Grand Magic Symposium 06/18/2020 12:16 PM CDT
In tribute to discovering one of the greatest magical creations in history, Mazrian and Perune (with sponsorship from the Lorethew Mentor Society) will be hosting a Magic Symposium for all adventurers of Elanthia.

The Symposium will be a grand discussion about various theories that are based on the magical and/or supernatural within our world.

All adventurers are greatly encouraged to submit their own theories based on any magical or supernatural topic of their choosing. Elanthia is a world filled with all manner of mystic phenomena, from creatures to lands to magic itself, the possibilities to write about are rather endless and we support any effort to delve into whatever aspect of the world interests you!

On the night of the Symposium there will be a short lecture at the Lecture Hall within Gaeleranendae College where Perune will cover some basics about Mana, Planes and Zengmodaleth. Afterwards, the group will travel to Zengmodaleth where those who submitted theories to us will be broken up into various groups so attendees can travel the area and ask questions about the theories that were submitted. We highly encourage anyone who submits a theory to try to make it to the Symposium event to discuss their work, but of course, it is not required.

Afterwards, judges will quickly convene to decide on the best entries and winners will be announced and prizes awarded to those winners.

We humbly submit that this is an excellent opportunity for not just mages but people from all Guilds to have their ideas openly heard, with a potential for you to recruit folks so you may explore those ideas at a later date.

Come out and display your creativity and ingenuity!

OOC:

When: Saturday, July 25th, 8pm eastern.
Where: Lecture Hall, Gaeleranendae College, Therenborough for approx. 15 mins, and then Zengmodaleth.
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Re: Grand Magic Symposium 06/18/2020 12:19 PM CDT
*OOC Event Breakdown:*

Allow me to break this Event down in a more OOC fashion that should help everyone.

Furthering the Events that last concluded with the opening/discovery of Zengmodaleth, Mazrian’s player and I are trying to put together a rather nerdy gathering in the entry hall to the Plane of Electricity and we are definitely looking for maximum attendance.

The ask is that we’d like as many people as possible to submit theories based on some sort of supernatural aspect of the game, and it can literally be anything. This is NOT just an Event for mages. The world of Elanthia is vast with supernatural/magical life, artifacts, lands, etc etc ETC.

The theories can be as esoteric or as wild as you want to make them. If you want to submit to us a theory on how the best way to cook Therengian boars is by first infusing them with the correct amount of Starlight, then the world is your oyster, *HAVE AT IT*. If you want to get lorewonking and describe potential dangers to the weather patterns because airships are using Air magic to push away storms, _get after it_! And while you’re not required to show up to the Event itself if you submit a theory, we seriously encourage you to do so if you are able.

In regards to the IC setting, how will that work out with some of the more extreme theories?

Considering things like Time Magic, the Philosopher’s Knot, the Hand of Meraud, and so on, we are willing to let people discuss some pretty volatile theories. In fact, as far as submissions go, we have no personal preference as players. Submit anything you want.

That being said there are still things that are far outside of what people, in the setting, can accept for public discourse. Things like how best to summon the Hunger, or how to determine which of Vorclaf’s grandparents to dig up to see if some sort of blood type exists that allows for better access to avatar-hood, and so on. Are we trying to restrain you from writing about these things? Simply put, NO.

Considerations have been put in place for those who play characters who engage in these activities, and everyone who submits something has a chance to win a prize. Some prizes have been specifically designed for this particular bridge if we have to cross it. Just expect for some IC interaction prior to the Event itself to get a clearer idea of where you fit in if you submit that type of theory.

Let’s get down to the details:

The actual event is Saturday night, the 25th, 8 pm Eastern.

Theory submissions should be submitted to DRMagicTheories@gmail.com. Deadline for submissions is July 18th. After the deadline I will be posting all the submissions so everyone has the chance to read them. This allows for people to show up to the Symposium with questions for the writers and encourage thorough discussion of those theories.

Because this event is aligned with the Mentor Society, we will begin in Therenborough where the gifts and food will be, and there will be 10-15 minute lecture. Following that, we will all move to Zengmodaleth, people who submitted theories will be broken up into the various rooms there and attendees will be able to roam around and talk to everyone about what they read. Judges will also be walking around to ask questions about the theories to help inform their decisions. This format is subject to change if we have a massive number of entries but for now we think its best.

