Tough call about telling them about Mishrak... casually just saying it right now like this would be kind of funny, but eh, the timing just doesn't feel right. Maybe let them find out later by just, doing it. That seems like it would be the funniest way of doing it.
[X] Not yet
What I'm really not sure about is
[?] Insist on solving the mystery of 'Archironaeus the stuffed owl' first.
Like, that's an option that would make a lot of sense to vote for in School of Sorcery. But here, it seems like it would be a slightly weird thing for Elys to be insisting on. I want to know what is up with Archironaeus, and so do the members of Cadre 1F, but Elys is still kinda just figuring out what is going on, she doesn't know what is and isn't important around here. Even though she's by far the most powerful one here, until she knows more about this school, she's on their turf. Like, if this is what the Cadre 1F kids want to do next, I'm sure Elys would be happy to go along with it; for her, it sounds like it could be a fun mystery and adventure helping her new friends and possibly meeting another god. But if it's not really a priority for them, it certainly wouldn't be a priority for her either.
Voting against
[] Summon Mishrak and get him to take you home.
though. We can do that at any time. Adventures first, going home later. And not just because it seems like it would be better for the story, I feel like Elys would just be cool with hanging around for a bit longer.
[X] Venta and Elys will go off to talk to Green Flame.
-[X] Meanwhile, Dorian, Isolia and Phil will investigate the mystery of 'Archironaeus the stuffed owl'.
[X] Venta and Elys will go off to talk to Green Flame.
-[X] Meanwhile, Dorian, Isolia and Phil will investigate the mystery of 'Archironaeus the stuffed owl'.
i guess they can split up after meeting up with greenflame, but atleast one of elys and greenflame should be with each subgroup. id have elys, isolia, and venta hang out in the dorm room while greenflame, dorian, and philander investigate owl things. and id have dorian bring up the owl thing to greenflame.
[X] Venta and Elys will go off to talk to Green Flame.
-[X] Meanwhile, Dorian, Isolia and Phil will investigate the mystery of 'Archironaeus the stuffed owl'.
So the same scale as hedgie? Makes sense. It's also 4 times 3! I imagine that as roughly three tiers. Humans can only barely intrude on the second tier, which makes sense to me. Also, I guess this puts Mishrak in proper context. He has a lot further to go!
[x] Yes
We must cut the soap opera out before it can take root.
[x] Venta and Elys will go off to talk to Green Flame.
-[x] Meanwhile, Dorian, Isolia and Phil will investigate the mystery of 'Archironaeus the stuffed owl'.
In this thread, the general consensus seemed to be that Elys should go with Venta to see Green Flame while the rest of the gang should split up to solve the mystery of 'Archironaeus the stuffed owl'. However, in the School of Sorcery thread, voters were very much against the idea of splitting up. I've done my best to reconcile these different opinions…
As you gently stroll down the corridor, allowing yourself to be guided towards Green Flame's office, your new friends have some questions for you.
"Where did you learn magic?" asks Dorian, bubbling with excitement. "I didn't even see you cast that shield spell!"
"My mother taught me her Invisible Shield," you explain. "She's a Quellonian knight."
"A lady and a knight, huh?" Philander raises an eyebrow. "What does that make you?"
"Her daughter, obviously," you snark back at him. "Well… actually, I'm a princess."
"Yeah, sure you are," he says, taking it as a joke.
"Did your uncle teach you his magic as well?" Dorian wants to know.
You nod. "Yes, he did. Some of it, anyway. I can't create living creatures like he can."
"He can create living creatures!" Venta looks very impressed. "He must be a master of life magic!"
Another nod. "He is," you say.
The shadow of some unpleasant memory passes over the goblin girl's face. She squeezes your hand a little tighter. "I hope he takes good care of them," she murmurs.
"He does," you assure her. "He's a big old softy, really. Even if he really, really likes sea monsters, it's not because he wants them to do any harm."
"You're a very strange girl, Elys," says Phil, shaking his head. "I can never tell whether you're joking or not."
"What were you doing in that other world?" asks Dorian. "You said that you arrived there by accident, but how did it happen?"
"I attend a boarding school in Asquellon, which is one of the many nations that make up Greater Quellonia. Earlier today, I went to the office of one of my teachers to complain that he wasn't treating me fairly. However, when I opened the door, I discovered that he was dead, with a monster standing over his corpse and an open portal behind him. I threw a bolt of energy that was absorbed by the portal, causing it to rapidly expand and swallow the entire contents of the room, including me and the monster," you say, giving a necessarily truncated version of events. "That's how I ended up in the strange place you saw on the other side of that portal. After I killed the monster, I didn't know where to go or how to get out, so I searched through the professor's notes, hoping that he knew something about how the portal worked. But… well, you found me before I was trapped for very long. How did you manage that, by the way?"
