The Journey to Strixhaven

[strixmod]

MAKING THE JOURNEY

"You're Accepted!
We look forward to seeing you
at Strixhaven University
on September 19th."
This is the extent of information your character received after applying to Strixhaven, delivered to them in a mysterious wax-sealed envelope which appears in front of them in a dramatic puff of smoke, usually within six weeks. If they did not apply, this missive may still find its way to them in the early weeks of August.

Information that unfortunately remains undisclosed includes where Strixhaven is or how to get there. That will be up to your character to divine or discover. Also unmentioned is the fact that Strixhaven's pocket dimension is "closed" during the summer, and any attempts to reach or contact it before September 9th will automatically fail. While the campus opens early for the eager and nervous, returning students and faculty rarely make the journey to campus more than a day or two ahead of term starting, and the campus is a ghost town if you arrive promptly on opening day.

Your character may arrive to campus whenever you want. Characters are free to begin to meet and interact with each other outside of their pre-established connection in this IC/OOC!

Here is an overview of the sections of this IC/OOC:

❖ The Journey: For scenes set in your character's home realm, regarding their attempt(s) to reach Strixhaven. Additional information on each realm's relationship to interplanar travel is available below.
❖ Arrivals: Let us know when your character arrived to campus and what they're getting up to before term starts!
❖ Archway Commons: For scenes set in Strixhaven's "Quad", this park is where new arrivals are expected to camp out before term starts.
❖ Bow's End Tavern: For IC drinking games and scenes set in Bow's End, which is currently the only open dining establishment, as well as a social hotspot.
❖ The Delve: For seeing what your character can dig up from the magical thrift shop in the Central Campus.
❖ Around Campus: For scenes set anywhere else around Central Campus.
❖ OOC: GM Inquiries: If you need my input as GM for anything, please make your inquiries here! Feel free to request information, NPC interactions, or say "What happens if my character does this?".
❖ OOC: Planning & Plotting: Just a catch-all section for finding scene partners, pitching ideas, etc. Have fun!

INTERPLANAR TRAVEL

❖ Faerûn: There is a permanent teleportation circle to Strixhaven in the Yawning Portal, a famed tavern in the city of Waterdeep. Arkin Minexes, a dragonborn bard, is a regular patron of the tavern as well as a newly minted Strixhaven professor.

❖ Ravnica: The Izzet League, the Simic Combine, the Orzhov Syndicate, the Boros Legion, and the Golgari Swarm all have ties to Strixhaven and may have information or means of travel to the campus. Additionally, interplanar travel is exceedingly common in Ravnica, and a simple teleportation spell can easily be bought for a moderate price.

❖ Eldraine: Strixhaven has an ill reputation in this realm. Will and Rowan Kenrith, the twin heirs of the throne of Eldraine, famously left for Strixhaven three years ago and haven't been seen since. Mentioning the school in public often draws negative attention. However, general inquiries into realm-walking may reveal legends of a powerful portal in the form of a Magic Mirror, which is located somewhere in the depths of Castle Vantress.

❖ Ikoria: An Ikorian's best bet for reliable interplanar travel would be to capture a nightmare beast, terrible apex predators with the extradimensional ability of phasing. These creatures are cunning and exacting, and while it is possible to cut deals with them, they may come with consequences.

❖ Innistrad: Getting off Innistrad can be a real trick, because the vampiric aristocrats who run Thraben try to keep knowledge of interplanar travel privileged and secret. Because if the common folk of Innistrad were able to leave, they would. Strixhaven students may need to cut an unseemly deal with the ruling vampires, make a pact with a demonic entity in exchange for power, or read an eldritch tome full of forbidden knowledge to execute a one-time teleportation spell themselves.

❖ Kaldheim: The easiest way to leave Kaldheim is via the strange, alien forests of Littjara. The veil is thin there, and it's possible to tumble through realms accidentally. With a little luck and preparation, Littjara's natural portals may be utilized to travel directly to Strixhaven. The unlucky may find themselves in another realm before they reach their target destination.

❖ New Capenna: Interdimensional travel is possible via the use of halo, the angelic essence that keeps the magic in New Capenna powered. Halo is controlled entirely by the Cabaretti crime family, and they are extremely judicious about distributing it.

❖ Theros: Gods are able to grant boons to heroes who prove their worth, and will happily send their champions along to Strixhaven. The city of Meletis features several permanent teleportation circles, one of which connects to Waterdeep in Faerûn. Many pirate crews in Theros possess ships crafted from magical wood with enchanted cloth sails, which can be used to sail between realms with Thassa's blessing.

❖ Zendikar: Your best bet for getting off Zendikar would likely be to venture into one of the many magical ruins that dot the landscape. Powerful magical artifacts are found in plenty in these ruins, and can often be used for interplanar travel. Even those that don't allow this directly may be traded for something of more use in the Skyclave's marketplaces.

