Private Tales A night at the Theatre

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Alistair winced at the first mention of the long-old accident. A small childish part of him still wanted to defend the old accident by saying that the incident had also been the fault of Kalix, but he had long forced himself to accept that he had still played a part in it.

"Um, no. That was a different accident which I long ago atoned for...I hope." He had crafted her a magical hand that he still considered one of his greatest inventions.

"It was a different accident."

He stopped himself from explaining that further by focusing on the next questions, and a small smile spread out onto his face.

"No, my friend, that's the beauty of it. Not raze with a 'z' as many of our fellow Dreadlords can do so. I mean raise with an 's' the construction of a fully operational fort. Now, it's not some impenetrable fortress to wether endless hordes, but a near-instantaneous fortress that could turn the battle for an outnumbered force."

Alistair beamed with pride at his project, even if it was still experimental, but he was about to begin the implementation phase.

Salak
 
Salak was sincerely impressed.
"Bravo, so that's it then, automagic construction."
He turned to fully face Alistair, engaged directly now.
"What of the materials, must they be present or does the runic magic also provide them?"
The devil was in the details and Salak wanted to know exactly how this may be deployed though his thoughts were not on conquest.

Alistair Krixus
 
That was a more confusing answer for Alistair as he did not want to run down the rabbit hole of magical theory involved with all of this.

"Well, I would say it's slower than automatic, but yes. I've only used it on a small scale so far, but it uses the material around it, such as the ground under it. The fort would be rough around the edges, but could then be reinforced using other magics. In theory, if other materials were provided then it could be added, but I would need to work on that."

The magic being used is rune magic and would require that the user has some decent level of mana control. In Alistair's mind, he had envisioned the engineering corps to use this rather than regular soldiers.

Salak
 
"I see."
It was a bit disappointing but nothing impossible to overcome.
"Can you make any form of structure or is it specifically a fortress construction?"
This was after all exactly what Salak had spoken of. Magical construction. To learn that Alistair had already broken the back of it in runic terms was encouraging. As he sat his eyes became bright. Hopeful even.

Alistair Krixus
 
"Any form of structure is possible. It will just take some time to make the formula. Each change to a structure distinctly changes the formula that is being used, and if not balanced properly then a mistake could lead to a collapse, nothing, or even worse expelling the materials in outwards."

That last option was just a nice way of saying explosion.

While he was proud of his overall creation, this invention was largely limited to magical engineers who already had some degree of knowledge in the subject, or for energy situations.

If there was not a mage who understood how to properly put up support magics after the structure rose then the structure would not last long, for the same reason Vel Anir did not go around just making houses out of direct.

"Something like a 4 sided house would be simple enough. The roof is always the trickiest bit."

Salak
 
Salak took another drink of his absinthe and let it rest on his throat. He was thinking about practical applications, limitations and of course the cost of such a venture.
"Once a formula is made, can anyone utilize it?"
He studied the effects of College magic, even knew some simple battle magic but Rune magic was strange to him.
"I suppose what I am really asking is can this technique be taught?"

Alistair Krixus
 
Well, the answer to Salak's question was complicated. Yes, it could be taught as most rune magic could, but there were complications involved. Rune magic had a far greater learning curve than other types of magic. To put it simply, most of the Dreadlords and other magic users of Vel Anir relied on their own innate understanding of their gifts rather than practice magic theory to the degree needed for rune magic.

And this particular formula...it wasn't basic. It needed someone with a certain degree of skill and someone with a certain level of control over the flow of mana. Thankfully, this was a trait common for rune mages, but...off the top of his head, he only knew maybe four mages in the Republic that could successfully used their formula without significantly more practice.

"Yes, but the training would need to be from the ground up...The Academy's magic theory lessons are lacking to say the least."

The school was much better at teaching initiates how to chop someone's head off in one fluid motion, rather than studying esoterical magic theory.

Salak
 
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Salak's hand slapped the table top hard.
"You are of course correct."
He whipped his hand through his prematurely grey hair. Slicking it back behind his head. He had complained to any who would listen about what passed for general education at the Academy. His opinion was that far too much time was spent sending children to fight than to learn of the world. A hold over from when they were expendable weapons and nothing more.
"But it can be done and as you no doubt understand from your works once you know a thing can be done it is simply a matter of how it can be done!"
He finished it with the last of his drink.
"The answer is teach it!"

