Celestial University - The Charm
The message comes to you, late one hot summer night, with the stars glittering overhead…
It reaches you according to your own nature, and by whatever means work best—perchance, as a note inked on parchment, in a gold and silver capsule, bound in ribbon to the leg of a raven or owl perched before you—potentially, you see it in the flickering of fire, or the swirling of incense, or in the shimmering of water—perhaps, it is whispered in your ear by a disembodied yet oddly familiar voice…
Or, maybe, you find it as an email wrongly delivered to your spam filter.
Regardless, answer you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived:
You’ve been accepted into Celestial University!
That’s right—your application was accepted, and Admissions has seen fit to grant you access to the renowned interdimensional school for all things magical!
The Celestial University is many things to many people: it is a laboratory that advances the bounds of mystical understanding, it is an academy and training ground for those with magical talent to hone their abilities and grow their skills, and it is a vast repository and museum of the arcane. Under the watchful and (mostly) benevolent eye of the Educators—distant and mysterious beings that serve as the high caretakers for the school—professors and students gather to do their work.
There is a goal for these students, though: while chasing their dreams, they must pursue a Magnum Opus, a great work of magic and research worthy of their greatest prize, The Charm—a personal magical artifact and proof that you’ve graduated, a must-have for any self-respecting wizard or witch.
There’s slight autumn chill in the air, but hearts are bright and warm—thousands of different worlds, different species, and different ways of magic, as varied and vibrant as the colors changing on the trees—all coming together to learn and to grow.
What adventures and stories are awaiting you? What will your Magnum Opus be? And will you be able to grasp The Charm?
Hey there guys, it’s dispatch! I’m taking another swing at this magical university group roleplay, and I think I figured out what went wrong with the last ones. This thread is still under construction, but I’d also like is to gauge interest, so if you have ideas or things you might like to join, feel free to chatter! I’ll put up more lore and official character sheets as I can.
Approved Character Directory
The message comes to you, late one hot summer night, with the stars glittering overhead…
It reaches you according to your own nature, and by whatever means work best—perchance, as a note inked on parchment, in a gold and silver capsule, bound in ribbon to the leg of a raven or owl perched before you—potentially, you see it in the flickering of fire, or the swirling of incense, or in the shimmering of water—perhaps, it is whispered in your ear by a disembodied yet oddly familiar voice…
Or, maybe, you find it as an email wrongly delivered to your spam filter.
Regardless, answer you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived:
You’ve been accepted into Celestial University!
That’s right—your application was accepted, and Admissions has seen fit to grant you access to the renowned interdimensional school for all things magical!
The Celestial University is many things to many people: it is a laboratory that advances the bounds of mystical understanding, it is an academy and training ground for those with magical talent to hone their abilities and grow their skills, and it is a vast repository and museum of the arcane. Under the watchful and (mostly) benevolent eye of the Educators—distant and mysterious beings that serve as the high caretakers for the school—professors and students gather to do their work.
There is a goal for these students, though: while chasing their dreams, they must pursue a Magnum Opus, a great work of magic and research worthy of their greatest prize, The Charm—a personal magical artifact and proof that you’ve graduated, a must-have for any self-respecting wizard or witch.
There’s slight autumn chill in the air, but hearts are bright and warm—thousands of different worlds, different species, and different ways of magic, as varied and vibrant as the colors changing on the trees—all coming together to learn and to grow.
What adventures and stories are awaiting you? What will your Magnum Opus be? And will you be able to grasp The Charm?
Hey there guys, it’s dispatch! I’m taking another swing at this magical university group roleplay, and I think I figured out what went wrong with the last ones. This thread is still under construction, but I’d also like is to gauge interest, so if you have ideas or things you might like to join, feel free to chatter! I’ll put up more lore and official character sheets as I can.
Magic is a loosely defined part of existence, but can be summed up as the supernatural—that is to say, anything that demonstrably happens in the world but which cannot be explained by scientific theory. To give stuffy, formal terms, this means violations of the conservation of energy, causality, et cetera… what this means in plain speak is that it is something that happens that isn’t “supposed” to, or isn’t “normal”. When we say something has “magical properties”, we mean it has characteristics or abilities that put it outside of the normal ordering of the material world, while still being part the material world (thus separating magic from things like philosophy, metaphysics, or theology).
