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Probably.

0 (0%)

I would love to see it again!

9 (56.3%)

I might post occassionally if it's up again.

4 (25%)

I don't care much either way.

1 (6.3%)

Kill it with fire!

2 (12.5%)

Total Members Voted: 16

[GreatWyrmGold]

The King doesn't like MEDITATIVE magic. He didn't care about the magic, he thought William was a hippy, and It was specifically said that the king needed more war-wizards. That said, the  dagger may be a subtle prod towards training.

Forgot that, but still, we haven't made much progress on our own. More on that in a sec, double-poster?

As I said, if you use magic, it's better to have more. We can be good at swordsmanship and magic.

Well, we don't have any magic except Mother's brooch thingy. It might make sense to postpone or slow our magical research until such time as we can work more effectively on it, especially if it's to do something as important as improve our martial skill for "worthiness."

[Mlamlah]

Before the next update i think i should lay out some more of how magic works in Analysse.

In Analysse organized mages assemble into three sanctioned orders, these orders are not guilds, and operate much as knightly orders do, interdependent with the nobility and royal family. These orders engage in various forms of magic, individual members in the same order may have magic that varies wildly, the one unifying theme is the purpose the order fulfills. Mages often have hereditary titles of nobility on top of their profession, and some warmages are even knighted.

The Warmages

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Warmage order is the easiest to qualify for, as generally the magic involved is rather straightforward. The research this order performs generally involves using existing spells in new and interesting ways, instead of developing new ones. It may go without saying, but the business of warmages is battle, they serve as firepower, protect officers from blade and spell, and generally serve as wildcards on the field of battle. With warmages on the field generals have to be prepared for anything on the battlefield to change dramatically.

The Wardens

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Wardens protect the kingdom from all manner of magical threat. They serve as a countermeasure force to prevent magical interference such as scrying, infiltration and thievery. In many ways they serve as a magical police force, and are in high demand in the kingdom.

The Eyes of Ebonmar

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Much more exclusive than the other orders, the eyes of Ebonmar are named after it's founder, who is famous for creating in every major city a system of communicating over vast dictances via magical mirrors, such mirrors are difficult and time consuming for even a skilled mage to make however, so many of those that are currently in use are the ones Ebonmar himself created. Primarily, this order focuses on varied forms of scrying, divination and communication magic, generally in service to great lords. The highest of the order serve as spymasters, primarily in a countermeasure fashion, but in times of war they do not hesitate to glean valuable information from enemies.

Other forms of magic exist and are practiced commonly, but even some higher arts have fallen to the wayside, as no power in the nation has the inclination to draw upon them.

[racnor]

The King doesn't like MEDITATIVE magic. He didn't care about the magic, he thought William was a hippy, and It was specifically said that the king needed more war-wizards. That said, the  dagger may be a subtle prod towards training.

Forgot that, but still, we haven't made much progress on our own. More on that in a sec, double-poster?

Oops. Sorry about that.

[Remuthra]

I suggest we focus full timeslots on swordsmanship and Warmage study.

[Mlamlah]

While i'm at it, a brief explanation of Knightly orders. If anyone ever wants a recap i can put it all in the same place, maybe on the initial post.

There are three knightly orders, each fulfilling a different function.

Knights of the steed.
The Knights of the steed fulfill the most traditional of the knightly duties. They raise armies and march to battle on behalf of their lords, all while ruling over small pieces of land and performing various administrative duties.

Knights of the Sail
The knights of the Sail are far from what one would consider traditional knights. They are the royal navy, but will all the status and rights of noble knights. Knights of the sail captain ships, and the knight commander of the knights of the sail serves as the admiral of the whole navy.

Knights of the Crown
A very prestigious position, the knights of the crown serve as glorified bodyguards and minor officials in times of peace, but in times of war they become an elite fighting force without equal, serving the interests of the king in whatever way he sees fit.

[Mlamlah]

I suggest we focus full timeslots on swordsmanship and Warmage study.

