The Magefair, Information _AND_ RP thread

[Seymor]

===Top Secret Information===
Magefair Location and Date Released (OOC): Thursday, May 17th
Magefair (OOC): Sunday, May 20th

The current planned date for the magefair is provided out of character. If you are not one of the very exclusive club of Wizards that currently have the information, don't treat this as in character information.

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Welcome to the Magefair information dump.

What is the Magefair?

The magefair is an event where wizards and sorcerers (and sometimes bards) meet up and exchange research, spells, information, latest magic restrictions, magic items, etc. The annual Magefair is huge, put on by Mystra and Azuth with the participation of such FR superpowers as the Magister. Local magefairs, such as ours, is usually put on by the Wizard population.

Who is invited to the Magefair?

Upon approaching the magefair grounds, guests are challenged by a sentinel to cast an arcane spell. This restricts admittance to Wizards, Sorcerers, Bards and Assassins. The tradition is for the wizard to try to cast an impressive spell, such as a flashy evocation or an intricate illusion. Everybody who attends the Magefair is allowed one non-spellcasting guest.

Of course, the idea is to let everybody in to the magefair. Go ahead and get creative with entering the magefair, I'm hoping to see as much creativity skirting around the guards and wards as I see in the Mages trying to describe how their fireball is the best fireball. If your lucky, you'll just find or pay a Mage to walk you through the front door.

To underdark races and orcs, there is absolutely nothing that the wards will do to prevent you from entering the magefair as long as you can cast an arcane spell for the sentinel.

What is at the Magefair?

The following locations are planned to be present at the Magefair.

Merchants

Magefair wouldn't be complete without a line of merchant selling some of the most bizarre things that wizards can think of.

Mageduel Arena

I call this location the drama magnet, If you don't like the way that other wizard is looking at you, you can challenge them to a Mageduel at this arena

Fireball Throwing Range

An alternative to settling disputes with that other wizard that looked at you funny, you can chuck fireballs up a slight slope and be judged. More a sport for younger wizards.

Amphitheater

Usually the stage of the bards, you put a bunch of wizards in control of it and they start giving lectures which may feature magical creatures that have a somewhat high probability of getting loose, but that won't happen, right? If your really nice the people with the magical creatures may even allow you to feed them like you might feed ducks at the park.

Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansions and Leomund's Secure Shelters (Waiting DM confirmation to allow casting of spell)

Outside of towers, Wizards need a place to stay and depending on how much power you have, or how much money your willing to pay, you can have some pretty nice accomadations. It's like you never left your tower! You may even find a backalley portal to a backalley merchant selling something a little more backalley magical. Ironically, her name might be Ally.

In addition to these locations, there will be dedicated area for the three surface guilds that have the highest Wizard populations, specifically Red Wizards, Candlekeep and Doron Amar. You will all be given a specific area to sell your wares or ideas or magical research or lore or whatever you want to do.

and more...

Where is the Magefair?

(TOP SECRET: Guarded by various magical traps at the bottom of a cave that is crawling with Beholders, you don't want it. Will be released on Thursday, May 17th)

Various footnotes:

Conflicts cannot be resolved by casting harmful spells at another outside of a mageduel. You are encouraged to challenge anybody you have a conflict with to a mageduel but if the sentinels guarding the magefair see you casting a spell at another wizard outside of a mageduel, expect the sentinels to react as the fist do. Of course, you can break this as your alignment dictates

Note that declining a mageduel is equivalent to saying that you wish to kill the other person.

Getting kicked out of a magefair is considered disgraceful, with many wizards refusing to work with a wizard that gets kicked out for a period of one year.

The Mageduel

Alright the drama magnet, mageduels. You may at any time for any reason challenge anybody to a mageduel, it's expected. You're going to get challenged, I'm going to get challenged, that shady guy in the corner that looked at that other wizard the wrong way is going to challenged, have fun with it.

Who can Mageduel?

Only Wizards and Sorcerer's can participate in mageduels and EVERY wizard and sorcerer knows how to initiate a mageduel. Attempting to have a non-arcane-spellcaster in the mageduel will fail and the mageduel will not start.

How do we do it?

According to lore: The participants stand next to each other, concentrate for one round then decide on the size and shape of the mageduel arena. If they disagree they oppose each other with ability checks and the winner gets to decide. The participants then decide how many rounds to prebuff, usually 1 to 3. Quickened spells are allowed for prebuffing but it's considered bad. The participants then walk away buff up and start flinging spells with no spells able to enter or leave the arena. The loser is the one who falls unconscience, leaves the arena or gives up forcefully or voluntarily. Typically items are barred from mageduels and using weapons is just flat out embarrassing.

The Proposed Procedure for Mageduelling

Now if you put two wizards in an arena and tell them to fight with absolutely no rules, even with preparation time, theres a short list of spells that will essentially stop the duel within the first round. Spells such as quickened Bigby's Forceful Hand or Vampiric Feast have few counters and will end duels very quickly. In order to try to prevent that, I am proposing the following procedure and rules for initiating a mageduel as well as conducting the mageduel. The goals of these rules are to try to stretch out mageduels for as long as possible and make them as exciting as possible.

The mages set up the mageduel as per lore however the actual mageduel does not occur in real time. There is simply too many spells for high level wizards to be expected to react to each of them in real time. Therefore I propose manually rolling initiative and taking turns. If you knock your opponent down or stun them, such as with Meteor Swarm or Gust of Wind, your opponent will not be able to cast a spell during their turn allowing you another spell. If you cast quickened spells during your turn, you are allowed two, giving your opponent a chance to counterspell both of them.

