Mini Magical Readathon | 2022 — Prep for Orilium Wrap-Up

Hey! 😀 I managed to complete the mini readathon within the time frame I gave myself! I’m so happy!

This mini readathon was just to get us excited and prepared for the longer one taking place next month (April), where we actually begin classes at Orilium Academy. If you’re confused about what I’m taking about, check out G’s video (or my previous post on this). She’s the creator of this readathon that allows us to created characters and get as creative with them as we want.

This mini readathon took place March 14–20 but because of my busy schedule these days, I extended it for myself to March 15–28 and mostly read picture books and comics. It was wonderful, and that’s the thing with this readathon: We can make it as intense or chill as we want it to be. It’s totally up to you.

During the mini readathon, we read to determine what conduit (an object that helps the character  direct their magic) and legacy (a skill, ability, or pact unique to each guild) our character will achieve before beginning studies at Orilium. I also used the time to complete my characters’ backgrounds. Here’s what I’ve got:

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Zezee

Background

Zezee is a friendly, fun-loving party-goer from a large city on Kerador. Although she is very outgoing, she also enjoys time alone to read and paint. She’s the youngest in her family and has three older brothers and one older sister. Her mom is a human and her dad is an elf. She has a large extended family, who are all pretty close, that contains a mixture of Aeldia’s races.

Books Read

Urban: book set in a city or town — Maskerade by Terry Pratchett
Kerador: read a book from an ongoing series — Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
Elf: moon or stars on the cover or in the title — How the Stars Came to Be by Poonam Mistry (illus.)
Human: read a contemporary/nonfiction book — Virtually Yours by Jeremy Holt, illus. by Elizabeth Beals

Conduit

Coming from such a large family that’s pretty powerful and tricksy when it comes to magic, Zezee arrived at Orilium with her own wand. She visited the Hall of Phoenix Fire to see if she’d bond with another conduit (without really expecting she would) and felt drawn to the collection of bones reserved for the Archivists guild.

With some guidance (because it was needed to located the particular bone in the jumble), she found her second conduit — the smallest bone in the jumble (and the smallest bone in the human body), the stapes. She was quite disappointed until her best friend, Silverin, told her she could make a cool earring with it.

Books read

Wand: branches on the cover — Every Tree Has a Story by Cécile Benoist, illus. by Charlotte Gastaut, transl. by Sylvia Rucker
Bone: bone/skull on the cover or the word “bone” in the title/series name — Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-San, Vol. 2 by Honda (illus.), transl. by Amanda Haley

Legacy

Zezee was hoping to form a pact with Laima, the goddess of fate, so her nosiness would always be appeased, but instead it was Velinas, the god of death and rebirth, who pulled her into a pact. Well, if things get boring, she can always raise the dead to throw a party.

Book read

Velinas (God of Death and Rebirth): read a book with high stakes (where you think characters could die) — DCeased: Unkillables by Tom Taylor, illus. by Karl Mostert

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Silverin

Background

Silverin is a shy, quiet, introspective dude from one of the large underground cities on Darkmeadow. He prefers quiet and solitude to spend time reading and contemplating the universe and prefers to take his time analyzing a situation before making a move (unlike his bestie, Zezee, who’s impulsive and willing to jump into any and every party).

He’s an only child raised by his single Iltirian mother. His father was an elf, but he disappeared years ago. He had visited the Great Underworld Library on Darkmeadow to do some research when he met Silverin’s mother. After he left, Silverin’s mother realized she was pregnant.

Books read

Urban: book set in a city or town — Maskerade by Terry Pratchett
Darkmeadow: read a dark academia — The October Faction by Steve Niles, illus. by Damien Worm
Elf: moon or stars on the cover or in the title — How the Stars Came to Be by Poonam Mistry (illus.)
Iltirian: book with a crow on the cover or in the title, or a book with a red cover — Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Conduit

Silverin arrived at Orilium carrying a staff, which he never parts with. It’s the one thing of his father’s he owns. His mother gifted it to him when he was old enough to handle it for added protection, since Darkmeadow is such a harsh place to live.

He also chose a dagger from the Hall of Phoenix Fire, which he thinks could come in handy.

Books read

Staff: book from a series — DCeased: Dead Planet by Tom Taylor, illus. by Trevor Hairsine
Dagger: read a standalone book — Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy: The Fair Lady, the Frost, and the Fiend by Mirka Andolfo (illus.)

Legacy

Realizing how responsible and contemplative he is, Silverin’s guild gifted him the secret to accessing the Astral Plane, which he was secretly grateful for since being able to create a door to anywhere on Aeldia will be helpful when needing to escape the many awkward social situations Zezee drags him into.

Book read

Astral Plane: read a book set in a different world than ours — Moonstruck, Vol. 3: Troubled Waters by Grace Ellis, illus. by Shae Beagle

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We start classes at Orilium in April, so I’ll have a post on that coming soon!