The devastation of Earthfall resulted in the slaughter of billions, and the widespread destruction of most civilization erased much of humanity’s knowledge. The man credited with bringing magic back to humanity was Old‐Mage Jatembe, a folk hero and a myth to the people of the Mwangi Expanse. During the Age of Anguish that followed Earthfall, Old‐Mage Jatembe and his students, the Ten Magic Warriors, traveled the Mwangi Expanse and beyond to deliver lore, and with it, hope. Perhaps the greatest and most long‐lasting of Jatembe’s achievements was founding the oldest (and arguably greatest) magic school in the world, the Magaambya.
To this day the Magaambya strives to spread the same knowledge and hope that Old‐Mage Jatembe and the Ten Magic Warriors did long ago. Teaching a blend of arcane and primal traditions, the Magaambya aims to do more than educate wizards and druids; it hopes to act in service to the whole of Golarion.
You are now joining this storied school. Today, you are to meet Teacher Ot within the entry hall of the Academy for an interview and begin your studies.
The campus is beautiful, with massive mosaics of Jatembe’s Ten Magic Warriors overlooking the school’s terraced gardens and the surrounding city of Nantambu—a view only slightly spoiled at the moment by a a growing storm, whose first drops begin to fall as you arrive. A young woman, with numerous jeweled necklaces and dark hair held back in a purple scarf, silently waves you into a building alongside the Welcome Walk.
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Only a few moments more; I have borne the burden this far. Grandmother, give me fortitude.
“And yeah,” the septum piercing-sporting Zenj youth’s words wound to some form of a conclusion, ”you’ll be seeing a lot of me around these grounds. We could take a meal together sometime…if you’d like. I could come to the Initiates’ dormitory to collect you—-“
”I will consider your gracious invitation, but the road has left me needing rest. Ta for now.” On those words, Laesah Doul closed the door swiftly on the bright eyes of the not-unattractive student guide who had brought her to the newcomer quarters. Time for THAT later, Laesah sighed, peering around the small room to take in the two small wooden desks, the humble bunk bed, the halfling peering out from the top bunk…
Laesah relaxed and breathed deep, feeling the transformation, finally and blissfully allowing herself to spin her form true into….
A HALFLING PEERING OUT FROM THE TOP BUNK?!
The young woman whirled around in an alarmed crouch, her hands held shoulder width, her fingers spread wide.
”Who are you?” demanded Laesah.
The dark-skinned halfling withdrew into the bunk in alarm. ”a’mino! a’mino ac’id i’m your roommate”
Laesah relaxed a touch, trying to take in the odd accent. ”Oh. Um….” She put her hands away. ”Sorry. I have just arrived —- the road was long. I did not know you were here, plus the guide, he was… Laesah struggled to find the words to describe how the guide had made her feel.
”yes chall straight up flirted with me hard when he brought me to this place a few months ago” The halfling came forward within the lower bunk, her head poking out, white face paint bracketing the large green eyes that dominated her small face. ”still he was cute so it wasn’t completely discomfiting”
Laesah stifled a laugh, recognising a similar spirit in the Song’o halfling. Perhaps the Magaambya won’t be so difficult to relax into, she allowed herself, a tight smile playing at the corners of her mouth. At that moment, a loud chime echoed in through the single window of their dormitory room. A'mino clapped her hands together once, her wide eyes somehow wider as she stared at the newcomer.
"the first chime!" The halfling took a dramatic, deep breath. "you are summoned likely by teacher ot to the welcome" In response to Laesah's confused look, A'mino added "at the welcome walk" for clarification, her odd monotonous and rapid-fire accent requiring a moment for Laesah's ears to decode.
Once the message was clear, her shoulders slumped.
Maybe a few more moments to bear, then... And, dropping her travelling gear, she nodded thanks to A'mino and rushed off.
Enrobed only in a light grey caftan (and having shed her road gear), Laesah's surprisingly-long legs brought the relatively-short young lady swiftly to the cobblestoned path she had just finished her long overland journey upon earlier that morning. She demurely noted a few other would-be initiates rushing to the source of the chime, and pulled a colourful yellow-orange woven silk scarf over her head as she went.
There will be plenty of time to work on the shyness, she thought, but no reason to portray yourself as you are not. Laesah tied a loose knot in the scarf under her chin, tugged it to the right, and dropped a heavy and well-fashioned plait of her brown hair over the knot to hold it in place.
