Fandom High School

The class was in a regular classroom today, and on each desk was a selection of various types of locks, as well as a basic set of lockpicking tools and some instructions.

That's right, kids! Today you were learning a skill of questionable legality, because... well because why not?

Admittedly Thor's usual method of gaining entry to places he wasn't supposed to be was a bit less subtle, he was well aware that not everyone had a giant magical hammer with which to accomplish these goals. So lockpicking.

"Occasionally," he began, "your quest will require you to seek information, or refuge, or any number of things, within a place that you may not be afforded entry through conventional means. I have taken the opportunity to assemble several different types of mechanisms used to lock doors or valuables," and there were both modern Midgardian locks as well as some that looked more antiquated. There were even a couple strongboxes with digital locks. "I'm afraid this is not a skill I have much personal finesse with, but you should find the instructions quite thorough. Give it your best shot, and the lockpicking sets are yours to keep as you leave."

Class today was meeting in the Danger Shop, and when the students arrived, they'd be greeted by the sight of a medieval-ish looking town and a beleagured looking teacher frowning at the controls.

"Today you are going to engage in a practical questing exercise!" he informed the students, once everyone had arrived. "Each of these townspeople has a certain task that they need completed," he explained, gesturing to indicate the people milling about the town streets. "Approach someone and see if you can help them out."

Yes, that was all. Really!

Generally speaking, yes, Thor was more about action than planning. But he was also a leader of warriors and heir to the throne of Asgard, both of which necessitated a certain amount of skill when it came to strategy.

Which is what he was going to talk about today, hence why the classroom was set up so that the students were all sitting at a large circular table, with markers and chart paper before them.

"It is getting increasingly difficult to pass off the strange happenings of the past few weeks as simply this island being odd," Thor began. "It may be that something sinister is at work, in which case finding and hopefully reversing its effects would be a quest worth undertaking. And so I thought today our time might best be spent doing some... brainstorming." Why yes, he did rather like that particular term, why do you ask. "What have you noticed out of the ordinary? Has anything similar ever occurred in your world? What possible avenues of investigation might we pursue?"

The classroom today was set up for a movie. Possibly because the students were going to be watching one instead of getting a lecture. Specificially, The Interlocking Bricks Film.

"Yes, I am aware you just had a week-long break, but I thought today would be a good opportunity to show you a film about a person," to use the term loosely, "who finds themselves on a quest rather unexpectedly."

During Thor's first few months in Fandom, he'd had the pleasure of experiencing the spectacle of the Summer Olympics via the television. The idea had intrigued him, and he'd been quite pleased to find out that there was, in fact, a Winter version of the festival as well. Given that Midgard's Nordic nations often excelled in winter sports, he found himself even more captivated in the events this time around.

... Which explained why the Danger Shop was set up the way it was, with a ski run, snowboard halfpipe, ice rink, bobsled track- and yes, even a curling sheet. In each area, there were athletes ready to give the students tutorials on their respective sports.

What all this had to do with Questing had yet to be explained, though.

"The typical image that springs to mind when we think of a quest is a journey," Thor began. "Hence the previous classes that focused on maps and navigation. Sometimes, however, a quest comes in the form of a contest. Currently, hundreds of athletes from many Midgardian nations are competing to earn glory both personal and for their nation, in many different contests of physical skill. Your task today is to try some of these sports. Obviously, you cannot be expected to master them within such a short time frame, but perhaps you will discover something worth pursuing further! And for those of you who may be concerned, yes, the safety protocols are fully operational and, should you be in danger of injury, will engage in order to prevent that from happening."

Thor had sent a handwavy notice the other day asking students to meet him outside the dorms (dressed appropriately for outdoor activities, of course) today instead of in their usual classroom.

"Good afternoon!" Thor greeted them. "I hope you have all had sufficient time to explore the maps of Fandom, as today we're going to put that knowledge to the test!"

"There is a Midgardian sport called Orienteering where participants are required to use their map-reading skills to complete a course, during which they will visit a number of checkpoints. We are going to do a simplified version of that today, to test your knowledge of Fandom geography and your skills at reading a map. For this task, you will be working with a partner: Alex and Shira, Cassidy and Snow, Alexandra and Loki, and Billy and Emma," he listed off, handing each pair an Orienteering map of the island, as well as a compass and a card with a list of five symbols. If the students looked at their maps, they'd see points marked off with corresponding symbols, although there was no other identifying information provided.

"An Orienteering map is often more detailed than a typical map in some ways, providing information about the height and size of geographical features, but unlike the maps we studied earlier, the names of individual locations are not labeled, although you will notice that there are several points marked off on each map. These are your checkpoints, and at each location there will be an NPC someone to verify you are visiting the point in the order determined by the card I gave you. The objective is to visit each point, and complete the course, as swiftly as possible.

If you're all ready? On your mark, get set, go!"

"Welcome back, all!" Thor greeted the students as they filed in to the classroom. "Today we're going to talk about a skill that is useful for anyone undertaking any sort of journey into unfamiliar territory. Map reading!" with exuberance, he placed a map on each students' desk. "Now, of course, I am informed that most Midgardian portable communication devices possess the ability to generate extremely detailed maps, but what if you are stuck some place where your phone does not work? Knowing how to read a map on paper could mean the difference between acheiving your objective and wandering around hopelessly."