There are sapient, mortal beings (like you!) that can use magic to effect the world—these people are known as wizards, witches, sorcerers and sorceresses, seers, magicians, and mages, among many other names.
Celestial University exists to help these mages to cultivate both the ability to manipulate, and knowledge of, all the magic in the Million Worlds—as even though magic operates outside the bounds of rational science, it still functions based on its own rules and logic.
There are sapient, mortal beings (like you!) that can use magic to effect the world—these people are known as wizards, witches, sorcerers and sorceresses, seers, magicians, and mages, among many other names.
Celestial University exists to help these mages to cultivate both the ability to manipulate, and knowledge of, all the magic in the Million Worlds—as even though magic operates outside the bounds of rational science, it still functions based on its own rules and logic.
The Three Domains of Magic are the overarching categorization of all magic in the Million Worlds, divided every magical act into what the source of the magical ability is and how it is accessed. The Domains are as follows:
Method: Also known as Technical, Scientific, and Teachable magic, Method magic is defined by what you can do.
Method magic covers a wildly diverse array of practices and skills, all with the common thread that they require specific ritual or action to take place: potion brewing, enchanting, verbal and non-verbal spell casting, magical martial arts, and many other common types of magic all fall under its purview. If you can learn how to do it from study or instruction, odds are that it is Method magic. The rules of Method magic are similar in many ways to those of the laws of physics—they have their own internal consistency and and “A leads to B leads to C” sort of logic, even if that logic is itself outside the bounds of natural causality and/or science.
Owing to its massive variety, relative safety, and comparative ease of adoption, Method is by far the most common form of magic, with about 75% of students using primarily Method magic and with virtually everyone else is using it in one form or another in a secondary way. Not utilizing any sort of Method magic would be seen as something as eccentric—and potentially crippling—as not using any sort of computer technology at all while in an IRL university.
Method magic is, it should go without saying, Celestial University’s bread and butter. Instructional and theoretical textbooks on Method magic stuff the library shelves, posters with simple Method spells or tips for Method magics line the walls, and professors relay the methods by which students can use new or better techniques in their lessons.
Mana: Also known as Soul, Chi, and Willpower magic, Mana magic is defined by who or what you are.
A term lifted from Polynesian culture, Mana magic is an inherent capacity for the supernatural that comes directly from one’s being. This is the sort of magic that is accessed by demigods through their lineage, by monks through their many years of focus and meditation, and by other magical species from their very nature. It follows its own rules, but they are fairly idiosyncratic, and unlike with Method and Mandate usually have everything to do with the mage themselves.
Mana magic is comparatively quite rare: only about 5% (or 1 in 20) of students are known to have it as their primary means of magical conduct, and not much more than that have some sort of secondary access to it. Put simply, most peoples’ souls are not configured to correctly access a significant amount of Mana magic.
Strictly speaking, Mana magic cannot be taught. It can only be released and refined, and there is no way to do so that is both quick and easy and safe for those that are not naturally gifted with some sort of ability in this.* However, the University has plenty of mystical guides, dojo masters, and various sorts of sages to assist Mana users in unlocking, utilizing, expanding, and understanding their power. Plus, Mana magic is a rich field of theoretical study, with plenty of research on the different emanations of this force filling the libraries and bubbling up in papers and research projects—it remains a subject of useful and exciting inquiry even by those who cannot use it.
*(There are whispers about spells that can be used to quickly reshape your soul from Mana-less into a form more capable of Mana outside of the usual meditations, but this is highly dangerous both to oneself and others and therefore strongly discouraged.)
Mandate: Also known as Evocation, Invocation, and Summoning magic, Mandate magic is defined by who or what you call upon.
Mandate is any sort of magic that the mage directs or channels through a separate and distinct magical being. Throughout the Million Worlds and beyond, there are uncountable different magical beings—gods and daemons, genies and eldritch ones, an endless array of different spirits and fairies—that a mage can summon, invoke, channel, or otherwise work with to get things done, without necessarily needing to do the arcane legwork themselves.
Due to its relative ease of adoption—since all you need is the ability to communicate with a magical being—and also because having a magical partner is appealing on its own, Mandate magic is quite common, with about twenty-five percent of mages primarily using Mandate-class magic, and nearly double that amount using it one way or another in a secondary fashion, typically to work in concert with a magical pet or a familiar.