As she spied the dark-haired woman with the purple scarf waving her on, Laesah slowed her pace to a stately walk. Something within her wished to turn around and flee. She gripped her left hand in a fist and willed herself forward.
You are not the first; remember that. And besides, the skein has been set. To weave against it would only incur chaos. Laesah relaxed her left hand and offered it to the welcoming smile.
"I am Laesah. Laesah Doul. You have lovely teeth!" As the spontaneous but odd compliment flew from her mouth unfiltered, her eyes dilated in panic.
Oh help me, Grandmother.
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The route north from the plains through the Mwangi Jungle, along the Vanji River, and finally to Nantambu is faster on four feet. Much went to all fours as soon as she was was beyond the eyes of the Caravan on her and as soon as her dignity would allow it. Even as the plains of her youth gave way to dense jungle, Much made excellent time. She camped twice but slept little. Sleeping alone wasn't wise. Traveling alone wasn't wise either, but the promise of magic made the risk tolerable.
On the morning of the fourth day Much saw the towers of Magaambya. She couldn't hear the city in the distance, just the soft roar of the maize fields leaning away from the storm gathering in the north.
This isn't so different from home. The grass on the plains quivers before the rain just the same as these plowed fields. Only here there is magic as well.
Much whined low in her throat.
Magic maybe, but scarce few Kholo.
Putting the thought from her mind, Much stripped [/bigger][bigger]her armor and rope-stone around her waist, and set to licking the dust from her coat. If nothing else, she would arrive clean.
Rising to two feet, Much reset her traveling pack and loped towards the gate of the city and the ten towers beyond.
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The gangly young amurrun scrambles up the downspout, following his prey up and onto the steeply-angled roof of the inn. Haunter of Monsters crawls slowly across the red, baked clay tiles, until he spots his target.
Haunt’s hand flashes out and scoops up his tiny quarry. He holds it in a loose fist while he uses his other hand to wiggle a small box made from the bark of a jungle tree out of one of the dozens of little pockets that cover the vest he wears over his protective leathers. He slides the box open and carefully pops the cricket inside before closing it again. He raises the box to his ear and listens until he hears the insect’s song, then tucks the box back into its assigned pocket.
Haunt leans back on his elbows, and gazes around the remarkable city he has found himself in. So many different kinds of people here, from all over, even the few other amurrun he has met have claimed to come from parts of the world that seem impossibly far from his home. Different people, speaking different languages, telling different stories, eating different foods, all with different smells...
Not like home would feel all that familiar, though. He starts to reach for an interesting leaf that has blown onto the roof, but remembers that he has three interesting leaves tucked into his pockets for future examination already, and decides to leave it be. After almost two years traveling through jungles, over mountains, and from mostly-human village to mostly-human village, the amurrun metropolis of Murraseth would feel almost as foreign as this place does.
Haunt stands up and - balancing carefully - walks up the slope to the peak of the rooftop. From this vantage point, he can just make out a few of the buildings that make up the campus of the Magaambya, visible between some of the taller structures nearer the inn. Funny old place, but that Teacher Ot seemed welcoming enough, and more patient than Haunt’s teacher from his previous apprenticeship.
Or the one before that.
Haunt had zoned out during some of Ot’s description of the academic program he had signed up for - there had been a cobweb covered scrap of paper in the corner of the room, and the amurrun got distracted trying to read the writing on it (he eventually realized that it was in code or a language he didn’t know and was almost certainly upside down). The young amurrun did get the idea that he was supposed to be impressed by the school’s rigor and intensity, so he expressed his enthusiastic admiration for the vast amount of knowledge that would be made available to him and his appreciation for the opportunity -- both genuine, even if he was a little vague on the specifics -- and accepted.
Yes, even if it takes a few months, I’m going to squeeze out all the information this place has about the different monsters that roam around the jungle. And that weird magic thing, too.
Haunt stretches out his arms and frames the visible edge of campus with his fingers. His fur - dark gray, except for dozens of lighter slashes that mark minor scars from skirmishes with jungle beasts - matches the color of the sky. A drop of rain splashes onto the roof tiles, and then another. In the distance, he hears a bell.
Bell, bell... Didn’t Teacher Ot say something about a bell?
