Triad Creation Tourney - Jaunt Info

[powersthatbe]

The Triad Creation Tourney
March 12-April 21

Her Majesty’s Royal Academy of the Arts, the foremost magical arts academy of Great Britain, is hosting the triannual Triad Creation Tourney, in which they and two other magical schools--the United States’ Lone Star Academy and Japan’s Teikoku Majutsu-shi no Gakuen--compete to create the ultimate magical artistic creation. This year, however, things are far from going as planned. With rumors of cheating rampant and a would-be evil overlord having snuck into the school, the Travelers will have their work cut out for them getting this Triad Creation Tourney to its end!

World Info | Creativity Magic | The Schools & Their House/Dormitory Systems | Casting Call/Plot Role Announcements | Skills | Infiltrator/Investigator Roles | Infiltrator Directory | Calendar | Locations | Player Resources | Questions | Plotting

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WORLD INFO

[powersthatbe]

This world is, for most part, very similar to our own. Much of the technology and culture is the same; all of the names on the map are ones that most Travellers from modern day Earth would recognise. The main difference is that this is a world where creativity is magic, and everyone knows it.

Art, therefore, has a greater significance in this society. And for those who have the creativity needed to be able to cast powerful magic, there are special magical schools where one can go to learn how to create art - and spells. There are many such schools that teach creativity magic on all grade levels. Most primary schools have weekly or bi-weekly lessons. Most secondary schools have it as elective. Most universities have it as a possible major. There are private schools and magnet schools that have it as their primary focus.

There are, however, three schools that are known to be the most prestigious of all: Her Majesty’s Royal Academy of the Arts in Britain, Lone Star Academy in the United States, and Teikoku Majutsu-shi no Gakuen in Japan. Every three years, the chosen students of those schools gather at one of their campuses for the Triad Creation Tourney, a celebration of skill and creativity. Each school is allowed up to thirty student representatives in the tourney, although there is usually one student who everyone’s hopes rest most fully upon, nicknamed that school’s champion.

The Triad Creation Tourney of 2007 is Great Britain’s turn to play host, despite a series of troubling incidents that took place in 2006 and early 2005 in which a Dark Magician repeatedly attempted take over Britain, culminating in an attempt to become Prime Minister by force which was accidentally thwarted by a Majesty’s student on a school field trip. Said Dark Magician escaped arrest and is still at large--however, they haven’t tried to take over Britain since then, so maybe they died or something. No one really knows.

CREATIVITY MAGIC

[powersthatbe]

The Basics:

Where does the magic come from?
At its core, this magic comes from creative energy. As such, it is the act of creation that forms all magic. So, to cast a spell, a mage might paint a painting or create a dance.

Who can do this magic?
Technically everyone, but in practice the more creative ability you have, the more aptitude you have for magic. Creativity itself can be learned, but usually those who learn magic are those who have great natural creative ability.

How do you use magic?
Magic is cast by the act of creating a thing - whether that be a painting, a sculpture, a film, or a dance.

Limitations?
While it’s the act of creating that makes magic happen, the magic is still physically tied to the things that are created. This means that spells last only as long as the thing that has been created - destroy a painting, and you destroy the spell as well. This also means that inherently transitive art forms, like dance or theatre, will only last as long as the performance itself. Additionally, only the original physical artwork holds the spell. Copies of a film will not have the magic of the original.

Also, while creativity gives power, technical skill gives focus and direction. This means that someone uncreative but skilled won’t be able to create very powerful magics, but will be very consistent and precise in their effects. Conversely, someone who is highly creative but unskilled will have lots of power, but very little ability to actually achieve their intended magic results. (This is also why creative kids often get scholarships to magical schools: they have a tendency to accidentally create wild, uncontrolled magics with their creative but unskilled doodles)

Magic can also only take place in the vicinity of the creation. You can’t dance a rain into another country - only in the area around you.

Magic schools

The different schools of magic are, essentially, art forms. Since technical skill is required to be able to focus your magic, most people will specialise in one art form or another. Most people also learn the traditional art forms, but since ‘creativity’ is the core of magic, any kind of art can be used to create magic. This means that it is entirely possible to work magic via creative lego sculptures.

Different art forms will also have different limitations and strengths.

