Valvatorez (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
arcadianvampire) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
daybreakacademy2019-09-29 02:20 pm
arcadianvampire) wrote in daybreakacademy2019-09-29 02:20 pm
A Heavy Burden, A Heavy Subject (2 days after the Lunar Harvest)
Class Time
[Following the immediate aftermath of the night of the Hunt, Valvatorez knew there would be... questions. A great many questions. There wasn't much time to rest, and after the first day of introduction had been completed, the second day of class would be used to make a statement about the Lunar Harvest. He anticipated this would not be an easy class, but he stood ready to teach it.
Fortunately, a couple of days was enough time for Valvatorez to pull himself together and look like his usual self.]
All right, class. I understand there is still considerable tension in the wake of what happened a couple of nights ago. I shall now endeavor to explain what it was, who caused it, what effects it had on people, and what can be done in the future. Rest assured, the danger is passed, and we are back to operating as normal. Further steps are being discussed to prevent this unprecedented incident from occurring again.
The Lunar Harvest is a phenomena of Fae origin, led by a powerful fae-creature called the Lord of the Hunt. ...Some of you may have witnessed him. A vicious looking humanoid with one glowing eye, a horned antler helmet, clad in bloodied furs and hides, riding a dark shade of a horse. His "Call" is an extremely potent mind-affecting magic that appeals directly to one's instinctual self; and it can have many varying levels of effect on any sentient being, living or dead. It calls those to whom it reaches to throw themselves into their baser, wilder nature that is often predatory. Sometimes it fails, and inspires the fear of being a prey animal in others. Other times, it just simply gives an individual a feeling of foreboding, and looming dread.
It can cause massive shifts in personalities and world views. Even the most durable of individuals can find this particular fae-charm difficult to resist, to the point that wards against it have to be specifically designed.
You may be asking then, why was the campus not warded against it?
Simply put, the Lunar Harvest has never been this overt. Usually, as many Hunters will tell you, it strikes in rural areas, away from the eye of most individuals. Stories of this great hunt are usually made into local legends, usually expanding no further than villages, or perhaps a small towns. This is the first time that we are aware of that such an event struck this close to larger population centers. To call this a more high profile escalation of the event is perhaps understating just how unprecedented it is. Going forward, you can expect Daybreak's security to be even further bolstered. The staff will be meeting about it with proposals very soon, and action will be taken following that.
We have not yet discovered what emboldened the Lord of the Hunt to be this aggressive. There are only theories and conjecture at this time. But I do not believe any of you here are stupid; and I believe the obvious hypothesis is the one closest to the truth. Knowing that, it will be all the more imperative that the material in this class be digested and internalized.
As such, I will be adding malicious fae to the list of things we will be studying here. Lessons will likely be accelerated in their intensity from here on. I will be handing out updated syllabi for the new course load on Monday. For now, follow what I handed out, and given this class will get more intense, I encourage all of you to make use of office hours if you need them. Additionally, I will be providing more in-depth study guides to help you along. I understand I already push the lot of you a great deal... so I do not believe it to be fair to put more pressure on you without also trying to alleviate the worst of it.
Do not slack off, however. Study guides will only help you if you put in the time to make good use of them. They will not give you all the answers. Make sure you follow through and put in the effort.
[Valvatorez will then spend the rest of the period discussing the specifics of the Lunar Harvest, and will open the floor to questions afterward.]
Office Hours
[As usual, Valvatorez's office is open for people to visit him after class. The hours seem to have been expanded too, allowing for more time. However, what's different this time is that Valvatorez's office is decidedly much more bare than normal. A replacement temporary desk, chairs, and bookcases are in his room, and his beloved fish tank has one of its panels completely removed. The tank is empty and lifeless. Most of the bookcases are currently empty, but some of the most essential works still remain. It actually looks... lifeless, compared to Valvatorez's normally extra looking abode. The one thing that still appears normal, though... is that singing bass, still hanging on the wall as if nothing happened.]
Network Post, Locked to Faculty
Once matters surrounding upgrading Daybreak's security are settled, I propose a night out. Or in. The lot of us need more teambuilding after what happened.
[Read: We all need to get together, have a good time, and optionally get drunk.]
[Following the immediate aftermath of the night of the Hunt, Valvatorez knew there would be... questions. A great many questions. There wasn't much time to rest, and after the first day of introduction had been completed, the second day of class would be used to make a statement about the Lunar Harvest. He anticipated this would not be an easy class, but he stood ready to teach it.
Fortunately, a couple of days was enough time for Valvatorez to pull himself together and look like his usual self.]
All right, class. I understand there is still considerable tension in the wake of what happened a couple of nights ago. I shall now endeavor to explain what it was, who caused it, what effects it had on people, and what can be done in the future. Rest assured, the danger is passed, and we are back to operating as normal. Further steps are being discussed to prevent this unprecedented incident from occurring again.
