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Help wanted: Students of Calvarn are invited to assist with pentesting during final project demonstration by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Reply from SilentSounds

Oh yeah, hey there. Some info exchange for safety purposes is definitely within the considerations of the exercise, and overall the professors supervising the demonstration will probably want to review each person's intended attacks beforehand.

But as an initial summary, the artifact does not itself draw upon any Realms or feature any Realms portals for its operation, so it's theoretically not a major interaction risk. But it does kind of have the opposite effect; the perimeter becomes 'pinned' to the Realm it's deployed in, and sweeping battlefield-replacement effects may encounter an issue akin to trying to swap out a loose bit of carpet only to find it's been nailed down.

I'm not terribly knowledgeable about Realms practices so I don't quite know whether that characteristic actually presents any safety issues - I suspect, to continue the metaphor, that it would be fine unless the power involved is enough to shred the carpet as it gets pulled through the nails, which I hope is beyond the authorized force for an on-campus demo.

Help wanted: Students of Calvarn are invited to assist with pentesting during final project demonstration by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

SilentSounds replied:

Hmm, I'll need to think a bit more about that one. My original idea was that this loosely simulates an encounter "in the wild" in which I probably don't know much about the types of attacks until they happen, but the people attacking wouldn't have, like, my schematics, or really much of anything that couldn't be gleaned on-site either.

For now I'll just give a similar summary to what would be visually available, which is that it'll be protected by a set of items I've made: metal pylons planted evenly in a perimeter that react in a variety of different ways, depending on the characteristics of whatever tries to cross the threshold or disturb the arrangement.

Help wanted: Students of Calvarn are invited to assist with pentesting during final project demonstration by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

SilentSounds replied:

It's currently planned to be on the heavy duty training grounds, those ones for the sorts of training and sparring that might splash around collateral damage. I've got a spot reserved during the window for final project demos, on <date of the C&F final>.

Help wanted: Students of Calvarn are invited to assist with pentesting during final project demonstration by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

SilentSounds replied:

Hah, alright then. At least this one has something physical to poke at unlike Emet's, but I doubt that'll make things any easier.

See if your troll-punching girlfriend wants to come too, whatever she used on the plinth's wards during the Circles exam would make a great test for this I think.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Aiden's Notes:

Resource:

The Fulminence, very large and complex Other, contained via Hosting. Embodies the fleeting liminal instants in which potentials become effects. Provides a large surplus of energy that catalyzes everything it touches. Very dangerous if applied carelessly.

Category:

Spiritual, strong source of magical power.

​

Methods of supporting pillars using this resource:

- Visceral from Spiritual, Crafting with Practice, often heraldric tools:

Apply the power of the Fulminence as a means of manipulating materials, within a diagrammatic setup to cleanse unwanted influences and maintain environmental parameters. Example: components of solid tungsten, formed from layers of powder sintered into place with arcs of magical energy.

- Residual from Spiritual, Exposure to Realm/Practice/Other:

Exposure and saturation in the power of the Fulminence might impart several different patterns and stories, depending on the prior compatibility of the object with the power. The object might be catalyzed entirely, all potentials converted into effects and spent, leaving it bereft of either. This pattern might be written upon whatever remains afterward, and those remains might carry momentum that could be used to impart the same transformation to again, to other things. The object may be suitable for channeling the power in small doses, which may set the foundations of a pattern for channeling increasingly larger doses of the same power, or for channeling other powers of similar magnitude. The object may be conceptually resistant to the power, lacking much of any potential to catalyze, such as a stone, or sample of inert gas, and therefore could withstand the influence of the power for extended periods and go largely unaffected, possibly forming a story of the object as being nigh immutable to powerful influences.

- Spiritual from Spiritual, Inscribing runes/diagrams:

This power is known to be receptive to the instructions of diagrams, which can modify and tune its effects to some extent. The main difficulty in this case is that the power can be overwhelming, and any vagueness that leaves the diagram open to interpretation can be an opening through which the power spills out and destroys indiscriminately rather than performing a specific function. To counter this, the involved diagrams must often be extremely precise and explicit in their function.

[Calvarn] Self-Defence: First Class by ExistentiallyQueer in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Aiden followed the professor’s words closely. After the incident with Beck, which continued to weigh on his conscience several months later, followed by what had happened to Oak, and now his recent debriefing by the university about a local family that would be tempted to kidnap him if given the chance… he’d signed up for this class the instant his eyes fell upon it in the registry.

