The First Day
After collecting their uniforms and being informed of the first-come-first-serve room selection, the students devolve into the adorable internal conflict of trying to rush and look mature at the same time. The two “Quad” dorm buildings are naturally the prime real estate, with the East Wing of dorms coming second and the West and North wings being least preferable.
The Founders learn much about their students in that small rush.
For whatever reason, three of the Outsider students were the first to claim rooms in the Eastern Quad dorm, the luxurious accommodations directly between the Library and the East Lecture hall. As they settled in, a group of Elementals expressed interest in the dorms, rather boisterously. The Outsiders immediately vacated, letting the Elementals have the rooms without an argument. Throughout the day you noticed this happening over and over; rather than even starting a disagreement, let alone a fight, the Outsider students give up the rooms they have claim to. Despite being the first to ‘stake claims’, the four Outsiders end up in the least desirable rooms, in the middle block of the West Wing of dorms. They spend the evening reading textbooks in their sparse rooms (being in Amaya's Courses, they have relinquished all personal effects).
The Quad rooms, the corner rooms with easier access to bathrooms and showers, and the slightly larger rooms closer to the doors (in other words, all of the most “desirable” rooms) are all claimed by Elementals by the end of the day. Neither the Founders nor their interns watching saw sign of foul play or intimidation involved, but the distribution seems a little suspicious. The Elementals head back out to the Southwest field as soon as they’re settled in, where they spend the night talking about their respective homes and getting to know each other.
The Golems might as well have rolled dice to decide, as there certainly doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to the rooms they’ve selected. It IS the case that whenever a Golem selected a room, a large group of Human students happen to choose rooms in the block around them, so perhaps that explains the surprisingly even distribution of Humans and Golems throughout the dorms. They spend the night partying with the Humans. Though it’s pretty clear there’s some alcohol somewhere, the Founders aren’t able to pinpoint exactly where it’s coming from; they’re very good at being discreet about their liquor.
The five Fae students settle in the middle Northeast dorm block, in between two blocks of Elementals. The first Fae to enter her room glanced briefly in the direction of Amaya’s invisible rune when she entered. The Fae students spend the entire evening talking quite brightly to each other about slippers. Making slippers, taking slippers, dyeing slippers, buying slippers, subverting slippers, and occasionally how
HAPPY they are that the
dear Founders would never
dream of breaking their students’ trust by spying on them.
The First WeekAtticus announces a Welcome Week festival to great cheers, and even manages to throw it for relatively cheap, only 1000gp. The festival goes quite well, with various games taking place at all hours of the day. Though there isn’t quite as much inter-special mingling as Atticus might’ve wanted, they ARE at least mingling. The Golems all attend every single night, as do a large portion of Humans and Elementals. The Outsider students watch from the hill on the edge of the valley, appearing to take some enjoyment from just watching the festivities.
Classes begin that week, but everyone is high spirited and hardly ready to settle down to the hard work of study. Teachers go over syllabi, basic overviews of subjects and the like. Students stay up far too late, talking and playing and interacting in the dorms. It’s an excellent opportunity to observe the student body before it buckles down to work.
Lady Amaya sets the tone of the semester right away with her orientation. Professors observe that first week that no other students seem quite so serious (or paranoid) as those in Amaya’s program.
The FoundersAtticus PeltWelcome week taught Atticus a lot about the students, and his friendly manner has certainly made him popular with some of them, especially the Golems. Somewhat more surprising to him is that it has also made a portion of the student body shy away from him. The Outsider students in particular seem very uncomfortable around Atticus. Typically one wouldn’t be able to tell, but Atticus’ experience lets him identify that fact with confidence.
Atticus also writes to all of his contacts he can think of in reference to Avalon’s magical forest. Although he specifically requests redtail foxes, three-eyed deer, and spindly-legged antbuns, he is open to any and all magical animals that his contacts can provide.
Mica EyetoothDuring the Welcome Week festivities, one might see Mica wandering around the darkened campus, here and there stopping to pluck at a string only he can see. It’s a strangely beautiful sight, but becomes even moreso to those with a certain magical capacity, who can actually see the delicate strands like spider’s silk that he is manipulating. A Ley Line cannot be shoved into place (at least not by someone who wants to live) but it’s clear it can be plucked and strung, like an instrument whose harmony is subtly changing. By the end of Welcome Week, the anchors are in place for a Ley Line to run directly beneath the Mana Well.
Also during the first week Mica sits the other Founders down and discusses plans for a vault, using many of the same wards used to protect the school, but turned in on themselves to protect the outside world from things within. The construction moves swiftly, and by the end of the week the vaults have been built, a single room directly beneath the Sorcerer’s Tower.
Mica Eyetooth sits in on Count Possemple's Golem Creation and Golem Care classes for the first day: it’s still too early in the year for the students to recognize him as a Founder. It’s...unnerving, to say the least. Only Human and Golem students have signed up for them, and they all chat and laugh and flirt until the moment Professor Possemple enters the room.
It’s as if a literal switch has been thrown in the Golem students’ heads. Conversations are quickly wrapped up, quips and pickup lines die down to more subtle and non-disruptive flirting like brushing hands and sitting a tad too close to each other. Between Professor Possemple entering the room and actually starting the lecture, every Golem student has gone from party-animal to valedictorian; taking notes, asking intelligent questions, and most surprisingly, listening attentively. Humans being largely pack creatures, the Human students pick up on the behavior change, and Mica spends an hour in one of the most well-behaved classes he’s ever seen. Hell, he might’ve even learned a thing or two.
The Golems’ interest would be perhaps worrisome, if not for the fact that every other Professor reports the same behavior from the Golems that attend their classes. Perhaps this says more about the species than it does about their interest in this subject?