Perpetual Arts
Perpetual Art Forms can be used to create a thing which continues on after it has been created. As such, Perpetual Arts are used for magics that need to last. They also tend to be more powerful as pieces of magic, since they involve a focus of creative energies into one, singular object. On the downside, though, Perpetual arts can’t easily recast spells or effects; they tend to be one-off magics. Recreating the effect would require a whole new artwork, and you can’t just create a copy of the original. Perpetual Art magics can also be destroyed when the thing created is destroyed.

Perpetual Art forms include:
-- Drawing
-- Film and Television
-- Literary arts
-- Painting
-- Sculpture

Some examples of magic that can be cast with perpetual arts:
-- Creation of new substances and objects (i.e. draw a thing, thing now exists in the real world), which don’t necessarily need to abide by the normal laws of physics
-- Transformation of objects and creatures
-- Warding (with the artwork being the ‘key’ to the ward)

Performance Arts
Performance Art forms can be created to cast spells that are in effect in the moment. They last for as long as the act of creating the art lasts, and then end. They don’t tend to have the same power as Perpetual Arts, but they have the benefit of repetition; they can repeat a performance and have the same effect, without having to re-create the spell from scratch.

Performance Art forms include:
-- Dance
-- Mime
-- Music
-- Poetry
-- Theatre

Some examples of magic that can be cast with performance arts:
-- Healing
-- Telekinesis / moving objects
-- Weather manipulation

THE SCHOOLS

[powersthatbe]

Her Majesty’s Royal Academy of the Arts

Called ‘Majesty’s’ for short, this is one of Britain's most prestigious magical schools. (And art school, of course: but in this world, those two things are one and the same.) Majesty’s is an old fashioned boarding school, where children of all genders attend to learn how to master their magical and artistic abilities.

Historically, Majesty’s was distinctly upper crust, with only the children of the upper classes attending. But since creativity is most certainly not exclusive to the aristocracy, over time the school’s makeup has changed to include more students of all backgrounds. Upper class children still attend the school in significant numbers, but many get in on family connections rather than creative ability, and the least talented students will be part of this group. Meanwhile, the bulk of the school population is made up of the most creative children in the country. Most of the students end up here because they displayed powerful feats of accidental magic while doodling.

Take the fanciest and most aristocratic traditional boarding school building. Something like this, perhaps. Then stick that castle on big massive fluffy white clouds, and send it floating around all over the place. This, is Majesty’s.

Despite their fluffiness and apparent insubstantial nature, the clouds are perfectly safe to walk on. Students can wander around them as they wish, and the grounds include features such as cricket, tennis, and croquet courts. There’s also a fluffy cloud forest, which has been populated with game (because surely no one could expect the aristocratic students of years past to not be able to hunt foxes while they go around floating all over the place. The horror).

Inside, the castle is fabulously decorated, with secret passageways and magical secrets hidden all throughout. Each house has their own dormitory, with students typically rooming with three others.

Lone Star Academy

Back in the days when Texas was still its own country, a powerful artist created their own dormant volcano in the middle of the state. No one really knows why, or how, but after the artist’s death the volcano became the home of Texas’s first school for magic: the Lone Star Academy.

The volcano’s changed over the years - over time other artists have decided to reshape it, first into the shape of a star, and then later by carving famous figures from Texas history into the side of it like Mount Rushmore. But it’s still a school, and still one of the best places to learn magic in North America. Inside the volcano, in caverns carved into the walls of the crater, are classrooms and dorms and even a McDonalds (because of course there is a McDonalds) - not to mention hidden tunnels and places to explore; spelunking is a popular hobby here.

One of the things Lone Star Academy is most famous for is its annual magical rodeo, a tradition that dates back to the school’s founding. In preparation for the rodeo, sculptural students craft horses and other livestock from clay and wood and metal, enchanting them to liveliness and giving those crafted steers various magical abilities to make them more of a challenge. Leather- and clothworkers create enchanted gear for the human participants in the rodeo--usually students whose artistic mediums fall under the category of performance magic. The rodeo itself is held at the end of the school year, as a reward for the students who’ve made it through their final exams and evaluations.

Originally, only Texans were allowed to attend Lone Star Academy. These days, however, it’s open to anyone in North America, as long as their magic is powerful enough. Although it does charge a tuition to those who can afford it, Lone Star receives enough donations from wealthy former students to offer partial subsidies or full scholarships to those talented students who demonstrate clear need.