However, despite its ubiquity, Mandate is also arguably the most dangerous Domain of magic taken altogether. You see, many of the beings that can be called upon have agendas of their own, and if a mage isn’t very careful, they can find that whoever they thought they had total control over has enslaved them instead… or it can be much, much worse, as the hearts and souls of University students—ignorant and cocky, young and vulnerable—are a favorite food of more than a few predators of the larger magical ecosystem…
Of course, the University provides plenty of resources and guidance for those interested in Mandate magic: how-to instructions and safe zones to practice summoning, expert guidance in evoking, negotiating with, and banishing virtually every magical being known—and plenty that are still unknown. Risky as it can be, you won’t find a place where Mandate magic is made easier or more forgiving than at CU. For those who prefer a more chill and natural bond, there also exists a Zoo, a Ranch, and a Nature Reserve that play host to all sorts of magical creatures, all there for connection and study.
Now, mages can use one or all of these Domains, and frequently do—it’s not at all uncommon, to give some examples, for a Mana-powered monk to supplement her skills with enchantments woven by Method, or for a mostly Method alchemist to get help in gathering ingredients from fairies called upon by Mandate. However, because the way these sources of magic are cultivated (studying, meditation, and negotiation respectively) are so different, specialization is encouraged. A Jack of All Trades will likely be a Master of None.
Method: Also known as Technical, Scientific, and Teachable magic, Method magic is defined by what you can do.
Method magic covers a wildly diverse array of practices and skills, all with the common thread that they require specific ritual or action to take place: potion brewing, enchanting, verbal and non-verbal spell casting, magical martial arts, and many other common types of magic all fall under its purview. If you can learn how to do it from study or instruction, odds are that it is Method magic. The rules of Method magic are similar in many ways to those of the laws of physics—they have their own internal consistency and and “A leads to B leads to C” sort of logic, even if that logic is itself outside the bounds of natural causality and/or science.
Owing to its massive variety, relative safety, and comparative ease of adoption, Method is by far the most common form of magic, with about 75% of students using primarily Method magic and with virtually everyone else is using it in one form or another in a secondary way. Not utilizing any sort of Method magic would be seen as something as eccentric—and potentially crippling—as not using any sort of computer technology at all while in an IRL university.
Method magic is, it should go without saying, Celestial University’s bread and butter. Instructional and theoretical textbooks on Method magic stuff the library shelves, posters with simple Method spells or tips for Method magics line the walls, and professors relay the methods by which students can use new or better techniques in their lessons.
Mana: Also known as Soul, Chi, and Willpower magic, Mana magic is defined by who or what you are.
A term lifted from Polynesian culture, Mana magic is an inherent capacity for the supernatural that comes directly from one’s being. This is the sort of magic that is accessed by demigods through their lineage, by monks through their many years of focus and meditation, and by other magical species from their very nature. It follows its own rules, but they are fairly idiosyncratic, and unlike with Method and Mandate usually have everything to do with the mage themselves.
Mana magic is comparatively quite rare: only about 5% (or 1 in 20) of students are known to have it as their primary means of magical conduct, and not much more than that have some sort of secondary access to it. Put simply, most peoples’ souls are not configured to correctly access a significant amount of Mana magic.
Strictly speaking, Mana magic cannot be taught. It can only be released and refined, and there is no way to do so that is both quick and easy and safe for those that are not naturally gifted with some sort of ability in this.* However, the University has plenty of mystical guides, dojo masters, and various sorts of sages to assist Mana users in unlocking, utilizing, expanding, and understanding their power. Plus, Mana magic is a rich field of theoretical study, with plenty of research on the different emanations of this force filling the libraries and bubbling up in papers and research projects—it remains a subject of useful and exciting inquiry even by those who cannot use it.
*(There are whispers about spells that can be used to quickly reshape your soul from Mana-less into a form more capable of Mana outside of the usual meditations, but this is highly dangerous both to oneself and others and therefore strongly discouraged.)
Mandate: Also known as Evocation, Invocation, and Summoning magic, Mandate magic is defined by who or what you call upon.
Mandate is any sort of magic that the mage directs or channels through a separate and distinct magical being. Throughout the Million Worlds and beyond, there are uncountable different magical beings—gods and daemons, genies and eldritch ones, an endless array of different spirits and fairies—that a mage can summon, invoke, channel, or otherwise work with to get things done, without necessarily needing to do the arcane legwork themselves.