This would essentially mean seeking out an apprenticeship.

[Remuthra]

Swordsmanship, I say we go for the Knights of the Crown. We can start looking for apprenticeships.

[GreatWyrmGold]

I suggest we focus full timeslots on swordsmanship and Warmage study.

Might I ask why those are both more important than wealth or proper standing at court?

Swordsmanship, I say we go for the Knights of the Crown.

Um...
Knights of the crown are, um, knights.
Slight issue there.

[Mlamlah]

Swordsmanship, I say we go for the Knights of the Crown. We can start looking for apprenticeships.

I should have cleared up, i mean that with your current level of knowledge in order to learn warmagic... you would need an apprenticeship with a warmage, to get to that point without an apprenticeship you need more knowledge, which you have the connections for.
Becoming a knight is like... aiming really really low ambition wise, no matter the kind of knight.

I'll let you guys hash it out for now.

[jaass]

Quick question are the higher arts forbidden or just fallen out of practice due to the impracticality of the spells.

[racnor]

I think he said that some disciplines of magic just aren't in demand right now.
I say we should either leverage our connections to find out who's been blocking us from magic. Cut back on mercantile for some military training, but don't abandon . We don't need to serve in the front line, but we should be able to take a punch/ stab someone.

[Remuthra]

I think he said that some disciplines of magic just aren't in demand right now.
I say we should either leverage our connections to find out who's been blocking us from magic. Cut back on mercantile for some military training, but don't abandon . We don't need to serve in the front line, but we should be able to take a punch/ stab someone.

+1

[Mlamlah]

Quick question are the higher arts forbidden or just fallen out of practice due to the impracticality of the spells.

Out of practice, but not necessarily for impracticality, there are a variety of reasons an art might fall to the wayside. "Higher" just mean that the magical discipline has a lot of depth and potential for continued growth and learning, while the "lower" arts are relatively straightforward and easy to learn, but have little capacity to be expanded upon.

[Mlamlah]

The next few days are of note, but soon things return to a kind of routine, though the routine is different.
Your bodyguard arrives, of all the words to describe him "hard" is definitely among the most accurate.His name is Barick, he's a little over six feet tall, well muscled and scarred, veering on the edge of middle aged. He prefers not to speak, but when prompted tells you that he's commonborn, and has been a mercanary most of his life. He's travelled the world, served in various wars on different sides, and even fought a few creatures that other pale at the thought of. He's illiterate and unschooled, and the rare time he is urged to speak he tends towards impatience and a rude manner that sometimes grates on your nerves. Generally he has nothing in common with you, which you suppose might make him the ideal bodyguard, and his unnerving manner is occasionally useful at court. Unfortunatly he occassionally dissapears when he ought not to, telling you that he is working on behalf of the king to ensure your safety, and merely not say anything when you ask more, you get the feeling your age is a contributing factor to his lack of forthrightness.
Ritalia assures you that she is at your side and will use whatever connections she has to counter any plots against you, and uncover a little more of the business with william. You are gladdened by the loyalty of your elder sister, and feel she will be among your most useful allies in the future to come.

You visit William when his unofficial house arrest is lifted, and you are shocked by the state of both him and his quarters. His quarters are oddly... empty, you've been in them before but it's always been untidy, stacks of books and parchment all over the place. Now there is little more than his basic possessions and a few humble stacks of books here and there, it seems clear to you that someone is monitering his reading, and that most of his money must have been spent on the books that are now absent from this room. William himself is bedraggled and untidy, with a beard he's let grow unevenly and clothes not on quite right. He laments that his old mentors and teachers now want to have nothing to do with him, lest they become guilty by association. He tells you that he's been set up, and he definitely believes it, you arn't sure if that is because it's true or because he's broken in his desperation. He definitely isn't the William you knew before.