With a loud , Haunter of Monsters leaps for the edge of the roof, shimmies down the drainpipe, and swings through the open window of his room. He grabs his sword and his pack - already stuffed with all of his worldly possessions - and charges out of his room and down the stairs of the inn, barely managing to avoid knocking over one of the other guests. Haunt manages to slow down long enough to blurt out a rushed but polite thank-you to the older couple who operate the inn, and then he’s running through the crowded streets towards the Magaambya and the Welcome Walk.
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We open on a tall young man, working on an assembly line. His hands move deftly across machine parts on a conveyer belt, endlessly moving in front of him littered with an array of indistinguishable metal objects. As his hands move, we can see a brand on his left forearm that says “M+0X” in bold, black sans serif. Grab - attach - solder - move on. The factory is low lit, dirty, and whirrs with the sound of machine noises and assembly. On and on he goes; he continues to work as his unnaturally bright green eyes wander dreamily away from the work he’s doing, now without looking, and glaze over as his mind drifts away.
He has jet black hair and light, almost pure white skin. Only the three subtle, thin, glowing green lines running up the left side of his neck and curve around his jaw to the back of his neck give him away as an android, not human as he looks. That and the sharp metal blades that have replaced the feet he never had below the knee. He’s wearing rags and standing in between others that bear subtle differences in their faces. But only his eyes drift across the room in a daydream, away from the work and the factory.
A change. His hands grip something that isn’t metal. Quick as a flash, his head whips around to look back at his work. He’s holding the severed head of another android now. It’s older and battle worn and distinctly different from the young man or any of the others around him. The young man yelps and jumps back, dropping the head back onto the conveyer belt. It rolls on the belt and lands on its side facing the young man, eyes flashing. Its mouth opens and it screams,
"RUN MADDOX. RUN NOW, GO! THEY ARE COMING.”
The young man sits straight up in bed, breathing heavily. Sweat runs down the side of his face, across the glowing green electronic veins on his neck. He shakes his head as if to clear it from the nightmare, and reaches out to touch the bedside table, adorned with fresh flowers, and then the old patchwork quilt he had tossed aside in his sleep, as if to reassure himself they are still there. Two months he’s slept in this bed, the only bed he’d ever slept in in 33 years, and every night a new nightmare, but always the same themes.
“It’s over. I am safe now,” he whispers to himself. He takes a deep breath, swivels his blades off the bed and stands up in the small bedroom. He dresses himself in a clean, grey sweater and dark blue trousers, rolled up at the ankle to avoid hinderance of the blades. From outside the door, the musical machinations of Golarion’s newest pop-sensation it-girl Chaniya Tvvain can be heard with the accompanying sound of less-musically gifted woman singing along whilst moving around in a kitchen, banging pots and pans.
“Good morning Niana,” Maddox says, joining her in the kitchen as she continues to sing along, waving at him as she pulls bacon off the stove.
“Sit down and have some breakfast. I packed your bag for your first day! Tak left early to set up for the new term. He’ll meet you on the Welcome Walk. He's so excited to have you enrolled! You must be so excited too! Oh, what you will learn at school! And you will make so many friends! Won’t it be wonderful? I wish I could be back there, be young again, meet new people.” She spins around, smiling broadly, overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation as she looks at Maddox for his reaction. Maddox’s face is characteristically expressionless but when he sees her overwhelming exuberance, the sides of his mouth twitch up in what he hopes constitutes a smile.
“This is a day I will remember.”
“Oh but you remember every day in perfect detail, of course you’ll remember today,” she laughs and rolls her eyes, “Eat up, you don’t want to be late!”
A short time later, the young man picks up his backpack from the hall table. We see Niana has sewn a tag to the top with “M+0X” embroidered lovingly on it. He steps out into the world, pushing the lingering image of his maker’s eyes in its severed head to the back of his mind and looking towards the Magambyaa and his future.
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Jaer cursed under his breath at the heat and humidity that was so unfamiliar to him. He never thought he would miss the bone deep chill of the north, but with the sweat dripping from his brow and other less comfortable parts of his body, he felt he’d trade the little remaining coin in his pouch for a few minutes in a cold wind off the mountains of his homeland.
Talya, her head occasionally peeking from the pocket he’d sewn in his tunic, seemed no more comfortable, whispering too quiet for others to hear, “I fail to understand why a great mage would settle a school in such an inhospitable place in the world. Did you see the size of that serpent hanging from a branch back there? It was thicker than your thigh!”
Jaer shushed his friend quietly, concerned as always that someone might overhear… though part of him always hoped someone would overhear. That has never worked out well either, he thought with a sigh.
