xCRAZYxFACEx

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@tabbycat
Aw. You sure? It's not going to be starting for at least a week, maybe two or more depending on when we get people.

@Aphelion
Good to hear!

Cancelled

@Monochromatic Rainbow
We PM'ed about it, so accepted!

Cancelled

@ChaoticLaw
Hrmmm. Wish you would have posted it here first in OOC to be accepted, but it looks good to me. Accepted!

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@ChaoticLaw@Monochromatic Rainbow

[+]

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@Monochromatic Rainbow
I'm not going to deign that with an answer

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@tabbycat
Glad to hear it!

@Monochromatic Rainbow
wouldn't expect anything less

also, if ya got questions feel free to ask. I won't bite

Cycle of Magic: The Five Great Cities of Durian

ooc is up, link

Cancelled

Supplementary Information

Maps: (ok these are kinda amateurish, but its the best I can do. I'm a writer, dammit!)

Durian Overview

Durian Political

Durian Biomes

Starting Area Overview

Background Information:

Pantheon of Gods

Empires and Factions

Empires:

Teredil: Teredil is one of the main empires in Durian. Primarily ruled by humans, its government is a monarchy that claims divine right to rule. Its capital is the great city of Teirn, where the King resides. Its climate is mostly temperate, owing to its large lakes and the Altag Mountains. One should be wary of the many foothills that dot its landscape, for they can be tiresome to travers and sometimes hold bandit holdouts. To the south, it borders Elsin on forestlands. To the west, it borders Teredor and the city of Pyl’s Gate. To the north, it borders the Mirod Mountains and the Deadlands, or the lost empire of Majan.

Teredor: Teredor is one of the main empires in Durian. Formed several decades ago in a bloody civil war against Teredil, the two empires formed an agreement to stop open conflict, but their relationship has been cool and steadily dropping since. Led by a democracy that rapidly changed into an oligarchy, Teredor wanted freedom of the supposed tyranny of Teredil, only to find themselves burdened by the tyranny of the rich. Teredor is very temperate, owing to Lake Fall and its many forests. A desert and some foothills can be located to the south. To the west it borders Pyl’s Gate and Teredil. To the South, across the bay, resides the empire of High Republic. To the north, the wild lands of Felrear lay. Teredor’s capital is Thanadan.

Heartlands: The Heartlands is a protectorate kingdom under Teredil. Residing mostly in the desert and badlands of Teredil, this desert houses a great number of Sarben and Djinn. There are only a few permanent settlements, controlled by the Sarben. The rest are moving caravans of Djinn and Sarben, each their own micro community as they travel the sands. The Heartlands are surrounded entirely by the kingdom of Teredil.

Elsin: Elsin is one of the main empires of Durian. It is a longstanding kingdom that prides itself on its citizens’ magical prowess and forward thinking. It is a meritocracy, where the High Council in charge of the land is formed based on who is willing and most fit to rule. They do this by knowledge of the laws and customs of Durian, as well as non-lethal magical duels between members and those who would wish to earn their seat. As a result of this, many of the Council members are not human; many of them are Djinn, Naga, and even Metatyutem and a Majin. Elsin is mostly forested, with some plains and a large swath of foothills in the center. The council of the Elsinian, the main organization overseeing all mages in Durian, resides here. To the north of Elsin, lies the border of Teredil. Elsin’s capital city is Derimoor.

High Republic: High Republic is two islands that form a democratic republic, and is one of the main empires in Durian. The two islands, known simply as Major and Minor, boast a thriving economy as the largest trade hubs in Durian. The two islands are very tropical, consisting almost entirely of forests. The capital of High Republic is Royal, which follows the main river from the large lake at High Republic’s center.

Din Ghulda: Din Ghulda is a collection of islands that form a very loose alliance, with each island having their own governing system. It is one of the main empires of Durian, and perhaps one of the weakest. It is a fractured system, with many competing viewpoints, ideologies, and goals. One of the main attributes of Din Ghulda is its warring nature, abetted by the large population of Naga there. Following their last invasion, during which it gained its peninsula from Felrear, the other empires have threatened unilateral action against the isles. They currently bide their time, with pirates that are unofficially sanctioned raiding trade ships - sometimes even ships from within Din Ghulda. The islands are mostly composed of flat land and some forests, with a small mountain dominating each isle. To the west lay the lands of Felrear and Teredor.

