You Just Got Schooled IC Group 2

[bcool999]

Eugene

Almost certain that their instructor has a plan to make them appear foolish, but unable to think of anything clever to beat him with. Eugene continues to boost his speed with mana, and hope that their instructor is overconfident.

Spoiler: Crunch

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Sorry for not posting. Will be more active from now on, and stop waiting for others to post for fear of ruining their brilliant plans.

Eugene moves 90 feet toward the instructor (ends 50ft. away)

[CoreBrute23]

As jack was dropped he started focussing his mind on his own brand of energy.

While Sorcerers and wizard manipulated magic, and Eugene converted magic to his special brand of energy, Jack used a completely different sort of power. His was the natural energy of the body, focussed through will and physical training. This was Ki.

He felt the Ki surround his body, and knew he had changed. He was not manipulating the light, or casting an illusion. He simply was invisible. And with that certainty, he ran.

Spoiler: OOC

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Swift action to turn invisible [Ghost Step], Enduring Ki feat makes it last for two rounds at the cost of 2 Ki. Now run action to get to the instructor. That moves me 80 ft towards him, since I still have both my standard actions.

I don't know how far I am from the instructor, if that will get me close enough within range or not. But at least he can't see me!

[GuyFawkes]

"Oh, good, you're here. Was beginning to get bored," Harrow stands without using his hands to support himself up. On his face is a smug look, the way a feline humanoid can look the part. He looks at his team as Eugene comes up first before Drilib and Mathers and Gol manages to catch p, in fact overtaking the young man.

"Hmm, you seem to be lacking one member? Can't catch up? Ha ha ha!" he laughs as he puts his hands on both sides of his waist. "Alrightie, on to the next phase. Since you lot have a problem keeping up, let's make this interesting. I won't run away anymore. You just have to tag me. With anything. Anything you can throw at me. Then you pass. Ready? Go!"

Spoiler

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Tactical: Eugene is at 50 feet, Drilib and Mathers and Gol at 30 feet, Jack can reach where Harrow is. The road is 15 feet wide and extends 50 feet forward and back from Harrow to the nearest intersection. The buildings to the left and right are two-story buildings 20 feet high to the rooftop.

[CoreBrute23]

Within easy grasp, Jack almost chuckled at how unaware his instructor was. This is too easy.

He then tried to grab the feline's arm.

Spoiler: Move silently roll

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(1d20+16)[33]

Come on, not a one!

[Qwertystop]

Gol runs to the side a bit, then dashes in towards Harrow.

Spoiler: Crunch

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Moving around so as to not crash into Jack and trying to tag him from the side.

Attack roll (1d20+8)[16]

[bcool999]

Eugene

Throwing caution to the wind, Eugene also charges forward hoping to tag the instructor.

Spoiler: OOC

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Charging for +2 to hit -2 to AC
Melee Touch Attack: (1d20+10)[18]

(Sorry for waiting so long to post. Hopefully we can get back into a good schedule.)

[GuyFawkes]

"Hmm?"

Harrow's senses confuses him: while his ears could pick up the rustling of clothes and small bits of metal and boots impacting dirt, his eyes did not register anything to match those auditory input. But the seasoned warrior that he is, he easily gets it.

"Invisibility, eh? Neat trick!" he says with a grin. Harrow then closes his eyes and breathes deeply, and when he opens them again, his eyes are following where Jack is supposed to be, like he could see him. When the halfling is close enough for an attack, Harrow uses his experience to move out of the path of the most possible attacks. But fighting an invisible opponent is indeed difficult, and Jack's hand darts true towards his intructor's arm. At the last instant though, when it seems they have won, something invisible deflects Jack's hand away, and the response from this collision gives Harrow enough idea to move away accordingly.

"Oooh! Close!" the feline instructor taunted.

Next comes Gol who charges in without any tactics other than pitting his own speed against Harrow, and the result is almost obvious. His grabbing hand whiffs past the catfolk with a lot of room to spare. But Eugene and Drilib does not give Harrow time to compose himself, both launching themselves forward for their attacks. Eugene's hand is easily avoided, but as the instructor dodges to the left, he finds himself in the direct path of the charging Mathers, and with his small, outstretched arms, the gnome finally tags Harrow right smack on the forehead. Both Drilib and Mathers are surrounded by dust as they stop to a screeching halt, and when it settles, Drilib is raising his hand.

"Tagged!"

Harrow looks at the gnome and then the others with a blank face, before bursting into a laugh that seems more like chirping rather than what one would expect from a feline creature.

