Soomdevi's missiles arc through the air, striking the eagle head!
Griffon 3 drops like a raptor at Mazta!
Then it strafes, clawing at Goss and Alrinkiri!
Mazta screams in pain and confusion as blood dribbles down his forehead. He runs to the nearest pillar and takes cover.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Griffon 2
Soomdevi
Griffon 3
Seeker 3 (Mazta)
➤ Wisps
➤ Alrinkiri
➤ Akoril
➤ Chimwemwe
Seeker 1 (Goss)
Seeker 2 (Savana)
Griffon 1
Teacher Ot
Akoril hesitates a moment for Wisps before drawing his bow and goes all out protecting the new students by dealing with the griffons as fast as possible,
Overlaying his physical arrow with acid Akoril fires at #1
Chimwemwe recovers his wits after the startling assault by the griffons and traces the glyph on the inside of his left arm. His eyes, the invisible tattoos on his arms, and the runes on his armor flare with white and then pulse and crackle with an even brighter violet light. "Get to the pillars for cover!" he shouts to the anadi as he snaps his mask into place.
He traces a sigil in the air and speaks the arcane arithmetic to summon an arc of lightning to follow after Soomdevi's missles.
"I agree, spread out!" Alrinkiri dashes toward the nearer pillars, firing an icy beam of white energy at the nearest of the griffons.
The regal-looking beast completely avoids Chim's spell. Alrinkiri follows up with an effective blast of cold against their target.
Wisps is up!
Wisps's arrow flies wide, but he inspiration helps Akoril's spellstrike connect with his target.
Goss and Savana each incant a syllable in Anadi, launching a single Magic Missile at Griffon 1 before running for cover!
Griffon 1 Pounces Ot!
It misses, but strafes above, shrieking and clawing at Akoril and Soomdevi!
It draws blood across Akoril's forehead.
A feather falls off the raptor, and the acid damage sizzles out.
Takalu Ot rushes to Masta and heals her.
I am here, seeker of knowledge!
He then looks across the battlefield to Akoril, and speaks calmly. His voice reaches the gnoll's ear as if they were in a quiet classroom together. Akoril. Breathe deep, ignore the pain. Note that the Griffon pauses in the air for a heartbeat when it sees you cast your spell. Likely, it is fascinated by the swirl of colors from your magic. Strike quickly at that moment — you can do it!
Griffon Two screeches in fury and frustration! It Pounces Soomdevi (the one who hurt it), then strafes!
Its talon pierces Soomdevi's shoulder, but wildly misses the rest of the group.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Griffon 2
➤ Soomdevi
Griffon 3
Seeker 3 (Mazta)
Wisps
Alrinkiri
Akoril
Chimwemwe
Seeker 1 (Goss)
Seeker 2 (Savana)
Griffon 1
Teacher Ot
Griffon 1 is badly hurt and dispirited by the appearance of a Pteranodon. It turns and flies away, spreading its wings as it soars over the canals!
Griffon 3 Pounces the Pteradon!
Unable to touch such a fearsome foe, the bird launches itself down at the rogue and Goss!
Mazta fires off two missiles at the griffon, then ducks down again, playing it safe.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Griffon 2
Soomdevi
Griffon 3
Seeker 3 (Mazta)
➤ Wisps
➤ Alrinkiri
➤ Akoril
➤ Chimwemwe
Seeker 1 (Goss)
Seeker 2 (Savana)
Teacher Ot
Chimwemwe reaches over his back to draw his spear. Violet, glowing tattoos crackle with empowering electricity as he throws the lance at the most injured of the remaining griffons .
He then jogs after the injured griffon and his spear.
Akoril winces as he gets strafed but then relaxes a moment as the one he shot flies away.
With several griffons sill menacing the students Akoril focuses for a moment and pulls debris around his arrow, firing at #2.
Chim's javelin strikes the Griffon in the neck, and Akoril's arrow finishes it off. It tumbles to the ground with.a heart-rending cry.