He knew from Rolf - always straightforward and blunt in his dealings with anyone, including his family and Jaer, his foster son - that Talya had been found sleeping beside the infant Jaer in the woods where he’d been found. The little ferret rarely left his side as he grew.
I wonder - would the other kids in the village have just discovered another reason to make fun of me if it weren’t for Talya? It’s not as if another would be hard to find - my pointed ears. My clumsiness with weapons - even if I someday return home, they’ll still call me “Jaer Eight Toes.”
Jaer wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief and listened to the excited talk of the porters and other new students around him - they were getting close to the school and the end of the journey.
That journey had been long, mostly boring but also occasionally exciting. Jaer had to admit to himself that he was not heartbroken to leave his village - he loved his family, of course, and already missed his siblings - but he’d lived his life more in storybooks than with those around him. Being “smuggled” out of Riddleport and nearly captured by slavers near Cheliax was frightening but also made him feel like he was suddenly living in one of those stories.
Encouraged by Talya, he’d continued his studies on the boat and at night by campfires. Every time he opened a tome of magic, he felt something in his mind shift… Maybe “open” is a better word for it - I feel like there’s some Secret that I am so close to learning, like it’s on the tip of my tongue every time I begin to cast a spell.
The voices around him became more excited and he could see hands raised, pointing. He followed the direction to see the tops of buildings above the trees that were becoming more sparse.
The Magaambya! I think maybe I’ll learn the Secret here!
The caravan made their way to the school, Jaer still having trouble understanding the accents of the people around him as he was directed to a room where he could drop off his meager belongings and clean the sweat and grim from his body.
As Jaer finished dressing he quietly expressed his excitement with Talya, “Can you believe all of those people out there? Do you really think they can all use magic?”
Talya paused in her grooming to respond, “No, not all of them. Most though. I can’t wait to visit the library - it has been so hard to teach you with so few books available, but now… you are finally going to be… useful.”
Jaer’s brow creased in a familiar frown. “Useful for what? Useful to whom? C’mon, Tal, I’m almost 19 now - you said you’d tell me when I’m ready.”
Talya’s small black eyes seemed to evaluate Jaer. “Soon,” she replied. “Soon.”
A knock from the door interrupted Jaer’s response, a muffled, heavily accented voice to Jaer’s ear, saying, “You are summoned to meet with Teacher Ot - you do not want to be tardy for this meeting Student.”
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As the last of you enters the room, the woman who waved you in takes a seat by the doorway, quietly studying all of you. A middle-aged man with brightly patterned robes, a carved anteater trinket on a cord around his neck, and a bark covered staff in his hand steps into the center of the room, addressing you with a gentle voice. "Welcome, and a kind hello, new students. It is my pleasure to instruct you. You may call me Teacher Ot."
There is a ritual formality to his words, but also a genuine warmth.
"You are here because we believe you will build upon the strengths of the thousands who have come before you. You will add your intellect and passion to theirs, and be shaped by their wisdom and spirit. We follow the footsteps of Old-Mage Jatembe, who showed us that the price of magic is the responsibility to better the world."
He pauses, and smiles warmly at each of you. "But before all that, let us greet each other properly. Some of you I know, some I do not, and I believe you are all strangers to each other. Once you leave this building, you will no longer be strangers. You will be classmates and cohort, bonded by this and many moments to come. So, as is appropriate for a school, we start at the start." The gentle rain outside has become a downpour. A flash of lightning is visible through a window, and Teacher Ot pauses his speech to let the thunder have its moment.
"Tell me, and each other…" he leans forward slightly on his staff and cocks his head, giving you all his full attention. "Who are you?"
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Laesah attempts to regain some composure and slowly enters the building as indicated, her head bowed in respect for the weight of centuries of wisdom passing through these walls. She sidesteps as she enters, closes her eyes, takes a deep breath in, and holds it for a few seconds before exhaling. Calmed and now centred, she allows herself a slow gaze across the room, her eyes focusing on the older human.
This must be Teacher Ot, she thinks to herself, admiring his brightly-patterned robes. When he introduces himself, Laesah smiles. I have arrived.
"But before all that, let us greet each other properly. Some of you I know, some I do not, and I believe you are all strangers to each other. Once you leave this building, you will no longer be strangers. You will be classmates and cohort, bonded by this and many moments to come. So, as is appropriate for a school, we start at the start.”