"Well done, well done!" he says to you while clapping his hands. "You are not too fast, but you are quick. I pride myself in my quickness. But you got me on the first try. I must be slacking on my training," he adds before laughing again.

"Alright, come! We move on to the next part!"

Harrow marches on down the street you are on and takes the next left turn. He walks down again for a couple minutes until you find yourselves at the end of the street, which then branches off to both sides. Opposite you is a low stone wall, and the catfolk walks towards it. Without any effort he hops and stands over it, then looks at you and motions for you to follow. While the wall back at the training grounds was about 10 feet tall, this one was about half that high, and you find it no trouble to go over it and follow your instructor.

When you do manage to go over it, you find him sitting underneath an old elm tree. Behind him, you can see the ground drop into a cliff, and as you walk closer, you can see the ground below, roughly a hundred feet down at your estimate, dead and barren, though sprouts of greenery could be seen here or there.

"Come, sit down beside me," Harrow calls out to you as he rummages his bag. Out of it he produces some sheets of paper and hands them over to you.

"Read them. Those are the rules and regulations you will be following while you're here. Memorize them. Then ask me if you have questions."

Spoiler: Rules and Regulations of the Blood Carniva

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The Blood Carnival is an independent fighting force. As such, it owes no allegiance to any sovereign state, nation, power, entities, or individual. It does, however, lend its services to any and all sovereign states, nations, power, entities, or individuals. Such services include, but may not be limited to:

• Deployment of manpower
• Buying and/or Selling of any information of interest
• Arbitration between two or more disputing sovereign states, nations, power, entities, or individuals
• Training of standing armies and/or other military/paramilitary/militia forces

Services to be rendered shall incur remuneration, the exact details of which to be discussed and agreed upon by qualified Blood Carnival personnel and the client before such services are to be rendered. This is materialized in the form of a written contract to be signed by both parties.

All requests for services must be duly submitted through proper channels for processing. Should a request be given to a member of the Carnival, said member is to submit the request to the Requests Committee for processing and approval. Requests that are not processed and recognized by the Requests Committee shall not be honored by the Carnival as a legitimate request, and any consequence of the actions committed within that request, the Carnival shall hold no liability whatsoever.

Entering into contracts with both, or in case of multiple factions, two or more sides of any armed or unarmed conflict is strictly prohibited. This applies to all types of services the Carnival is able to render. As a corollary, any contract that deploys a Joker against other Jokers in other missions is strictly prohibited.

All contracts are to be fulfilled by any Joker assigned to the utmost of his or her ability. Failure to do so shall mean failure of the contract, and the client is relieved of any of its responsibilities stated in the contract. The assigned Joker/s is/are to undergo investigation.

All contracts are on a need-to-know basis. Only the Carnival Head Committee, the Requests Committee, and the client are to be privy of all manners of relevant information regarding the contract. Assigned Jokers are given only what is enough for them to execute their mission. Divulging of information, unless through proper request and contract, is a capital offense.

Personal conflict between two or more Jokers is strictly prohibited. If there is a need for violence to settle a dispute, the parties involved should request for an official duel, to be witnessed by three or more Jokers not involved with the said dispute.

Divulging of information regarding the Carnival to any outside entity is a capital offense.

Jokers are free to take any mission that is within his/her capabilities. At the same time, accepting of missions is not compulsory.

Compensation for Jokers is stipulated in the contract for each mission he or she undertakes. A Joker may request for additional compensation should the completion of the mission entail factors not stated in the contract, to be reviewed and approved by the Compensation Committee.

Jokers are free to utilize all facilities and amenities provided by the organization. In cases of deployment, Jokers can make use of equipment as deemed necessary for the completion of the contract.

Jokers are free to leave the Carnival at any given time. To do so, he or she must submit a formal request to the Head Committee and undergo an interview for the process to be finalized and recognized. Former members are hereby relieved of all duties and responsibilities of a Joker, as well as all privileges of one. Any Joker who does not comply with this shall be considered a full member, and thus must still abide by the rules of the organization.

Spoiler: Rules and Regulations for Recruits

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A person is considered a recruit once he or she has undergone the orientation up until he or she graduates. Basic training course lasts for two years, and another year is used for field training.

All recruits must follow the commands of the overseer.

All recruits must follow the commands of their group instructor.

In cases where the group instructor's commands conflict that of the overseer, the overseer's commands always takes priority.

In cases where the overseer's or group instructor's command is in conflict with the rules and regulations for recruits, the rules and regulations take priority.