The other bird follows it's companion, winging away over the canals.
Ot helps Mazta up. I am sorry you had to experience this.
Goss walks to the center of the area. Why… why would these creatures attack us?
Students linger on the fringes, some with looks of revulsion on their faces as they watch the andi in spider form, others horrified at seeing such an attack here on school grounds.
Chimwemwe kneels next to the griffon's corpse as he retrieves his spear. "Why and how?" he asks and runs a hand across the feathered chest. "This predator looks starved," he concludes. "That would explain the why. How they were loose to attack in Nantambu, I don't know."
Ot is comforting the confused and terrified andis, but takes a moment to help. A mystery, perhaps. Have any of you heard of such a travesty occurring in our city?
Chimwemwe shakes his head.
Ot shakes his head. Perhaps this mystery can be a topic of investigation for some intrepid students.
Goss walks over to your group and presents a delicate silk scarf woven with a delicate pattern like light falling through turning leaves.
Thank you! Please, take this! It was woven by my grandmother, and is patterned with our community's colors.
Teacher Ot motions to the anadi seekers. Rainbows-Reflected-Upon-Gossamer Strands, Droplets-Hanging-Gently Savanakin, and Barest-Threads-Billowing Maztachia. Please, if you are ready, follow me. If you are not ready — and I understand after such a harrowing experience — the university will shelter you, and we can talk when you are ready.
The seekers nod eagerly. Goss exclaims: We walked so long! We are ready! As the group moves away, you hear Ot's voice, reciting the very same words you life here began with… You may call me Teacher Ot. We can talk a bit on our way to The Circle, where I will present you with a few small tests…
A cool wind ruffles the dead griffon's feathers. A drop of rain falls on the ground. You get out the umbrellas Esi gave you so long ago and make your way back home, to Spire Dorm.
It is a two weeks until the semester begins again.
However, life for the Attendant is still busy. Unless you're Chizire that is; he's always laying in the hammock with his mask on, and it's hard to be sure if he's awake or not.
☀☀☀
During this time, your teachers ask you to think about what your thesis project will be. They will help you craft a thesis if you need, based on your own interests.
☀☀☀
You can also have more free time. You can earn income during this time. (14 days)
Task level 3: You can join or continue the rowing club! You can make a DC 18 athletics check or a DC 16 fort save to earn some winnings or a valuable trophy with the team.
Task level 3: You can assist Lumusi in acquiring choice ingredients with a DC 18 diplomacy check to barter for select goods around town, or DC 16 Nantambu or Cooking Lore.
Task level 3: You can assist Xhokan in with his bookkeeping with a DC 18 deception or intimidate check to collect overdue bills from the students who can afford it (they don't charge people on financial aid), or a DC 16 Accounting or Scribing lore (to help him with maintain his fastidious books).
Task level 3: Haibram is forming a bug-catching task-force. You can help him hunt the most dangerous insects with a DC 18 Survival or Stealth check, or a DC 16 insect Lore check!
Ahassunu is researching the histories of local people for a peer-reviewed study. She needs help gathering stories… DC 18 diplomacy or DC 16 any Lore to gather stories for her.
Mafika is opening a free outdoor gym on campus. He wants to attract lots of people and is looking for students to perform feats of strength or agility to show off the school's stuff. DC 18 athletics, acrobatics, or perform.
Task level 3: Zuma needs you to help him find actors for his latest stage production, which will be performed one time only in a vault deep in the darklands, with no audience. The vault will then be collapsed to ensure the production is forgotten for all eternity. DC 18 Occultism to find the right kind of people for this, or DC 16 Performance to mingle with the avant-garde.
You can craft items. You can craft any of the level 4 or lower masks from the chronicle by adding the enchantment to your own mask (will add these to the wiki when I get time time).
You can retrain class features (not schools, talk to me about that in Slack) following the downtime rules.
Koride approaches you.
