School of Sorcery

[Chandagnac]

Spoiler: Notes

When I was writing this update, I didn't include any questions which came below the "No further questions" option in the vote tally. Therefore, these are the votes I have included in this update:

[X] "Why do you keep annoying Venta? It seems like you're doing it deliberately."
-[X] "We're supposed to be a team. Shouldn't you being trying to get along with her?"
[X] "You said that I could earn some extra spending money by doing a job for your brother, Simony, at the weekend. Tell me more about that job."
[X] "Are there any school clubs you're interested in joining? Apart from Bladderwrack, I mean. You made your enthusiasm for that game very clear."
[X] "What do you want to accomplish at this school?"

*

Week One, Day Three (Part Two)​

The professor glances around the room, scratches his chin, and says, 'I think I've lectured you for long enough. It's time to do something practical. In your pairs, I want you to have a go at making your own healing potions, using the ingredients and equipment I've provided. I've already measured out the ingredients, you just need to decide how you're going to mix them together. Bear in mind that you don't need to use all of them. It's probably better if you don't. And please remember that you need to use magic to enhance the desirable qualities of your ingredients; almost every year, someone misses that part out and ends up with a healthy herbal drink, but no magic potion. Let's see if we can avoid doing that this year, shall we? Apart from that, don't worry about getting things wrong. Being willing to experiment, learning from your mistakes and getting ready to do better next time: these are attitudes I like to see in my young alchemists.'

He gives a nod. 'Good luck, all of you. I look forward to seeing what you'll come up with.'

Click to shrink...

After a brief consultation with the other members of your mage cadre, it is decided that the two girls will pair up: Venta will assist Isolia with reading about the properties of the different ingredients, then they will work together to brew their own healing potion. Meanwhile, you will partner Philander.

He puts an arm around your shoulder. 'Yeah, Dorian. Time for some male bonding. Y'know, arm-wrestling, fly fishing, cooking big lumps of meat on an open fire, all that good stuff. Let's leave these girls to their girl stuff.'

You see Venta shoot a venomous glare at the back of Phil's head. 'What do you mean by that?' she snaps at him.

'Oh, y'know. Giggling, braiding each other's hair, talking about cute boys. Of course, I expect to feel my ears burning fairly soonish,' he says with a saucy wink. 'Sorry about that, Dorian. I know, it's unfair that I get all the attention, but that's life. We can't all be as tall and handsome as I am.'

Since you're nearly a head taller than him, you assume that he's joking. Mind you, that's usually a good bet whenever Phil's lips are moving.

'You arrogant ass!' Venta explodes at him, stamping her feet as she rushes around collecting the lab equipment she will need for today's experiment. En route, she nearly collides with Professor Kunrath as he wanders around the room inspecting what the other pupils have done so far.

'Be careful in the laboratory, please,' he says, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady her before she can fall over. 'Is there a problem over here?'

'Oh no, Professor,' says Phil. 'Ven was just expressing her affection for me. She does that with alliterative insults. It's nothing to worry about.'

Kunrath glances over to where Venta has meekly returned to her workbench, hunched over it as though trying to make herself very small, and is relaying instructions to Isolia in a whisper almost too faint to be heard.

'Philander, was it?' he says, looking unamused at your lab partner. 'I'll speak to you at the end of the lesson, before you go to lunch.' His gaze flickers over to you. 'You too. Stay at the end.'

'What did I do?' you want to ask him, but you don't dare. 'I didn't even say anything!'

But Kunrath is already gone, over to the workspace shared by the boys of Cadre 1A, showing every sign of being impressed by the plans they've made so far.

'Well, thank you, Phil,' you say frustratedly. 'You got me in trouble.'

'Hey, no worries. What are friends for?' he replies.

He's still got his arm wrapped around your shoulder. You push him off. 'This isn't a joke. I wanted to make a good first impression.'

'Relax. He's not Appalling-us Witt. I very much doubt he's going to cane either of us.' Phil gives a careless shrug. 'You've got plenty of time to impress him, if that means so much to you. Don't worry about it.'

'Yes. Well. I think you should worry a little bit more,' you say, steering him over to your shared workbench. 'We haven't even started on this potion yet. We're running out of time.'

'Got more than an hour left,' he says, glancing at the clock. 'But… yeah, all right. Let's get started.'

After consulting the list of ingredients, you decide to create a fairly simple potion using only three herbs: lavender, peppermint, and sage. Lavender for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, peppermint because it is supposed to have a wide range of useful properties, and sage because of the folk belief that it is a cure-all. Philander starts chopping up the leaves, you use a pestle and mortar to grind them into a paste, and then you mix them together with water taken from a sacred spring. Then, after you pour the liquid into a glass beaker, there is one final stage: you need to imbue the potion with magic, otherwise it will be nothing more than a healthy herbal drink.

'You want me to do this?' asks Phil.

'No, I can do it,' you reply, shaking your head.

Spoiler: Skill check!

I rolled a Magic check for Dorian's attempt to create a healing potion: 2d6+3 = 12.

Professor Kunrath stops by to watch as you attempt to magically enhance the health-giving properties of the herbs you've used. In particular, you focus on how lavender can be used as an anti-inflammatory and peppermint can be used to relieve some of the symptoms of a bad cold: these are the qualities you want to enhance most of all. You're not sure how to balance the magic you're using against the spiritual effects of sage or the holy spring water, so you try to remember the last time you did something like this: pouring magical energy into the ritual circle which sustains your illusory textbook. Not too much, or too little: you got it just right, that time.

Remembering how much you used, thinking it seems like a good starting point, you try to do it again. Gathering the same amount of magical energy, you channel it into your potion, thinking intently about what you want it to do.

The murky liquid changes colour to a soothing pale green, glittering with golden specks of light.

'Oh, bravo!' Kunrath cheers, clapping his hands together. 'An excellent first attempt!'

He fetches two smaller bottles and splits your finished potion between them, handing one to you and one to Philander. 'Good medicine. May it serve you well.'

Spoiler: New item!

Dorian has gained a Potion of Lesser Healing (restores 1 hp, removes 1 point of Fatigue, specialty: cold or flu medicine)

Its normal effects are doubled if what you're using it for fits its specialty. (So, if you're using it as cold or flu medicine, you can restore 2 hp and remove 2 points of Fatigue.)

'Gathering magic and pouring it into the potion directly is a good method, if you can do it,' says Kunrath. 'I can't argue with results. But there's a simpler and easier way, which most of your classmates might prefer to use. Wait a few minutes, give everyone else time to finish, and then I'll demonstrate.'

While you're waiting, you spend some time talking quietly with Philander. 'Why do you keep annoying Venta?' you ask him. 'It seems like you're doing it deliberately.'

'I do it to everyone,' he says carelessly. 'Haven't you noticed?'

'Yes, but she really doesn't seem to like it. Can't you just leave her alone?'

'Trust me, Dory. I know about these things. When you see a man and a woman fighting like two cats in a sack, it's not because they don't like each other. Oftentimes it's their way of showing affection.'

'I… don't think that's how it works,' you say.

'Oh, when you're an experienced man of the world like me, you'll know about these things.'

'So… you deliberately annoy Venta because you want her to like you?'

'Yep! She loves it.'

'No, she doesn't. Really, she doesn't.'

He lightly punches your arm. 'Hah! You've got a lot to learn about women, Dory.'

'You're delusional.'

'I'm amazing,' he says modestly. 'You'll never meet anyone else like me.'

'Don't you have four brothers and sisters?'

'Six, actually. Ferocity and Indulgence are both younger than me,' he says. 'What's your point?'

'Oh, nothing.' You quickly change the subject. 'You said that I could earn some extra spending money by doing a job for your brother, Simony, at the weekend. Tell me more about that.'

'You'd just need to watch his stall for a few hours. Sell things to people who want them. He'll pay you a silver shard when you're finished.'

'Or I could sell things to people, take their money and run,' you point out.