Laesah timidly looks around at her gathered classmates. Standing near her is a pale-skinned human with the pointed ears of a Kallijae, a small stoat-like head protruding from his large front pocket. Perhaps half-elven? reasons Laesah. Wherever he is from, it is far from here - he appears to have been travelling for days or even weeks, judging by the dirt on his clothing. That animal does not appear to be native to a tropical habitat, either. So curious!
She subconsciously keeps her distance from the amurrun and the gnoll. I see you both, Laesah thinks cryptically to herself. A precept enters her mind. The Weave gives; It does not take. So shall you. Laesah nods to herself, but maintains space apart from the pair.
Her eyes finally take in the pale-white skin and piercing green eyes of the flat-faced human carrying a pack labelled ‘M+0X’. What could that mean? And the tattoos along his neck appear magical. Obviously he will be well-suited to studies here; Grandmother grant that I should be as gifted. As if sensing her thoughts, the piercing green eyes flash to Laesah, locking her gaze for an unblinking four-count before passing on. What was that? she reels, her jaw left hanging open in wonder, her hands reflexively gripping the thick, brown braid draped over her shoulder.
"Tell me, and each other…Who are you?”
…no reason to portray yourself as you are not…Laesah’s own words echo forth in her mind as she considers Teacher Ot’s entreaty. Nodding to her internal decision, the olive-skinned young woman with the intense amber eyes clears her throat, releasing the pacifying braid from her hand as faces turn to her.
“My name is Laesah Doul of the Enclave of the Welcome Breeze. I hail from the south of here - many leagues, in fact. I am sponsored to study at the Magaambya by my people…uhhh….” Here, her dark brown eyes falter in their brave gaze, and she looks furtively at the floor. “…um, if we are to be bonded as classmates, then it is best that I show you. Please don’t be alarmed.”
At this, the short young woman holds out her hands towards the floor, palms up, raising her head and closing her eyes, a serene expression on her face. It is obvious in this gesture the strange juxtaposition of her arms to her torso - arms far too long for her frame. Laesah breathes in, and the untended braid unravels, moving of its own accord along with the thick hair on the top of her head down her body. Her body begins elongating and widening under her seemingly-formless grey caftan, but as you watch, the widening represents the expansion of a further pair of appendages to match both her upper and lower sets. Her face elongates, dividing near her chin into a pair of vertically-aligned mandibles. As the hair migrates away from the scalp, it uncovers a further pair of sockets at the upper part of what was her forehead, and her head falls gracefully forward to much closer to the floor, well supported by the now-four pairs of appendages lined with brown, grey, and blue fur - the caftan seems to have been fully incorporated into the intricate pattern of stripes and whorls covering her entire form. The only nod to what clothing Laesah wore is the bright yellow-and orange silk scarf draped across her back in between her head and thorax section.
She gives a shake and opens all four of her amber-coloured eyes. Her mandibles move and a breathy approximation of the voice you previously heard sounds out.
“I am Anadi. I wish for there to be no secrets between those who will be my boon companions. I do not always wish to be seen by those who do not know me in either this, or even my hybrid form, as I am acutely aware how off-putting it can be. Regardless, I saw no reason to not portray myself in the light of brave truth. I seek the training that the Magaambya can offer so that I might return to my people in Nurvatchta as a seer or weavemaster. I am honoured to be seen, by Grandmother’s grace.”
That’s cleared the warp from the frame, Laesah thinks to herself.
With that, the five-foot long talking spider turns to face Teacher Ot and inclines her head in thanks.
“You will find that you are welcome here in all your forms, Laesah. You honor us by showing more of yourself.” Teacher Ot says, pointing in the direction of the mosaics overlooking the Walk. He speaks an incantation, and the wall of the building between his hand and the imposing artwork seems to go transparent, so all can see the giant depiction of the Magic Warriors.
“Old Jatembe’s Ten Magic Warriors had forms they adopted as extensions of their power. It is taught at the Magaambya that the will and soul make up the person, and the most adept of us choose the form best suited to the challenge currently presented by reality.” As he speaks, the Warriors in the mosaics shift between human and animal forms, with hybrid forms in between.
“You come with an advantage in this lesson, Laesah, having been born to this power. You will have much to teach those around you.”
Teacher Ot lowers his arm, smiling at Laesah, and the wall becomes opaque again. “It is good that you are here.”