You have been doing well in your lessons, Soomdevi. I wonder… She looks at him. The school's rules are so draconian, aren't they? They get in the way. I have certain friends who bring me supplies, but I would like assistance from someone who can blend in. If you are willing to help, I can send you to Shadow-Nantambu. There, I only require you walk by a certain street at a certain time to ensure a particular transaction has taken place. After this, you can return.
For the first week after the three anadi arrived at the Magaambya, Chimwemwe spends his time in the workshop painstakingly extracting the material from the runes on the witch's pick and carefully applying them in a replica onto his friend's weapons.
The next day, Chimwemwe rushes out of the Spire Dorm with a sextant, a bundle of star charts, and his rucksack. "The stars are right!" he answers the question nobody asked and grabs a mango off the table on his way. He does not return until the following morning. Dark circles sag under his tired eyes, and grass stains mar his pants. "Good morning," he mumbles a polite greeting to anyone awake that early on his way to his room.
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Chimwemwe spends the rest of the morning in his room, presumably catching up on his sleep. He misses lunch, which is not surprising for someone who spent the entire prior night in the field. He does not come out for dinner nor emerge to participate in any of the evening games.
Chimwemwe hung his mask by the door, next to the string of silver bells, and dropped his rucksack on his chest of drawers. He was tired. The Battlefield was not a tranquil place during the day; at night, it would try all but the bravest soul's nerves. He had calculated the precise moment to harvest the flame-shaped lilies from the precise quadrant to ensure success. He had watched the stars more and more closely as the moment drew near, eyes dry for fear of blinking and missing the moment. He was sure that his calculations were finally right and that he had collected the flowers properly.
He loosened the mouth of his sack and pulled out the carefully wrapped bouquet of fiery orange lilies to set them on his table. He would process them soon. However, he really did need to sleep and hopefully not dream about the ghostly screams of the Battlefield, which, in truth, would not even be as bad as the bizarre dreams one dreams in Jaha.
He awoke a few hours later feeling a little rested. His head felt buoyant and the world around him seemed to blur a bit if he moved too quickly. In retrospect, he would suppose that he really should have waited until he was fully rested before embarking on his experiment. He would also suppose he should have told someone what he was doing or, probably wiser, recruited an assistant. Lack of sleep makes for poor judgement, and he was in a hurry test his hypothesis.
Chimwemwe pulled on a pair of supple, leather gloves--not all sense had flown from his sleep-deprived mind--and unwrapped the lilies. One by one he milked the sap into a ceramic beaker and then removed the flowers from the stems. He then gently tapped the pollen from each anther one at a time into smaller glass bowl. He diluted the sap in either and heated it over a small flame until it crystalized. He painstakingly repeated the processes until the scant, tiny crystals grew pure, checked under a magnifying glass to ensure they were the proper shape.
The inventor painted out the runic circle on the floor of his room and brought each of the ingredients and his tools to the center. He opened his notes and began the process of mixing the esoteric components into a powdered pigment. He poured the pigment into a glass vial and then added water one drop at a time until he deemed it to have the proper turbidity. Finally, channeled electricity through two thin leads placed into the translucent ink until it turned yellow and glowed slightly.
He sat on the floor, swirling the tube to keep it from settling while he waited for it to cool. Once it had, he poured it into his sevencoat tattooing pen and began to tattoo the palm of his hand. By the time he finished the rune on his first hand, he was feeling feverish and even more lightheaded. Once he finished the rune on his other hand, he only had time to smile at the thought of all the hard work before he passed out on the floor.
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__
That night she moves a rug behind her desk, exposing a ritual circle painted with shadowy runes. It is a simple task. Linger near the shop of Zaraides the Sage; there is a window adjoining the back alley. Ensure a this man — the taps Soomdevi's forehead, and a crystal-clear image of said man is implanted in his brain — enters the shop and makes a purchase of corpse-hair, moon blossom herbs, and King's Drops. Then speak the word "ngunan" and you’ll be snatched back safe and sound.