Felrear: Felrear is not so much an empire as it is a residence for the dissidents and the unsavory of Durian. Very violent, with only local governing systems of its towns maintaining any semblance of order. Although unforgiving, it is perhaps the best place in the continent to find items of dangerous or repugnant properties, outside of the back alleys of the great cities. Of particular note is that, despite its fractured nature, the forces of Felrear will unite to push back any major offensive that tries to push past the mountains of Mirod. Felrear is mostly composed of mountains, taiga, tundra, and to the far north, glaciers. It borders Teredor to the south.

Majan: Majan is known as the Lost Empire, and colloquially as the Deadlands. It used to hold the greatest collection of Majin in the continent, but something happened. It is truly unknown; no Majin who used to live there will speak of it, and there are scant few who are old enough to remember what it used to be. All that is seen is the occasional pink mist, rising over the Mirod mountains. After many failed expeditions where no explorers returned, the land has been deemed unfit for habitation. No one dares to enter, and of those who do, none have returned.

Factions:

The Elsinian: The main governing body of mages in Durian. It is separate from any empire, and has its own rules and customs for its members. This is where any who wish to learn magic go for tuition. Often, its members go on to aid local police forces, join an empire’s army, study magic on their own, or become tutors for the next generation. Any rule breakers are dealt with in-house, but for mages that break the law of an empire, the Elsinian will aid the guard in bringing the mage to justice.

More factions will be added as they are needed/brought up

In Depth Information about the combat system and general mechanics:
Link

Items Lists

Weapons List
Armor List
Store Types
Usable Items/Consumables
Trinkets List

Skill Lists

Spells
Special Attacks
Passives

Cancelled

The cycle repeats.

Creation led to the development of Knowledge, men striving to become all powerful. Knowledge led to Destruction, as brother killed brother and man razed what they had built. Destruction led to Magic, the souls of men seeping into the ground. Magic led once more to Creation, and a new era of men, magic, and creature began.

And so the world was reborn.

Man is no longer the sole inhabitant of the great continent of Durian. Magical creatures, sentient creations, and beast turned being all now inhabit the world. Five great cities have risen, and seven empires vie for power and control over Durian. Armies have fought, wars have been won and lost. Even now, war drums sounds over the hills as another great battle approaches.

You are a citizen of Durian. Whether you come from one of the five mega cities, or from one of Durian’s endless hamlets and secret dungeons, it matters not.

You find yourself in the town of Nifu, just off the coast of the mainland. Why you are here, only you know. Are you a soldier, seeking pay? A mage, pursuing knowledge? A spy, perhaps, looking for the next bite of juicy information. Whatever it may be, you will soon find yourself aiding others as Fate deals you a most unfortunate hand. Will you die, becoming but a drop in the ocean that is life? Or will you survive, fight for what is yours, and see the end of an era?

For you are neither the beginning nor the end, and the cycle must go on.

---

Let me welcome you, and encourage you to join The Cycle of Magic: The Five Great Cities of Durian. This is going to be a long term roleplay not unlike Dungeons and Dragons, where you and anywhere from three to seven other players will play characters that work together to overcome great challenges and earn countless fortunes. It'll mostly be freeform writing, like most other RP's on this forum. We'll write what happens, what we say, all that stuff. But, for combat, we'll rely on stats and number rolls. We won't actually be writing that stuff down on here; we'll just write up a description of the combat. Let me make that clear: The numbers influence how the combat plays out, and we write to fit that description. This game has rules like a tabletop game, but all the posts will be written and posted like normal.

Your character is currently en route to Thanadan, one of the large cities that form the backbone of the continent of Durian. Why you are here and why you are headed to Durian is up to you. Perhaps you were studying in Din Ghulda, looking to find a better grasp of magic and its intricacies. Perhaps you are a mercenary, looking for work in the north and finding none, and now you return with what little money you have left. Perhaps you are a thief, having fleeced your targets for all they were worth and taking your riches back to the mainland.

Regardless the reason, you will soon find your character working with others in circumstances not of your choosing. You will have to work together to survive, and in the process (hopefully) become friends. Again, this’ll play a bit like DnD; you’ll go around and adventure and find stuff to do. Fun!

Following this will be all the information you’ll need to create a character and learn about the world of Durian. Now, don’t be intimidated! Most of this stuff is small details, and you won’t need to memorize even a fraction of it, since it’ll all be up for viewing. Just make sure to check out character creation and the factions/empires. That should be enough to get you started.