"We saw you in a magic mirror," says Dorian. "The same one I used to open a portal to where you were."
"How did you manage that?" you ask, looking quizzically at him.
"I just channelled some of my magic into it – and dripped a little blood onto it from my broken nose," he says self-deprecatingly, wiping away some of the dried blood from his upper lip.
"But how did you know to do that?" you persist. "Why did the magic mirror show you a glimpse of me? Had you seen it before or did you just happen to come across it when you needed it most?"
"Yeah, we'd seen it before," says Phil. "We'd visited that storeroom before. But the last time we saw it, the magic mirror wasn't working. Nothing we did to it seemed to have any effect."
"So why did it suddenly start working when you needed it to?" you ask. "At any other time, it would have shown you a desolate wasteland, but at the exact moment when I needed a way of escape – and you were in need of a champion to fight for you – it suddenly started working. Why do you think that was?"
"You think that someone deliberately arranged things so that we would meet up and help each other?" Isolia theorizes, frowning. "But who would do something like that? And why?"
"Because you were nice to me," says an unfamiliar voice. "That counts for a lot, you know. Hoo hoo."
Searching for the origin of this new voice, you glance around and see a small snowy-white owl perched on an empty torch bracket. It has a hazy, almost translucent quality to it. For a moment, you wonder if it is really there, or if it is a mere trick of the light.
"Archironaeus!" cries Venta, sounding delighted, letting go of you and holding out both arms as if to offer the owl a hug. "You're alive!"
"That's a matter of opinion," he replies, in a surprisingly deadpan tone of voice.
"So… you're a ghost?" Philander frowns. "How does that work?"
"Not a ghost, a spirit," Archironaeus corrects him. "A little god, perhaps. The abandoned places in this school are my domain."
"How were you able to operate the magic mirror?" you ask.
"It has been left lying around in my domain for many years. Therefore, it is mine. Or it might as well be." The owl spirit shuffles on his perch. "Let that be a lesson to you, young ones: never leave powerful magical items unattended for long periods of time, or something will make use of them. Hoo hoo."
"Words of wisdom," says Venta. "There must be so many things you could teach us!"
"Possibly," says Archironaeus. "No more than your usual teachers could, I'll warrant."
"Did you used to be someone's familiar?" asks Dorian. "Was that how you came to this school?"
"I… maybe." The owl spirit hesitates, quickly turning its head as if as if searching for something it has lost. "I'm sorry, it was such a long time ago. I barely remember anything from back then."
"You must know who has used the magic mirrors recently," you say, realising that the owl spirit could be a useful source of information about the circumstances surrounding Professor Elthonar's death.
"Perhaps. My mirror, at least," he replies. "There are others, but I know little of them."
"That's better than nothing," you mutter. Still, you think that it would be best to come back later and interview him in private. Your new friends seem like nice people, but they don't need to be involved in a murder investigation. Loose lips sink ships, filling your Uncle Mishrak's coffers, and so on.
"Wait…" Dorian puts on a puzzled frown. "If you can control the mirror, why did I need to use my blood and magic to open the portal?"
"I was already weary, having expended a great deal of energy on your behalf… but I would have done it for you, if you hadn't figured out how to do it," says Archironaeus. "It would have cost me, so… I gave you a chance to impress me. Hoo hoo."
"So… you must have seen me in the other world," you say. "And then you sent these four to rescue me? I owe you my thanks."
"I thought you could help each other," says the owl spirit. "And I was right."
"Do you still want mice?" asks Isolia. "I can get you some mice, no problem!"
"Why do you need mice?" asks Venta. "You're an insubstantial spirit… aren't you?"
"To sustain myself, I feed on the soul energy of small verminous creatures."
You watch as the colour of Venta's cheeks fades to a paler shade of green. "But that's…"
"Do you not eat meat?" asks Archironaeus in someone else's calm and authoritative voice. "It is no different from that."
"That was what Professor Kunrath said!" The goblin girl looks startled. "Were you there when he said that?"
"No. I saw it in your thoughts," the owl spirit says. "Very close to the surface."
"I would prefer it if you didn't read my mind," says Venta, rather warily.
