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[Nivim]

 It occurred to me about an hour ago I can ask questions on a subject thus; since the spell effects are not absolutely defined, will we be able to use a research action and a catalyst (be it a person, place, thing or idea) to reinterpret a spell?

[dragnar]

Hmm... maybe. Could you give an example of what you mean?

Also, I have everyone actions now, so I'll do the turn either tonight or tomorrow.

[Nivim]

 Here's a spell from the last system (even though you said the new system is more specific):

ka(rom)|om|pan- A very subtle effect, this spell makes everyone in the area more aware of the earth around them. This allows anyone to walk with sure footing even on the rockiest of paths, or to climb anything short of a sheer cliff face.

And with the released definitions we know this is earth(fire)|sense|area, but it seems to only be using fire in the way that "They told me I could be anything..." used it; as the combat related attributes of a person. However, it could be so much more.
- Everyone in the area (or just you) feels the great heat deep, deep below...
  ...experiencing incredible and unreasonable fear of being instantly incinerated.
  ...being distracted (all the same) by the incredible mass of flow and power.
  ...[Aside] and is warmed by it, becoming immune to natural cold(s).
-[Aside] Everyone in the area (or just you) can sense all the (precious) metals in the earth below them.

 Not only is there the symbolic ambiguity in the element itself (providing many possibilities), there is also the gramatical ambiguity between effect and target (is it "this is sensed", "this may sense", or "this is a sense"?), possibly quadrupling the possibilities. Reinterpretation can either be exactly that (you think of a new aspect of a word and research for it specifically to see if you're right), or it may happen when trying to use the above spell while looking into a lava pit and having an epiphany allowing one of the other possible effects. So it's more part of the wizard's mind, knowledge, and beliefs rather than complete conscious control. This means that wizards researching spells for the first time might not come to the same conclusion as other wizards, just like in real research and analysis. This also means the powerful wizards of the academy would be those who can consciously change what they believe a word to mean (probably using that 1984 doublethink, explaining their inconvenient eccentricity).

[dragnar]

Hmm... I'll allow that. But there will be some restrictions.
1. You can only try re-interpreting a word you know the aspects of, otherwise you would be groping in the dark too much to wrest control of that piece from your subconscious(Which actually is how I was explaining the ambiguity. You can't control your mind utterly, but the uncontrolled parts still influence the spell.)
2. You can discover the aspects of a word by devoting a research action to it, with one catch: You have to have a guess already. If you're right, congratulations, you now know an aspect of that word. If not... well, that action accomplished nothing.

(Note that this only applies to elementalism. I'll mention if it does to other schools when you learn them.)

[dragnar]

New turn!

Random event: The magical academy has announced a tournament will be held there every day for the next week. There is a prize, but they have not said what it is.

[Nivim]

 No more general information about the goings on of the world? Has no one done anything noteworthy? Aren't there any who wish to make announcements for personal gain and manipulation abroad? Pah! The thread is even more boring than I expected it would be.
 I know I've done two actions that would have been flying around in the common rumors, and surely other wizards have heard of that community service project going on?

[Poltifar]

Xavius decides to head to the tournament. Might as well show those silly academy mages how magic is done.

[dragnar]

Has no one done anything noteworthy?

Not that anyone would know about. You people need to adventure more! Luckily next turn will be more interesting: several people are going to the tournament, and THAT will happen in the thread, not over PM.

[dragnar]

Bah, I get too complacent about waiting for actions in this game, probably because I'm the only one who knows which are in. Need Virex.

[dragnar]

(Triple post! FOR GREAT JUSTICE!!!)

The tournament has begun! The first day's completion is announced to be... Hunting! A number of magical creatures have been released into the woods near the academy, and the contestants to bring in the most dangerous one by the end of the day will be declared champion!

Around town, the tournament has been largely forgotten by those not attending: Large Stone towers have been constructed around the perimeter of the town, a large stone bastion constructed at each main road out of town over the course of a single day.

Edit: Bah. typo.

[Neyvn]

Didn't I send you a list of new spells to study???

[Poltifar]

"Eh, hunting? Well, I certainly didn't expect this level of sportsmanship from the academy mages. Might as well get onto it."

Muttering a few quick incantations, Xavius speeds into the forest at inhuman speeds. Dodging trees and bushes even at such incredible speeds, he carefully examines his surroundings. Any motion could mean one of the magical creatures was nearby, and he was quite tensely waiting for such a motion, ready to pounce on the creature.

Pounce on it figuratively, of course. Actually literally pouncing on it would probably damage his elegant embroidered silk clothes. No, ounce the creature was found, it would suffer a much quicker and more elegant death by skewering.

[Nivim]

 I don't think the wizards are the only ones in the tournament, and it's quite possible not a single one will win. Eh, I'm sure he needs the macguffin we don't know is being offered for something. Perhaps destroying the wizard academy for great justice...

 I must now continue my quest to achieve vaguely defined goals by researching strange spells.

[dragnar]

Xavius runs through the forest, then suddenly stops, having "spotted" a creature he does not recognize. Whatever it is, it's invisible, and he quickly kills the thing and carries it's corpse(now visible) back to the tournament grounds.

"Hmm... A shifter. Not all that dangerous, but an absolute nightmare to actually catch. You're lucky to have killed it before it went immaterial."

The kill is scored alongside the others to have been brought in so far. It puts Xavius in second place for now, just behind a massive two-headed lizard of some sort... Who knows how the one who killed THAT dragged it back here.

There is still time to go out hunting again to try and get first, or you can simply settle for the much lesser prize for second.

[Virex]

Bah, I get too complacent about waiting for actions in this game, probably because I'm the only one who knows which are in. Need Virex.

Sorry for the lack of updates, sent it yesterday (I think). Kinda lost track of the thread because most goes by personal message...