For example Kestral is mageduelling young_wizard315 and Kestral wins initiative, Kestral can then take his time selecting a spell to cast and the young_wizard315 can prepare a counterspell. After Kestral casts one spell, it is now the young_wizard315's turn to cast a spell and he can take as long as he wants, taunting Kestral etc. Kestral is of course allowed to prepare a counterspell.

In addition there is a short list of spells that are banned from mageduelling in order to make it more interesting. These are spells that..
1) Cause instant death, banned due to mages having low fortitude.
2) Teleport the opponent outside of the arena forcefully (The Damnation Clause...)
3) Spells that drain stats or levels are not allowed
4) Spells that are just overpowered are not allowed (Bigby's mostly.. considering disintegrate as well)

A short list of spells that are banned under these rules are,
Enervation, Phantasmal Killer, Cloudkill, All Bigby's, Circle of Death, Flesh to Stone, Finger of Death, Power Word Kill, Energy Drain, Touch of Idiocy, Vampiric Feast, Damnation, Entropic Husk, Wail of the Banshee, Power Word Petrify AND MORE...

In addition to the banned spells, I'd also like to discourage a couple of spells that can be abused due to the proposed turn based nature of mageduels. These are spells that..
1) Do continuous damage such as shroud of fire, incendiary cloud, wall of fire
2) Summon a creature that will do continuous damage while your opponent is selecting their spells

I think that this format for mageduelling will allow for a little bit longer, more exciting mageduels. But I am more than willing to get input from other people so go ahead and send me a PM on the forum if you have ideas or disagree with some of these rules.

As far as this thread's RP, the magefair is coming, what do the adventurer's think of this?

[Hoihe]

//Sounds great, and what about a firewall and teleport? It can make for a little nice tactic ( create a firewall somewhere, create another, then teleport your opponent into it.

[Seymor]

As the secret date for the magefair draws near, there are a flurry of rumors about what schemes are being planned for such a weave-powered meeting. Some rumors say that Kestral himself has subdued a troll for presentation at the magefair. Others speak of more sinister creatures, dragons and golems and demons abound. There is still no indication of where the magefair is to be held, or it's exact time, but anybody paying close enough attention could make a reasonable guess that it will be soon.

There is also a rumor that Kestral is looking for Bards, although for exactly what purpose he will not say. However, the rumors say that he is paying good gold. /* send me a PM or find me in game*/

/*ooc*

From internal communications the following event has been planned

Friday, 18th @ 7 PM Central : Warding the Magefair Grounds, All wizards and sorcerers invited to participate, council receives Magefair Warding Items to control the magefair

Anybody who wishes to help ward the magefair grounds is welcome to participate. Where are the magefair grounds you ask? Well bards, contact me.

*/

[Cristof]

"So, I hear you are looking for the services of the exceptionally gifted? Well, you are in luck, as it appears that I may be available for your mage fair..."

// I am working a 14 hour overtime shift the night before - Assuming I am conscious, I will be there.

[ragnarok1983]

*Scota hears about the magefair through Herram Hymn*

Hmm... I ought t' try to make it in t' see this event. I 'ear they even pay well!
*rubs her chin*
Hmm, that is assuming I am not ankle-deep in an orc's behind is some gods-forsaken cavern.
*sighs and lights her elven pipe*
The things we do for gold. Bah, I don't have the time anyway.

[Hoihe]

//Argh... can't come. Got to rest for the 19th and can't afford to part take in a nation-wide contest half-dead.

[Seymor]

The magefair date is quick approaching but the location and time have still to be announced. Anybody who asks Kestral where they might learn of the location and time get the same response, "Listen to those who tell tales and they might tell you the news".

[Seymor]

The location of the magefair and the date has been released, mages who have heard the magefair's location is Ulcaster Ruins from their third cousin friends mother abound. Also, many talk about how Mages are needed at the magefair grounds tomorrow in order to properly ward the area.

[Seymor]

The magefair grounds are now well warded, a team of Mages consisting of Avery, Wendel, Kestral, and Maxwell warded the magefair grounds against all possible dangers.

It is now two days until the magefair, the stage will literally be set tomorrow and all of the buildings will appear. All mages are invited to attend and bring one guest.

Kestral is also looking for a worthy guard to guard the entrance of the magefair. Perks include watching spectacular displays of magic.

The majority of the action will probably happen around 7 pm CENTRAL on Sunday but there will hopefully be things to do at the magefair all day long.

[Darkshard]

[Seymor]

[Lampir]

Team ORC was well represented last night with a giddy druidess drunk on sausage and honey cakes taking home first place in the fire-slinging contest and the mage Krumarth putting forth a valiant effort in the dueling rounds. It was generally agreed on, despite a somewhat agitated Grubnar, that the event was amazing and Kaltyra, for one, was happy to get to come.

She is seen the day after the fair cleaning up any natural messes - particularly in escorting the wyvern nests back to their natural habitat.

// Serious kudos to all involved in planning and running this event, it was very artistically and thoroughly done, beautiful settings, fun contests and hilarious PC interactions! //

[Montleberry]

*after a day of listening to his familiar Gwen inside his head bragging to him about how she won the familiar's section of the fire throwing contest Wendel gives up on explaining to her that familiars were not actually considered in the competition*


*sighs* Yes dear, ye were impressive. A fine win.....

[Deathgrowl]

// Really, really good job by those involved in setting it up. Only sad part about it was the one player that completely ignored the NPCs and bought every single teleport scroll that was put up.

[Hoihe]

//I wish i could attend, even if Hoihe's not all that great true spellcaster ATM.