I hope you’re interested, and will consider applying with a character sheet! (please post your character sheet here in the OOC to be accepted. You can place it in the character tab once it’s been OK’d)

Information

Character Creation
When creating your character, you can choose their race, gender, class, and general statistics. Their backstory is up to you, so get creative! You can say what their previous profession was, who they align themselves with, what their personality is, or how they ended up in town of Nifu.

Also, previous knowledge and some form of relationship (romantic or otherwise) with the other players’ characters is not only allowed, but encouraged!

STATS:
Strength: Affects Melee/Normal attack damage; Affects chance of receiving stun/flinch in combat and dealing a stun/flinch; Determines ability to use certain weapons.

Endurance: Affects Starting Health and Health earned per level; Affects enemy normal attacks’ effectiveness; Affects enemy poison and other status effects’ chance

Intelligence: Affects Total Mana Points and Mana Points gained per level; Determines Spell Effectiveness; Determines ability to use certain spells and abilities;

Wisdom: Affects enemy spells’ effectiveness; Affects healing item effectiveness; Affects experience earned; Affects mana costs

Charisma: Affects Buying and Selling Prices; Unlocks taunts that can be used to debuff enemies or buff allies; Can be used to persuade in special circumstances.

Agility: Affects Speed/Move Order; Affects dodge chance; Determines ability to use certain weapons.

Luck: Affects chance of landing critical hits; Affects chance of finding a salvageable item/armor piece/weapon. Small effect on dodge chance.

Levels and Leveling Up:
All characters start at level 1, with a base of 10 in each stat, modified by their race and class. Each level up through level 10 earns you two stat points to spend. Starting at level 11, you earn 1 stat point per level. Additionally you will earn a skill point every level until level 8. After that, you will receive a skill point every two levels until level 14 (8, 10, 12, 14). After that, you will earn a skill point every three levels (17, 20, 23, etc.).

Seven races available to play:
(No, you cannot play as some other race. Don’t even ask)

Also note that when looking at each race’s skills, ONLY that race may obtain and use those skills. A djinn can’t use a human’s skills, and vice versa. Keep that in mind when choosing a race.

Humans: +2 Stat points (your choice as to where)

Appearance

Humans are among the more prolific members of the continent of Durian.They own the most cities, have the most population, and by far the most diverse out of all the races. They can fill nearly any role, and can specialize or broaden their skill set as needed. Both paths come with difficulties; specialization leaves gaps in their defenses, while becoming a jack of all trades leaves them with no outstanding strengths.

Though they own the most land in Durian, humans are not everywhere; you can often stumble across hamlets of other races. That said, at major hubs of trade and larger cities you are guaranteed to find humans; the same cannot be said for other races.

Djinn: +1 INT, +1 END

Appearance Examples: one two three

Djinn are a magically inclined race, and possess two bodies in a sense. At their truest form, they are a floating ball of pure energy and fire, free to fly and unleash powerful magic. In practice, though, they are limited by these forms. Out in the relative cold of the world, they are vulnerable and lose their heat after only a few days, and subsequently die. Thus they typically inhabit a second body, what they call their ilignus. It is a humanoid body made of charcoal and burnt wood. In this form they are safe, though they cannot fly and their magic is lessened. It is unfathomably rare to see an unsheltered djinn outside the hottest of deserts. There, they walk the wastes, a semi-nomadic people that form loose tribes, for in the deserts they have no fear of dying if caught outside their ilignus.

Children are not given an ilignus until one year of age, and consistently grow through shells until they reach maturity at the age of 24. A full grown djinn, when in their ilignus, can reach anywhere from 5 to 7 feet in height. A djinn near the end of their life, at around 200 years old, can be as tall as 9 feet.

The Djinn are not the same beings that we imagine in our world. They do not reside in bottles and do not grant wishes. They are merely a magical race.

They possess three genders, and can seamlessly transition from to another. For simplicity, most humans regard them as male, female, and demale, even though a Djinn isn’t stuck as one or another.

Mechanid/Majin: +3 END, - 1 AGI

Appearance Examples: one two three

Majin, or Mechanids as they are known to most other races, are a race of sentient machines that are thought to possess souls. They tend to keep themselves, even avoiding others of the same kind. They are genderless, and the knowledge of how they reproduce, or at least the manufacture of more of them, has been lost to time. Their bodies are incredibly durable, though being made of metal they are clumsier than other races. That is not to say they are not fast, though. Majin can vary even more than humans in terms of size and shape. They can be wiry and short, as short as 4 feet tall, or massive and hulking, up to 8 feet.