Philander nods, acknowledging that you have a point. 'Yeah, but then he'd need to send someone to break your legs. So, don't do that.'

'I'm only a first-year student! What if I get robbed?'

'In that case, I expect he'd need to find out who did it. That kind of divination is tricky, but doable. And then he'd send someone to break their legs.'

'But that will be no comfort to me if I've been robbed and murdered beforehand.'

'No one's going to murder you over a few school supplies,' Philander scoffs. 'The worst they'll do is rough you up a bit.'

'Oh, that's fine then,' you sarcastically reply. 'Thanks, but no thanks. I don't think it's the job for me.'

'Suit yourself. Hey, maybe you'd prefer being a leg-breaker instead! Long hours, but the pay's good.'

'Long hours?' you ask, frowning. 'Why do they need to work long hours?'

'Oh, it's busy work, being a leg-breaker. They're always rushed off their feet.'

You groan. 'Look… what do you want to accomplish at this school?'

'The same as anyone else, near enough. I want to live a good life, be able to pay for anything I need, and be powerful enough to protect what's mine.'

'Are there any school clubs you're interested in joining?"

'Bladderwrack! The sport of mage kings!' he declares.

'Apart from that, I mean. You made your enthusiasm for that game very clear.'

'I expect I'll join the Apathy Society. It's something I feel passionate about,' he says, sniggering at his own joke.

'Right. Uh, it's been fun talking to you, Phil. But I think the Professor is ready now,' you say, turning away.

By this time, all of your classmates have attempted to make an effective healing potion at least once. Some of them have made multiple attempts. Professor Kunrath stands where everyone can see him, holding an unfinished potion which he prepared earlier. He proceeds to demonstrate how to use a ritual to imbue it with magic. 'Of course, you'll need to adapt the ritual to fit the potion you're trying to make,' he says, drawing a circle and edging it with runes. 'But this is a much easier method than I've seen some of you attempt today.'

'Why didn't you teach us this at the beginning of the lesson?' asks one of the other pupils you don't know: a thin, rangy lad, tall for his age.

'What would that have accomplished? Experimentation is a very important part of Alchemy. If you're not willing to experiment, to try new things and put your theories to the test, then you'll never learn anything new,' Kunrath replies. 'Anyone can follow a set of instructions they've read or been told, but it's more important to me that you learn how to be creative and think for yourselves. Even if you don't always get it right. Even if you sometimes make mistakes. It's all part of the learning process.'

You look at him with a new respect. He's a fubsy little man with a ridiculous moustache and haircut, but he seems to have genuine passion for his subject and a desire to teach his students how to be successful in their own right.

Spoiler: New spell!

Dorian has learned the Imbue Magic Potion ritual.
To cast this spell you need to roll a Magic check and get 9 or more. (Later on, when you learn how, you can make this a Ritual Magic check instead.)

After that, it's nearly the end of the lesson. You are instructed to clean up your lab equipment and put things away afterwards. For a few minutes, you and the rest of the class busy yourselves with that.

'I'm not going to give you any homework today. I know that some of you – perhaps most of you – will drop this subject at the first possible opportunity,' says Kunrath with a rueful grin. 'But I want you to go away and think about what you've learned today. I don't have a textbook to give you, but I have some pamphlets you may read and take away with you, if you're interested – on my desk, over there.' There is a sudden ripple of movement around the room, as most of the other pupils decide that they should at least show willing, but they don't get up and walk over to the professor's desk until after he has finished speaking.

'Think hard and seriously on this: is this subject something which might be useful to you? If so, what do you hope to gain from it? If not, well… why do you think first-year students are forced to learn at least a little Alchemy before they can move on to what they're really interested in?' Kunrath glances around the room, one last time. 'Philander and Dorian, stay behind, please. Everyone else, you may go.'

Spoiler: Experience points gained!

You've gained 2 experience points towards learning Alchemy and 1 experience point towards improving Dorian's Knowledge* skill.
*With the Alchemy specialty, maybe?

As everyone else rushes for the exit, you feel like you're waiting for your execution. You have no idea what the professor is going to say to you. Is he going to punish you? For what?

Kunrath sits down behind his desk. 'Come over here, please.'

After a moment's hesitation, you and Philander do as you've been told.

'I'm sure that you've heard that intent matters. It's one of the most important things for a wizard to consider when casting a spell. But it's not the only thing that matters,' says Kunrath. 'Results matter. Consequences matter. If you cast a spell which starts a fire that burns down half of the neighbourhood, or unleashes a horde of dangerous beasts, or causes hundreds of people to sicken and die, they won't care about your good intentions.'

'I have no idea what you're talking about, sir,' says Philander brazenly.

'I'm referring to how you've been treating one of your teammates, Venta. Of course, you didn't mean any harm by it, you were only joking, and so on. But that doesn't matter. What matters is how she feels about it. If she feels angry, or ashamed, or belittled, or frustrated, or intimidated, it's not just because she "can't take a joke". She has a right to her own thoughts and feelings. Do you understand?'

Philander shuffles his feet and mumbles incoherently.

'I would hope that you're not treating her differently because she's half-goblin,' Kunrath says disapprovingly. 'I'm half-Wranni, your friend here is half-elf: you don't think we're inferior, do you?'

'Never crossed my mind,' Phil assures both of you.

'Think about what you are doing. For as long as you are at this school, your teammates will be like a second family. You need to look out for each other.'

Phil is fixed in place by Kunrath's piercing gaze. 'Yes, sir. I understand,' he mutters, staring at the floor.

'Good. You may go,' says Kunrath. He turns to you. 'Dorian, I'd like to speak to you alone, for a moment.'

'All right,' you say.

Kunrath waits for a moment while Phil trudges dejectedly out of the room, leaving you behind. 'Don't worry, you're not in any trouble,' he says. 'There are a few things I want you to consider. You saw your teammates bickering, you saw the effects Philander's "jokes" had on Venta, and I think you disapproved, but you did nothing. Why was that?'

'Don't know,' you mumble. 'I…. don't think he'd listen to me.'

'Don't be so sure of that. Philander plays the fool because he wants to amuse an audience. You're his main audience. That means you can influence him. He will adjust his performance to meet your approval.'

'I don't think it's as simple as that.'

'You'll get no success unless you're at least willing to make the attempt,' says Kunrath. 'This is only the first of many challenges you must overcome. You can't be passive. Are you a wizard or not?'

'I'm a wizard. At least, I want to be,' you say without much confidence.

'Good enough,' says Kunrath. 'For now. You did well today, by the way. Excellent potion. I hope you'll consider staying in this class.'

Is there anything you want to say to him?
[] "Thank you."
[] Apologize for not doing anything to stop Philander from making Venta feel bad.

[] Ask what you need to do to test out of this subject.
-[] "If I pass the test and choose to continue with Alchemy lessons, what will happen then?"

[] Ask him if he can spare any plants or seeds which you could grow in your garden plot.

[] "I have a theory about why Alchemy is a required subject for first-year students…"
-[] Write in: what is your theory?

[] Say something else. (Write in: what do you want to say?)
[] No, nothing else.

Spoiler: Notes

If you don't want Dorian to say anything, vote for "No, nothing else."

 

[Chandagnac]

Spoiler: Notes

My attempt to use the "No, nothing else" option as a cut-off point didn't really work this time, but I still think the idea is a good one.

*

Conversing with Professor Kunrath​

'Good enough,' says Kunrath. 'For now. You did well today, by the way. Excellent potion. I hope you'll consider staying in this class.'

Click to shrink...

You think about apologising, but you quickly realise that he doesn't want an apology from you: he wants you to do better next time. If you apologise, it could make him think that you haven't understood what he's been saying. So, instead, you say, 'Thank you, sir. I'll try to speak up next time.'

'That is all I ask,' he replies. 'You may go.'

'Would you mind answering a few questions for me?' you ask.

'All right, ask your questions.' He looks contemplatively at you. 'If I can answer them, I will.'