So, let’s talk about judging and prizes:

Theories will be judged on a variety of factors, which partly include:

1. How well does it fit within the setting?
2. Is this something a person might capitalize on in the future?
3. A certain X-factor: Well written, intriguing, creative, hilarious, etc.
4. Answers to questions asked at the Symposium

No single factor outweighs another, but a combination of those sorts of things will result in the winners. You are not required to attend to win, but once again, highly encouraged.

At the end of the drawing, there will be approx. 5 winners.

Some of the prizes right now include:

-TM Foci
-a 100-mana Cambrinth Robe
-a 10-item hold anything bag
-a few sets of 30 RPAs to give some people enough for a Level 4 RPA boost.

We’ll release more specifics about those prizes when we’re ready for that.

The prizes will be handed out in a first-win first-served manner, meaning that the 1st place winner will have his or her choice from the available prizes to (quickly)choose from. This is to hopefully help winners be awarded with things they’d prefer or can use. A long-running character might not want or need a TM Focus or a worn cambrinth robe, and simply might be served best by choosing the RPA. Totally valid. If one of the winners is not at the Event, then yes, unfortunately you will be losing out on the choice. We do not plan to carry around the prizes for very long, but you’ll still win something.

If anyone has any questions about anything, feel free to post your questions and we’ll answer them as quickly as possible. Everyone has a month to write up an idea and we hope to hear from everyone.
Get your creativity flowing, Elanthians.
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Re: Grand Magic Symposium - FAQ 07/02/2020 10:52 AM CDT
I've received a couple of questions repeatedly now about the Symposium so I thought I'd start a quick FAQ to put those answers up for everyone.

1) When are submissions due?

The submissions are due July 18th, they should be sent to DRMagicTheories@gmail.com.

2) When is the event?

The Symposium is on Saturday, July 25th, at 8 eastern.

3) How many submissions can I make?

1 per character. If you choose to submit theories from multiple characters, please keep in mind that we'd like the authors to be present at the Symposium to discuss their ideas and answer questions from participants & judges.

4) Can we work as a team on a single submission?

Sure, but keep in mind that if your submission wins, your team will only get one prize. It will be up to your team to determine who gets that one item.

5) Can my theory involve social-political elements regarding magic or the supernatural?

Sure!

6) Are there any restricted topics?

No, as long it fits the theme of being relevant to magic or the supernatural of Elanthia, you can submit anything you want. Mazrian and I, as players, encourage you to write about whatever you desire. However, for the IC environment, its necessary to remind folks that when it comes time for the Symposium it may not be a good idea to discuss outrageous topics.


7) What is an outrageous topic?

We're willing to hear some pretty wild stuff considering the existence of things like Feral Time Manipulation or Replicating Abiding to Murderface a Demon-God, but someone wanting to speak about how to create a superior Risen or the best methods for summoning the Hunger may want to think twice about what they're doing. We want maximum participation, but the setting comes first. If there's any specific questions about this, feel free to post them here or shoot an e-mail to that above e-mail address.

8) This seems to be orientated only towards Magic Users, can others participate?

Certainly, there's no reason a Thief or a Barbarian couldn't participate. Elanthia is filled supernatural wildlife and phenomena, and there's no reason someone who doesn't use magic couldn't generate ideas about something.

9) How in-depth or lorewonky does this need to be?

I would suggest coming up with something that is conceivable within the setting but it only needs to be as in-depth as you want it to be. If you want it be simplistic, that's totally fine.

10) I'm interested but not sure what to write about, any ideas?

Absolutely. If you need some assistance coming up with an idea feel free to e-mail us at the e-mail above and we'll get back to you ASAP.


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Re: Grand Magic Symposium - FAQ 07/11/2020 06:28 AM CDT
There is now only 1 week left to submit theories to DRMagicTheories@gmail.com for the Symposium! All entries are due July 18th!

One last question I've received:

11) Is there a format or length for submissions that need to be used?

Nope. How long or short it is, how you wish to write it up, is entirely up to you.
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