Though they are durable, their weakness is a consistent means of regenerating their bodies. They cannot take healing potions like other races, and sleeping only rests their minds and souls. They must find metal - any kind - and consume it. Then, they can sleep and regenerate their health. Additionally, once a year they have to maintain themselves, removing rust and replacing bad parts. This costs additional metal to perform.

It is unknown how long a Majin can live for, though some claim to have been alive for over a millennia, while the youngest claim to be at least 200 years old.

Kenku: +2 AGI, + 1 WIS, - 1 STR

Appearance Examples: one two three

Kenku are a race of avian humanoids. They resemble crows in both appearance and mannerisms. They usually range 4 to 6 feet in height and are very lightweight, though not particularly strong. Though they have feathers, claws, and beaks, they have no wings and cannot fly. Moreover, though they can speak avian and understand the common language, they cannot talk normally as others do. If they attempt to do so, what they intend to say comes out in avian and sounds like a crow’s caw. If they wish to speak in common, they must rely on their mimicry. If they have heard a sound before, they can mimic it near perfectly. This includes ambient sounds, the sounds of animals, and other languages, including ones they do not understand (though they cannot truly communicate if they do not understand the language.)

Most Kenkus live either in small cloisters in the mountains and the forests, or they live in the slums of large cities, thieving and robbing to survive.

It is said that, long ago, the god of the Kenkus became displeased with their avarice and greed, and struck them from his domain. They lost their wings and the ability to speak anything other than avian.

Most Kenku are displeased with their lot in life, and wish more than anything to fly and speak freely. They turn to thieving to fulfill the desire they have to take back their gifts.

Metatyutem: +2 WIS

Appearance Examples: one two three

Metatyutem, as they call themselves, or doppelgangers, as they are known colloquially, present a very controversial issue. They are, without a doubt, sentient creatures, and have played a valuable role in the world and in civilization. But their capability of turning into another creature and mimicking their persona near perfectly frightens many and angers even more. Many see doppelgangers as lesser beings, and look upon them with spite and mistrust.

As a result, most doppelgangers prefer to stay disguised most of the time, using one or two favored personas. They are relatively rare beings, so they often have no reason to reveal their true form; they will only do so around truly trusted individuals, or behind closed doors with another of their race.

Metatyutem can recognize one another when disguised, their natural magic leaving a footprint that others can identify. They assume the gender of whichever person they replicate, and although they can mate with other shifters, it is usually more convenient to mate with members of another species, usually humans. The offspring is almost always a shifter, whose powers are latent and only reveal themselves near adulthood.

As a species, Metatyutem aren’t necessarily malevolent. They are merely interested in self-preservation and furthering whatever goals they have, whether they be good or evil.

Naga: +1 STR, +1 AGI

Appearance Examples: one two three

Naga are a race of amphibious, lizard-like humanoids. Possessing a wiry strength no other race can match, they can be a fiercely territorial, yet surprisingly artistic race. They are usually no-nonsense when it comes to people outside of their village, and it shows in their weaponry, murals, songs, dances, and general behavior.

Naga typically live in one of three types of environments. The first is in marshland, where they are a semi-nomadic people that reside in medium sized wooden tents. They patrol a wide swath of land, keeping outsiders away and hunting for their village. The second place is by a river. These villages can grow quite large, as they have a ready supply of water and food, not to mention access to other races. These towns can grow to be as large as small human city, and are often hubs of trade and commerce. Naga in these towns are often more tolerant of other races; considering their proximity, it is an expected outcome. The third type of environment is by an ocean, or by saltwater. These villages are often smaller, as Naga can’t breathe saltwater as well or as long as in freshwater. Moreover, their food is limited to what they can catch in the sea and what they can forage above ground. These towns are usually far away from the mouths of rivers, and are somewhat isolated; after all, if Naga decided to camp near the mouth of a river, they would prefer to head upstream rather than stay by the saltwater.

Their weaponry is known to be of a very high quality and very efficient for underwater combat. The quality is surprising, considering they often have little to no access to metals, instead relying on bone and other organic materials.

Sarben: + 1 AGI, + 1 END, + 1 LCK, -1 CHR

Appearance examples: one two three (ignore the thing on the right)

It is unknown whether a Sarben is more organic or more construct, though many speculate they are spirits that have come to inhabit a mostly inorganic body. In that regard, they are most closely resembled by Djinn and Mechanids.

Little is known of this race, as they rarely venture beyond the sand of the deserts they inhabit. They are thought to be highly mobile nomads, and are known to live off of cactus juice and sunlight. For the most part they get along with Djinn they may encounter, though still keep to themselves.