'Earlier, you said that most pupils would probably drop this subject – Alchemy, I mean – at the earliest possible opportunity. But I don't understand how we'd go about doing that, or how we'd move from one subject to another.' Hastily, you amend this with, 'It's not that I want to drop Alchemy, you understand, it's just…'

As your voice trails away, Kunrath says, 'I understand. You want to know how the system works. Very well, I can explain the basic outline. There are forty-two weeks in the school year, not including holidays. Three terms, each of them consisting of fourteen weeks. Seven weeks in each half-term, with a week's holiday in between. At the end of each half-term, your progress will be assessed. You may have to sit a written test, or demonstrate your mastery of certain spells, or complete a project over a certain period of time. If you perform exceptionally well in one of your Alchemy or Literacy assessments, you will be allowed to drop that subject and choose one of the second-year classes to join instead. You can't drop Ritual Magic, at least not in the first year. Because it forms a vital framework for all of the other magic you will learn at this school, Ritual Magic lessons are compulsory, at least until the end of the second year.'

This is a lot of information for you to process. You stand in silence, lost in thought, until the professor gets up from his seat.

'Was there anything else?' he asks, walking over to the cupboard to inspect the glassware which your class used earlier. He notices that some of the vials and flasks have been improperly cleaned and gets them out to give them a more thorough wash.

'Yes,' you say, feeling brave. 'I have a theory about why Alchemy is a required subject for first-year pupils: I think it's meant to teach us elastic thinking and creativity. You said it yourself this lesson: anyone can follow instructions, at least if they are given them in the right way, but that doesn't give them the kind of understanding they'd need to create their own spells or figure out new kinds of magic by investigation instead of having to look in a book. One of the things you're trying to teach us is how to think for ourselves.' You pause, watching the professor's reaction. 'Am I right?'

Still washing up, Kunrath remarks, 'I probably won't discuss this during lesson time, unless your classmates seem particularly interested, but I don't see the harm in telling you, if you're eager to know. Your answer is correct, but it's not the only correct answer. There are several reasons why we teach Alchemy to first-year pupils. First off, as you've said, it's to encourage them to be creative, to experiment and think for themselves. More than that, Alchemy is a hybrid of several different disciplines and sciences which are useful for wizards to know, but there isn't enough time for you to study all of them in detail while you're at school. If you want to be a truly great wizard, you'll need an extraordinary breadth of knowledge, so you'll have no other choice but to continue your studies far beyond what we can teach you. The real purpose of first-year Alchemy lessons is to give our pupils a glimpse – just the faintest hint – of the vast ocean of knowledge they have yet to dip a toe into.' He chuckles to himself, puts the last of the glassware on the side to drain, and glances at you. 'And another thing…' He hesitates, wary of broaching a delicate subject. 'If you don't mind me asking, how are you paying for your school fees, Dorian?'

'I don't know,' you admit. 'Someone paid for me to attend the academy this year, but I don't know who.'

'Hmm. If I were you, I would make it my mission to find out. Someone has paid a large sum of money on your behalf. Presumably they want something from you in exchange. The fact that they haven't revealed themselves to you… well, that doesn't imply anything good, does it? However, before you panic, I'd suggest that you discuss this with your family. I'm sure they know more about this than you do. Perhaps they made a deal with someone on your behalf.'

A shiver of apprehension runs down your spine. 'I… uh… how worried should I be?'

'That depends. Even if their intentions towards you are nefarious, you still have options. What I would recommend you do is try to earn enough money to be able to repay them. Then, if they try to force you to do anything you don't want to do, you can simply give them their money back plus a suitable interest rate, and then they won't have any legal case against you. Which, incidentally, is why I mentioned this in the context of why Alchemy is taught to first-year pupils. You see, the faculty members here at the academy want you to be successful, to make your mark on the world, to spread the reputation of this school, and to look back on your schooldays with fondness. Not necessarily for any altruistic reasons, but because it benefits us. We don't want our pupils to end up as indebted slaves, or to flee to other countries, or to get themselves killed because of a failure to take proper safety precautions. Something the headmaster is very keen on emphasizing is that one of the purposes of this school is to give you the tools you'll need to be able to take care of yourselves.'

Kunrath takes a deep breath. 'Hence, Alchemy. Even if you have nothing, even if you have to search through piles of rubbish to get the parts you need, a skilled alchemist can always make something that other people will want to buy. One of my former pupils started off as a penniless waif, but by collecting rags and using alchemy and her rudimentary sewing skills to improve them, making them thicker and warmer, giving them bright colours and unusual textures and so on, she became a highly regarded fashion designer. I believe she now has a privileged position in the imperial court in Samanothrax.'

'I've joined the Gardening Club,' you say. 'Maybe I could grow plants and then sell them.'

'That's a decent idea, but you'll need to very carefully plan for the future. For example, if you want to sell winter marigolds in the spring, you'll need to plant them around about now. But, if you make an effort, it could work out very well for you. Let's imagine that by the springtime you'll have forty marigolds available to sell. You'll need to buy or borrow a little cart and some pots to put them in, which will cost you five or six shards. Let's say you manage to sell all of them, three shards each – you could probably get a better price than that if you're really charming about it, but three is about average, I reckon – then afterwards you'll have one hundred and twenty shards, minus your costs. That's a lot of money you could put towards either paying off your debt or saving for next year's school fees.'

You consider the little square of land which has been allotted to you. 'I think I could fit a great many more than forty marigold plants into my garden.'

Kunrath beams at you. 'Exactly.'

'So… you'd recommend that I grow some marigolds, would you?'

'Very useful plant, in many ways. Popular for decoration, so you should have no trouble selling them. The petals are edible and can be used in salads, soups, or stews; or they can be used as a source of yellow, orange or brown dyes. An oil extracted from them is supposed to have anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antibacterial properties, which makes it useful for healing potions. And in some religions, they're held to be sacred, used to make crowns and garlands which are draped around statues of their gods, or worn by their worshippers during ceremonies. Very useful Alchemical ingredient, as I'm sure you can imagine.'

'Would you like me to grow some marigolds for you, sir?'

He laughs. 'Ask me closer to the time. I'm sure I can offer you a fair price.'

'I don't actually have any money,' you admit. 'And there's still plenty of space in my garden. Could you spare any plants or seeds for me to grow? Please?'

'I suppose I could give you some seeds or cuttings from some of the plants used in today's lesson,' he says, considering. 'And I'm sure I've got some marigold seeds somewhere. Come back to me this evening, I'll have them ready for you.'

'Thank you, sir.'

'Now, you'd better get going. You don't want to miss lunch, do you?'

You assure him that you probably wouldn't, if you were able to remember any of it. On your way out, you take one of each the pamphlets he offered to you earlier. Maybe they'll be of some use to you.

As usual, lunch is filling but strangely mind-numbing. Afterwards, it's gone out of your mind completely.

Spoiler: Experience Points Gained!

From his enlightening conversation with Professor Kunrath, Dorian has gained 2 experience points towards increasing his Insight.

---

At this point, I think I should give you the opportunity to reorganise Dorian's timetable. During the second part of Day Three, you've voted to "Study Alchemy". It may be that you're still happy to do that (in which case Dorian will read through the pamphlets Professor Kunrath gave him) or you might want to do something else.

What do you want to do during the second period? (Choose one)
[] Study Alchemy (read pamphlets, gain 2 xp towards Alchemy)
[] Study Ritual Magic (read illusory textbook, gain 2 xp towards Ritual Magic)
[] Get together with Cadre 1F to practice Literacy (gain 2 xp towards Literacy, help Isolia gain Literacy)
[] Do something else (write in).*
*This period is supposed to be study time, so keep that in mind if you want to write in. Yes, it's possible to skive off and do something else, but you'll get into trouble for it.