The Lunar Harvest is a phenomena of Fae origin, led by a powerful fae-creature called the Lord of the Hunt. ...Some of you may have witnessed him. A vicious looking humanoid with one glowing eye, a horned antler helmet, clad in bloodied furs and hides, riding a dark shade of a horse. His "Call" is an extremely potent mind-affecting magic that appeals directly to one's instinctual self; and it can have many varying levels of effect on any sentient being, living or dead. It calls those to whom it reaches to throw themselves into their baser, wilder nature that is often predatory. Sometimes it fails, and inspires the fear of being a prey animal in others. Other times, it just simply gives an individual a feeling of foreboding, and looming dread.
It can cause massive shifts in personalities and world views. Even the most durable of individuals can find this particular fae-charm difficult to resist, to the point that wards against it have to be specifically designed.
You may be asking then, why was the campus not warded against it?
Simply put, the Lunar Harvest has never been this overt. Usually, as many Hunters will tell you, it strikes in rural areas, away from the eye of most individuals. Stories of this great hunt are usually made into local legends, usually expanding no further than villages, or perhaps a small towns. This is the first time that we are aware of that such an event struck this close to larger population centers. To call this a more high profile escalation of the event is perhaps understating just how unprecedented it is. Going forward, you can expect Daybreak's security to be even further bolstered. The staff will be meeting about it with proposals very soon, and action will be taken following that.
We have not yet discovered what emboldened the Lord of the Hunt to be this aggressive. There are only theories and conjecture at this time. But I do not believe any of you here are stupid; and I believe the obvious hypothesis is the one closest to the truth. Knowing that, it will be all the more imperative that the material in this class be digested and internalized.
As such, I will be adding malicious fae to the list of things we will be studying here. Lessons will likely be accelerated in their intensity from here on. I will be handing out updated syllabi for the new course load on Monday. For now, follow what I handed out, and given this class will get more intense, I encourage all of you to make use of office hours if you need them. Additionally, I will be providing more in-depth study guides to help you along. I understand I already push the lot of you a great deal... so I do not believe it to be fair to put more pressure on you without also trying to alleviate the worst of it.
Do not slack off, however. Study guides will only help you if you put in the time to make good use of them. They will not give you all the answers. Make sure you follow through and put in the effort.
[Valvatorez will then spend the rest of the period discussing the specifics of the Lunar Harvest, and will open the floor to questions afterward.]
Office Hours
[As usual, Valvatorez's office is open for people to visit him after class. The hours seem to have been expanded too, allowing for more time. However, what's different this time is that Valvatorez's office is decidedly much more bare than normal. A replacement temporary desk, chairs, and bookcases are in his room, and his beloved fish tank has one of its panels completely removed. The tank is empty and lifeless. Most of the bookcases are currently empty, but some of the most essential works still remain. It actually looks... lifeless, compared to Valvatorez's normally extra looking abode. The one thing that still appears normal, though... is that singing bass, still hanging on the wall as if nothing happened.]
Network Post, Locked to Faculty
Once matters surrounding upgrading Daybreak's security are settled, I propose a night out. Or in. The lot of us need more teambuilding after what happened.
[Read: We all need to get together, have a good time, and optionally get drunk.]
no subject
A girl got her arm ripped off.
no subject
The hard truth is when you fight daemons, monsters, and worse? You are not going to come back smelling of roses. That is why combat missions such as those are voluntary. Combat is not for everyone. We do our best to ensure as much safety as possible, but the battlefield is a chaotic, violent maelstrom. Bad things happen to good people. Injuries and worse happen, like it or not.
It is a terrible thing. But it is our reality. If you can't accept that, don't sign up to fight.
no subject
And of course, there are always ways to fight without fighting, if you're informed. "Knowledge is power" and all that.
Guess we've all got our work cut out for us.
no subject
You are correct. Knowledge is power. Good intelligence, foreknowledge, logistics, support, and more matter just as much as a strong sword arm. Sometimes more. It can save a lot of lives and end fights before they start. There is always a need for those sorts of talents.
no subject
[Which really just means people like Therion ain't off the hook. Damn.]
Those wards, is it just faculty and staff that handle them, or are we going to learn how to do them, too?
no subject
Are you curious or interested in trying to open more paths for warding training in the school?
no subject
no subject
If you do not possess any innate or preexisting knowledge of traditional magecraft, I would recommend looking into early runic inscription, with a focus on defensive purposes. Some of that might be irrelevant to warding, but can allow you to create items that might protect you if in danger.
If you are familiar with magecraft, I would advise taking classes in Abjuration. That is the school of thought that will give you greater understanding of wards, defenses, and the like.
no subject