Teikoku Majutsu-shi no Gakuen

Founded by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1607, Teikoku Majutsu-shi no Gakuen was originally intended to train those of noble families, but currently, it will accept anyone who can pass its torturous, highly competitive entrance exam. Getting accepted to the school is a Big Deal, and it's not uncommon for young children to spend a lot of time in cram school studying and preparing for these exams. Families with a graduate of the school often try to make sure the next generation gets accepted as well, even though in the modern day, lineage doesn't matter as far as admission is concerned.

The school is in the shape of a magnificent giant koi fish, occasionally affectionately referred to as Dai-kun, that swims around the Japanese archipelago, thus ensuring that no part of the country is left out. The school is entered through the fish's mouth. From the outside, it looks like a normal orange-and-white spotted koi (albeit an enormous one), but inside, the fish's sides are transparent save for its ribs and overall support structure. This gives the students a constant view of the ocean or other scenery that might be around when the fish surfaces. (Private quarters and many of the inner classrooms do have solid walls that cannot be seen through, however.) Though the fish is constantly in motion, once inside, everything feels just as stable as though you were walking on solid ground, and over the years, it's gained impressive modern benefits like electricity and wi-fi.

It's a common prank to try to get Dai-kun to magically wear a tiny hat of some sort for a few hours or days. This prank is tolerated largely because successfully pulling it off is an impressive feat of skill and also because most of the instructors can remember doing it while they were students here. School legend also says that Dai-kun has a gekirin, a single backwards scale, that, if touched, will send Dai-kun into a thrashing rage that would put the school's magical stability to the test. (It is not widely known, but said legend was confirmed true in 1857 by one particularly bored student, who discovered that this unimpressively gave Dai-kun hiccups for three hours.)

Once a month, the school surfaces so the students and faculty can get fresh air and so that any supplies can be replenished. Depending on where the fish surfaces, these outings can take the form of beach holidays, hot spring visits, summer festivals, or educational historical field trips where everyone ends up in period clothing for some reason.

THE HOUSE/DORMITORY SYSTEMS

[powersthatbe]

At Majesty’s, the students are sorted into their house via a magic Sorting Paintbrush. On their first day at Majesty’s, the student is given a small canvas and instructed to wet the paintbrush and apply it to the canvas. After the student is finished, their canvas is analyzed and they are sorted into the house whose primary pigment shows up most on the canvas.

The houses students are sorted into are based on their primary reasons for creating art. Although there are certain stereotypes about the students of each house, those stereotypes are no more true than most stereotypes ever are.

The House of Leonardo: Their colours are are blue and green. Students placed in Leonardo are ones whose primary reason for creating the art they do is to gain mastery over the established styles of that artform. However, they are no less creative than other students in terms of their subjects. It is a common stereotype that Leonardo students are better leaders and more likely to follow the school rules than students from other houses.
The House of Donatello: Their colours are are purple and green. Students placed in Donatello are ones whose primary reason for creating the art they do is to push the boundaries of that artform. They are often innovators with new techniques and styles and quite often their pieces are avant-garde. It is a common stereotype that Donatello students are more intellectual and better with technology than students from other houses.
The House of Michelangelo: Their colours are are orange and green. Students placed in Michelangelo are ones whose primary reason for creating is because they want to make artwork that pleases themselves. They don’t need any more reason than that. It is a common stereotype than Michelangelo students are friendlier and more laid-back than students from other houses.
The House of Raphael: Their colours are are red and green. Students placed in Raphael are ones whose primary reason for creating the art they do is to use art to send a message. Many of their pieces are political in nature; all of them have something to say to the person viewing (or listening) to them. It is a common stereotype that Raphael students are have hotter tempers and are more intense about their viewpoints than students from other houses.

At Lone Star Academy, students on their first day of school are taken to meet the four school mascots: a wolf, a hawk, a fox, and a bear named Thorn, Ridge, Crest and Glove respectively. These living statues choose the students they wish to reside in the dormitories that bear their names, although they do not tell anyone why. Years of observation, however, seem to indicate that they choose their students by how they respond to impending deadlines, particularly when they’ve previously procrastinated on finishing their projects.