Be careful! If you see students of the Shadow-Magaambya avoid them at all costs. Now, go:
You disappear in a gale of muted black wind. Like a hurricane’s eye, black, blue, and violet motes turn at impossible speeds before suddenly slowing. As the storm gale fades, the area beyond the pastel winds comes into focus. Buildings made of light gray stone and streets of pure obsidian materialize around you. The sky above is a gloomy collage of grays and blacks, and a pervasive dim light blankets the area. This light has no discernible source, though stronger light sources dangle from braziers attached to the sides of simple stone structures and soaring jagged towers alike.
Koride's spell has sent you on-target. A sign written in spidery script hangs from spidersilk rope outside a dismal shop: Zaraides the Sage. You duck into a the dark alleyway and peer inside — there is a dusty shop full of strange items, jard of disgisting fluids, and bizarre talismans that hurt when you look at them. Zarides himself putters behind the counter; he wears a tall red hood that obscures his features; even your darkvision cannot see through. His hands are covered with velvet gloves.
A rustle behind you — a small hound, little more than a puppy, is rooting through the trash. It looks hungry. Red eyes gaze back at you. It wags its tail.
Alrinkiri asks Xhokan to recommend a reputable embroiderer that can stitch a more powerful rune into their handwraps. After dropping off their wraps to be altered, they come across Mafika setting up his outdoor gym, and agree to publicly participate.
This place has changed me. I would never have come out of the shadows for such a public event before coming here.
In case anybody wants to copy a spell.
0-level: Acid Splash, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Electric Arc, Light, Message, Produce Flame, Ray of Frost, Read Aura, Shield, Spout, Telekinetic Projectile
1-level: Air Bubble, Befuddle, Create Water, Feather Fall, Jump, Magic Weapon, True Strike, Shocking Grasp
2-level Acid Arrow, Comprehend languages, Vomit Swarm, Glitter Dust
Akoril works with Mafika to show off and attract others to the gym.
In between balancing acts Akoril will talk to Mafika. and try and bounce some ideas off him for a thesis.
"Something about the interconnected flow of magic and how ley lines power everything... I'm not sure though, I need to narrow it down some how, or at least focus on a practical output or something..."
It's time to go. One word — "ngunan" — and yu;ll be back in Koride's office. The pup barks again and watches you, waiting for more crickets.
The awkwardness of performing is keen for alrinkiri, but Mafiks seems to understand that this is an important step. And anyway, they get thrown by the martial artist quite dramarically and always land on their feet!
Akoril, meanwhile, dances across a tightrope then performs an archery demonstration with a wooden griffon for target practice. Even Ot is impressed, and promises to come do a light jog once a week!
The next morning, Chimwemwe wakes on the floor with a crick in his neck and a sore hip. Some people can sleep comfortably on a hard floor, but usually they prepare to do so. At least he had not passed out in his armor, he would have had bruises from the pinches. As he sat up, rubbing his sore neck, he suddenly realized that he only pain he had were consequences of an ungraceful sleep. Given what he had done to his hands, they should have been swollen and stinging.
He held his palms before himself and stared at them. No raised, red lines like any of the other tattoos he had received or made himself. He flexed his fingers and frowned in happy puzzlement. Noting the shimmer along the pale, inked glyphs, he squinted and then held his hands--still palms facing himself--upwards and tried different positions and alignments, trying to recognize the stars he saw. "Stars align..."
The Lirgeni inventor hurriedly took off his clothes and wrapped a broad towel around his waist before heading out to the baths. "Good morning!" he hastily greeted those he passed. The physical result of the tattooing was beyond his expectations, next it was time to see if the magic worked.
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The goat bleated in the stall in front of him. The farmer who had brought the animal to the animal clinic reported that a griffon had attacked his herd. This animal had escaped but was wounded. A deep gash in her hind quarters threatened to leave her lame.
Chimwemwe double checked his almanac and research notes, fingers subconsciously tracing out constellations. He turned back to the goat and then moved his hands through the positions and then struck the vital points on the goat. The goat bleated again, but there was no change in the wound.