"Very close to the surface. Not like I could help it…"
"Thank you for everything you have done to help us, Archironaeus," says Dorian. "I hope we will see you again."
"Undoubtedly you will," says the owl spirit, hopping into the air and beginning to fly away. "For now, farewell. Hoo hoo."
After another moment, he has vanished into the gloom, fluttering away on ghostly wings…
"Well, wasn't he nice?" Phil comments. A lopsided smile looks rather good on him: he looks a little less weaselly than he did before. "A very pleasant fellow, I thought."
"It was kind of him to help us," Isolia agrees.
"I don't know how I'd have ever escaped from the other world if he hadn't interfered," you admit.
The remainder of the journey is relatively short: along a couple of corridors and up a flight of stairs to Green Flame's office.
It is a small and poorly-furnished room. Green Flame is an exceedingly beautiful woman, like most elves tend to be: evidently, the Elder Gods wanted their servants to be decorative. Despite this, her dark green hair has been cut boyishly short and she is wearing black chitinous gauntlets up to her elbow, which seem incongruously matched with her elegant green robes.
"Green Flame!" cries Venta, as eager as any puppy. "We've made a new friend!" She points to you. "Her name is Elys!"
"I'm pleased to hear it," says Green Flame, looking cautiously at you. "I only hope she proves worthy of your friendship."
"She saved us when we were attacked by older students who wanted to steal my blood!" Venta informs her.
Green Flame goes very still. Her face becomes an impassive mask. "Thank you for aiding my students in their time of need, Elys," she says, bowing her head to you. "Now… will someone tell me exactly what has happened?"
What will you say?
[] Write in.
The next update will bring the current storyline to an end, so please vote for (or otherwise mention) anything you'd like me to include.
"So why did it suddenly start working when you needed it to?" you ask. "At any other time, it would have shown you a desolate wasteland, but at the exact moment when I needed a way of escape – and you were in need of a champion to fight for you – it suddenly started working. Why do you think that was?"
"You think that someone deliberately arranged things so that we would meet up and help each other?" Isolia theorizes, frowning. "But who would do something like that? And why?"
But it doesn't need to be Unlikely Coincidence versus Providence. We know Professor Elthonar opened the portal to that world, or something else did. Why would it be so hard to believe that other mirrors would open to the same location? I mean, the first thing you see arriving to a city is a hub point: a dock, an airport, or a train station. It may work that way with worlds as well; some locations might be easier to access than others. How much of a coincidence is it, then, that the mirror started working when someone made use of the hub?
If the mirror didn't work on its own, Archironaeus would have no way of knowing we were there, would he? Since he claims he can't tell if other mirrors have been in use.
He can still take credit for guiding the kids to the room, I suppose.
Hmm, given we just gave an abridged summary of Elys maybe:
[X] Apparently some older students wanted the blood of one of your wards and attacked them after they entered an abandoned section of castle. They fled to a magic mirror where they found me. I was there because a portal created by a monster that killed one of my teachers grew out of control and swallowed me up, depositing me in the creatures realm, or so I assume.
[X] Apparently some older students wanted the blood of one of your wards and attacked them after they entered an abandoned section of castle. They fled to a magic mirror where they found me. I was there because a portal created by a monster that killed one of my teachers grew out of control and swallowed me up, depositing me in the creatures realm, or so I assume.
Green Flame goes very still. Her face becomes an impassive mask. "Thank you for aiding my students in their time of need, Elys," she says, bowing her head to you. "Now… will someone tell me exactly what has happened?"
Despite this, her dark green hair has been cut boyishly short and she is wearing black chitinous gauntlets up to her elbow, which seem incongruously matched with her elegant green robes.
If the gauntlets were described before, I sure didn't remember them, but now that I do, A+, Green Flame has somehow managed to gain more of my respect for managing to be armored in a school in a very rad way.
I'd quite like to see the rest of the professor's coded note, personally. Perhaps the connection between the two mirrors itself was on purpose, not accidental. The bullies did not seem altogether surprised by someone having come out of the mirror, and were preparing a blood ritual. Perhaps the coincidence was not the Cadre letting Elys out, but Elys stumbling in in the first place? Perhaps that shapeshifting demon was intended to menace this very school?
As a silly, stupid metaphysics question i can't get out of my head. I remember a bit of how Domains work from Hedge Maze, such that rules-lawyering your own domains is advised, but... is there anything stopping an established god from turning themselves into a tautology via taking their own self as a Domain? Which is to say, Mishrak becoming the 'god of Mishrak's Divinity' or something, and slowly gaining power from that domain as he slowly gains power from that domain as he slowly... well, you get the point.