Wolfthorn: Students in Wolfthorn choose to work through the night, forgoing sleep in order to make sure their projects are finished on time.
Hawkridge: Students in Hawkridge choose to work faster and faster the closer they get to a project’s deadline.
Foxcrest: Students in Foxcrest choose to find clever workarounds to make sure their projects are finished on time.
Bearglove: Students in Bearglove choose to recruit other hands to help them finish their projects in time.

At Teikoku Majutsu-shi no Gakuen students are assigned dormitories based on their latest academic and artistic evaluations. For students entering the school, their assignment is based on their entrance exam and portfolio review. It is not uncommon for a student to have spent time as part of multiple dormitories over their course of study. Ranked from most prestigious to least, the four dormitories are:

Gojira
Mosura
Ghidra
Gamela

CASTING CALL/PLOT ROLE ANNOUNCEMENTS

[powersthatbe]

If you’re interested in one of these plot roles, pop over here to let us know which one. Casting will be done during the day on the 6th.

Majesty's Headmaster: Host. Working very hard. Currently more focused on getting this tournament to its conclusion than their normal duties.
Lone Star Academy Coach: Leader of the delegation from the American school and very gung-ho about the competition. In another life they might have been a football coach.
Teikoku Majutsu-shi no Gakuen Assistant Headmaster: Took over leading the delegation from the Japanese school after the headmaster there took ill. It's pretty obvious to everyone that the extra responsibility has them in over their head.
Majesty's Champion: A student from a prestigious aristocratic family whom Majesty's has pinned their hopes on. With such an illustrious family, some think that they’re only the Champion because of their family connections.
Lone Star Academy Champion: The student that Lone Star Academy has pinned their hopes on. A scholarship student from a struggling family who never studied magic, they are determined to win the Tourney and kick-start a successful career.
Teikoku Majutsu-shi no Gakuen Champion: The student that Teikoku Majutsu-shi no Gakuen has pinned their hopes on. They’d rather doodle and draw manga than the stuffy traditional arts their instructors want them to, and they’d rather not be their school’s champion either.
Cranky Judge: A master of their own artform, they expect everyone else to meet their high standards and will employ relentless sarcasm against those don't. Shatters dreams on a regular basis.
Plucky Orphan of Destiny: A Majesty’s student who thwarted an aspiring Dark Magician two years ago, possibly by accident. Gets in trouble constantly and is constantly waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Teaboo: An overseas student at Majesty’s who transferred there last year and is still a bit starry-eyed. They love Britain the very most of all.

PLOT ROLE ANNOUNCEMENTS

[powersthatbe]

Once casting is complete, we'll ask plot role players to come over here and announce their roles!

SKILLS

[powersthatbe]

Artistic Proficiency: You possess technical proficiency in a particular art form. This skill can be used for any one art form. May be taken multiple times to gain proficiency over multiple art forms. (Note: this also includes performance arts, such as music or dance)
Artistic Mastery: You possess technical mastery in a particular art form. This skill can be used for any one art form. May be taken multiple times to gain mastery over multiple art forms. Requires Artistic Proficiency. (Note: this also includes performance arts, such as music or dance)
British Cultural Knowledge: You know British things.
Magical Artifact: Keep a powerful magical artwork from the world of Majesty’s. Subject to Mod Approval.
Perpetual Creativity Magic: Harness the power of your own creativity to cast magic. By creating physical artworks like paintings or sculpture, you can create magical effects that will last for as long as the artwork exists.
Performance Creativity Magic: Harness the power of your own creativity to cast magic. By creating transitive, performance artworks like music or theatre, you can create temporary magical effects that will last as long as the performance.
Secret Passage Finding: If there’s secret passages nearby, you know how to find them.

All skills are teachable outside of the jaunt - so long as you can find someone to make you a magical artifact, in that one's case.

INFILTRATOR/INVESTIGATOR ROLES

[powersthatbe]

Infiltrators are either employees of the schools, people involved in the running the tourney, or students at the schools.

Investigators will be presumed to be either contract workers brought in to help with the running of the tourney or transfer students, depending on their apparent age. If a player wishes, they can age their character up or down for the length of the Jaunt in order to be the appropriate age (11-17) in order to attend one of the schools.