You've already had quite a long conversation with Professor Kunrath, so I doubt that you'll want to go back and "Attempt to speak with Alchemy Professor" during the third slot. What do you want to do instead? (Choose one)
[] Collect seeds and cuttings from Professor Kunrath. Get on with some gardening. (+2 xp towards Durability, +1 xp towards Knowledge)
[] Go with Philander to the meeting of the Apathy Society (???)
[] Get Philander and Venta together. Attempt to bridge the gap between them (+xp towards Social Skills?)
[] Do some extra studying (+2 xp towards chosen subject)

[] Ask to speak with Green Flame
-[] Tell her that you're worried about whoever paid your school fees for this year.
-[] Tell her that you're worried that some of the school meals are having a strange effect on your mind.
-[] Ask her for help with teaching Isolia how to read.
-[] Tell her that Venta and Philander aren't getting along.
--[] Ask for her help in getting them to be friends.
-[] Say something else to her (write in).

Do something else (write in).

Spoiler: Notes

I mean, I think I've covered most of the things you might want to do, but I always include the 'write in' option just in case anyone has a good idea which I haven't thought of.

 

[Chandagnac]

Week One, Day Three (Part Three)​

Today, in study hall, the supervisory member of staff is someone you don't know. Dressed in white, with blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun, wearing shiny round spectacles and a stern expression, her name is Kira Quazellian and she is the school's Mistress of Ice Magic. She appears deeply engrossed in her own work, so she doesn't bother to reprimand any of the first-year pupils who aren't obviously misbehaving in some way, talking too loudly, or running around the room. Which suits you just fine: as long as you're quiet about it, she doesn't stop you getting up to join the other members of Cadre 1F. Together, you try very hard to help Isolia learn how to read.

Philander and Venta aren't talking to each other. It's not like they're deliberately ignoring each other, more like they don't know what to say to bridge the gap which has grown up between them. At least they're not engaged in active hostilities. You wish that there was something you could do or say which would make them realise that they could be friends. But, even if there was, this isn't a good time or place for it. You don't want to make a scene in front of all the other first-years.

It's a good thing that Isolia seems so determined to learn. She listens avidly to everything that you and the others try to teach her: the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they represent, how to string those sounds together to make words, and the basic rules of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. However, despite her attentiveness, learning to read is not a swift process. Thinking back to your early childhood, you remember your mother taught you how to read when you were four or five years old. It took months. More than that, it took years of practice before you were any good at it. And yet, you're hoping to cram all of that knowledge into Isolia in only a few days, a couple of weeks at most, because her being illiterate is a serious obstacle to her magical training. And because you're worried about what Professor Witt will say or do to her if he's unhappy with her progress.

Perhaps there's a better way to do this, you think. None of you are teachers, your only experience of teaching is from being on the receiving end, and you don't know the best techniques to use to help someone to learn. You're just fellow pupils, muddling through as best you can. It might be a good idea to ask for help. Not from Professor Witt, obviously. But there must be someone else who could give Isolia the tuition she needs.

Spoiler: Experience Points Gained!

You gained 2 experience points towards improving Dorian's Literacy skill.

You're still ruminating on this later on, when you go back to Professor Kunrath's laboratory to pick up the box which he has prepared for you. Opening it, you find five glass jars, all of them half full of water and labelled with the names of the plant cuttings which are growing out of them. One is a branch of lemon thyme. Another is a green peppermint stalk. According to the labels, the others contain sprigs of basil, catnip, and sage. Also, there are seven little paper packets, each containing a different type of seed: wispy dandelion seeds; pinstriped sunflower seeds; rounded brown rosemary seeds; marigold seeds like little black paintbrushes; primrose, lavender and valerian seeds like tiny chips of bark.

'Thank you, sir,' you say, glancing over to where the professor is sitting at his desk, writing something.

'It was my pleasure,' he says with a nod. 'Good luck with everything.'

'I'm disappointed that there isn't an alchemy or potions club I could join.'

'Ah, well, it was thought to be too risky. The societies of pyromancers and cryomancers were forcibly disbanded for much the same reason.'

You decide not to tell him that yesterday you saw Green Flame going to a "study group for people who want to learn more about fire magic", a group which is "legally distinct" from the Society of Pyromancers. That's information you don't want to spread too widely, in case it gets her into trouble.

Before you leave, the professor calls out to you, 'One last thing, Dorian: would you mind giving those jars back to me when you've finished with them?'

'No problem, sir,' you say, opening the door. 'See you next week.'

Outside, you join the other members of the Gardening Club. Isolia is there too. You ask one of the older members what to do with the cuttings which Professor Kunrath gave to you. He recommends that you keep them floating in the glass jars until they've grown a root system. After that, you can plant them outside. For the time being, they need to be somewhere out of the wind: he takes you into one of the school outbuildings where you can put them on the window sill. As a way of staking your claim on them, you get a stick of charcoal and write your name on each of the labels.

Then, you go to your little plot of land, carry on weeding and turning the soil, all the while thinking about what you're going to do with it. Before you even start planting anything, you have a few dahlias, lavender, a little crab-apple tree, and some crocuses. Actually, the dahlias are brightly-coloured and blooming, exotically beautiful flowers which you should probably sell as soon as possible before they go to seed. It might be a good idea to prune them and remove some of the deadheads first, but you're fairly sure that you could get a decent amount of money for them. It seems a bit strange that the previous occupant left them behind for you, but according to some of the other gardeners she left early in the summer and didn't have enough time to do anything with them.

One corner of your plot is getting overrun with weeds: stinging nettles and burdock, mostly. Your initial impulse is to get rid of them, but then you consider that they might have some alchemical uses. Besides, you'll need some very thick gloves before you can do anything with the nettles.

As promised, Fen gives you a few onions, and some radish and carrot seeds. Now, you have to decide what you want to plant. It might take you a few sessions to finish planting, but you can at least make a start.

Spoiler: Your Garden

I'm going to try to abstract this as much as possible. Let's say that your garden consists of a hundred squares (10x10). In this table, I will represent the plants already growing in your garden as squares which have been filled:

Type of plant	Number of squares
Crab apple tree	1
Dahlias	5
Crocuses	10
Lavender	3
Nettles	8
Burdock	3

In total you've already got 30 squares filled. You have 70 empty squares which you could choose to fill. However, you will need to leave at least five empty squares so that you can plant the cuttings which Professor Kunrath gave you.

Therefore, you have 65 empty squares to play with.

What do you want to do?
[] Get some thick gloves and a knife. Then, get rid of the stinging nettles. (Will give you +8 spaces in your garden)
[] Get some thick gloves and a knife. Then, get rid of the burdock plants. (Will give you +3 spaces in your garden)
[] Get rid of any other plants (write in: what do you want to get rid of).
[] Talk to some of the other Gardening Club members about potting the dahlias and getting them ready to sell.

[] Plant some seeds.
-[] Carrot (5 spaces)
-[] Dandelion (5 spaces)
-[] Lavender (5 spaces)
-[] Marigold (5 spaces)
-[] Radish (5 spaces)
-[] Rosemary (5 spaces)
-[] Sunflower (5 spaces)
-[] Valerian (5 spaces)

[] Plant some onions. (You have enough onions to fill a single space.)

Spoiler: Experience Points Gained!

You've gained 2 experience points towards improving Durability and 1 experience point towards improving Knowledge.

Spoiler: Notes

Yay! Gardening Simulator 2020!

Radishes, carrots and onions are useful as food. You can find the alchemical properties of most of the other seeds here.

I realise this could get very fiddly. What I suggest you do first is discuss what you want to do. Think about how you want to fill the available space. Then, maybe somebody could come up with a plan and other people could vote for it? I leave it up to you.

EDIT: Or, I just realised that you could quite easily plant all of the seeds you've got available. Afterwards, you'd still have plenty of space left over.

 

[Chandagnac]

Spoiler: Notes

Possibly I should have included this along with everything else I'm writing for Day Four, but I thought it would make more sense to post them separately.

