[Open] Watch each card you play, and play it slow

[wolfehawke]

Who: Adalwolfe Hawke
Broadcast: Video!
Action: Sure; Malum
When: Now

[It's not long into drift week before Adalwolfe Hawke gets bored. And when a Hawke gets board, then ridiculous things happen. Luckily, thanks to some seeds already planted in his brain before, Adalwolfe has been working on a pet project so not too much destruction has occurred. (This time, anyway.)

Wolfe pops onto the network with a video with an eager smile.]

Hey fleet! So there's this card game from Thedas called Wicked Grace and since we haven't had any proper cards that I've found, I decided to make my own.

[He holds up a few card. One labeled Angel of Death and a few others from various suits, all labeled and with crude drawings.]

I found a deck of very plain cards in Malum, so if those belonged to anyone sorry about that, but you really shouldn't leave your stuff around. Anyway, I made them playable for Wicked Grace. If anyone wants to play, you should know that if we're using my cards, then we go by Ferelden rules. See? The Swords are Dogs instead and they're high instead of Angels. Also I made the Drakes into Dragons instead because I can.

[He pauses in his excitement for a moment, then sits back a bit sheepishly as it occurs to him that anyone not from Thedas probably has no idea what he's talking about.]

So, the rules are everyone is dealt 5 cards. Each player takes turns drawing one card from either the deck or the discard pile and then discarding a card face up into the discard. You can't take a card you've previously discarded. When the Angel of Death card is drawn and discarded, then the game is over and everyone scores their hands. You're supposed to discard the Angel of Death right away, but cheating is also part of the game so almost no one ever does unless they have a good hand. But if you get caught cheating, then you lose right away.

[Wolfe grins again and leans into the video, holding up cards as examples as he talks.]

There's four suits - Dogs, Angels, Songs, and Dragons. Some other countries use other suits, like in Orlais they have Masks for Songs and everywhere but Ferelden Angels are highest. Though I actually think in Tevinter Dragons are high but they call them Serpents...

[A pause to mull that over, then Wolfe continues.]

In any case, Dogs always beat Angels, Angels beat Songs, etc. Also more of a suit will beat less of a suit. So say you have three Dragons. That'll beat two Angels. Pretty simple. Where it gets sort of complicated is with themes. You can beat four Songs, for example, if you have the Song, Dog, Angel, and Dragon all of Roses. There's other things too, but it's a lot to just explain like this.

[Wolfe puts the cards he'd been showing off back on top of the deck and leans back.]

If you have any questions, ask away! Or I can show you in person, since it's pretty slow in Malum today. But if you do come to learn you've got to order a drink. 'Sonly fair.

[He shuffles the cards between his hands, nothing fancy but he's at least got a bit of deftness there. For a moment, a dog nose is visible at the bottom corner of the shot, over the counter on which Wolfe's device is sitting, then it moves back out of view with a loud snuffle.]

Oh, and fellow Thedosians, we should set up a night to play now that we've got cards. Let me know what works for everyone. I'm good for any time.

[He waves at the video, dropping about half the deck in the process. The video ends with a yelp and Wolfe diving under the bar to save his precious cards.]

Comments

[wolfehawke]

[Eithan says he's a mage and Adalwolfe leans into the video with more interest than before. Not that he was bored with the conversation, just it's always nice to meet a fellow mage.]

It might not be a bad idea when you put it like that, especially if there really are rooms without windows, but I'm more curious about your magic. Fire mage, you say?

[deviances]

[ He nods, holding up two fingers, a ring of crackling flames forming around them. ]

Yep. Explosive focus. You know, if you ever need anything blown up or somethin'. You mentioned spells, so I assume you're a mage too? What kind?

[ Even though he mostly expects that Hawke's magic is not like the magic in his world - since, you know, everyone here seems to play by completely different rules from one another when it comes to things like that... but that makes it all the more interesting, in his opinion. ]

[wolfehawke]

Never heard of an explosive focus for fire but I can see how that would be useful! Pretty specialized though.

[Elemental specialization is common, specialization in one element is less so but still not unheard of, but one application of an element? That's even more specialized than he is.]

I'm a Winter mage, but I've studied a great deal of Force magic. Not everything is weak to cold, so I thought having a second specialization would be a good idea.

[deviances]

Wow. That's definitely not how magic works in my world... people have an affinity for just one element. And if you're really good, you figure out your focus, and it gets stronger from there. I'm kinda jealous!

[ Only playfully so, of course. And very interested! Being here, learning all about other magics and abilities and the like? It's like he's developed a nerd button for it, or something. ... Not that he'll ever admit it out loud~ ]

[wolfehawke]

We've got affinities too, but that doesn't mean you don't have access to other schools. My magic first manifested as ice, so I took to Winter spells easier, but I can still cast a fireball or summon lightning if the situation calls for it. I bet you could too, with practice. It's just working the mana into the right shape.

[Eithan's not the only one interested. Adalwolfe's already begun a sort of personal study of the other magics present in the fleet. He's not sure he's really qualified to be able to actually study this stuff at length, but it's still interesting nonetheless.]

Curious, how do mages learn their magic where you're from? Is there a school?

[deviances]

Yeah! It's definitely more possible here. Dunno if you know this kid here named Belthazar or not? But he's already taught me how to do some basic conjurin' stuff. Completely not the kind of magic I'm used to back home. It's like a whole different way of thinkin'! But it's awesome.

[ Eithan's no scholar. By any, any means. But all of this? Too exciting to pass up. is this how nerds feel?

Schools... well. If Hawke's sharp enough, he might catch Eithan's expression getting just the sliiightest bit darker - before he quickly bounces back, and pretends that didn't just happen! Because there's no need to talk about shit like that with new faces, of course~ ]

There are some, yeah. Most of 'em owned by groups, or renowned mages.. that sort of thing. They're usually pretty exclusive for one reason or another, though. [ Shrug. ] Or, mages just learn from like, a mentor or a tutor or somethin'. Guess it depends on what kind of mage you are, what your situation is... shit like that.

[wolfehawke]

Makes sense.

[If Adalwolfe is anything, he's observant. One has to be when one's version of magical tutelage comes at the price of having to look over your shoulder for people who want to throw you in a prison that's thinly masquerading as protection. But as they've only just met, he's not about to broach the subject. Not by calling Eithan out on his expressions at any rate.]

Back home there's either the Circle - which is supposed to compulsory - or you're branded an apostate and have to learn where you can. My father taught me most of what I know and the rest I had to pick up through experimenting or found books. Most apostates have it the same, if they grew up that way and didn't just escape the Circle somehow.

[He smiles.]

I like it here in the fleet better, in that regard. People haven't been afraid to share what they know.