"Hmm." He frowned and read through his notes once again. Fairly certain that he had performed his movements correctly, he tried again and focused more intently on the motion. This time, he saw the arcane geometry in his mind's eye and the constellations as they stood beyond the roof, beyond the bright sky of the day.
When Chimwemwe struck the pressure points on the goat, he felt the rush as energy transferred through him and into the goat. The wound healed in front of his eyes. It was not merely the accelerated clotting and regenerative growth of the mystical techniques from his mother's texts. The wound fully and completely healed.
The young Attendant let out a sudden, impromptu whoop. The veterinarian to whom he had volunteered that morning and the farmer stopped their discussion and looked at him with curious eyes. The farmer's eyes widened and then he rushed over. "Well, I'll be!" the man said.
The veterinarian walked over and clapped Chimwemwe on the back. "Good work. Your skills have certainly transcended."
"Thank you, Teacher Ayanna," Chimwemwe said, forcing himself not to smile like a fool. Now, if I can only learn to transcend the rest of my skills.
Wisps enters the kitchen as Lumusi is cooking. "You need some better ingredients! How can then expect you to show your best work when they're only providing you the cheapest ingredients." She lifts a pot lid, releasing a burst of smoke into her face, but Wisps doesn't even seem to notice.
"I'll go to the market. I can find you some much better supplies."
She returns with a selection of fresh vegetables, spices, and pastries of very fine quality. She munches on a cookie after dropping the supplies off with Yumasi Lao, nabbing a couple more for Zachva and Zanvi.
One night, Soomdevi comes home with a shadowy hound.
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Soomdevi is sorry to hear about Koride's flea infestation, but he keeps a straight face. He says he'll be sure to let her know if he finds the source or whatever, like he doesn't know it's Binji.
He returns to the dorms, eager to introduce everyone to his new shadow hound pup!
"I call him Blinks," Soomdevi says as the pup runs and overturns a trash can. "I think he's pretty hungry."
Soot watches from under Soomdevi's hood, seemingly aghast.
"Is he a Varisian soot hound? Where did you find him?" Chimwemwe asks while he watches the pup running around the common area. He pulls a hardboiled egg from his pocket, rolls between his hand and the table, peels off the shell, and then offers it to the puppy. "How hungry is pretty hungry?"
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Even before I set down my satchel after returning from my travels, Takulu Ot spoke breathlessly about a group of students who fought off insects, confronted an expelled pupil we all thought to be dead, and defeated griffons that had decided to feast upon mysterious anadi arrivals.
My role leading the Uzunjati and my love for a good story demanded that I ask Takulu about these students. He supplied me more information over dinner, and my initial interest turned to fascination. I have decided that I shall speak to them and, if they are even partially as interesting as Takulu makes them out to be, offer my hand to help guide their efforts.
The stories I hear about them fascinate me, but what I want to them to know—and deeply understand—is that stories of the past build the events of today. What brought the griffons to the school? Where did they come from? Griffons don’t normally prey on anadis; why did they attack those poor students? For that matter, what attracted the anadi students here in the first place? We’ve welcomed them to the school, but it seems wise to understand their motivations and their goals.
Getting the students to think about the answers to these questions, to pose their own theories, and then to investigate the truth of the situation, is far more important to their education than learning spells or rituals. Let’s get them to see what lies beneath, and we can see where that leads together.
Over the next two weeks the new anadi students try to acclimate, but have a difficult time. They are most comfortable in their hybrid forms, a fact that repulses many students.
Esi makes efforts to help them, and so does Tzeniwe and the spiderlings. They bring them cookies in the Sun Dorm where they're staying (fresh-baked with Wisps!), and you get to know them a bit better — though time is short for now. Goss is the group's leader, and considers himself a seer and diviner; he talks a lot about webs of fate. Savana is thrilled to try new cuisines, and considers herself a super taster. Mazta is the group's scout and he most shy of the bunch; he sticks to the tree-tops, hanging from a web in the shadows, watching and learning.