*

Isolia's Garden​

One corner of your plot is getting overrun with weeds: stinging nettles and burdock, mostly. Your initial impulse is to get rid of them, but then you consider that they might have some alchemical uses. Besides, you'll need some very thick gloves before you can do anything with the nettles.

As promised, Fen gives you a few onions, and some radish and carrot seeds. Now, you have to decide what you want to plant. It might take you a few sessions to finish planting, but you can at least make a start.

Click to shrink...

You have a lot of garden space to fill and relatively few seeds, so you decide to plant all of them. To do that, you first need to borrow a dibber. Lucky for you that the Gardening Club has a wide range of tools which you can borrow. For most of the evening, you walk around with the dibber, making small holes in the ground so that you plant your seeds, and then covering them over with a thin layer of soil. During this time, when you want to take a break, you go over to Isolia's plot and see how she's doing.

There is a rather dense thicket of weeds covering most of her garden area: stinging nettles, field bindweed, docks, and a more-than-usually giant hogweed, all of which appear to have been deliberately cultivated by the previous occupant. In fact, some of these plants are so dangerous that one of the older and more experienced members of the Gardening Club has been assigned to help her with them. He's a sandy-haired youth with tanned skin and a near-permanent scowl. Apparently, his name is Amarin dan Zahl and he's a fourth-year pupil.

'What do you want me to do with the giant hogweed?' he asks. 'Be warned, if you touch it, even for a moment, you might get very badly burnt and not realise until it's too late. And then you wouldn't be able to go outside for weeks.'

'Uhh… what do you think I should do with it?' Isolia asks.

'With your permission, I'd like to cut it down and render it into spell components. Could be useful for light magic rituals, that sort of thing. I'll swap you for it. What would you like in exchange?'

Isolia pauses, engaged in thought. 'Food plants?' she says at last, inflecting it like a question.

'I've got some fennel plants you can have. They're edible, every part of them. Also, a key ingredient in the potion of heroism. Don't even ask me about the other ingredients.'

'Oh… um, I wasn't going to.'

'That's good. Some of them are illegal.'

'I'm not sure why you mentioned it in the first place,' Isolia says awkwardly.

Amarin mumbles something under his breath. 'Never mind. I'll give you some purslane as well. It grows all year round, near enough. The stems, flower buds and leaves are all edible. Use them in soups, stews, or salads. And I'll get you some mushroom spores you can grow.'

'Edible mushrooms?'

'I wouldn't be offering them to you if they weren't,' says Amarin. He stomps around the garden, looking moodily thoughtful. 'You know, I don't think you're ever going to get rid of that bindweed without taking drastic measures. Maybe a fire magic ritual would do it, but you'd need someone very skilled taking charge, or they'd risk burning down the whole bloody lot.'

'My group tutor is Green Flame, the Master of Fire.'

'Yeah, she could do it, no problem.' Amarin nods. He comes to a decision: 'I'm going to get a knife and some protective clothing.'

'All right, you do that,' says Isolia, as he walks briskly away. Then, turning her head, she notices you. 'Hi, Dorian! How are you?'

'I'm fine,' you say. 'How are you getting on? It seems like you've got a lot to do.'

'Oh, I'm all right,' she replies. 'Come here, there's something I want to show you.'

You follow her deeper into the garden, avoiding a patch of stinging nettles. She points to a rather ugly little plant with wrinkled ovate leaves and dark purple bell-shaped flowers.

'Do you know what that is?' she asks.

'No, I don't,' you say, shaking your head.

'It's a mandrake plant. Apparently, the roots are very valuable. Amarin told me that at times they've been worth more than gold!'

You examine it doubtfully. 'I'd have thought that if they were that valuable more people would grow them, driving down the price.'

'I wouldn't know about that,' Isolia admits. 'Maybe that's what happened. But still, isn't that exciting!'

'It is, rather,' you say, smiling at her enthusiasm.

Spoiler: Notes

Anyway, I'll carry on with Day Four. I'll post that as soon as I can.

 

[Chandagnac]

Spoiler: Notes

'I wouldn't know about that,' Isolia admits. 'Maybe that's what happened. But still, isn't that exciting!'

'It is, rather,' you say, smiling at her enthusiasm.

Click to shrink...

I think this sentence wasn't finished yet?

Click to shrink...

I don't see the problem. Isolia said, "Isn't that exciting!" and Dorian replied, somewhat Britishly, "It is."
(The "rather" on the end could mean "a bit" or you could see it as a British idiomatic sentence filler.)

*

Week One, Day Four ​

The next day, you go to your second Ritual Magic lesson. This time, Professor Glossoloria teaches you a cantrip which can be used to mend broken objects, seal a bleeding wound, or stick two things together as if with a strong glue. One of your classmates, Aurilee Berenza, already knows this spell. The professor asks her to demonstrate it to the rest of you and offer suggestions to anyone who is having difficulty with it. Aurilee seems to blossom in the light of so much attention.

Spoiler: Ability check!

I decided that Dorian should roll a Magic check (2d6+3). I rolled the dice and got a total of 13. Great success.

You don't need any help. The spell comes easily to you. However, there is something which bothers you about it. Although you can use it to repair broken objects, there will always be a visible seam where they were joined together: a weak point which will easily fracture when subjected to any kind of pressure. You remember what Professor Witt said about it earlier in the week, when Aurilee tried to use it to fix a broken slate: "If you break something, it'll never be the same again, even if you repair it with magic. You can't win against entropy."

It would seem that perfect repair is not possible, at least not with this spell. If you suffered a serious injury, you could use it to close a gaping hole in your body, preventing further blood loss, but – and this is important – it wouldn't actually repair the damage. It might buy you some time, but you'd still have to wait until you healed naturally. Or, much worse than that, it could mislead someone into thinking that everything was fine while in fact they were dying of internal bleeding. Better use it with caution, you think to yourself.

Actually, it makes you wonder if there is a better way to go about this. When you have more knowledge and understanding of magic, will you be able to learn a more powerful repair spell, something which could put up more of a fight against entropy?

Spoiler: New spell!

Dorian just learnt the Mend cantrip.
To cast this spell, you need to roll a Magic check and get 7 or more. (Later on, when you learn how, you can choose to make this a Ritual Magic check instead.)
This spell can be used to mend broken objects, seal a bleeding wound, or stick two things together as if with a strong glue.

Your cogitation is interrupted by a scuffle between two of the other pupils. Evidently, Phil used his new spell to stick both of Vyron's hands to his desk. Vyron was able to wrench himself free with great difficulty, knocking over the desk and leaving behind several layers of skin. He then launched himself at Phil, intent on giving him a "richly-deserved thrashing". Flailing, Phil tried to fend him off, hitting him on the nose and making him bleed.

Before you're able to do anything, Professor Glossoloria immobilizes both combatants with a simple gesture. She assigns one of Vyron's teammates, Nelani Callows, to escort him to the infirmary. Then, she stares coldly at Phil.

'If you can't take this seriously, I don't want you in my lesson,' she says. 'Go and stand outside.'

She makes Phil stand outside for the rest of the lesson, until it's time for everyone else to go. Afterwards, you wait while she gives him a stern telling off.

'Are you all right?' you ask him, a few minutes later, when he joins you in the corridor.

'Yeah. She says if I do anything like that again she'll give me a detention,' he says.

'So… you're not going to do anything like that again, are you?'

'No promises,' he mutters.

Spoiler: Experience Points Gained

You've gained 2 experience points towards learning Ritual Magic.

During today's study period, you continue to read the Ritual Magic textbook you were given earlier in the week. You are gratified to note that the magic circle which you drew on the back, sustaining the illusion, seems to be working well.