"One of the most important features of the map is the scale which we will pretend the map of Fandom has for conveniences' sake. The scale informs you of the relationship between the distance on the map and the distance on the ground. For example, one centimeter on this map is equal to ten kilometers." Yeah, that's right, Asgardians used metric. "Having an accurate and consistent scale makes it easier for you to make judgements regarding the amount of time you will need to get from one point to another.

Also important for deciphering meaning on a map is the legend which we will again pretend is present on the map. On this map, we have green representing the forested areas, blue for bodies of water, black for school buildings, yellow for the streets, orange for the unoccupied buildings, and black lines denoting where one property ends and another begins.

Thirdly, it can be extremely difficult to use even the most well-appointed of maps if it does not provide us with orientation information. Typically, Midgardian maps will indicate somewhere on the page which direction is 'North', allowing you to orient yourself and determine which direction you will need to take to reach your destination."

This was a lot of talking for someone whose usual approach to things was to just hit it with a hammer. At least he was almost done? "Your assignment for the week is to use your map to help you familiarize yourself with the layout of the island. Try to pay attention to the areas that you may not frequent as often. If you have been a resident here long enough that you feel confident that you know every bit of this island, then challenge yourself by exploring one of the cities on the mainland!"

"Well," Thor told his assembled students once they'd gathered in the Danger Shop. And yes, he'd made sure to check that everyone had their usual limbs as they entered the class. He learned that particular lesson the hard way. "We've reached the end of our journey together. I can only hope I've equipped you with some of the skills necessary to successfully complete a quest."

He pressed a button, and a large ball pit appeared in the room. ON PURPOSE THIS TIME. "As for your final exam... I thought we'd revisit a scenario we've seen before. Somewhere amongst these brightly coloured orbs is a silver one. Your task is to find it before any of your classmates." If, of course, you also chose to play in the ball pit, well... he wasn't going to penalize anyone for it.

There was a pile of winter-weather gear waiting for the students just outside the door today. Hopefully everyone understood the implicit instructions and got properly dressed, because as soon as they stepped in the Danger Shop they'd find themselves in the midst of a simulated blizzard.

The packs of supplies as well as a choice of short-range weapons- sword, axe, or warhammer (of course) were ready as Thor explained their task for today.

"Your goal is to trek across this expanse, at the end of which you will build a shelter of snow and ice. Good luck!"

When the students arrived at the classroom, they'd find the door closed with a sheet of paper taped to it.

Class is cancelled today. My apologies. See you all next week!
- Thor

[ooc: roommate's in the hospital & i just don't have the brains/togetherness to come up with a class. sorry, guys.]

When the students stepped inside the Danger Shop today, they'd find themselves in what appeared to be a small clearing in what otherwise appeared to be a dense old-growth forest. At Thor's feet were the backpacks the class had packed a month and a half ago. There were also a selection of swords, axes, spears, and maces spread out on the ground nearby.

"I hope you all enjoyed the break," he said, once everyone was assembled. "And that you've come back prepared to embark on a quest, as that is what you'll be doing today!" he beamed at them. "Find your pack, and then select your weapon. Your objective is to reach the end of the trail safely, at which point you will be rewarded."

Once everyone had collected their items of choice, he waved a hand, gesturing towards the trail leading out of the clearing. "Begin!"

Today, class was meeting in the Danger Shop, which was set up to look much like a gym, complete with practice mats spread about the floor. The reason for the Shop and not just meeting in the gym?

The large selection of melee weapons arranged on a table at the front. Also probably the variety of orcs, trolls, and golems that currently stood unmoving on most of the mats.

"The possibility of engaging enemies in battle arises in many quests," Thor began. "Although not all," he admitted. "But those quests are not the focus of today's class! Today, I'd like to talk to you about weaponry used to engage enemies in close combat." He removed Mjolnir from where it usually rested on his hip, prompting one of the rock-golems to come to life and start lumbering towards him. A few well-placed blows dispatched the creature, who fell to the ground in a tumble of rock. "As you can see," he smiled, "the warhammer is the weapon I favor." Of course, unlike most, he could also use it as a ranged weapon, but so not the point. "Even if the technology of your world differs from what we're focusing on here today, having a basic understanding of how to utilize a weapon in a fight may be useful."

He then went on to describe the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of close-combat weapons, as well as how to select one and the correct way to hold and swing each weapon. "When you pick up a weapon, the Danger Shop will automatically adjust the size and balance of your weapon so as to be ideal for your body type," he explained. Kids, be glad Thor had Tony Stark on speed dial. Be glad Thor knew what speed dial was.

"Now, choose an opponent," he said, gesturing at the various moddable enemies, "and go forth and defeat them in combat!"

As the students assembled in the classroom, they'd see a table at the front was piled high with what looked like different camping supplies, as well as a backpack for each student.

"Sometimes," he began, once everyone had settled in. "We may not neccessarily know we are on a quest until after it's already begun. Other times, we are lucky enough to have time to prepare for a quest ahead of time. Today, we're going to do the latter. Before you, you see a number of supplies. Your pack can only hold a certain amount. You must choose which of these items you think will be the most useful, and pack accordingly."