During the course of the training, the Carnival shall provide free food and lodging for all recruits.

Recruits shall utilize a color-coding system for all matters regarding their personal belongings and those granted to them for use in training. Possession and/or use of equipment and/or objects not color-coded to the recruit is strictly prohibited.

All recruits must use standard equipment to be provided by the training facility during training, unless otherwise instructed. Use of equipment other than those provided is strictly prohibited.

All recruits can use any facility during the allotted time of use only. He or she may apply for personal use of any facility outside of such times, to be submitted to his or her group instructor, and await approval from the Training Committee. Approval is subject to availability of the facility during the time slot applied for, as well as the intended us.

All concerns and queries regarding training or other matters must be addressed to the group instructor only. Bypassing the group instructor is strictly prohibited.

All recruits must observe the proper time in eating, sleeping, and taking baths. Doing such activities outside of allotted times is strictly prohibited.

Destruction of Carnival property is strictly prohibited and penalized accordingly.

All violations shall be monitored by the group instructors and, depending on the severity of each case, shall either be considered a minor or major offense. Committing a minor offense shall earn a corresponding punishment to be decided by the group instructor. A major offense shall be elevated to the Training Committee for investigation, after which corresponding punishment shall be issued by them.

A recruit can only commit 2 major offenses. A third shall result in immediate expulsion. 3 minor offenses constitute 1 major offense.

By signing in as a recruit, a person willingly agrees to undergo all training done in this facility. He or she also agrees to abide by all the rules stated in this Rules and Regulations Guide. In case of serious injury that may result to permanent disfigurement or death, the recruit also agrees that the Carnival is not in any way liable or responsible, except for cases where foul play is found.

[Qwertystop]

"Fair enough. Is it permitted to request that additional information be provided, if one believes it to be necessary information for the completion of an assigned contract (but it was not provided)?"

[bcool999]

Eugene

Eugene quickly skims over the rules, nodding at the ones that seem obvious, but tilting his head slightly at a couple of other rules. "Well, as heartbreaking as it is that there will be no sneaking off to take a nap or grab a snack, I believe I will survive. What grabs my attention the most is the use of the word 'facilities' and the fact that they are free to use during designated hours. I am curious, other than the mess hall and bunkhouse along with other essential facilities, just what all can be found hereabouts? Also... about that rule on no personal equipment," continues Eugene as he reaches beneath his cloak and pulls out what appears to be an armored puppet in the shape of a full plated knight. It is far too large to have fit on Eugene's person without being immediately noticeable even though there was no sign of it until now.

Eugene sets the puppet down and his hand can be seen to glow as it releases the puppet, which promptly stands on it's own legs and bows to Eugene saying, "How can I serve you Master?" in a tinny voice, before standing straight and silent awaiting commands.

Eugene motions for the puppet to turn towards Harrow and says, "Introduce yourself."

Immediately the Puppet turns and bows to Harrow and says, "Greetings and salutations, I am Sir Stalwart, loyal servant and training partner to my master Eugene DeChamlae. It is an honor to make your acquaintance." Sir Stalwart then returns to his straight posture, waiting for more instructions.

Eugene then says, ""You see, I am unsure what to classify Sir Stalwart as. He can think and act on his own, which makes him a good training partner for combat, but without an investment of power from me..." Eugene snaps his fingers and Sir Stalwart collapses to the ground, a puppet once more. "...that happens. So is he just a piece of personal equipment, or will he be allowed to assist me in training?"

[GuyFawkes]

"Cool stuff!" Harrow suddenly sits upright from his relaxed position, his ears twitching, clearly interested in Sir Stalwart. "Yeah, Sir Stalwart is welcome here. Kinda like how his pet is welcome here," Harrow motions to Drilib and Mathers. "But I will tell you both when you can have them during training."

"We will also be having a tour after this, so you get a rough idea of how this place looks like. And yes, you may, but it will depend on the higher ups if they will actually give you the information you ask," Harrow says the last part to Gol.

"More questions?"

[CoreBrute23]

Jack is scowling slightly, as he becomes visible. What was that thing that blocked me? Some kind of magic spell? He took the rules and regulations, examining them closely. Not finding anything too surprising there, he turned to Harrow.

"So what's the next step then in training? And are we going to be only training with you, or will we be given the opportunity to learn from more specialized instructors, such as if Drilib wants to improve his riding, or Eugene wants to work on his magic?"