Due to its relative ease of adoption—since all you need is the ability to communicate with a magical being—and also because having a magical partner is appealing on its own, Mandate magic is quite common, with about twenty-five percent of mages primarily using Mandate-class magic, and nearly double that amount using it one way or another in a secondary fashion, typically to work in concert with a magical pet or a familiar.
However, despite its ubiquity, Mandate is also arguably the most dangerous Domain of magic taken altogether. You see, many of the beings that can be called upon have agendas of their own, and if a mage isn’t very careful, they can find that whoever they thought they had total control over has enslaved them instead… or it can be much, much worse, as the hearts and souls of University students—ignorant and cocky, young and vulnerable—are a favorite food of more than a few predators of the larger magical ecosystem…
Of course, the University provides plenty of resources and guidance for those interested in Mandate magic: how-to instructions and safe zones to practice summoning, expert guidance in evoking, negotiating with, and banishing virtually every magical being known—and plenty that are still unknown. Risky as it can be, you won’t find a place where Mandate magic is made easier or more forgiving than at CU. For those who prefer a more chill and natural bond, there also exists a Zoo, a Ranch, and a Nature Reserve that play host to all sorts of magical creatures, all there for connection and study.
Now, mages can use one or all of these Domains, and frequently do—it’s not at all uncommon, to give some examples, for a Mana-powered monk to supplement her skills with enchantments woven by Method, or for a mostly Method alchemist to get help in gathering ingredients from fairies called upon by Mandate. However, because the way these sources of magic are cultivated (studying, meditation, and negotiation respectively) are so different, specialization is encouraged. A Jack of All Trades will likely be a Master of None.
Approved Character Directory
Profile
Name: (What name does your character go by? Please include any titles or aliases, even if they might not be respected or known…)
Age: (How old is your character? Please make sure all characters are biologically, mentally, AND chronologically at least eighteen years old.)
Gender: (What gender is your character?)
Race / Species: (What sort of being is your character—are they a human, are they one of the many humanoid races and species that inhabit this world? Or are they something different? Keep in mind, while we will try and accommodate you as best we can, the University is designed for humanoids…)
Realm of Origin: (Which of the Million Worlds is your character from—where do they call home?)
Role: (Is your character a student? Graduate or undergraduate? Are they a professor, trainer, sage, or some other sort of faculty? Or are they something else? Describe what your character does here.)
Pets / Familiars: (If applicable, describe your character’s pet or familiar. Keep in mind students will be held responsible for any damage done by beings summoned by or belonging to them…)
Physicality
Appearance: (What does your character look like? How do they typically dress? Do they have any distinguishing features or special accessories? What sort of vibes do they give off? Feel free to include any face claims—preferably not IRL or super-realistic ones—in a spoiler here.)
Non-Magical Skills: (Outside the arcane, what sort of things does your character enjoy, what are they good at? This can be anything athletic, intellectual, cultural, anything not explicitly magical that they’ve managed to gain skill in over the years)
Special Belongings: (Does your character have any special possessions or belongings with them? Please describe.)
Personality
Character: (What’s your character like? What sort of person are they? What are their morals? What makes them tick? Be as detailed as you’d like here.)
Quirks: (Does your character have any oddities that are hard to explain? If so, tell us!)
Flaws: (What sort of vulnerabilities or problems does your character bring to the table? Give us a few.)
Practice of Magic
Magical Domain(s): (Which of the Domains of Magic does your character make the most use of?)
Magical Abilities: (What can your character do? Be as detailed or as vague as you’d like here—we can always flesh it out!)
Academic Interests: (Where do your character’s interests lie? What are their favorite courses or topics of study—or their least favorite? What majors and minors would they want to pursue?)
House: (Which House—those student-run fraternities and organizations meant to support each other, form a community around common interests, and/or pursue a particular goal—does your character belong to, if any?)
Current Magnum Opus status:
(If you are chasing this goal—and you do not have to—at what stage is your character when it comes to chasing the Charm and achieving your Magnum Opus? The formal divisions, granted by the Educators, are as follows:
Nigredo / Melanosis / Black Badge: The initial exploratory stage—you have committed to making a Magnum Opus but are still searching for a subject.