But life is not without incident. First, Ignaci is startled by Mazta one say after noticing hi in a tree-top. He spends several minutes berating the anadi for "spying" on him — the anadi only watches impassively, which only grates on Ignaci even more.
Next, Savana tries some of Chizire's mangoes and spits them up in his face! She thinks they are the most disgusting thing she has ever tasted… however, she loves tubers and considers them a delicacy. She's often seen scurrying out of the cafeteria with a plate heaped with starchy foods.
Other than your own efforts, the anadis are largely shunned by the students, including the students of their own dorm where you get the feeling they aren't very warmly welcomed. (Sun Dorm is the "preppy" dorm!)
☀☀☀
Life in Spire dorm continues on. Strangely, Ignaci still seems cold to you. While you'd think that saving his life would make him more friendly, it only seems to have pushed the spy further away.
Mariama also has an update on Ot. She is seeing demons on campus, pretending to be students. I saw student with weird scales! He put up his cloak, and I lost him in the crowd… we have to keep an eye on Ot! Someone is infiltrating the school!
Kurshkin was released by Ot after a long talking-to. You can hope that she will stick to her word… some day she may take Chimwemwe up on his lesson on fire safety.
Noxolo says Cool. when she meets Blinks. Snabble and Blinks get along swimmingly. Esi shakes her head in disapproval. I don't trust things like that. I don't know if we need a shadow-hound on campus! She keeps a wary distance.
☀☀☀
After two weeks you're starting to get antsy. Alrinkiri learns something. A Learned One has arrived on campus. This learned one is the leader of the Uzunjati.
A day late you each receive a note.
I would like to meet you. Please me in my office in an hour.
— Teacher Janatimo
Several students catch wind of this. Esi is surprised. Wow… He wants to meet you? she says — a hint of jealousy creeping into her voice. Chizire purrs. Keep your head down and don't get noticed. That's how you get more naps in this life. Noxolo shrugs and practices her latest dance move. Mariama scrutinizes the note to make sure it's not a trap and finally gives her approval.
Chimwemwe takes his puzzle box out and begins to fiddle with it while keeping his gaze away from the students outside his cohort. He had read about Janatimo, and he feared anything he might say would sound like bragging.
Akoril nods knowingly/nervously to his cohort.
Wisps spends a lot of time with the new anadi students, glaring at those students who act hostile to them. "Don't worry about them. They'll get used to you. There have been anadis at the Magaambya for a long time. You deserve to be here."
Wisps stares at her letter. "Why do you suppose Janatimo wants to meet with us? Is it because of Stone Ghost?"
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"Miriama, there are many that have said such about me when they first see me. Why do you assume this scaled student is a danger?"
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Soomdevi also defends the new anandi students, giving intimidating looks to anyone who tries to start something while he's around.
The news about Ot and the demons doesn't surprise him.
"And here I thought I was wrong about Ot. If we keep an eye on him, he'll lead us to the infiltrator, I bet."
As to the meeting with Janatimo, Soomdevi stays quiet.
He knows I don't belong here, and he wants to kick me out. But not when I've made friends, and Mariama needs my help with all these demons!
"Miriama, there are many that have said such about me when they first see me. Why do you assume this scaled student is a danger?"
I know a demon when I see one; this was no an iruxi or automaton! Just be careful, and keep an eye out.
☀☀☀
You make your way to an unassuming building on the northeast edge of the canal-ringed campus.
The furnishings in Teacher Janatimo’s office are simple, but the desks and shelves contain many objects and curios, each of which seems as though it has an interesting story to tell. In the center of all these items, sits Janatimo himself, Learned One and head of the Uzunjati. He stands from his desk and extends his arms wide in greeting.
“Ah, thank you for taking the time to visit with me. Please, have a seat. I am sure there are some interesting tales we can share.”
After a bit of small talk about how you like the school and your exploits, he turns the conversation to the griffon attack, insects, and the anadi arrival. After discussing these topics, Janatimo pauses and redirects the conversation.
