, so rest assured, he's as good as on your side, a-ahaha..."
With an unsubtle shake to distance himself from the doctor, Fianchetto would clear his throat and bow. "No sides will be taken. My objective here is purely an academic one, but I will apply myself to ensure that matters progress smoothly."
Meanwhile, further towards the back, Michael leaned against the front gates. His hood and cloak billowed in the morning wind as he simply looked towards the bridge that would lead the group to their carriages. His smirk wasn't present as he looked on, his mind occupied by thoughts of the unknown.
@ERode
BOYS' DORMITORY
On the topic of the rings, the Strigidae of Compact 3 would, with dedication and study purely within the confines of his knowledge of essence and enchantment, stumble across additional information on their workings. Based on first glance at the arcane runes embedded, the ring did indeed appear to simply be one that rids the wearer of their capabilities for essence manipulation, and that was no lie. Alongside an enchantment of immovable binding, such that it would remain with the wearer for a conditional length of time, that appeared to be the extent of it.
...However, with dedicated fiddling, a perceptive eye, and a deft touch, there was more to be seen. It was nearly imperceptible, but a second set of runes overlapped almost perfectly, underneath the set on the surface. They appeared to continue the 'sentence' of runes, and seemed to state that a worn ring would also suppress one's self when necessary - to suspend all latent nama and rupa beyond acceptable parameters set by the enchanter, until such a time that the enchanter wishes to reactivate the individual, or else until the ring's enchantment of binding is dispelled through the passage of time. There would additionally be runic scrawl dictating that the removal or disenchanting of the ring would alert the enchanter to the individual with a ping of their location.
The overlapped runes would conclude with one final statement that was not written in runic or in any scrawl resembling an arcane enchantment. Only one phrase could be read in the common tongue from this passage, which would state, "DAMOCLES AT EACH OF OUR HEARTS."
Upon reading this, Otis would feel an external pressure nudging against his chest. It wasn't a painful sensation, but something sharp dangled against his chest, invisible and immaterial. For some reason, knowledge was transferred to him in that moment from something beyond, as if abiding by a rule. And that rule was clear through this transference: if a wearer were to attempt to remove, dispel, or be separated from the ring before the enchanter's parameters had been met, this invisible blade of pure killing intent was the final countermeasure which would plunge itself into the escapee's heart with absolute precision. Even now, as those of Compact 3 go about their days, these blades would ever point towards them, waiting for the moment at which the enchantment would be defied. One could lop off their finger as the simplest means of removal, but the blade would still strike. The ring itself could be disenchanted or destroyed if one were to find somebody equal to the task, but the blade would again trigger in such cases, as it almost seemed entirely separate from the rest of the enchantments present. Its invisible impalement was, without doubt, a certainty were one to break the rules.
Were Otis to cease fiddling with the ring, the sensation of the blade would eventually fade away. Were he still in his room, looking into matters of the ring by the time of 6:45 AM, the mannekin in his room would surround him to ensure he arrived to the meeting point on time.