As a silly, stupid metaphysics question i can't get out of my head. I remember a bit of how Domains work from Hedge Maze, such that rules-lawyering your own domains is advised, but... is there anything stopping an established god from turning themselves into a tautology via taking their own self as a Domain? Which is to say, Mishrak becoming the 'god of Mishrak' or something, and slowly gaining power from that domain as he slowly gains power from that domain as he slowly... well, you get the point.
If I were to guess, it's because defining yourself as a tautology could easily turn yourself into a ball of will-less energy as the rest of your meaning drops away.
If I were to guess, it's because defining yourself as a tautology could easily turn yourself into a ball of will-less energy as the rest of your meaning drops away.
Dunno. I wouldn't necessarily agree that having a tautological domain would necessarily cause you to define yourself as tautological, or that defining yourself as tautological would nullify your meaning. It's like how Neyra Fair-Hair being the god of Children who happens to be known as the Protector of Children doesn't require her to defend children, just that children exist. Similarly, saying an Orange is shaped like an Orange isn't useful info, but it doesn't suddenly mean Oranges are shapeless. Becoming the God of Yourself might certainly result in you being known as the Tautological God if your Domain becomes public knowledge, but in Domain-speak it just means you're responsible for your own continued existence, and that as the influence of your domain (which is to say, your influence) grows, so does the power you get from your domain.
But it doesn't need to be Unlikely Coincidence versus Providence. We know Professor Elthonar opened the portal to that world, or something else did. Why would it be so hard to believe that other mirrors would open to the same location? I mean, the first thing you see arriving to a city is a hub point: a dock, an airport, or a train station. It may work that way with worlds as well; some locations might be easier to access than others. How much of a coincidence is it, then, that the mirror started working when someone made use of the hub?
If the mirror didn't work on its own, Archironaeus would have no way of knowing we were there, would he? Since he claims he can't tell if other mirrors have been in use.
He can still take credit for guiding the kids to the room, I suppose.
These things are always somewhat open to interpretation. Death of the Author and so on. Still, as far as Archironaeus is concerned, he can look through the magic mirror as often as he wants (and he often does), so he was aware of Elys's presence in the other world as soon as she arrived there and drew his plans accordingly.
Hmm. In the past, when you have called me out because of this 'mistake', I have meekly given in without argument. When I looked it up online, I was unable to find anything else but confusion: I didn't see the point in arguing because I didn't know what was correct. For that reason, yesterday, I edited my above post to change that particular snippet of dialogue to your 'corrected' version.
However, having thought about it some more – I am utterly convinced that you are wrong.
This is how the phrase "used to" is normally used:
I used to go out clubbing.
He used to go out clubbing.
She used to go out clubbing.
They used to go out clubbing.
You used to go out clubbing.
"Didn't you used to go out clubbing?" fits the pattern.
"Didn't you use to go out clubbing?" doesn't fit the pattern.
In the above examples, the word "used" is always past tense. Because, when you "used to do something", it's always something that happened in the past. It's impossible to "use to do" something here and now, in the present.
And so, I have edited my above post again, changing Dorian's question back to "Did you used to be someone's familiar?"
I am usually grateful to you when I have made a typo and you have corrected me. However, in this case, I don't think I made a mistake.
If the gauntlets were described before, I sure didn't remember them, but now that I do, A+, Green Flame has somehow managed to gain more of my respect for managing to be armored in a school in a very rad way.
She has dark green hair, cut boyishly short; her hands are covered in black, chitinous, claw-like gauntlets, and her eyes are like glittering emeralds. Her face is flawlessly beautiful, but in the same way that a statue is beautiful: it seems strangely devoid of life or character. She's an elf, you realise; her ears are small, delicately sculpted, and sharply-pointed.
Those 'gauntlets' are actually part of her body: her creator, the Elder God Keron, gave his elves a minor shapeshifting ability that enables them to completely cover themselves in a chitinous exoskeleton, making them extremely resistant to damage. However, Green Flame's various human masters have always preferred for her to stay in her 'sexy elf' form. Relatively recently, she has started displaying the 'black chitinous gauntlets' as a small sign of rebellion against the restrictions she chafes against.
I think you're the first one to comment on it, so thank you.