"Let us unfetter ourselves from preconceived notions and speculate on what has happened. None of us currently have the answer and a mere rehashing of facts will not suffice either — no theory is too outlandish for this conversation!
“What drew the griffons to the Magaambya?”
"Curling-Wisps-of-Smoke Reliava, please provide a realistic answer to this question. Soomdevi, please provide an intentionally outlandish answer."
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Soomdevi
➤ Wisps
Alrinkiri
Akoril
Chimwemwe
"Many creatures are drawn to the Magaambya right now. Perhaps this strange power affected the griffons as well."
Teacher Janatimo frowns slightly at Wisps's answer, but doesn't say anything.
☀☀☀
“Why were the griffons so hostile?"
He turns to Chimwemwe and Alrinkiri.
"Chimwemwe, please provide a plausible answer; Alrinkiri, please provide an implausible one."
☀☀☀
“What brought the anadis here, to the heart of a city with which they appear wholly unfamiliar?”
He turns to Akoril and Chimwemwe.
"Akoril, please provide a plausible answer; Chimwemwe, please provide an implausible one."
☀☀☀
“What is drawing insects to the Magaambya?”
He turns to Alrinkiri and Akoril.
"Alrinkiri, please provide a plausible answer; Akoril, please provide an implausible one."
☀☀☀
“What else might the anadis want, besides to study? That is, what might make them feel more like they belong here?”
He turns to Soomdevi and Wisps.
"Soomdevi, please provide a plausible answer; Wisps, please provide an implausible one."
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Soomdevi
➤ Wisps
➤ Alrinkiri
➤ Akoril
➤ Chimwemwe
Chimwemwe sits quietly in Janatimo's office. He fiddles with his puzzle box in his hands while he waits for the others to answer their questions before the Learned One addresses him with a question of his own.
"When I, hmm, examined the griffon that we slew," Chimwemwe begins, his fingers pausing in their manipulation of the puzzle box, "she was wasted--hardly any fat, muscles appeared far less full than texts describe them--so had likely not been fed or fed enough for some time. Starvation can drive a predator to hunt creatures that are not their normal prey, so that could explain why the griffons were so aggressive."
He goes back to his quiet fidgeting with his puzzle box as Alrinkiri answers and Janatimo moves on to question others. When Janatimo returns his attention to Chimwemwe and asks for an intentionally implausible answer to his question, the fidgeting does not stop.
Chimwemwe considers silently. His left hand drifts from his puzzle box to draw invisible figures in the air as his right hand continues to slide and flip the components. When his motions slow down, he speaks, "An outside demonic force such as the Angazhan or Ydersius has possessed them and sent them to the Magaambya for nefarious purposes. For example, the charu-ka of Usaro could have captured the anadi and subjected them to the demon-infusing processes of their people and then sent them to the Magaambya in search of the lost totem of Angazhan so that a new Gorilla King can be chosen to lead them in war against the city states." His he catches his breath, having spoken faster and faster as he build the imaginary explanation in a grand run-on sentence.
Akoril nods and mentions to history of Nantambu "Since the fall of the Gorilla King, Nantambu has been welcoming to all with peaceful intentions. It has been a magnet for many reclusive peoples of the Mwangi. It is of no surprise that they have arrived here."
"As for the insects, there is perhaps a secret demon infestation deep below the foundations of the Magaambya. One that is calling and summons the vermin"
Alrinkiri pauses for a moment to consider the griffons. "Hm. Perhaps, through some application of magic, either accidental or intentional, the griffons had gained some increased degree of intelligence, and were seeking a place as students here. Seeing other new arrivals, they may have believed they were required to fight for admission."
-------
Considering the insects, they hesitate for a moment, then speak, carefully avoiding looking at any of their classmates in particular. "I have noticed that students are often not particularly good at maintaining a clean living environment. Perhaps the insects find food easier to come by here than they do in the surrounding area?"