[Qwertystop]

"And on the note of magic, is time going to be allotted in future for spellcasters and similar to ready themselves? I'm not exactly a spellcaster, but I do need a minute to bind, and an hour to shape if I'm not using the same melds as the last day. I didn't really time or foreknowledge this morning, any more than some Wizard would, or I'd have done better."

Gol realizes what he's just said.

"Not to be making excuses, though, sir."

[GuyFawkes]

"Haha do not worry, we will not be doing stuff that needs your binds. But tomorrow, you should have done all your preparations before call time. And that is at six. You have your breakfast at five. How you go about it is up to you," Harrow replies to Gol.

To Jack, "For now and the next couple months I will be your trainer. Be doing the basics and stuff like that. Later on, you will get to train under specialized teachers. For Drilib, there are a lot of mounted warriors in the Carnival, so are binders for you," he looks at Gol. "Not sure of people who can teach how to be a puppeteer though," he nods at Eugene before giggling, which to him is some sort of repetitive high-pitched sounds.

"You look like you specialize in stealth and scouting? You can be under me. If you like," he looks back to Jack.

"For today, we will tackle the rules. Then after that, we can do a tour to familiarize yourselves with the camp, if you like. Or you can just go about yourselves. Get lost, find new places. I like that," Harrow smiles and his face is as if he is somewhere else.

"So what will it be? Any more questions?"

Spoiler: Derp

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Oh, drats. Sorry, I meant Jack, who used to be named James.

[CoreBrute23]

Jack nodded at Harrow's. Given how Harrow was able to detect him despite his ninja training, it would probably be better if he did learn from the feline-esc man, if only to learn that ability.

"I'd rather keep to the tour for now. But just to clarify something, we recruits only need to heed orders from you, our instructor, and the overseer right? We are under no obligation to obey the orders of other experienced Jokers right?" Jack was in no mood to be pushed around from some swaggering oversized mercenary. Or worse, a human.

OOC: When you say James, do you mean my character? My character is called Jack.

[Qwertystop]

"No more questions, sir."

[GuyFawkes]

"Yes. But when you are under an instructor, you are obliged to listen to them. It is not a hard requirement, as you can see you cannot find it in the rules. But you learning under them is a favor, really. So it's a sign of respect. Unless you think that you cannot learn anything from them, then feel free to approach me and I will assign you with another instructor."

Harrow then stands up. "All right, no more questions? So shall we take the tour?"

[CoreBrute23]

"That's all my questions."

[bcool999]

Eugene

"I am ready too." says Eugene as he safely stores Sir Stalwart in his Dimensional Gallery, "So where too first?"

[GuyFawkes]

"Right this way, gents."

Harrow walks back towards the wall and goes over it as easily as last time and you follow. He takes the road going to the left and walks along it until about two blocks before taking a right.

"The whole camp is divided into four quarters roughly, with the Training Grounds smack dab in the center of those. To your left, you will see that it's somehow familiar. That's cause this is your quarters. This is the Trainee's Quarters. That's where you find the lecture rooms and sleeping quarters and pretty much most of the laboratories and stuff like those. Where you'll be spending most of the time."

He continues on and after a few minutes you walk down a road close to the Training Grounds, which you see to your right. After quite some time of walking, you finally reach a walled-off block. The wall is so high you cannot see what lies inside, and extends almost as far as your eyes could see in two directions.

"This is the next quarter. We call it the Field. My personal favorite. Inside is a massive space that constantly changes depending on the training you want. It's usually divided into smaller sectors so multiple groups can use it, and it can be modified to simulate almost any and all conditions you may encounter out there, courtesy of our world-class builders and mages."

"Unlike most quarters though, you can't go in anytime. You must have a reservation to use it, and even then, you cannot go in unless you are with your group and with your group instructor. Exceptions are for when you get rewards from the tournaments."

"Really cool stuff, the Field is. Any questions?"

[CoreBrute23]

"Tournaments?" Jack asks curiously. He doesn't remember any mention of a tournament among the Jokers.

[GuyFawkes]

"Mhmm. Tournaments," Harrow nods. "One of the exciting times for you recruits. There are two each year. There is one for individuals against individuals, as there is for groups."

[bcool999]

Eugene

"Those tournaments do sound pretty exciting. I am guessing that they are used by the higher ups as a way to see what the recruits can do and what they learned while they have been training huh? Besides private Field time, are there any other prizes for doing well in the tournament?" says Eugene, thinking almost giddily about custom guns or equipment made by some of the legendary Joker craftsmen and craftswomen.