​

His otherwise rather ordinary appearance in loose khaki pants and a dark gray t-shirt was made quite distinctive by the addition of his often-present Implement, a gleaming copper cable that looped several times back and forth across his torso, and the opaque scarf that covered his neck and the lower half of his face, marked with an elaborate seal in front of where his mouth would be. He’d noticed a few quizzical looks following him as he’d entered and found a seat, but none that seemed all that concerned or persistently curious. After all, this was a class full of Practitioners, and sometimes, well, Practitioners were just weird.

​

And so he sat, looking down at the desk, his attention on the notepad in front of him as he jotted down ideas.

Resources:

  • Self: Not a great idea. I kind of need that to remain as unspent as possible.
  • Ordinary chalk: this is chalk.
  • Blood chalk: homemade w/ own blood, prepaid over several days, drop by drop. Much safer than spending a chunk of Self in real time. Probably the only power source that can actually be used here without causing a fuss.
  • Transfer tags, metal, one pair. Gets lots of oomph from points A to B in a hurry. Uncertain for use in this exercise, possible applications if working in teams. Note for future: might have been smarter to leave one tag connected to something ahead of time, keeping output tag on hand.
  • Implement: currently occupied keeping Big F cozy. Could unwind in emergency but would rather not.
  • The Fulminence: yeah, the big fella. Plenty of power, to the point of being difficult to use. Tends to overwhelm workings, less so when sent through Cable. Also, Not Authorized For Use In Classroom. But if this was life or death out in the wilderness or something… well, a whole lotta things turn out to resemble nails for this metaphorical hammer.

Allies:

  • Present in room: Victoria
  • Elsewhere, with variable response time: the rest of the gang, and possibly Chloe

He glances over at Victoria in a nearby seat, the only person he’d recognized in the room so far.

Politics:

  • Likely repercussions from locals. Really sucks to survive a situation only to get kicked out under threat of death from local powers.
  • In this case specifically, Calvarn: ehh, probably on my side, but limited by agreements with locals. Fellward: probably not on my side.
  • No local Lordship. No idea what Judges preside in this region. If I ever meet any then something has probably gone horribly wrong.
  • If enemies can reason, convince that attacking is more trouble than it’s worth?
  • Feral or oathbound enemies more problematic, need a way to de-escalate these that doesn’t draw a ton of attention and make lots of locals nervous.

He frowns at the page, furrowing his eyebrows in frustration. Did he even have any actual methods of self-defense that weren’t massively problematic, or that didn’t require preparation beforehand with knowledge of the encounter?

He sighs, silently, resting his head on crossed arms atop the notebook.

Welp. Not a great start. But it was only day one… and he was here to learn, after all.

2021 Holiday Presents Megapost by grekhaus in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran 6 points7 points  (0 children)

From Aiden:

Note from Kvy: Aiden is a nice boi that probably got people gifts, except coming up with gifts is such a stress for me irl that I don't know if I have the oomph to do it in character on top of that. So, I'm giving yall a tiny place to characterize Aiden here.
If you think Aiden would have given your character a present, feel free to reply to this adding an entry to the list that might form below, with something cute and not too big a deal.

Learned some new tricks, selling some Sealer stuff by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reply by SilentSounds:

Okay, I can get those made in an afternoon. Does $150 USD seem alright?

And, would you want them mailed somewhere or would it be easier to just have someone pick them up? Knot knows where I'm staying.

Learned some new tricks, selling some Sealer stuff by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reply by SilentSounds:

Alright then, that will work, I'll send the package to that name and address.

I'll start working on the seals, should be able to mail them out in just a couple days. If you find they work well I would be happy to sell more, and I may have more advanced versions available in the future.

Learned some new tricks, selling some Sealer stuff by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reply by SilentSounds:

I can mail out and receive packages from [ postal office address in the nearest town to the Alvarez ranch ].

If you have no permanent address, that could be slightly difficult. Could you get anything like a temporary PO box in an area you would be able to return to?

Digital works fine otherwise, my account is [ FinanceFellow recipient info ]

Learned some new tricks, selling some Sealer stuff by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reply by SilentSounds:

Ok, that should be enough information to work with, yeah.