Professor Glossoloria mentioned two things you need to cast a spell: power and will. The textbook mentions a third: focus. Power is magical energy, the fuel for spells. Willpower is what enables a wizard to bend the laws of reality. Focus is needed to make sure that a spell does exactly what it is meant to do, without any nasty side effects. The purpose of rituals is to make it easier to cast spells, by helping a wizard to gather power, maintain focus, or bolster their will. Alternatively, there are some rituals which achieve similar effects by different means: by reducing the amount of power needed to cast a spell, obviating the need for focus by clearly defining the rules of the spell, or weakening the laws of reality to make it easier for a wizard to bend or break them.

At bottom, rituals are tools which wizards use to make spellcasting easier for them. If they had unlimited power, an unbreakable will, and perfect focus, they wouldn't need to use rituals.

You spend a few hours reading about this. By the end, you're not entirely sure that you've understood everything you've read, but you feel better about it than you did before.

Spoiler: Experience Points Gained

You've gained 2 more experience points towards learning Ritual Magic.

It's surprisingly difficult to find a place where you, Phil, and Venta can talk privately, but you persevere. There are a few empty classrooms which no one seems to be using. Eventually, you lead your teammates to one of them and say, 'All right, we can talk here.'

Phil looks uncomfortable, but he's had time to think about this and it seems like he knows what he needs to say. You don't have to give him much prompting. 'I'm sorry if I upset you, Venta. I didn't mean to. Like… I joke around all the time, it's who I am, but I never intended to hurt you.'

'Maybe I have been overly sensitive,' Venta murmurs.

'And maybe I did intentionally rile you up when I saw how easy it was,' Phil admits.

'We're teammates. We have to look out for each other,' you say, echoing Professor Kunrath's words. 'Can you do that?'

'Yeah, I reckon so,' says Phil, offering a grimy hand to Venta. 'Friends?'

She accepts his offer of a handshake, brushing her dainty hand against his, very gingerly. 'It's got to be worth a try.'

'How did you get so grubby, Phil?' you ask with some amusement. 'What have you been doing?'

'Oh, Simony wanted to show me something,' he says vaguely. 'Actually, forget I said that.'

Venta shakes her head exasperatedly. 'Fine. Whatever.'

'As long as it doesn't cause any trouble for us, I suppose that's fine,' you say, a trifle uneasily.

'Um, do you need me for anything?' Isolia asks anxiously.

'Well, you're a member of our team,' you say. 'This is team stuff. Therefore, you should be part of this.'

'All right. In that case… I wanted to thank you all for helping me learn how to read. I'm very grateful.'

'Thank us later, when you've learned enough to impress Professor Lackwitt,' Phil says gruffly.

'I hope he doesn't hear you calling him that,' says Venta, glancing at the door.

'I'll keep practising,' says Isolia with a solemn nod.

'Right. Excellent,' you say, clapping your hands together. 'I think this team meeting has gone rather well. Let's do it again sometime.'

'Yeah, but next time, let's do something fun,' says Phil.

'Like what?' asks Venta.

'Bladderwrack, of course! Four players, that's enough for a full team. We'd need to get some practice in before we could take on the league, but… come on, at least think about it!'

You groan, but there's no real ill feeling behind it. In fact, you're very pleased with how well that went. Philander and Venta both seem like reasonable people, you're happy to be on a team with them, and you don't think there'll be any trouble between them in future.

It's been a good day. You head outside to enjoy the last of the evening sunshine.

Spoiler: Experience Points Gained

You've gained 1 experience point towards gaining Awareness and 1 experience towards improving Social Skills.

---

That's another day gone by. What do you want to do on Day Five?

Action Slot 1:
[X] Lesson: Literacy

Action Slot 2:
[X] Study Period: Literacy
(According to your timetable, that's what you've planned to do. But you can change that if you wish. See the options below.)

[] Study Alchemy (read pamphlets, gain 2 xp towards Alchemy)
[] Study Ritual Magic (read illusory textbook, gain 2 xp towards Ritual Magic)
[] Get together with Cadre 1F to practice Literacy (gain 2 xp towards Literacy, help Isolia gain Literacy)
[] Do something else (write in).

Action Slot 3:
[X] Study Literacy
(Again, that's what you said that you wanted to do. Again, you can change that if you wish. See the options below.)

[] Do some more gardening. (+2 Durability xp, +1 Knowledge xp)
[] Attend to the Music Club
[] Attend the School Choir
[] Do some extra studying (+2 xp towards chosen subject)
[] Find Simony Boole. Sell your dahlias to him. (Note: this won't take very long. You can choose another action as well as this one.)

[] Ask to speak with Green Flame
-[] Tell her that you're worried about whoever paid your school fees for this year.
-[] Tell her that you're worried that some of the school meals are having a strange effect on your mind.
--[] Ask her how you can protect your mind.
-[] Ask her for help with teaching Isolia how to read.
-[] Tell her about the bindweed problem in Isolia's garden. Ask her for help.
-[] Say something else to her (write in).

[] Do something else (write in).

 

[Indivisible]

On the subject of money:

Dorian's upcoming costs/wants:
1) Gardening Club Membership fee (1 shards per month, so about 10 shards)
2) Next years tuition (126 shards)
3) Paying back this year's tuition (126 shards +interest)
4) Fees for other Clubs (?)

Sources of Money:
1) Selling Dahlias (20 shards minimum if sold in town)
2) Selling marigolds (3 shards per flower to Prof Kunrath, 4-5 shards per flower in town (good salesmanship)
3) Other garden products (?)
4) Selling alchemical stuff (?)


The Dahlias can likely cover costs for the Gardening and other clubs.

The Marigolds can cover next year's tuition if we plant at least 42 of them, though we won't see the money for months and will want to plant extra to account for losses. We currently have 5 garden squares of marigolds, so we will likely need to spend some of the Dahlia money on more marigold seeds.

We still have a lot of other garden products that we can sell, but we don't know who to sell them to or for how much. I have no idea how much money this can make us.

The Alchemy idea is more of a summer plan. Prof Kunrath went into how alchemy can be used to make a lot of money, so the idea is to use our extra garden earning to buy an alchemy set-up/recipe books, and then make and sell potions over the summer.

 

[Chandagnac]

Spoiler: Notes

You know, in this fantasy setting, I'm just going to name the days of the week after their numerical position within the seven-day period. So, Monday = Oneday, Tuesday = Twoday, Wednesday = Threeday, Thursday = Fourday, and so on. How very Convention nationale of me.

*

Week One, Day Five (Part One)​

Your last lesson of the week is Literacy, taught by Professor Apollinus Witt. (Philander calls him "Appalling-us Witt" or "Lackwitt", but not to his face.) To his credit, he seems to be trying hard to control the class and teach everyone something which will be useful to them, despite the wide range of pupils of different abilities and levels of skill which he has to cater for. However, when events deviate from his lesson plan, he has a short temper and very little patience. You keep your head down and try to focus on the work you've been told to do.

Like most of the other pupils in the class who are able to read and write to a basic standard, you've been asked to write a short essay about yourself. Using a stick of chalk, you will write on the slate layers of slate on top of your desk. Meanwhile, Professor Witt will gather together those pupils who, like Isolia, didn't know how to read and write before they came to this school; he will begin teaching them.

Adjusting your desk to a more comfortable angle, you raise your stick of chalk and think about what to write. First, your name. Your age. Where you come from. That's a good start.

My name is Dorian Valens. I am eleven years old. I was born in the city of Tyrepheum in the Sambian Empire.

What should you write next? You pause, considering your options. About your elven blood? About your parents?

You overhear the professor berating one of the boys for being slow to understand. Apparently, he had to explain something to him three times.

It would probably be for the best if you weren't caught eavesdropping. Lowering your head, you concentrate on your writing.

I have elven blood. I suppose I must have inherited it from one of my parents, but I don't know which. Both of them look human. Apparently, I'm a throwback to a distant ancestor. It happens sometimes.