Court becomes rather interesting to say the least, you're getting the hang of the subtle social maneuverings but you often find yourself barraged with invitations to parties and the attempts of low-ranking sycophants to latch onto you. It's rather difficult to deal with on your own, but your commonborn bodygaurd helps dissuage those of poor constitution, and your sister firmly plants herself at your side in addition, often helping you weasel out of a myriad of social gatherings you would rather not attend. Still, you occassionally find yourself at a function that you consider a waste of time, forced to politely socialize with nobility who merely want to use you. Still, you make a few friends at court, and are gaining the respect of some of the more self-respecting members of nobility, including your uncle, who's new duties as the crown  prince bring him to court much more often. Twice you receive offers of future marriage, which have surprisingly been deferred to you by your parents. One is for the hand of a counts daughter a year your senior, and another for the hand of a dukes daughter two years your junior. You politely decline both offers, deciding that you really need to let circumstances in your life play out more before you commit yourself to such a decision.

You take a little bit of time to try to learn swordplay, and who better to teach you than your own personal bodyguard? He agrees, telling you that the only person you can trust to properly protect yourself is yourself. He proves a merciless teacher, subjecting you to bruises and cuts in every single lesson, though he's definitely holding back, you've never really engaged in much physical activity so you also find yourself easily winded. You regularly need to see one of the palace healers, and soon your pursuit of combat training becomes common knowledge in the palace. You swordplay itself fails to see much improvement, but you feel a little more fit, and Barick tells you you've gotten better at dodging blows.

Subtly, you continue your pursuit of magic. The book that you "found" is of great help in understanding the basic theory of spellcasting, even if it does not teach you how to actually learn spells, it's mostly a beginners guide to ensuring that spells are successful, and how to go about preventing mishaps in spellcasting. You feel like you could probably learn a cantrip or to if the method was properly explained to you. You call on Isvan to facilitate your studies from time to time, swearing him to secrecy. He teaches you more of how to focus your mind on spellcasting, teaches you a little of the dead tongues magic is often recorded in, and even shows you the spells he has learned. He can make a quill float through the air, can copy words from a book onto another surface, and even make a light bright enough for reading in the dark. He's quite proud of his skills, and eager to show you, and you in turn are eager to learn. On your own you manage to replicate those feats, though by the time you've done so Isvan has surpassed his old level of skill, and soon is apprenticed, destined to one day become a war-wizard. You research independently too, learning a little of the history of magic and a number of specific applications of various schools of magic.  Just as your leads are mostly dry, you come upon another book conveniently displaced, this time in your quarters. You learn that it is essentially a "Scrying:For Beginners" book, it teaches you not only the basics of projecting your senses very short dictances, but also how to protect oneself from such a breach of privacy. You must admit that whatever the motivation for the assistance, it is quite helpful.

You continue to work on your business, and manage some growth. You expand your market to a number of goods in demand at port, hiring a few merchants lacking in assets to help you run your business. You decide not to invest too much money into the project, preferring to be on the safe side, but soon curse that decision. A large consumer boom quickly comes and goes as a fleet of foreign trading vessels from a far off land comes into port for a time to trade. Many portside businesses make quite a bit of money from the whole exchange, and while you come away with some money it is not near as much as if you had decided to more heavily invest in your business. Cursing your luck, you make note of it and move on. 

Soon, it is your twelfth birthday, and something of note occur shortly after.
The squire Eric pays you a visit one morning looking sheepish, but also kind of pleased with himself. He tells you that he's actually your half-brother, born to your fathers concubine. When you're shocked by this he seems somewhat distressed, and apologizes before leaving, telling you that he thought you should know.
You weren't really aware that your father had a concubine, but you had heard in passing before that you had two half brothers, so it certainly makes sense. You come away from the encounter not knowing how to feel about any of it, but glad for the information.


GM NOTE

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I'm about to post a character sheet to recap everything that has occurred, then i am going to ask you all what should be done with your modest wealth before moving on.

[NRDL]

A humble suggestion, could you please break up the walls of text into somewhat smaller paragraphs?