THE CAMPOUT

Any students who arrive to campus before term officially begins will find it largely shuttered and vacant. The pathways which lead to the College campuses are gated and inaccessible, as are many buildings on Central Campus. This does unfortunately include both the Biblioplex, the grand library at the heart of campus, as well as the housing for visitors and new students.

Luckily for you, helpful automatons have set up a temporary campsite in the Archway Commons furnished with dozens of bright, multi-colored tents. Each has a plush sleeping bag and a small trunk with a few complimentary pieces of Strixhaven swag, including sweatpants and athletic t-shirts. A bonfire has been built in the center of the park, and the tents are set up to ring it in a half-moon arrangement.

More information on the layout and facilities of the Central Campus can be found here.

Additionally, two of the many on-campus businesses are open early.

BOW'S END TAVERN

This tavern is a popular social spot for older students, although it is oftentimes empty this week. It is a squat but comfortable-looking building, its gleaming wooden exterior carved in overlapping Strixhaven star motifs. The interior is dim and cozy, featuring rich mahogany floors and well-worn furniture of oak and black leather.

Right now, it's the only place on campus to eat. Meals will run you a couple silver pieces each, and are hearty but simple dishes like stews and pot pies.

The tavern has a tiny library of its own: a library of games from thousands of cultures. There are a few leatherbound tomes which detail rules for various drinking games, as well as a large collection of boardgames.

The tavern is currently staffed only by Javenesh Stoutclaw, an incoming Lorehold junior. Javenesh is a very large owlin, and his surly personality make him difficult to get to know.

THE DELVE

The only other establishment that is currently staffed is The Delve, a thrift shop operated by a grey-haired gnome woman named Lorixi Ripplemapple. If you'd like to see what your character can find while rustling around in last year's overstock, leave a comment under the Delve header with their general sense of fashion, what sort of trinkets tend to draw their eye, or what kind of magical items intrigue them. Also include an Intelligence Check to see how well they do at investigating the crowded aisles and myriad backrooms.

(CODE)

Comments

THE JOURNEY

[strixmod]

THE JOURNEY: Innistrad, in a tavern in Thraben (open!)

[quickwitted]

It's been awhile since Farrow's been in the city, but she doesn't miss the bustle or the smell. She hadn't considered this as a possible consequence of applying to Strixhaven, and now she's wondering if it was worth it at all. It's the end of her first day in the city, and her search for a way to the school has been fruitless. Now she needs to find somewhere for her and her sister to sleep tonight, and she only has four gold coins in her pocket.

As she steps into a tavern that is seedy but not overly so, she pulls her hood down from her silver hair. This looks like a place that might draw adventurers, and adventurers know magic and secrets. She's not sure if she wants to sleep here, but she settles down at the bar and orders herself a drink. She has some time to kill before Flavian catches up with her. Maybe she's had better luck than Farrow did.

Taking a sip of the thin ale she's been served, Farrow rotates on her bar stool to observe the patrons of the tavern. There has to be someone interesting here she can interrogate.

THE JOURNEY: Eldraine's Mirror (open!!!)

[annarrgeal]

Annarrgeal stands before the rippling mirror. It moves like the surface of a disturbed pond, but she is motionless. She's been waiting for hours, but for Annarrgreal it feels like only a few minutes. The pale yellow gown she wears reaches the floor, and then follows six feet behind her. Tiny saffron crystals are inlaid all across it from the bodice to the train, and her long auburn hair is done up in immaculate braids. Not too tight, not too loose. She glows, head to toe. A younger elf near her is anxiously babbling and straightening out her very inconvenient train.

"...Mylesasse, you worry too much." She softly cuts off the servant. "All those who are invited will be here soon. To be late, would be a dire affront. We are representing—"

ARRIVALS

[strixmod]

ARRIVALS: Astra

[fullofstars]

Astra, an accomplished interplanar traveler and overenthusiastic nerd, has been trying to get to Strixhaven since she got her acceptance letter a few months ago. She's the first student on the scene, stumbling upon confused automatons who are still in the midst of setting up the campground, and she immediately grabs the nicest tent for herself. She spends the next ten days greeting other new students and pretending she knows a lot more about what's going on than everyone else does.

ARCHWAY COMMONS

[strixmod]

ARCHWAY COMMONS: Astra & Open++

[fullofstars]

Astra gets bored of exploring the small section of campus available to her by her second afternoon on site, and quickly begins to spend her time instead monitoring the teleportation circle just outside of the Biblioplex. As the week wears on, new arrivals become more common, and she's perfecting her welcome wagon routine.

"Welcome to the party!" she announces as the teleportation circle flares to life. She then immediately proceeds to take a large, noisy bite of her apple.

BOW'S END TAVERN

[strixmod]

NEVER HAVE I EVER

[strixmod]

In comments below, drop your characters' Never Have I Evers and respond to other prompts.

THE DELVE

[strixmod]

THE DELVE: Cosmo (open)

[unluckycosmos]

Crouching near the ground as he rustles through the clearance section gives Cosmo a particularly baby deer appearance. Skinny limbs and skinny hands on full display as he digs through the unwanted treasures. Without much coin to spare, his only real hope is to find something in the strange and overlooked... and therefore very on sale. He grabs something that looks promising, but in his excitement stands up too fast.