Sarben that have left the desert are usually quite polite, and even amicable to others. Such individuals are few and far between, rarer even than Majin, and when asked refuse to say why they are there or why they do not go back to the desert. One of the few things they have said is that in the desert, they can morph into sand and travel as fast as the wind (though not outside of the desert, and of course none who have been asked have been able to do so in the taverns they were asked in). Whether this claim is true or not is up for debate.

CLASSES & SPECIALIZATIONS:

Classes can be chosen by the player, including the name and the distribution of 8 Stat points (but please don’t be dumb and say you’re a scout but put all the points into luck or something. You’ll either need to rename your class to the Fool or redistribute your points to better fit a ‘scout’).

Additionally, you can remove UP TO 4 points from one, two, or three stats to redistribute elsewhere; examples:
-2 STR and +1 CHR and +1 INT
or
-1 STR and -1 END and +2 LUCK
or
-3 CHR and +3 WIS. You get the idea.

Classes come with either one free spell, special attack, or special attribute of your choice. Class creation and future skills (read: spells, special attacks, and passives) are going to be created collaboratively. If you try and put in an ability or spell that I believe doesn’t fit with a certain class, I’ll deny it and ask you to please think carefully if it actually DOES fit. If you still think it does, try and convince me using reason. I’m flexible, and if you can provide a good reason why it should fit I’ll allow it.

In summary: Each character starts with a base of ten in each stat. Next, add the points that come from your racial bonus. Then, add eight points to your desired stats and define what you want your class name to be. Finally, you can choose to redistribute four points if you so desire.

The class description will be done by you, but actual creation of the class’ skills, i.e. spells, special attacks, and passives will be done closer to when the game will start, in about a week or two. This class progression will be done cooperatively, where you basically tell me what your character can do and I create skills to go with that description. It’ll be a back and forth, where I give you a rough draft of the skills and their progression, and you can ask for changes here and there. Ultimately, though, I have the final say on what can and can’t be put in. While you can have a spell that knocks out all enemies for three turns, something that powerful will be unlocked at a much higher level and at a higher mana cost than, say, a spell that blasts a couple enemies for a few points of damage.

Also keep in mind: while you can play as a more deadly character from their background, such as an assassin, you won’t be starting at any higher an advantage than someone who plays someone ‘weaker’, say a militia man. The class determines where your strengths are, and how you can grow as a character, not how strong you are to start.

Character Template

(Sample Character)

(This is an example of what a character should look like when he/she is submitted. Anything that is in parenthesis, like this explanation, is there to provide information and should not be included in the actual character submission.)

Name: Penelope Fletcher

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Age: 24

Place of Origin: Lochmarsh, Elsin (at this point, you’re not expected to know much about each individual area. Just give me a country name and a general area on the map. Also, feel free to give your hometown a name or give however many details you want. As long as your backstory doesn’t make your character super-mungo over powered, it’ll be fine. After all, this is a large setting, and I’m not about to stunt your creativity here!)

Appearance and Personality: Penelope is a sturdy woman, and stands at 5’9”. Her hands are callused from years of helping her father make bows and arrows. That, and her somewhat plain looks means she isn’t well regarded in some of the more popular social circles in her hometown of Lochmarsh. Her work-hardened and serious exterior hides a very content and joyous woman. Anyone who takes the time to know her finds her a joy to be around, though those who shun her for her work and looks only see her derision for them, instead of her otherwise happy demeanor. (This section is for describing your character, both on the inside and the outside. Feel free to write more than this for your character’s description, but please try and write at least this much. Also, I don’t care if you use Imperial or Metric. Use whichever is more comfortable for measurements.)

Class: Craftsman (If she were to become a fighter, she’d likely become an Archer)
This class focuses on creating items, and generally supporting others. Her talents have been honed over several years, apprenticed to her father. Anybody worth their salt knows that she and her father produce some of the best arrows in Elsin, barring the master craftsmen in Derimoor. Having a need to test her wares, Penelope has become an excellent shot with bows and crossbows, and can feel the minute differences between each arrow and each bow.

Stats:
STR: 14
END: 10
INT: 12
WIS: 11
CHR: 11
AGI: 14
LCK: 8

(The total should add up to 80)

Background: (This section should be at least two paragraphs long, and the paragraphs should be at least the length of Penelope’s Class description.)