Alistair Krixus
 
"Um, yes."

The answer was simple if just difficult due to the lack of quality teachers in the field. Most rune mages also made up the finest armor and weapons smiths in the Republic, and so they were all attached to armies in the field. To find someone that the Dreadlords could spare to teach would be difficult. Any then a realization popped into his head and he quickly moved to correct his statement.

"Wait, I hope you are not suggesting I teach?"

They had just spoken about Alistair's busy schedule. His constant switching between various jobs, assignments, and responsibilities.

"Maybe an outside teacher could be hired...from Elbion or somewhere."

Salak
 
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"You were only speaking that you had more to give. What greater cause than passing on unique knowledge?"
He was teasing Alistair a bit with the suggestion but only a bit. It was arguably the feature that he liked most about Alistair. He was a genuine intellect and caught on quickly.
"Still an Elbion taught tutor would not be a bad idea, to teach the fundamentals and such but for the advanced lessons..."
Salak allowed his voice to trail off and a smile to tug at his lips.

Alistair Krixus
 
Alistair nervously laughed at that as he absentmindedly scrunched up his nose in thought.

"I couldn't do it consistently...uh, it would be a disservice to the kids."

A teacher who was missing for several weeks of the year was not a good teacher...but was it better than what they already had? Al still remembered that much of his own studies in rune magic were driven through self-study with only a select few actual classes.

Even if he only showed up when he could, such studies would be invaluable. Well, if he was a good teacher. He had held a few initiates here and there, but this was a different level.

"I doubt the Republic wants such an inconsistent proctor at the Academy."

Salak
 
"You think they wanted me? A sour old spy who hates children?"
Salak gave a disgusted huff because he was truly disgusted in the Academy.
"Don't fret on any notions of being undesirable Alistair. With Everl... with the loss of Proctor Ebersole and the recent new recruits the Academy needs all the help it can get."
Even a dedicated few months a year would be a boon if they could be spared.

Alistair Krixus
 
Yes, Evie was into the winds, with the magical child that could change the world. The one thing that had made her a great teacher was also the thing that made her flee in the first place.

"I'll...I'll consider it. It would take more than just being approved as a teacher, but the Republic would also have to approve a whole new set of classes for these kids."

They would need to find initiates with the best-suited dispositions before too many Academy ways of thinking muddled up their understanding of magic.

Salak
 
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"Good."
Salak would have been satisfied there with Alistair's decision to think it over. He was not a fool and knew that such situations were not walked into easily.
"All that is details. The proper presentation will take care of it. If you get that fortress to come together reliably and firmly then they'd be fools to ignore the potential."
Of course, Salak already thought most of the Republic's leadership fools. He gave them but one thing only. That they had the good sense to lie better than the Monarchy had.

Alistair Krixus
 
Alistair chuckled at that comment. He agreed, but Al was pretty confident about getting it approved. However, he could not exactly explain how Alistair had stumbled his way into some impressive connections in the Republic. Combine that with his friends in the military, and the benefits that Alistair's Instant Fortress could produce would surely see it approved. The technology might start off in the military, but like so many inventions before, it would eventually make its way into everyday use.

"At this point, the best presentation would be actual use. Maybe I could send it out towards the Falwood or Cortosi coast."

The Republic would not like a random fortress appearing inside the city of Vel Anir itself, so maybe he could convince the military to loan him a little stretch of land.

Salak
 
"Then you know what you must do!"
Salak said in agreement and clearly pleased with the results of their talk.

The bell rang signaling the start of the performance. Folk began to mill towards their seats.

"I have a booth booked. Shall we head inside?"
It has been a long time since he had had such a pleasant time. He half expected someone to try and kill him or some disaster to befall the Theatre.

Alistair Krixus
 
"Oh, yes. After you."

The bell had momentarily surprised him. After their in-depth conversation of philosophy, the Republic, and his own inventions and he had nearly forgotten they were at the theater.

Alistair followed along, thankful they had a booth and would not be cramped in with all of the regular theatergoers. What could he say, he may have been raised a soldier, but wealth and status did have its own comforts. With a thought, Al quickly hurried over to the bar and grabbed one more drink for himself and Salak before moving back to catch up with him.

Salak
 
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