Albedo / Leucosis / White Badge: You have found something worth studying, presented it to the Educators, and they agree—you have begun to study your subject.
Citrinitas / Xanthosis / Yellow Badge: Here, good work is being done and discoveries have been made, but more investigation is needed.
Rubedo / Iosis / Red Badge: The final stage, fully demonstrating a mastery of the answers to the inquiry which you had started back in Nigredo. If successful here, you will be granted a Charm.
Keep in mind that it takes many years for this to be done: most don’t make it past Nigredo in undergrad, and many mortals don’t get past Citrinitas at all. Assuming your character is a student, they should have either a Black or White badge: if you’re anywhere beyond a Black badge, please describe what you are researching and what your Magnum Opus is. More lore on this will be posted elsewhere for clarification, but feel free to ask questions in the meanwhile.)
Plot Hooks:
(Is there anything going on with your character that could make for a fun story? If so, give some examples!)
Name: (What name does your character go by? Please include any titles or aliases, even if they might not be respected or known…)
Age: (How old is your character? Please make sure all characters are biologically, mentally, AND chronologically at least eighteen years old.)
Gender: (What gender is your character?)
Race / Species: (What sort of being is your character—are they a human, are they one of the many humanoid races and species that inhabit this world? Or are they something different? Keep in mind, while we will try and accommodate you as best we can, the University is designed for humanoids…)
Realm of Origin: (Which of the Million Worlds is your character from—where do they call home?)
Role: (Is your character a student? Graduate or undergraduate? Are they a professor, trainer, sage, or some other sort of faculty? Or are they something else? Describe what your character does here.)
Pets / Familiars: (If applicable, describe your character’s pet or familiar. Keep in mind students will be held responsible for any damage done by beings summoned by or belonging to them…)
Physicality
Appearance: (What does your character look like? How do they typically dress? Do they have any distinguishing features or special accessories? What sort of vibes do they give off? Feel free to include any face claims—preferably not IRL or super-realistic ones—in a spoiler here.)
Non-Magical Skills: (Outside the arcane, what sort of things does your character enjoy, what are they good at? This can be anything athletic, intellectual, cultural, anything not explicitly magical that they’ve managed to gain skill in over the years)
Special Belongings: (Does your character have any special possessions or belongings with them? Please describe.)
Personality
Character: (What’s your character like? What sort of person are they? What are their morals? What makes them tick? Be as detailed as you’d like here.)
Quirks: (Does your character have any oddities that are hard to explain? If so, tell us!)
Flaws: (What sort of vulnerabilities or problems does your character bring to the table? Give us a few.)
Practice of Magic
Magical Domain(s): (Which of the Domains of Magic does your character make the most use of?)
Magical Abilities: (What can your character do? Be as detailed or as vague as you’d like here—we can always flesh it out!)
Academic Interests: (Where do your character’s interests lie? What are their favorite courses or topics of study—or their least favorite? What majors and minors would they want to pursue?)
House: (Which House—those student-run fraternities and organizations meant to support each other, form a community around common interests, and/or pursue a particular goal—does your character belong to, if any?)
Current Magnum Opus status:
(If you are chasing this goal—and you do not have to—at what stage is your character when it comes to chasing the Charm and achieving your Magnum Opus? The formal divisions, granted by the Educators, are as follows:
Nigredo / Melanosis / Black Badge: The initial exploratory stage—you have committed to making a Magnum Opus but are still searching for a subject.
Albedo / Leucosis / White Badge: You have found something worth studying, presented it to the Educators, and they agree—you have begun to study your subject.
Citrinitas / Xanthosis / Yellow Badge: Here, good work is being done and discoveries have been made, but more investigation is needed.
Rubedo / Iosis / Red Badge: The final stage, fully demonstrating a mastery of the answers to the inquiry which you had started back in Nigredo. If successful here, you will be granted a Charm.
Keep in mind that it takes many years for this to be done: most don’t make it past Nigredo in undergrad, and many mortals don’t get past Citrinitas at all. Assuming your character is a student, they should have either a Black or White badge: if you’re anywhere beyond a Black badge, please describe what you are researching and what your Magnum Opus is. More lore on this will be posted elsewhere for clarification, but feel free to ask questions in the meanwhile.)
Plot Hooks:
(Is there anything going on with your character that could make for a fun story? If so, give some examples!)
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