(Character Template)

Name:

Race:

Gender:

Age:

Place of Origin:

Appearance and Personality:

Class:

Stats:
STR:
END:
INT:
WIS:
CHR:
AGI:
LCK:

Background:

Finite Incantatem [AU Harry Potter RP]

10:21 AM

Drew Callaghan wasted no time. They were dismissed, and he had a job to do. Making his way back to his work room, he thought of what would be best suited for the mission.

A stealth mission, so I'm mostly going to need contingency runes. Four protego maximas, with repelling and strengthening charms. That should give us some time. One or two offensive spells - either Diffindo or Bombarda. Diffindo is quiet, stealthy, but we won't know if we're discovered. Bombarda... loud, so it'll blow our cover. But if anyone runs into it, our cover is blown anyway. Bombarda it is. But, to do damage, I'll need something big. I don't know what will be of value in there, and I'd like to get as much damage in as with few runes as possible. I wonder... I've been working on those runes to hold dark spells. Perhaps... Fiendfyre? If I asked Ronan, he could do it...

Drew smiled to himself. Fiendfyre it is. That'll do quite nicely indeed.

He had six hours to prepare, and he'd need all the time he could get.

---

1:34 PM

Drew knocked on the door to the meeting room, then stepped inside. He was relieved to find Ronan still there, perhaps lost in his thoughts or looking over plans. He cleared his throat.

“Mr. Findley-Barr? I had request to make of you, something to help with the mission at McCarthy Manor,” Callahan said respectfully.

Tiredly, Ronan looked up from the tome of dark magic the manor’s resident librarian had procured for him and stretched, something audibly cracking as he did so. “What do you need, Callaghan?”

Drew pulled out the two pieces of carved stone that contained the dark runes. “Could I ask you to cast Fiendfyre onto both of these runes?”

The spymaster frowned, brows furrowing as if wracking his brain for anything about Ancient Runes. “Fiendfyre in a rune would be… destructive, possibly even more so than the spell on its own without a wizard to control it. What do you plan to use them for?”

“I plan to use it to cause some damage, like you suggested earlier,” Callaghan said with a lopsided grin. “It’ll be a good distraction for when we’re leaving, it’ll cover our tracks, and it’ll leave the Death Eaters wondering if Mia died or escaped. Not to mention possibly destroying one of their hideouts. I think it’s an opportunity to deal a serious blow to the bastards.”

Ronan nodded in understanding. “Might want to tell your distraction – Blake and Cunningham – about this plan. Don’t want them to stick around while the place is blowing up, which might be a tad suspicious… Unless you plan to put it on a longer timer..?” Nevertheless, he took both of the runes and, with a wave of his wand, pushed the hefty oak desk to the very corner of the room along with all the very inflammable papers.

“I’ll be sure to tell them,” Drew said, watching Ronan work with fascination. He stepped back to give the spymaster some room.

Setting down the two runes in the centre of the meeting room, Ronan gestured for the saboteur to move back against the edge, drawing his wand and pointing it at the stones. With a steady breath and a pained grimace, he cast it, and initially it seemed that nothing happened.

Then, like a slow caress, the flame trickled out of the tip of his wand, then grew larger, more potent in the space of a few seconds. Hot enough to melt flesh like butter and sear bone to charcoal, but perfectly contained. Ronan didn’t even blink as the flame snarled at him, instead directing it to force itself into the vessels.

And it did, like pillars straight from Muggle Hell. Ronan cared little about the decrepit carpets as they were scorched under the heat, already worn down from years of rebels walking through its halls.

All of a sudden, it was over. The Fiendfyre reared back and Ronan continued to swipe and swipe with his wand until there was nothing left of it but the smell of smoke.

“How’s that? I’m not one for charging runes…”

Drew approached the runic traps, testing the contained magic with a few controlled gestures of his wand. He nodded in approval. “Perfect. The spell is contained, ready to be released with the right trigger. I’ll set a decently long timer, but it can’t be too long. I don’t want to risk the Death Eater’s finding it and disabling the traps.”

Placing the runes into his bag, which seemed to gobble them up readily, Drew stood up and gave a casual salute. “Thank you, Ronan. See you after the mission.”

---

3:50 PM

Drew Callaghan strode into the entrance hall, checking over the gear he was bringing. He had his pouch filled with traps, enchanted to hold more than its size indicated, and resistant to spells and jostling. His clothing emphasized speed and mobility. Rather than the long flowing robes usually preferred by wizards, he wore a tight-fitting dragonhide tunic and pants.

All in all, Callaghan was prepared. He looked for his team. “Blake? Luther? Kyle? I have to say something.”