[Qwertystop]

"Combat only, I assume?"

[GuyFawkes]

"Bragging rights," Harrow says with a grin. "The prizes change every tournament. Makes it even more exciting." Turning to Gol, he adds. "And no, not purely combat. In the preliminaries, we sometimes use obstacle courses and do elimination based on the time contestants finish it. Again, the tournament format changes. Makes people think and not just prepare for a definite course of action. The format is announced a week before."

"Any more questions?

[Qwertystop]

"Nothing comes to mind, sir, though I'm sure there will be something as soon as we get to whatever's next."

[GuyFawkes]

"Okay! This way gents!"

Harrow leads on, crossing the street, following a smaller street south through buildings. As you walk on, you come across other groups with their respective instructors milling about, some apparently on the same tour as you.

It does not take long before you see before you another walled-off section. This one, however, is not as tall as that of the Field, made only of a stone section about two feet high and vertical steel sections above it, such that you can see what is beyond it: a wide field with some weird-looking buildings and the rest covered by a thick expanse of trees.

"This, folks, is the south-east quarter, the Zoo. Here, were we keep our vast collection of creatures we use in the Field, and those that serve as mounts and companions for other Jokers. You will be housing your pet here," the instructor nods at Drilib. "We also grow different kinds of trees and herbs here. And lastly, deep inside here, we have the Arcanum Ward, where some of our members do magical research. Basically, this is the multi-purpose quarter." Harrow finishes.

"Questions?"

[Qwertystop]

"In the Arcanum Ward - is that all kinds of magic, or just traditional wizardry? Might there be someone there who could advise me in meldshaping or soulbinding?"

[GuyFawkes]

"Mostly, wizard stuff, but yeah, I heard they got subdivisions there. They should have meldshapers and binders doing research there. We got a lot of them here in the Carnival. Not my thing though, you gotta ask some of the magick dudes," Harrow replies to Gol.

"Any more questions?"

[bcool999]

Eugene

Arcanum Ward huh? Guess that is where I will learn more about Mana... I hope Joker teachers won't be as dull and boring as that old codger that tried to tutor me as a kid...

"*YAWN* Ah, I beg your pardon, guess I am getting pretty worn out already. So is there one quarter left, or is it about time to hit the sack?"

[GuyFawkes]

"Yes, last one."

Harrow then walks back towards the main street they used earlier and heads for the direction of the training grounds once more. This time he takes the southern route around the grounds and after a few minutes, the group begins to see more buildings. You take another street leading farther west. Around here, you see a lot more people, and you observe that they do not seem to be recruits. Rather, ordinary-looking folks, men, women, and children even.

As you walk further on, you begin to see the smoke belching out of several chimneys, and the atmosphere begins to cackle with energy. To your left and right, you can see stalls and shops of all sorts, and people coming to and fro, in and out of them. Different sounds and different aromas begin to assault your senses, and the street becomes harder to walk in, and if not for the large frame of Isak who parts the stream of people you would take quite some time to get where you are supposed to go.

Slowly you approach a plaza. In the middle is a rectangular stone platform, surrounded by a low double iron fence, with patches of flowers and low-lying shrubs in between. Outside the fence, benches surround the platform on all sides, all of which are occupied by people of all sorts, some looking like lovers, others perhaps taking a breather from all the buying and looking around. On top of the platform stands three stone statues, roughly the size of Isak. All have their backs against the others', forming a sort of triangle among themselves. The statues are of excellent craftmanship, and they clearly depict their real-life counterparts up to the last detail. But even if they didn't, it is hard to miss who the three are supposed to represent: the Founders of the Blood Carnival of course.

Harrow stops as he reaches the iron fence and turns to address you. "This..." he begins, but pauses to adjust the volume of his voice so you could here him over the noise of the hustle and bustle around you. "This," he repeats in a much louder, high-pitched voice, "...is the Shops Quarters. As you can see, its name is pretty straightforward. This is the quarter where shops and all the stuff you might want can be found. The shops here are mostly branches of known shops in the bigger cities, and if not, they're good enough to rival those found elsewhere. You are free to roam around and shop if you have the money on your free time here."

"As you can see, most of the people here are ordinary folks. They come from everywhere to try and make their living here. In the beginning, they were the families of the people who wished to train and become part of the Carnival, until more and more people came as we became more famous. Now, it's the lifeline of the economy of the camp."

"Alright, this concludes your tour. You are free to stay here until your dinner time. If you have no more questions, I see you tomorrow."