InsaneJournal

How are personal journals being used?
Most, if not all, universities maintain school networks in order to keep students connected to one another and to what's going on around campus. The personal journals in this game are basically Marrowston's school network. Each student is invited and encouraged to use their journal for both personal and private communication. Personal journal entries are public unless marked otherwise.

What is the Memoria?
A person's Memoria is the name of their soul, something which comes along with the magic of Meminisse. Some people know their Memoria, some don't know it yet and some won't know it until death is upon them. The name can come to a person's mind at any time after they're awakened to the power of Meminisse, always comes unbidden and increases one's connection to one's gifts. To tell someone your Memoria is to give them access to your soul and, in that way, your power. As such, it is a bond that can only be broken by death.

What forms of transportation are available?
The most common forms of transportation are bikes and other small modes of manual transport, such as skates, skateboards or scooters. These are the things that are easiest to bring over from Earth, or else build from readily available supplies found in Meminisse, and students at Marrowston can easily get in and out of Thornwell and certain towns by such means, if they so choose. Cars have been brought through, however, mostly junkers brought over by the planet itself and repaired by those who found them, as well as a few motorcycles. These vehicles are most often found in the possession of emergency personnel and other officials, though they are slowly becoming more readily available to other interested parties. Each university has at least one bus to provide transport for students and street cars have been set up in most cities, as well as a subway system that now runs in Whitecliff Harbor. Boats are the easiest way to move from city to city due to the accessibility afforded by the river system. Due to the lack of easily accessible gasoline, many automatic vehicles are also being treated to run via enchantment.

Why aren't students allowed in the basement of Marrowston Hall?
Meminisse is the Land of Memories and, as such, remembers the bad as much as it does the good. While most of the bad things only come out in the dark, even the strongest light has trouble fighting some of the worst and most concentrated collections of bad memory. Having once been the main building of a mental institution, Marrowston Hall is home to many a bad memory but the worst of the worst are to be found in the basement. In days long past, the basement was the home of the dying. Six of the eight rooms were used to keep terminally ill patients separated while the two nearest to the hall which was used as a makeshift chapel were for the treatment of corpses. So many tormented and poorly treated patients took their last breaths in the basement of the institution that it is a dark and dangerous place today.

Do students have to enroll as Freshmen?
They don't have to, no. It's possible to skip Freshman year and simply enroll as a Sophomore but you have to take placement tests to do so. These tests make sure that their knowledge of things like English, math, science, etc. are up to the expected standards and that they have the proper aptitude to basically fast-track through courses. Starting as a Sophomore basically means taking three semesters in one for some subjects, so students who skip should expect a very demanding start to their new life.

What, exactly, is the Fine Arts class?
Fine Arts is a catch-all course for students' creative pursuits, taught by Professor Shake and taken during the first semester of the sophomore year. Students get to select their own art form and spend the semester constructing a very free-form project based upon their study of it. Acceptable art forms include drawing, painting, sculpture, design, performance, composition, etc. Basically, if you can convince Shake that it's art, you're golden, and Shake has a pretty relaxed definition to begin.

Do universities in Meminisse charge tuition/room/board?
Tuition and other such charges typical of universities on Earth don't really work the same way in Meminisse. For one thing, attending university isn't just for academic study, it's also a lesson in how to survive. For another, Meminisse isn't on an entirely currency-based system. As such, university is pretty much a requirement and most things can be paid for either by currency or barter. Most long-standing establishments, outside of Whitecliff Harbor and perhaps Fallcastle, will even provide newcomers, students, and the generally less fortunate with limited purchases for free. Along those same lines, tuition is paid on a sort of sliding scale. Students are asked to give what they can, when they can. If you have a steady income and can spare currency toward your school "bills," that just helps the university afford to modernize a bit, like maybe getting some working central air and heating. If not, whatever else you can spare that you think might be useful will do. Many, if not most, students forgo any form of payment until after they've graduated and settled down, at which time they offer whatever services they can provide. The vast majority of the food found in the kitchens at Marrowston, for instance, is provided by former students who give the school their surplus.

If you have any questions about the game or its setting which have not been answered in any of the informational pages already provided, you may feel free to ask them here.