(Investigators, however, will have a difficult time attempting to claim they're a teacher or a judge, since neither of those should be hired last minute. This could possibly be mitigated, but only through the right combination of skills.)

INFILTRATOR DIRECTORY

[powersthatbe]

Like we did with Questing Country and people's roles/archetypes, we'll be having a separate entry for people to list their infiltrators under their school affiliation (or lack thereof.)

Please go here to fill in your own character!

CALENDAR

[powersthatbe]

March 12: The Schools Arrive/The Opening Ceremonies
March 20: First Event - Performance Magic
March 28: Second Event - Perpetual Magic
April 5: Tourney Gala and Third Event Prep
April 13: Third Event - Multidisciplinary Magic Maze
April 21: The Schools Depart/Return to Liminal Space

LOCATIONS

[powersthatbe]

The vast majority of the action--and as a result, most of the locations involved--in this Jaunt will take place on Majesty's main campus. Majesty's is a floating castle in the clouds, though its grounds are just as massive and expansive as a real castle would be, though perhaps a little taller--it's easier to build up rather than out. There are studios and workspaces for every school of art imaginable, and each of the Houses has its own common room, restricted to its students. Below is a list of other notable locations on the campus that may come into play, but player creativity is encouraged.

The Grand Hall: One of the biggest and most impressive rooms in the castle, the Hall is generally where meals are served--but when the tables and chairs are cleared out or rearranged, it can also serve as the place where school dances or assemblies are held. Many students use it as an informal gathering place.

The Headmaster's Office: This isn't a place students are likely to be found unless they're in deep trouble--it's more of a place for the senior staff to make important decisions as to how the school is run and for the Headmaster to try to grab a few moments to themselves every once in a great while.

The Teacher's Lounge: Woe be unto any student who tries to sneak in without permission. There is supposedly an unspeakable magical layer of protection around the Lounge, but surely that's just a story, right?

The Stage: There are many small stages for the drama and music students to use, but none of them compare to The Stage. Housed in a spacious auditorium that always seems to have exactly the required amount of seats for any performance, the glitz and grandeur of this venue cannot be understated. The theater is magical in and of itself, and its ambiance and the precise details of its decor shift according to the needs of the performers. The theater has also been enchanted against cell phone usage, and rumor has it that anyone who tries to use one during a performance will suddenly find themselves kicked out of the castle and plummeting through the clouds. No one has been willing to test this.

The Athletic Field: This is where sports are played, races are run, and where people go when they need a lot of empty space and relatively few things to get taken out as a result of collateral damage.

The Computer Lab: Digital art is also part of Majesty's curriculum, and this is where that particular brand of magic happens.

The Supply Closet: There are many supply closets on the campus, but there is a legendary one that will supposedly show itself only in times of great need, and it will be stocked with exactly the right obscure supplies for any project. It's definitely not the Room of Requirement with the serial numbers filed off, shhhhhh

The Kilns: Occasionally, things explode here, because that sometimes happens with non-magical ceramics anyway, and then when you put a bunch of magic into the mix? Wear your hard hat.

The Gallery: Located next door to the Grand Hall, the Gallery is home to rotating exhibitions of artwork by students and faculty. There are small exhibitions all throughout the castle's corridors, but the most notable ones go here.

The Hall of Monarchs: This gallery on the other side of the Grand Hall contains portraits of every single monarch Britain has ever had, dating back to the time of King Arthur. However, the pride of the collection is the extremely large portrait of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, which takes up most of the wall at the end of the hall.

The Visitor's Wing: These temporary wings feel anything but. They're where the visiting students and faculty will be staying, and they're just as comfortable as the rest of the castle, despite the fact that touching the walls, which look like stone, feels like touching canvas.

Worcesterhamshire: Majesty's, due to its status as a floating castle in the clouds, often drifts around the English countryside and over various uninhabited locations (for it's kind of hard to go about your business with a gigantic castle in the clouds looming over your head). In the interest of assisting with the logistical needs of the tournament, the castle is currently stationery over the small village of Worcesterhamshire, as it has done in times past. When the school is parked nearby, Worcesterhamshire is a popular destination for teachers who need a break, students on school-sanctioned weekend outings, and adventurous students who think they can somehow sneak away from a castle in the clouds without being caught.