As a silly, stupid metaphysics question i can't get out of my head. I remember a bit of how Domains work from Hedge Maze, such that rules-lawyering your own domains is advised, but... is there anything stopping an established god from turning themselves into a tautology via taking their own self as a Domain? Which is to say, Mishrak becoming the 'god of Mishrak's Divinity' or something, and slowly gaining power from that domain as he slowly gains power from that domain as he slowly... well, you get the point.
When A Hedge Maze Is You came to an end, Hedgy was still learning the rules, so I'm not sure I've ever fully explained this before. Maybe I shouldn't go into detail, since this is something that should be explored in-character. However, I feel that I need to clear up a few misconceptions.
Becoming a god means becoming part of Creation's celestial machinery. The power that the gods gain from their domains largely depends on how important those domains are. A god whose domain is a single tree will gain much less power from it than a god whose domain is an entire forest.
However, in order to become the god of something truly important, you need to be able to stake your claim to the role and fight off anyone who would challenge you for it. You need other people* to acknowledge that you are the new god of war, or justice, or the oceans, or whatever. Therefore, before you can become a powerful god, you need to already be powerful enough to defend your claim. Power begets power.
*Even if those 'people' happen to be other gods, or spirits, or intelligent animals, it still works pretty much the same.
And you need to be well-known. If you're the god of a tiny outpost that no one's ever heard of, no one will care if you claim to be the all-powerful god of the entire world and everything in it, and you'll get very little power from your new 'domain'. Similarly, if you claimed to be the god of your own power, it wouldn't really mean anything. No one else would think that it was important, so you wouldn't gain any power from it. Even if a god who was already incredibly powerful claimed that their new domain was 'their own power', it wouldn't mean anything to anyone else, so it wouldn't increase their power. (In fact, it would probably reduce their power: taking on a new domain is one of the most power-expensive things a god can do.)
The celestial machinery of Creation is very adaptable. It can accommodate many changes: new species, new abstract concepts, entire new worlds*, and so on. If you decide that you want to become the god of something, it will usually accommodate you, make a note of your new position, and fit you in to the overall masterplan. So, if you declared that you were the god of yourself and your own power, one of the Fates' former minions would dutifully note down what you'd just said. But it wouldn't mean anything more than that. Words are wind, and so on.
*I've been toying with the idea that some powerful void spirits could have entered Creation and decided to go off and do their own thing in some far corner of the universe where no one will ever go looking for them.
Adhoc vote count started by Chandagnac on Jul 2, 2021 at 12:35 PM, finished with 7 posts and 2 votes.
[X] Apparently some older students wanted the blood of one of your wards and attacked them after they entered an abandoned section of castle. They fled to a magic mirror where they found me. I was there because a portal created by a monster that killed one of my teachers grew out of control and swallowed me up, depositing me in the creatures realm, or so I assume.
Hmm. I won't be updating this quest tonight because... well, it's nearly midnight where I am. I don't have time to write anything.
As I've said before, the next update will be the end of the current story arc, so please let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to include. Otherwise, I may be a little short of ideas...
Ah, dammit, Elys is leaving already? And here I was looking to her busting the demon casino on accident. Or running into the trio of would-be dragon vault robbers.
[X] Apparently some older students wanted the blood of one of your wards and attacked them after they entered an abandoned section of castle. They fled to a magic mirror where they found me. I was there because a portal created by a monster that killed one of my teachers grew out of control and swallowed me up, depositing me in the creatures realm, or so I assume.
[X] Apparently some older students wanted the blood of one of your wards and attacked them after they entered an abandoned section of castle. They fled to a magic mirror where they found me. I was there because a portal created by a monster that killed one of my teachers grew out of control and swallowed me up, depositing me in the creatures realm, or so I assume.
Those 'gauntlets' are actually part of her body: her creator, the Elder God Keron, gave his elves a minor shapeshifting ability that enables them to completely cover themselves in a chitinous exoskeleton, making them extremely resistant to damage. However, Green Flame's various human masters have always preferred for her to stay in her 'sexy elf' form. Relatively recently, she has started displaying the 'black chitinous gauntlets' as a small sign of rebellion against the restrictions she chafes against.
I think you're the first one to comment on it, so thank you.
Well you're welcome because if they're a chitinous exoskeleton that's actually more rad. I hope she never feels the need to go full exoskeleton, because that's likely to happen in an extremely stressful situation, but I kinda want to see it, that aside. Man, I totally forgot that detail!