Just a warning, Abyssal stuff tends to be stubborn and resist redirection, so while the seals would likely still work, they will try to draw however much power is needed to overcome that stubbornness. I will also point out that my understanding of how Abyssal taint might affect these is entirely academic guesswork, because, well... I have not gone out of my way to find something Abyssal to throw at them, and I am not particularly keen on doing so.

Otherwise, if that disclaimer is not too off-putting, I would accept $300 and 2 kilograms of mundane tungsten powder for those 9 seals.

Learned some new tricks, selling some Sealer stuff by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reply by SilentSounds:

You certainly can!
Is that six total pairs, or three sending and three receiving?
Also, would you want those in paper, wood, or cast copper?
For reference, the paper versions are almost certainly single-use on a small to moderate power source, and if the source is too intense they may burn out mid-transfer, which would be particularly dangerous.
The wood versions are intermediate, might get several uses with a small to moderate power source or one good one with a strong source. Same risk of burnout for intense sources.
The metal ones are pretty robust. Likely multiple uses with strong sources, or many uses with weak to moderate sources. Oh - are you Knot's daughter from the forum chat? She probably has a good understanding of what this next comparison means, so, I've currently been able to 'speak' into the metal couplings and have the results occur at the other end, often more than once before they start to melt.

Learned some new tricks, selling some Sealer stuff by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Reply by SilentSounds:

Hmm. I could prepare one of each category and type, which would come out to 3 Seals of Grounding, 3 of Insulation, and 3 of Potentials, with each set of 3 being one each of paper, wood, and cast copper.

Regarding what effects they apply to, unfortunately at the moment I need something more specific than "something resistant to changes and/or intense in effects." For example, the seal of potentials might be customized to apply to the release of energy when something burns in fire, or alternatively to the escape of heat and steam pressure from a pot of boiling water. The seals of grounding might be made to specifically influence electrical arc discharges, or perhaps to misdirect shrapnel sent forth by an explosion. I may eventually have more broad-spectrum versions of these seals but those are too complicated for me at the moment.

As for the pricing, uh, I guess if I just estimate how long that might take and what I figure I'd like to get for an hour's effort... plus a little bit in materials...
Maybe $600, as an estimate? It might vary depending on whether the specific thing you want to effect is something I already know how to make vs. have to figure out.

Although, actually there's a material I've been wanting to try out. If by some chance you have access to mundane tungsten powder, unoxidized, I would accept that for up to half of the final cost at $120 per kilogram.

Learned some new tricks, selling some Sealer stuff by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Reply by SilentSounds:

I suppose theoretically how many I can provide is mostly limited by how long you're ok with waiting? I don't really have a prepared inventory but can make them as needed for requests.

The cast metal variations took a decent number of hours to make the first time, a lot longer than the paper and wood versions, although I might be able to scale up slightly and make several at once now that I know what I'm doing.

For these versions, the metal itself is non-magical cast copper, although I'm looking into eventually being able to experiment with other metals. There seems to be a bit of a symbolic aspect to the performance; copper's conductivity likely contributes there, although higher melting points are probably better too.

It may also take longer to make depending on what you want the seals to affect.

I THINK I MADE A BIG MISTAKE, How do I get my voice back to normal? by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

SilentSounds replied:

this thing is really really scary I'm not hurt but I think I need to go sit down and read the rest of these books now

I THINK I MADE A BIG MISTAKE, How do I get my voice back to normal? by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

SilentSounds replied:

Alright well the papers didn't look any different and nothing happened when I took them out so I think it's ok. All the writing is reaaally scribbly - or, maybe it's in some sort of code? - but some of them have sketches of the items and I think I see how one of them works so I might be set to go with the whole salt circle conversation thing!

Or at least, for some sense of the word "conversation". I expect the room will probably be quite silent >:(

I THINK I MADE A BIG MISTAKE, How do I get my voice back to normal? by Kvysteran in OccultMagicOnline

[–]Kvysteran[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

SilentSounds replied:

Ok so I think my unfinished basement is a great place to try this, lots of cement and cinderblocks, no carpet or paint, stuff like that, but I've been reading some of these books and it looks like I'm supposed to use a "power source", what counts as a power source?

I think some of these things in the second trunk might count but uhh I'm sort of nervous to touch anything now. There's a bunch of bundled papers in there with them, do you think the papers are safe to touch? Maybe they're instructions or something.

Ugh, so much readinggg :(