PLAYER RESOURCES

[powersthatbe]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WizardingSchool
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/Britain
https://ourearth.dreamwidth.org/5341.html - British Stuff
http://archiveofourown.org/works/3098231/chapters/6712226 - Britain in a Nutshell
https://www.plurk.com/p/mnxet3 - Lottie explains British schools
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/usage/british-and-american-terms - American vs British terms

QUESTIONS

[powersthatbii]

This setting is originally Blue's brainchild, with bii and Airdra later contributing to it. Any of the three of them can answer questions. bii and Jill are also here for Mod-side questions.

[insidegalra]

Is there an Indian (as in the subcontinent) school of note somewhere in the worldbuilding, or can I make one up? (would it be kosher for a teacher from there to be visiting Majesty's for a while as like a teacher exchange?)

How common is it for someone to have both a performance art (say, dance) and a perpetual one (say tattoos) in their repertoire?

Speaking of tattoos: do henna tattoos count as perpetual (if a rather short lived) along with other kinds? Also what kind of things would tattoos specifically do? (I'm thinking of keeping it, but also don't want to step on the toes of Claudia's plot role skill from Bando)

Do things like body piercings, makeup, nail art and hair cut/dye/styling potentially count as magic? (I'm fairly sure some of them do but always good to get confirmation before going wild with a thing)

[senpaidol]

I have a technical rules question so I guess bii or Jill.

1) Would Artistic Proficiency or Artistic Mastery be a prerequisite for the Creativity Magic skills?

2) If so, would Musical Proficiency or Musical Mastery (from Showtime) also work as a substitute prereq?

[reallymean]

Is mind-affecting magic a thing in this setting?

Are curses/hostile magic a thing in this setting?

Re: QUESTIONS

[eldritchwheelies]

Would theorycrafting for collectible card games or similar count as a form of transitory magic?

What about game design proper?

Re: QUESTIONS

[ninjayeehaw]

If a Perpetual Magic creation (random example: a flying broom) was to become old and start functioning poorly from general use, would it be possible to fix the item and restore it to normal use? (E.g., changing out the bristles on the broom for fresh ones)

Re: QUESTIONS

[truerevelation]

So, uniforms for the schools! What are they like?

What is 'respectable magic worker' clothing like: are wizard robes a thing at all, especially considering that magic's a well known part of everyday life in this world?

I see a reference to Dark Magician, is 'magician' the common term for Person What Does Making Spells or is that a one off?

[thezerothlaw]

Can I turn a gryphon into a winged cat friend for the jaunt, assuming she was made by someone scuplting her?

Are there much in the way of magical creatures (and where would you find them)?

[likescats]

for adult investigators. what would contract workers be doing? /supposed to be doing.

helping with paperwork and set up? would they help the teachers with the students as well? someone said something about them possibly being tutors brought in, I'm not sure if that was official or not

[neverfeltthatway]

What's the upper end of the age range for students?

Re: QUESTIONS

[truerevelation]

Do magical artworks take any longer to make than standard ones?

Are Bags of Holding a legit thing that a Perpetual mage could create; if so, how would they compare to Hammerspace? (Would it be like the S.Tech situation, where that version of Hammerspace can only be used as a prerequisite for More Hammerspace?)

[finalizes]

This isn't really specific to this jaunt, but I guess this place is as good as any to ask:

Laughs is going to try and ferry small animals from the jaunt into his created room (which is a central European wilderness, at least a big part of it, either by stuffing them into hammerspace or by putting them in a box and carrying them over. He's mostly thinking about birds, fish and small mammalian prey, perhaps some insects. The idea is to build a functioning ecological system (with the top of the food chain being wolves that obviously don't need to be introduced).

Would bringing those animals over into his room be possible? (He'd probably ask people for help)

[levelthreehooligan]

Pinya would like to see if there was anything she can trace using her Aetherial skills (Magic tracing? She will be able to check on magical disturbances and see if they lead to anything) RE: the Chandelier dropping.

This is the first time she's seen an actual act of the saboteur so she's readdy 2 fite.

[terriblethingtowaste]

The only magic used around the chandelier was invisibility magic, which, being a performance magic and one designed to avoid detection, would not leave any traces for her to find.

However, depending on where she decides to look, she may find some non-magic hints as to how this disaster occurred....