My father's name is Theophyllus Valens. He is a government official. It is his job to uphold the law and to make sure that people are treated fairly. However–

You hesitate. The chalk in your hand makes an ugly little squiggle as you hurriedly cancel what you were going to write, but it doesn't take much to rub out the mistake. Almost too late, you've realised that it would be better not to write about your father's illness – his shortness of breath, his permanent phlegmy cough, the fact that he seems to be slowly wasting away despite a good appetite – or the expensive magical healing which has kept him alive so far, but seems to be doing less and less for him over time. Apparently, a body can develop resistance to magical healing: the more it's used, the more powerful magic is needed to have the same effect.

No, you don't want to write about any of that, or the fact that there have been an increasing number of days when your father has felt too ill to work, a situation which has compounded your family's financial woes. Before they sent you away to school, your mother said something about having to find a way to earn some money herself. She's sold off her jewellery and her more valuable dresses already. The fact that she was able to be a lady of leisure was something your family took pride in: in Sambian society, it's a mark of high status for a woman to be able to stay at home, keep house and play hostess. But soon it seems like your family will have that pride and status taken away from them.

'Where did they get the money to send me to this school?' you wonder, not for the first time, blinking back tears. 'What bargain did they have to make?' Of course, you don't say that out loud, only in the privacy of your own mind.

Rubbing out that last "However", you continue writing, starting a new paragraph.

My mother's name is Carmenta Valens. She has many friends among the prominent noblewomen of this city. She is a supporter of worthy charitable causes. Also, she taught me how to read and write. She taught me numeracy. She is a good housekeeper and cook. Her hazelnut biscuits are the best.

Idly, putting down the chalk for a moment, you wonder if your mother could make a living selling hazelnut biscuits. You'd be willing to pay.

Then, to your dismay, you hear Professor Witt yelling at Isolia. 'You stupid girl! Haven't you been listening to a word I've said?! If you can't even do that, how do you expect to get anywhere at this school?'

She wilts in the heat of his anger. 'I… I'm trying,' she sniffles.

'Well, you'd better try harder, then! Or you may as well go back to the gutter where you belong!'

You note that this is the second time this week that Witt has shouted at one of the girls and made them cry. And you've only had two lessons with him so far. A perfect 1:1 ratio. Professors Kunrath and Glossoloria might be better teachers, but they'll never be able to beat that.

Although you feel strangely calm, you're not sure what to do, or even if you should do anything at all. Professor Kunrath told you that while you're at this school your teammates will be like a second family and that you should look out for them. However, you're not sure if he would approve of you leaping to her defence against one of his fellow teachers. He might think that was disrespectful. Or he might applaud your courage. You don't know which, not for certain.

On the one hand, standing up to Professor Lackwitt is likely to get you into trouble. He might give you a detention or hit you with that cane he likes so much. Your parents will not be happy if you get into a lot of trouble during your first week at school.

On the other hand, Isolia is very upset. She's a member of your team and she needs your help. Since Phil and Venta have stopped arguing, your team has started to come together nicely. You don't want to do anything to jeopardize that.

What is the right thing to do here?
[] Stand up to Professor Witt. Tell him that Isolia is trying her best and she has been working very hard.
OR
[] Remain silent. Carry on with your written work. Hope that Professor Witt loses interest in Isolia or that someone else will go to her aid.

Spoiler: Notes

As usual, I will accept write-in votes. In particular, if you want Dorian to stand up to Professor Witt, it would be very helpful if you could 'write in' suggestions of things he could say to him.

 

[Chandagnac]

Week One, Day Five (Part Two)​

At an opportune moment, while the professor is getting his breath back, you stick your hand up in the air and call out to him, 'Sir, have I written enough yet?'

'Do not interrupt me, boy!' he thunders back at you. Nevertheless, he leaves behind the pupils he was previously terrorizing and comes over to see what you've written, which you consider a success. You're tempted to point out that you didn't interrupt him – indeed, you couldn't possibly have interrupted him – because he wasn't saying anything at that moment. But there's no point in getting into trouble if you don't have to, so you keep your mouth firmly shut.

Quickly perusing the three paragraphs you've written so far, Professor Witt says, 'I think you could write a lot more. Fill all of the available space,' he says, indicating the rest of the slate. 'You have the rest of the lesson in which to do it. Otherwise, I can't see anything wrong with your spelling, grammar, or punctuation, but I'd prefer it if you used a more varied and interesting vocabulary. Can you do that for me?'

'I suppose,' you mutter. 'I don't really feel comfortable writing anything else about my family, though.'

Witt raises his eyebrows in exasperation. 'The reason I suggested that you write about yourselves is because that is a subject which all of you know well and should have plenty to write about. However, I am much less interested in the content of your writing than with the literacy skills and techniques you display in writing it. Therefore, what you write doesn't need to be true or factually accurate. Frankly, I don't care about your lives outside this school: your families, your dreams and aspirations; they mean nothing to me. As far as you're concerned, all I care about is teaching you the skills you need to pass this class.' He indicates your unfinished essay, written in chalk across your desk's slate finish. 'Feel free to make something up if you have to.'

You nod. 'Thank you, sir.'

While you continue your essay with a wholly invented story about wanting to travel to the moon to free the goddess imprisoned there, the professor stalks around the classroom, examining the essays which other pupils have written. He offers criticisms, suggestions and corrections to each of them as he passes by. Evidently, his brief dialogue with you reminded him of the need to do that, or perhaps he's glad of this excuse to spend some time away from the group of pupils whose inability to grasp what he was trying to teach them was causing him so much frustration.

The feeling is mutual, it seems. Isolia shoots a grateful smile in your direction, glad of this reprieve.

As Witt passes by Philander's desk, he says gruffly, 'Deliberate misspellings aren't funny, boy. How I can properly assess what you're capable of, if you show me silliness like that? Absolute rubbish.' It's a gentler rebuke than you expected, so perhaps his temper has cooled somewhat.

The rest of the lesson goes fairly smoothly, but you're not sure that Isolia gained much from it. Actually, you're not sure what you gained from it either, except for a few new ideas about space travel.

Spoiler: Experience Points Gained!

You've gained 1xp towards Literacy and 1xp towards Social Skills, with the possibility of gaining the 'Distraction' speciality for Social Skills.

Your study session continues much the same as on previous days, with Isolia making an effort to learn how to read and write, and the rest of Cadre 1F gathered together to assist her. Today, the member of staff supervising the first-year pupils is Anjelmas Fufirello, a wild-haired man who is apparently the school's Master of Force Magic. He seems interested enough in what you're doing that he gets up to asks you about it, but after you explain he is content to let you carry on.

Spoiler: Experience Points Gained!

You've gained 2xp towards Literacy.

Later that afternoon, you approach Green Flame's office and knock on the door. 'Yes?' she says, opening it a fraction. 'Dorian. Good afternoon. Is there anything I can do for you?'

'There are a few things. Do you mind if I come in?' you ask. You have some concerns which you don't want to be made public, so it only makes sense to discuss them in private.

She gives a nod, steps back and opens the door for you. 'Have a seat,' she offers, indicating the row of chairs next to the desk.

'Thank you,' you say, sitting down. 'I have a few questions I hope you can answer for me. And… I'm worried about whoever paid my school fees for this year. I don't know who they are or what they might want in return.'

'Who arranged for you to come to this school?' asks Green Flame. Her expression is as blankly unreadable as ever.

'My parents. But they told me a long time ago that I'd be coming here. I've known that for as long as I can remember.'

'Have you talked to your parents about this?'

'No, not yet,' you admit.

'Do it as soon as possible. There are other people you could ask: the bursar or the headmaster, for example. However, I'd recommend that you speak to your parents first.'

'When can I do that?'

She pauses for thought. 'This weekend?' she suggests. 'I could escort you to meet your parents. Actually, I could do the same for the other members of Cadre 1F. I'm sure they'd appreciate having this opportunity to meet their loved ones.'

'I… uh, I've joined the Gardening Club. I want to go to the market to sell some dahlias. Could we do that as well?' you ask, feeling very daring.