Even if a god who was already incredibly powerful claimed that their new domain was 'their own power', it wouldn't mean anything to anyone else, so it wouldn't increase their power.
I was going to say, what the heck are you talking about, but then again, Elys does have a much higher chance of surviving and thriving in this school of social darwinism, surrounded by corruption, conspiracies, and evil spirits to fight against. On the other hand, Jana is still only of about average strength for a magical 11 year old, and while Catharne is a bit tougher than that, she'd also be presumably far more of a target of blood and body part harvesting than Venta.
So, yes, it can be much worse, even for Elys. Fuck this school.
By the way, I forget, has Elys ever met an elf before? Not counting ones she encountered as an infant or ones who were shapeshifted and hiding the fact that they're an elf.
Anyway, lacking anything better to say, I too will go with
[X] Apparently some older students wanted the blood of one of your wards and attacked them after they entered an abandoned section of castle. They fled to a magic mirror where they found me. I was there because a portal created by a monster that killed one of my teachers grew out of control and swallowed me up, depositing me in the creatures realm, or so I assume.
On the other hand, Jana is still only of about average strength for a magical 11 year old, and while Catharne is a bit tougher than that, she'd also be presumably far more of a target of blood and body part harvesting than Venta.
I figured Elys, Jana, Catharne, and one lucky winner would make their own cadre, and Elys's presence would dissuade others from trying for blood sacrifices.
I'm British, but I've actually come to the conclusion that I prefer American spelling and grammar rules because they tend to be more consistent and logical. Just not in this case.
Ah, dammit, Elys is leaving already? And here I was looking to her busting the demon casino on accident. Or running into the trio of would-be dragon vault robbers.
By the way, I forget, has Elys ever met an elf before? Not counting ones she encountered as an infant or ones who were shapeshifted and hiding the fact that they're an elf.
I was going to say, what the heck are you talking about, but then again, Elys does have a much higher chance of surviving and thriving in this school of social darwinism, surrounded by corruption, conspiracies, and evil spirits to fight against. On the other hand, Jana is still only of about average strength for a magical 11 year old, and while Catharne is a bit tougher than that, she'd also be presumably far more of a target of blood and body part harvesting than Venta.
I figured Elys, Jana, Catharne, and one lucky winner would make their own cadre, and Elys's presence would dissuade others from trying for blood sacrifices.
Green Flame goes very still. Her face becomes an impassive mask. "Thank you for aiding my students in their time of need, Elys," she says, bowing her head to you. "Now… will someone tell me exactly what has happened?"
At Green Flame's behest, you retell the story of who you are, where you came from, and how you fell through a portal into another dimension while fighting a monster that had killed one of your teachers. Of course, her young charges have already heard this story, so they are impatient and quick to chime in with their own details of how they were being chased by a group of 'bullies' who wanted to steal Venta's blood, how they hid in a storeroom where they saw you in a magic mirror, and how they managed to open a portal to that you could come through it.
Starry-eyed, Isolia declares, "She defended us from those bullies! She was amazing!"
"The word 'bullies' seems an inadequate description in this case," says Green Flame. "They kidnapped you–" She indicates Isolia. "–so that they could use you as a hostage, but what they really wanted was to drain your blood–" Moving her hand slightly, she indicates Venta. "–so that they could use it in a magic ritual. Their actions went beyond mere 'bullying', I would say."
"Well, since one of them is the son of the richest man in Tyrepheum – yeah, he mentioned it a few times: he seemed to think Elys would be impressed by it – it's unlikely that Prentigold would agree that they should be expelled," Philander says sourly. "I mean, that's how things work around here, right? He'll say that what they did was just 'youthful hijinks' or something like that. Maybe he'll give them a little slap on the wrist, but no more than that. And afterwards they'll be free to do it again."
"So, you're not putting any faith in Moroth's promises?" asks Venta, with a sardonic edge to her voice. "How sensible of you."
"I'll protect you while I'm here, but I can't be here all the time," you say, quite reasonably. "I have my own school to go to, which is hundreds of miles away, and I can't just uproot myself and enrol somewhere else. To an extent, I wish that I could – I've made more friends in a single afternoon here than I've made in two months at the academy back home – but I also have a family back there. I can't just leave them."
"I'll take care of my pupils," Green Flame promises. "But thank you, Elys."
Dorian shakes his head at her. "You can't be with us all the time. You're a teacher: you have plenty of work to do that doesn't involve us."
