Eventually the feast concludes, with everybody (well everyone who eats) having eaten their fill.
"Come," the emperor declares,
"let us go to the Academy!"With a snap of the emperor's gloved fingers, the table, chairs, and food before you dissolves into ash and dust. The ceiling above you opens up like a set of swinging doors, revealing the night sky, and the carpet below your feet rises into the air. Once clear of manor, the large carpet, and all its occupants, lurches foward. Unlike Shizi's flight, which was slow enough to enjoy, The Emperor's carpet moves fast enough that even a god cannot help but find the experience a bit scary; It is almost as if the land below and air around you is yielding to the Emperor's will and moving you faster than the laws of physics here would otherwise allow.
Within a matter of seconds, the carpet stops. It is now daytime. About noon. Before you sits a large, pristine, and crystal blue lake. At the center of the lake is a mountainous island that belches thick black smoke.
"The body of water is called Lake Línshí. It is enchanted to be particularly responsive to divine energies, so new students such as yourself may enjoy relative ease when experimenting with life. To prevent you from using the lake as a crutch long term, note the island. It is called The Zhùdìng Funnel. From time to time, school administration will cause it to detonate, spewing molten rock that is not only destructively hot, but cursed to snuff out any non-divine sentient being it comes in contact with. Students will be given at least an age of notice before such an eruption takes place."The carpet moves slowly toward the volcanic island as The Emperor continues to talk.
"The Zhùdìng Funnel also serves as gateway to The Academy Grounds. To reach the school, you must pass through the magma chamber. A god or goddess acclimated to the local laws of time and fate, as well as any being holding their hand, may pass through the magma unharmed."To demonstrait The Emperor's point, the carpet swings down into The Magma. To you it has the consistency of watery jelly, is cool to the touch, and impedes neither your senses nor your ability to breath. After a few moments, the carpet clears the magma, and you all find yourselves in a shaft with rock walls about as wide as a mountain. As far as you can see, there is no bottom. The walls are smooth, but blemished with the occaisional tunnel entrance, many of which have wooden or metal docks jutting out of them.
"There are many wonders on the academy grounds, but you will be given directions only to your own class' chambers, the student services compound, this exit shaft, and the locations where any of your classes are taught. Further exploration is optional but highly recommended. This campus is constantly expanding. Each time a new class arrives, new chambers are prepared for them. When that class graduates, their chambers are left empty for future students and staff to fill as they see fit."The Carpet slows, and approaches one of the docks jutting out from a tunnel on the wall. Upon the docks waits a woman almost identical to the cast from bronze concubine that was hanging from The Emperor's arm when he was first introduced. Her flesh, however, is cast from silver, and she wears the robes of a distinguished scholar rather than those of a lowly concubine. You can also sense that she slightly more powerful than the already impressive bronze figure.
The Carpet comes to a stop.
"This is where I leave you for now. But first, I would like to introduce you to Professor Yínfà." The mighty Silver woman offers a slight bow.
"As most of you are signed up for her entry level course on divine miracles, she has been selected for the honor of becoming your homeroom instructor. For this first term, until you elect a prefect, she will be in charge of your class, and she will meet with you to discuss school matters at least once a term for the duration of your time here."You disembark the carpet, and Professor Yínfà leads you down the dock and into the surprisingly well lit tunnels. You walk for several minutes, making several sharp turns, and crossing several flights of stairs both going up and down. Eventually you reach a large six sided chamber with walls made from the same Silver as Professor Yínfà. Upon five of the are doors, and you note that each door is perfectly sized and shaped for you or one of your classmates. Along the sixth wall is a large stone throne sitting upon an equally large box crafted from what appears to be adamantine, a material so tough that even gods cannot easily break it. The center of the room is a large pit.
Professor Yínfà clears her throat, and speaks in a voice that is both silky and elegant...
Term 17010, Age 1:Saga of the Rat -"Welcome to homeroom. As the Headmaster stated I am Professor Yínfà. We have four items on the agenda today. First, I must post the class schedule..."The professor gives her hand an elegant wave, and a large sheet with class information appears upon the wall.
Introduction to Mortal/Divine Communications
Students - {Null}
Meeting Time - Saga of the Rooster
Instructor - TBD
Meeting Place - Prayer Archive 3, Classroom 1
Resource Acquisition Lab 1: Plants and Minerals of Qiángdà
Students - {Null}, Koaring
Meeting Time - Saga of the Horse
Instructor - TBD
Meeting Place - South Shore of Lake Línshí
Introduction to Worldly Interactions
Students - Elbakaepsnu
Meeting Time - Saga of the Monkey
Instructor - TBD
Meeting Place - Entomology Compound, Ant Farm Room
Leadership I: Mortal Combat Tactics
Students - Elbakaepsnu
Meeting Time - Saga of the Tiger
Instructor - TBD
Meeting Place - Observatory 12
Introduction to Divine Miracles
Students - Dun, Qu, Koaring
Meeting Time - Saga of the Goat
Instructor - Professor Yínfà
Meeting Place - Class Chambers 17010, Common Area
Genesis I: Mortal Biology and Eugenics
Students - Dun
Meeting Time - Saga of the Dragon
Instructor - TBD
Meeting Place - Archive of Mortal Qiángdàn Lineage, Classroom 1
Geography of the Plane of Qiángdà
Students - Qu
Meeting Time - Saga of the Rabbit
Instructor - Headmaster Jiangxuéjīn
Meeting Place - Headmaster's Dockyard, Vessel 32
After giving you all a moment to read the poster, the professor speaks again.
"Next I must distribute these. You may fill them out and return them to either myself or the Appeals Office at Student Services if you see fit to do so." she declares, before handing out a paper form to each of you. The form states that each student is entitled to have their personal chambers decorated and presented however they wish. It fields two questions:
1: If you would like staff to decorate your chambers for you, describe how you would like them decorated here. Please note that staff will only add decorations for aesthetic and comfort reasons. If students desire functional additions to their chambers, they are responsible for constructing those themselves.
2: If you would like to construct features of your chambers, either decrotive or functional, yourself, you may choose to describe your construction plans here. Administration may provide you with a reasonable amount of resources, tools, and materials to aid in construction.
As soon as you finish reading the forms, Professor Yínfà places something else in your hands, a thin but elegantly bound tome titled
Student Handbook (See the second post on this thread. The rules there are included in this handbook)"Our third order of business here is for me to distribute these handbooks. Our fourth order of business is for me to field your questions regarding these handbooks or anything else on your mind. Please take your time. I will wait for you to read."
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Topic: Academy of the Young Gods (IC Thread) (Read 19494 times)