Slam, head into an upper shelf, and then a stumble backwards into a total stranger. The two entangle and go down together, as Cosmo lets out a stream of infernal curses that could make any cleric blush.

THE DELVE: Arlo (open)

[wereyote]

Arlo is not very social, so he goes exploring instead of getting to know people. His sense of style tends toward the practical rather than trendy (think tweed, knitwear, earth tones, and quality leather footwear that will last a long time). In terms of trinkets, he's curious, so drawn to anything that looks interesting or that seems like it has a story (or value) to it! He would have been very polite and courteous to Ms Ripplemapple. He's a wee little bookish nerd.

(Intelligence check to find something: 1d20+5 = 11)

While rummaging through a rack of cozy sweaters, he spots a particularly intriguing trinket near a stranger's elbow and attempts to casually ope! lemme just squeeze right past ya to get a better look at it.

THE DELVE:Ned

[underhandling]

He's been to thrift shops before, inevitably, but Nedward's biggest (not really) failure is that he turns into something of a magpie as soon as he's exposed to one. He [rolled 10] gets a little distracted in the stacks, and also when he tries to reach for something cool on too high a shelf and can't get it.

THE DELVE: Rhodie

[rhodie]

Look at all these things!!!!! Rhodie doesn't exactly have money (what's money??????), but he DOES have a lot of gumption and he's willing to barter. Does the tiny proprietor want his hair in exchange for something shiny and soft???

He loses himself in the piles of things, almost definitely finding nothing but old macaroni art and having the time of his life. Yay, school is fun so far!!

THE DELVE: Lunulata (open)

[lunulata]

While Lunulata can count the number of times he's been inside a proper shop on one hand and he was never the one handling the money, he's fairly certain he knows how this works and he walks through The Delve with wonder written plainly on his face. This place seems to have everything! More than everything! He doesn't know what he's looking for (he already has two whole sets of clothes and doesn't foresee needing more than that) but he nevertheless stops to admire every shiny or pretty or peculiar object he sees. How marvelous!

THE DELVE: Velvet (open)

[sanguinario]

Velvet's favourite pastime is shopping, although she usually wouldn't be caught in a dusty little thrift shop digging through last year's fashions. But this isn't New Capenna, and Velvet firmly believes that the best way to get the lay of the land is to get acquainted with a city's merchants.

She ends up perusing the selection of jewelry, figuring if there's anything timeless to be found, it's there. Velvet's taste tends towards big and flashy—a counterpoint to her usually austere, dark outfits. She's also a tacky vampire at heart, and will pause on anything that evokes "bloodsucking undead girl."

[19 INT]

THE DELVE: Larkspur (open!)

[spurlark]

Larkspur is no stranger to thrift shops, and as a seamstress, is always on the lookout for items and fabrics that can be repurposed into new pieces for her ex-theatre kid-current-goth-vampire wardrobe.

She lurks the aisles, touching anything that conforms to her aesthetic (black lace, silks, velvets, etc) as she pictures what she might be able to make out of it once she takes it apart.

(Int check: 18)

THE DELVE: Flavian

[pepromancy]

This is a lot of amazing things in one place, but Flavian [10+5=15] is pretty laser-focused on finding anything particularly arcane and strange. Looking around to see if anyone was watching, she dips her hands in the pockets of a lot of the coats. Perhaps someone died in them and left an ancient cursed piece of jewelry or something. No harm in looking in the spots everyone's missed.

AROUND CAMPUS

[strixmod]

OOC: GM INQUIRIES

[strixmod]

OOC: PLANNING & PLOTTING

[strixmod]

Re: OOC: PLANNING & PLOTTING

[grrgirl]

YELLING

my partner n i are traveling later tonight n i will defo be outta comission at least till monday (baby sister's weddin weekend ;o;) BUT i would love to chat abt some first encounters or maybe do some v simple threading if u don't mind slowness <3<3<3 AAAAAAAA

Re: OOC: PLANNING & PLOTTING

[profundity]

would anyone from new capenna like to participate in a ✨halo heist✨

Re: OOC: PLANNING & PLOTTING

[helmineblackwater]

g a s p ! Exciting!

I'm going to be in and out a fair amount tonight and tomorrow (for D&D, ironically), but would love to try some scenes out! If anyone wants to meet up during the journey, Helmine knows where to go/who to pay because of her Izzet League connections and could likely be coaxed into paying someone else's way too if they're interesting/entertaining enough and Lunulata has probably found one of those fancy realm-hopping ships to work on until it's time to head to school. Otherwise, looking forward to tossing up some threads and bothering random people~ ♥

Re: OOC: PLANNING & PLOTTING

[yrsa]

aaaaaa all of this is so exciting!!! thank you!!!

good luck to this idiot who's done a bang up job of getting off zendikar so far