"I will watch over you when I can, I will teach you as much as I can so that you can defend yourselves, and… well, for now, you should be fairly safe as long as you keep to the common areas and don't go exploring any more of the abandoned parts of this school," says Green Flame. "For now, be wary."
"When we were attacked, the twins – well, they looked very much alike, so I assume they were twins – seemed to work together to cast a spell," says Venta. "Did they do that because it enabled them to use more powerful magic than either of them could have managed on their own?"
Green Flame nods. "Yes. It is standard procedure for Sambian battlemages to work together to cast more powerful spells. Similar techniques are used by weather mages and any other mages who have to work together as part of a team. In your later years at this school, after you have mastered the basics, you will learn those techniques for yourself."
"I want to learn them now, as soon as possible," Venta decides. "If we get attacked again… um, if we could cast spells together, we could defend ourselves better."
"There are risks involved," Green Flame warns her. "If you make a mistake, it could have disastrous consequences for you and your teammates. You would not normally be taught those techniques until you were older and more experienced."
"But we're in danger," says Venta, wringing her hands together in a gesture of helplessness. "Isn't that a good enough reason for us to learn those techniques a little earlier?"
"I will teach you as much as I can, when you are ready to learn," says Green Flame in a stern voice, which your new friends seem very surprised by: evidently, it is unusual for her to show any strong emotions. "I will not teach you anything that could easily kill you or destroy your mind, not until I am sure that you are ready for it."
"You are not what I expected," you say, thinking aloud. "I'm sorry, I think you're actually the first elf I have ever met. I mean, I've heard plenty of stories about elves – and I've seen mosaics of mermaids and sirens on the walls of my uncle's palace – but I've never had the opportunity to meet and talk to an elf before."
"Your uncle has a palace?!" Isolia cries out in astonishment.
"It used to belong to Rynn the Sea God before it fell into the hands of the evil Sea Ghouls," you explain. "After my uncle liberated it from them – well, my parents helped him, of course – he made it his own. He's tried to restore as much of the original artwork as possible: he says it has 'historical significance'."
Green Flame accepts this without comment. "Once, I was human," she says. "I was born during the First Age, more than seven thousand years ago. But I remember nothing of that time. Keron, the Elder God of War, Conflict, and Striving, made me into an elf. He turned me and my brothers and sisters into automatons – his perfect machinelike soldiers – whose purpose was to protect this world from demons. That is what we did for thousands of years."
"You had brothers and sisters?" asks Dorian, in a tone of mingled horror and curiosity.
"In spirit, at least, all of Keron's elves are my brothers and sisters," Green Flame answers him. "Biologically, I'm not so sure. It is possible, I suppose."
"Why are you telling me this?" you ask.
"You said that I am not what you expected," she replies. "I am trying to explain why I am the way that I am."
"Oh, of course!" You nod your head vigorously. "Please, carry on the story! I'm sorry for interrupting!"
"For thousands of years, we carried out our duties: we defended this world from multiple demonic invasions," says Green Flame, giving you a slight nod in return. "My brothers and sisters were slain one by one. At last, I was left alone. Just me against the demonic hordes. Until a human mage found me, wounded and on the verge of death. He didn't care about my duties or my purpose: to him, I was just another archaeological treasure to add to his collection. I suppose that I should be grateful to him for restoring me to full health. But later, when he was in need of funds, he sold me as a slave. I am less grateful to him for that."
You can hear faint irony in her words: it would appear that Green Flame has a sense of humour, although it is well-hidden.
"I was passed from master to master, treated as slaves are treated… until at last I fell into the hands of the former headmaster of this academy, Galadan the Mystic. He had no interest in using me as a slave; instead, he and some of his friends worked to restore as much of my original soul as they could find. Evidently, Keron must have thought that I might need a source of magical energy in an emergency, so he made sure that parts of my original soul were preserved by the ritual that turned me into an elf, stored within me so that I could draw upon them if I was ever pushed to my limits. What I am now – what I have become – is because of what Galadan and his friends did to me."
"Are you grateful to them for that?" you ask, thinking carefully about what she has just said.
"Not unreservedly," she admits. "My life was… simpler and easier when I had no soul. There was no shame, no regrets, and no…"
"No need to care about anyone or anything," says Philander with a crooked smile. "Face it, Greenie, you care about us. Is that such a bad thing?"
"Please don't call me 'Greenie'," says Green Flame, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Well… this is fascinating and I am glad to have met you all," you say, glancing at the small and grimy window. The sunlight seems to have faded since you last looked. "But I need to go home. Or back to the boarding school in Asquellon, at least. It's getting late and… there are people who will worry about me if I don't show up for dinner."