Sir Alter TievelSir Alter Tievel keeps himself busy, but doesn’t perform much in the way of magics. He assists in the Welcome Week, and provides assistance and consultancy for the construction of the vault, but conserves his magic. When classes start he concerns himself mostly with keeping a sharp eye on logistics and record-keeping, a passion he seems to share with Gabriel
Gabriel TempestDuring Welcome Week, Gabriel takes a long walk, wherein he becomes frustrated with the lack of returns he sees on the magical fields at work in the school. Using the existing perimeter around the school, he layers in thick blanketing magics, a weave that acts like a greenhouse or incubator. It is a fact of life that magic leaks and seeps away, but from now on the magics in the school will leak at a much, much lower rate.
Gabriel takes over the first week of classes in Mr Templeton’s place until a replacement can be found, and he too seems focused on logistics when it comes to the management of the school during those first few weeks. Between him, Sir Alter, and their four interns, the Founders are able to keep detailed records on a large amount of the goings on in the first few weeks.
Lady AmayaLady Amaya uses her time to extend her already-prestigious skills at armoring her mind. The protections layered against any type of subtle influence or incursion are so extreme that when an attempt finally does happen, towards the end of Welcome Week, it wakes her out of a deep sleep in the middle of the night.
The attempt on her mind is akin to watching a small frightened blind child stumbling around and trying to find her as she watch from afar. Amaya doesn’t even have to sidestep to avoid her fumbling advances. For what it’s worth, there is no malice or ill intention from the intruder; it’s pure curiosity, both about herself and about Amaya, that leads the attempt. More through luck than through skill, the intruder notices Amaya’s mental attention, and cuts off her probing before Amaya can pinpoint the source. Lady Amaya is fairly confident it came from the Eastern Dorm Wing.
The First MonthA new phenomenon has started; twenty-two students have taken to dyeing one set of their uniforms in bright colors. They still match the rest of the student body, but stand out with bright blues, greens, and reds. A few other students try to copy this style, but for all but the top 70% of Amaya’s program this breaks the dress code and they are reprimanded.
In a student body of around seventy neatly-monochromatic uniforms, twenty-two brightly colored students stand out. A lot of attention, both positive and negative, is turned towards these students. The nickname “Amaya’s Brights” starts to circulate.
Gabriel begins receiving answers from the local businesses, from even more sources than he sent letters to in the first place. The requests are varied, but the needs can be broken down into broad categories:
- Magicians to accomplish physical/mundane labor
- Well rounded sorcerers to carry out diplomatic relations
- Well-rounded sorcerers to carry out overall magic work
- Creation of magical artifacts
- Golem creation and maintenance
- Wards, magic bodyguards, and other magical protections
- Illegal activities
- Study (many of the local businesses have never seen non-humans before. Offers in this category range from cultural exchange opportunities to proposals for dissection and scientific research)
Mr Templeton’s replacement is hired after two weeks of searching; a Priest of the Goddess Calistria. Unlike most applicants, Mr Calahasil has a letter of recommendation signed by the Goddess herself, and the Founders who read the signature find themselves uncomfortably aroused for the rest of the day.
Pater Calahasil is offered temporary lodgings in the Sorcerer's Tower, but due (perhaps) to a misunderstanding, he consecrates a quarter of his floor to the Goddess. Unwilling to risk angering a Deity of Vengeance, the Founders reluctantly agree that he has essentially claimed the room for himself.
Due to extensive record-keeping and their watchful eyes, the Founders notice immediately when one of the Golems shows up to classes with only one arm, the other bandaged up and covered. Unfortunately no one observed exactly when the loss happened. The Golem seems very depressed, but refuses to talk to anyone about it.
Atticus’ contacts begin writing back. For the most part they cannot provide animals for free, but will be willing to send on what they can if they’re assured that Atticus can pay them what the animals are worth.
The artifact acquisition expert reports back: He’s found a small trove of a few items, and wants the go-ahead to pursue them.
The magical tome hunter returns to the school, a large trunk of books in tow. She has no mouth, eyes, or nose; her face a blank smooth slate. Through gestures she indicates that she obviously cannot continue her search, but it has been fruitful so far.
The Golem Cleaning and Cooking staff present a bill for extra costs, namely the (often specialized) food needed to cook for the students according to their diets. The bill comes to 30,000gp for the first two months.
Avalon currently has 14,437 gold left.
The Forest’s Wierwood and Silverleaf are saplings.
The Mana Well is providing no effect for the moment, as the power is equalizing with the Ley Lines.
Mica Eyetooth is magically drained. He can still take on projects, but doing so might over-tax him.
Atticus Pelt is magically energized.
Gabriel Tempest is magically burnt out. It takes effort to even magically warm his tea in the mornings.
Lady Amaya is magically drained. She can still take on projects, but doing so might over-tax her.
Sir Alter Tieval is magically worn. He’s a little frazzled, but still has plenty of energy left in him.
Pater Calahasil is magically energized.
So passes the first month of classes, and the Founders and teachers find themselves with several questions on their minds:
- The Golem with a broken arm is named Tala. When questioned she insists that she doesn’t want to talk about it, but with a little pressing it becomes clear that she literally can’t talk about it. Breaking the geas on her will likely break her mind. She does not want to point fingers and would like it if everyone just proceeded as normal.
- The artifact’s finder’s fee will be 900gp. The Founders can either pay him now, or give up on these particular items.
- The magical tome hunter’s finder’s fee will be 10,000gp, but she will waive her normal fee on the tomes if the Founders get someone else to read the small purple book with the smooth cover in her trunk. Although she refuses to say what will happen to that ‘someone else’, the implications are obvious.
- Lady Amaya may expend energy to try to track down whoever tried to enter her mind
- Are there other actions that should be taken before the second half of the first semester begins?