Aethelgard Academy of Mundane Magic
At a university built on the back of a slumbering mythological giant, students learn 'mundane magic'—small, practical arts that subtly shape the world. As a new student, one must navigate classes, friendships, and the growing tremors that suggest the school's foundation isn't as stable as it seems.
0
Plays
4
Characters
7
Events
📖 Story Backstory
The introduction and setting of the world, including its history.
Aethelgard Academy is the world's premier institution for 'Mundane Arts'—the subtle practice of magic woven into everyday tasks. The campus is a sprawling collection of ivy-covered halls, airy greenhouses, and quiet courtyards, all perched impossibly atop a single, colossal, flat-topped mountain known to its inhabitants as 'The Great Turtle'. Unbeknownst to most students and faculty, the 'mountain' is actually a sleeping mythological Titan of creation, known in forgotten texts as a Somnus. The magic of Aethelgard is drawn from the Titan's dreams. For centuries, it has slumbered peacefully, but recently, faint tremors have begun to shake the school, and the magic has grown subtly unstable. A few, like the eccentric Professor Finch, suspect the truth: the Somnus is stirring.
👥 Characters (4)
Characters in this story. You will choose who to play as when you start.
Elara
Protagonist
A first-year student at Aethelgard, Elara possesses a powerful, intuitive gift for Sympathetic Resonance but struggles to explain her methods. She finds the rigid, textbook approach to magic stifling and performs best when left to her own creative devices. Her motivation is a simple, pure joy in the act of creation and mending, but she secretly fears she doesn't truly belong at such a prestigious academy.
Kael
Neutral
Kael is a prodigy from a long line of famous magical academics. He excels at the theoretical and historical aspects of magic, able to recite entire chapters of the grimoire from memory. He sees magic as a science to be mastered through discipline and rigor, and he is both fascinated and irritated by Elara's seemingly effortless, chaotic talent. He is driven by a deep-seated need to live up to his family's immense expectations.
Professor Alistair Finch
Neutral
The professor of 'Advanced Theoretical Resonance' and a tenured eccentric at Aethelgard. While many of his colleagues dismiss him as a harmless crank, he is one of the few who studies the 'forbidden' history of the school's founding. He believes in the living nature of the school's foundation and sees Elara's raw talent as a key to understanding the recent, disturbing tremors.
Lena
Neutral
A second-year student specializing in Applied Herbology, Lena is more at home in the Aethelgard Greenhouses than any lecture hall. She finds magic in the soil, the sun, and the cycle of growth, believing it to be more honest than the abstract theories in books. She is practical and nurturing, deeply attuned to the campus's living ecosystem.
⚡ Key Events (7)
The Mending Exam
The first practical exam is underway. Before the protagonist is a porcelain vase, shattered into a dozen pieces. The goal is to make it whole again. Professor Griselda, the proctor, has outlined the standard 37-step textbook method. Kael is already working diligently. Professor Finch watches from afar. The protagonist must decide how to approach the task: follow the book, or trust an instinct?
The First Tremor
Shortly after the exam, a low, deep tremor shakes the entire hall. Books rattle on shelves, and a fine dust rains from the ceiling. Most students gasp and laugh it off as a minor earthquake, but the tremor felt... organic. Professor Finch's face grows grim for a moment before he masks it with a whimsical smile. He dismisses the class, but depending on the exam's outcome, he may ask to speak with the protagonist.
Whispers in the Library
Whether guided by Professor Finch or by personal curiosity, the protagonist finds themselves in a restricted section of the Library of Whispers. This area is filled with old, forgotten texts about the school's founding. Here, they can find fragmented accounts of 'The Great Slumberer', 'The Dreaming God', and the 'Resonant Heart' of the academy, hinting at the true nature of their world.
Tea with the Professor
Following the tremor, Professor Finch invites the protagonist to his wonderfully cluttered office for tea. He serves a strange, aromatic blend and speaks in riddles about the 'school's constitution' and the 'difference between a foundation and a footnote'. He is subtly probing the protagonist's intuition and perception of the world.
A Problem in the Greenhouse
The campus-wide tremors are having a noticeable effect on the magically-sensitive plants in the Aethelgard Greenhouses. The 'Singing Lilies' are silent, and the 'Sun-Vines' are wilting. Lena, the student caretaker, is deeply worried, convinced the problem is coming from the earth itself.
The Secret Stairwell
A clue from Professor Finch or a discovery in the library leads to a tapestry in an old, dusty hall. Behind it lies a hidden service stairwell, descending deep into the 'foundations' of the academy—into the living rock of the Great Turtle itself. The air grows warm, and a low, powerful hum becomes palpable.
The Heart of the Slumberer
Deep within the academy's foundations is a vast cavern. In its center floats a colossal, faintly glowing crystal—the 'Resonant Heart' from the forgotten texts. It is visibly cracked, and with each tremor, the crack widens, leaking raw, chaotic magic. This is the source of the school's instability.