'Or one person, at least,' you think to yourself, in the privacy of your own mind. 'My sister, Jana.'
"How will you get home?" asks Green Flame. "Back through the portal?"
"No, I don't fully understand how the magic mirrors work yet," you admit. "But don't worry: I'll just call my uncle and get him to give me a lift home!"
Green Flame retreats behind her usual impassiveness. "Well… I hope he doesn't mind," she says.
Ever since you were a tiny baby, there has always been a link between you and Mishrak. At first, it was a tenuous thread, barely noticeable at all. More recently, he acknowledged you as his Chosen and gave you more of his power after the Aspitis invaded Ismar; since then, it has become a strong and seemingly unbreakable connection.
Tugging on it, you call out to him, saying, 'Mishrak, I need help! I fell through a portal and ended up in the Sambian Empire. Can you help me get back home, please!"
Silence grows and stretches to fill the empty time while you wait for a reply. "Have you called out to your uncle?" asks Dorian. "I didn't hear anything."
"She called to me in her mind, with the power of her psyche," says a tiny blueish-green dragon, alighting on your shoulder.
"Your uncle can shapeshift into a dragon?!" Venta shrieks, wide-eyed with amazement. "That's extraordinarily powerful magic."
"My uncle is a dragon," you gently correct her. "He's Mishrak, the Dragon God, of the depths of the sea."
"And how are your parents related to him?" asks Philander, looking like he wants to make a joke but doesn't dare to.
"Oh, they're not. He's my adopted uncle," you explain.
"Amusing as this is, we need to go immediately," says Mishrak. "I had to break through several wards, triggering almost as many alarms, in order to get into this place. I'd prefer it if I didn't have to fight my way out."
"Just let me say goodbye," you say.
He nods. "Very well."
"Goodbye, all of you! I hope to see you again soon," you say, waving to them. "Good luck with everything!"
A moment later, the poky little office seems to blur around you. Suddenly, it is as if you have become very small while Mishrak has become incredibly vast. He holds you in his claws, carrying you aloft, across a grey and hazy sky, flying so quickly that all you can see of the land below is a mass of indistinct shapes.
It takes hardly any time at all.
What do you want Elys to do next? (Choose one)
[] Visit Mishrak and ask how the war with Aspitolm is going.
-[] Be impressed by his new 'Deep Ones' and the great armoured snapping turtles that they are telepathically bonded to.
--[] Spend time with Catharne. Suggest that she learn some shapeshifting magic so that she can come with you on your subsequent adventures.
---[] Ask after Samaya, the portal mage who was one of his contacts. She would be a very useful ally right now.
[] Visit her parents (Gareth and Yslena) and ask how they are getting on with their investigation.
-[] Complain about how much she hates boarding school and wishes she was at home with them.
[] Visit her grandfather, Lymond Sayce, Count of Norrange. (Note: Elys has never actually met her grandfather.)
-[] Visit her uncle, Elward, and his wife, Raene.
--[] Visit her cousin, Jesric.
[] Visit the hospital for soul-damaged victims of the Sea Ghouls (in Mishrak's undersea palace).
-[] Meet her 'big sister', Bellona Kachalskey, and find out how she is getting on.
[] Finish deciphering and reading Professor Elthonar's notebook.
[] Finish reading Kelamon Dumar's How to Enter the Underworld.
[] After Professor Elthonar's disappearance, his magic mirror was put into storage. Find out where it is.
[] Spend time with Jana at the Engelram Academy of the Magical Arts. (This will unlock the option to take her with you on your subsequent adventures.)
[] Travel to the Tyrepheum Academy of the Magical Arts.
-[] Spend time with Dorian, Isolia, Philander, and Venta.
--[] Find out their problems, hopes, and fears.
---[] Figure out what you can do to help them.
OR
-[] Interview Archironaeus about when he has seen people use the magic mirror before.
OR
-[] Ask Green Flame some more questions.
(Elys can't do any of these things until she has a reliable means of transportation. She can't keep asking Uncle Mishrak to carry her back and forth.)
[] Do something else (write in)*.
*If there's anything I've forgotten to add to this list, that doesn't mean that you can't do it.
I'm going to be fairly vague about it, but Elys is so busy with schoolwork and suchlike that she can only do one of these things per month. Otherwise, this quest would take so long that she'd never have a chance to grow up.