'Bold of you. Some would say rude,' Green Flame comments. Her lips bloom with the faintest hint of a smile 'But yes. I will escort you to meet your parents, you can ask them some questions, then we can go to the market to sell your dahlias while your teammates spend some extra time with their parents. I will guard you so that you don't get mugged. And afterwards, you can do a little job for me.'

'What kind of "little job"?' you ask.

'One of my former pupils is… Now that he is a student at the university, a strange mood has taken possession of him. He spends much of his time and money in one of the local taverns, drinking too much alcohol. It is a waste of his talents.'

'You're worried about him?'

Green Flame hesitates. She looks puzzled. 'I suppose… yes,' she says at last.

'Was that so hard to admit?' you ask, smiling mischievously.

'Emotions are difficult for me. I was meant to be a soldier, to defend the world from demonic invasions. "Green Flame" is my name, rank, and identifying code. My creator thought that emotions would be a useless distraction, so he removed them from me. However, more recently… I was captured and experimented on by wizards. They altered my programming. So, now I have emotions. To an extent.'

'All right, well… I had some other things I wanted to talk about,' you say, awkwardly changing the subject. 'I'm worried that the school meals are having an effect on my mind. I can never remember eating them, even immediately afterwards. Fen told me – you know, Fenella Ortens – she told me that it's a test, which means that I should work on my mental defences. How can I do that?'

'I understand. There is a cloud of forgetfulness surrounding much of the food served in the school cafeteria. You wish to break through it.' Green Flame pauses, drumming her fingers on the desk. 'Are you sure? I've heard that school food isn't very nice. You may regret learning how to experience it.'

You give a firm nod. 'I'm sure.'

'For your entire life until now, you have been unaware of the shape of your mind. You have exercised it unconsciously, with no knowing of its dimensions which stretch beyond the grey matter inside your skull. With your permission I will… enlighten you.'

'What are you going to do?'

'Probe your mind with my telepathy. You should be able to feel it. Then, when you have become aware of your own mind, you should push back.'

'It won't hurt, will it?'

'No.'

'All right, go ahead,' you acquiesce.

There is a brief pause, after which you feel a faint brushing at the edge of your mind – you hadn't been aware that your mind had an 'edge' before – you marvel at the sudden feeling of awareness, wholeness and completeness, which you never felt. Somehow, you feel like you've grown to be more than you ever were before. Or were you always this much? Is this just the first time you've realised it? It feels good, except… something is hovering at the outer limits of your senses, pestering you like an irritating little fly.

'It may help you to imagine walls, or fortifications, or putting up barricades,' says Green Flame. 'Alternatively, you might prefer to deflect mental intruders with an elaborate maze of some kind, formed out of confusing memories, thoughts, and emotions. Use whichever method works best for you.'

Following these instructions, you imagine yourself surrounded by a mighty castle. You feel the edges of your mind hardening and rising up to form solid stone walls, while every other part of you is securely hidden inside. 'How do I push you out?' you ask, still feeling a presence just outside your walls.

'With the force of your psyche,' your tutor intones.

Summoning all of your strength, you push with everything you have, until you feel something give way. Afterwards, you're exhausted. Drained of energy and sweating profusely, you suddenly remember where you are, sitting in a dingy little office, and the world seems ever-so-much smaller than it did a few moments ago.

Spoiler: Experience Points Gained!

You've gained 2xp towards Mental Defence.

'That will do for today, I think,' says Green Flame. 'I don't want to cause you any lasting harm.' She regards you for a moment, opens her desk drawer, and takes out a vial of colourless liquid. 'Drink this,' she says, handing it to you.

'Thank you. What is it?' you ask.

'A restorative potion.'

You gulp it down. Almost immediately, you feel much better. Pinch-faced exhaustion seems to fade away.

'I think you understand well enough to continue training your mental defences without my help. However, come back to me if you have any more questions or if you want me to test you.'

'My teammates need to learn as well. Please teach it to them. Mental defence, I mean,' you say, stumbling over your words. 'And… we've been trying to help Isolia learn how to read. Because she can't. But… I don't think she can learn quickly enough. It'll take months to learn, but she needs to know now. Right now. Can you help?'

'Over thousands of years, I've had to learn many different languages. Perhaps I can give her the benefit of my experience. However, right now, I think you should go to bed. The potion I gave you will help, but you need to rest.'

'And I wanted to ask if you could help Isolia with her garden. Bindweed. Fire ritual. Can you do that?'

'We'll discuss it tomorrow,' Green Flame replies, helping you up out of your seat and gently guiding you towards the door. 'Assuming you feel well enough to go.'

'Go where?'

'To see your parents. To the market. To sell your dahlias,' she reminds you.

'Oh, right. I remember.'

'I'll escort you back to your dormitory,' she says, leading you by the hand.

Halfway down the stairs, you feel a wave of dizziness threatening to bowl you over. Green Flame picks you up and carries you the rest of the way. To the infirmary, not the first-year boys' dormitory.

That's strange, you think, just before you fall unconscious.

 

[Chandagnac]

Anyone who's read any of my other quests will be will be familiar with the humorous non-canon omakes I've written for them. Here's one I wrote for this quest:

*

Corny Jokes​

Much later on, when he's a fourth or fifth-year pupil, Dorian will be happily toiling away in his garden. One day, Philander will come to see him. Bereft of his usual cheeky grin, Phil will be looking distinctly melancholy. He'll survey Dorian's flowers, fruits, and vegetables with an expression of wonderment on his face, shaking his head in regret at the opportunities he has missed.

Phil: "You know, if I'd joined the Gardening Club in my first year, I could have had something like this. I could be making real money right now."

Dorian: "Uhh, you can still join the Gardening Club if you want. I'll add your name to the waiting list. Anyway, don't you have your own thriving black market business? Aren't you already making a lot of money?" (He frowns.) "I'm pretty sure you're making more money than I am."

Phil: (Wails) "You don't understand, Dory! I could have had class! If I'd played my cards right, I could have grown some golden fields of wheat, barley, and maize–"

Dorian: "Um, we don't have that much space. Anyway, I don't think the ground here is really suitable for cereal crops."

Phil: "Yeah... I could have been somebody, instead of a bum… which is what I am. I could have been a corn-tender!"

Dorian: (Groans) "Nobody here has seen On the Waterfront. Stop breaking the Fourth Wall."

Phil: (Grins) "Pretty good, though, huh?"

Dorian: (Gives a theatrical yawn) "Is that all you've got?"

Phil: "Hey, I'd like to see you do better."

Dorian: "All right, challenge accepted." (He begins plotting his next move in the war of horrible puns.)

Spoiler: Notes

Now, if this were a real update, I'd ask for some write-in votes for how Dorian could rise to this challenge. What kind of joke or trick could he use to get back at Phil for this? And so on.

 

[Chandagnac]

Corny Jokes 2: Have Pun, Will Travel​

Dorian: Anyhow, how are your charities going?

Phil:Charities? What charities?

Dorian: What kind of philanthropist doesn't know what charities are!?

Click to shrink...

Philander: "Ehh, I give it a six out of ten."

Dorian: "Not impressed, huh? All right…" (Escalation intensifies.)

*

The next day, Philander rushes to meet Dorian outside of their Alchemy classroom. His face is covered with tiny red bitemarks.

Philander: "Was it you who filled my bedclothes with weevils?"

Dorian: "Ah. Well, you need to get yourself some brass monkeys. Then you'll see no weevil, hear no weevil, speak no weevil."

Philander: "Of course, you realise that this means war."

Dorian: (Gravely) "Begun, the pun war has."

Spoiler: Notes

And these are a few extra lines I couldn't decide if I wanted to tack on to the end of that scene:

Spoiler: The Extended Edition

(This takes place after Dorian says, "Begun, the pun war has.")
Philander: (Grumbling) "Now who's breaking the Fourth Wall?"

Venta: (Exasperated) "You two are such nerds!"

Philander: 'That's good, right?" (As an aside, to Dorian) "See, she likes us."