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Maddox sits up straight in his chair but keeps him eyes cast on the floor and waits patiently for his turn to introduce himself. He steals the occasional glance around the room, looking at the curious party gathered together. Though his studies with his maker had taught him much, he’d never seen anything like these people with his own eyes. Maddox takes in the sweaty half-elf and the human-looking woman with the long plait. His eyes linger on the gnoll and curiously he combs over her fur for information on who she might be, even before she makes her introduction. He is momentarily distracted by the catfolk, who has a rather interesting leaf he’s gazing at and twirling between two furry fingers in his clawed paw. For the first time since arriving in Nantumbu, he feels something other than fear and apprehension as a little flame of real excitement and wonder sparked inside him.
…Which is immediately replaced by shock and horror as his eyes move away from the leaf and he accidentally makes eye contact with a girl with dark hair in a plait.
Shit.
Not knowing what to do, he freezes, panicking until she looks away. He resolves then to keep his eyes around Teacher Ot for the rest of the Welcome Walk, lest he have another eye contact incident.
The conversation lulls and Maddox gathers up his courage. Staring at the wall behind Teacher Ot, he sees the older gentleman give him a warm smile and nod in his peripheral. Maddox swallows hard before he speaks.
“Hello. My name is Maddox, production android registration no. AC091019931013. I am from 37.824 km west of this location, but I will not go back. I am a guest of Teacher Ot and Niana Ot at this university, where I hope to expand my education in all things. I am most interested in understanding magic, nature, and medicine. I would also like to make between 1 and 4 friendships.”
Introduction finished, Maddox looks at the floor again and thinks hard about the leaf.
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Haunt skids to a halt just outside the meeting room and gives himself a quick little shake before going in, sending droplets of rain flying in all directions. The woman who had showed him where to go follows him into the room and sits down.
I must be the last one coming.
The amurrun looks around the room. Hmmm, there’s Teacher Ot! Haunt waves when he spots the only familiar face in the room. Who else is here? Let’s see: human woman who gave directions, tattooed human man, gnoll woman, human man with pointy ears and a pet, human woman with round ears, long hair, and no pet... and me. Small group. Or is that a big group? I wonder how many students this school has? Are we the only new ones starting today?
Haunt takes a seat midway between the gnoll woman and the tattooed human man, but keeps turning around in all directions to see as much of the room as he can. As soon as he is seated, his right knee starts bouncing up and down and he starts checking his pockets with his hands, never looking down at them; he opens and closes each one, starting from the top row and going from left to right then down to the next. When his fingers find the first of the leaves he tucked away, he pulls it out of the pocket and starts twirling it by spinning the stem between his thumb and forefinger.
His knee is still bouncing.
Hey, are his tattoos are glowing? I wonder what they mean. Maybe he’s one of those tattoo wizards. The pointy-eared one with the pet is probably a nature priest. I hope he doesn’t mind about the cricket. He starts to lean over to the gnoll to ask her a question, but just then Teacher Ot steps out into the center of the room. Oh, good, we’re getting started. I wonder when we’re going to break for a snack?
His knee is still bouncing. The leaf is still spinning.
What did he say about Jatambe? Who are we? I know the answer to that one! Haunt starts to stand up, sees the human woman without pointy ears stand up first, so he sits back down to listen. How does she get her hair to grow that long? Why is her mouth open like that?
His knee is still bouncing. The leaf is still spinning. There’s a spider web on the ceiling, near the far corner of the room, and it ripples in a light breeze. It looks the nets they used in that village on Lake Ocata, but more skillfully made. I wonder if you could train giant spiders to weave fishing nets?
“…um, if we are to be bonded as classmates, then it is best that I show you. Please don’t be alarmed.”
Alarmed? Why would we be... Haunt’s eyes drift from the spider web on the ceiling down to the human woman talking -- What did she say her name was? Lacey? -- and she isn’t there anymore. In her place is...
His knee stops bouncing. The leaf stops spinning. His hand twitches ever so slightly towards the grip of his rapier before he sees the brightly colored silk scarf that the young woman had been wearing a moment ago, not at all covered in blood or gore.
Oh, that’s her. So not human at all, then. I wasn’t even sure that Anandi were real!
His knee starts bouncing again. The leaf starts spinning again. Haunt starts to stand up once the woman -- the ANANDI woman! -- returns to her seat, but the tattooed man beats him to it, so he sits back down.
I wonder if the pointy-eared man speaks the common tongue, or just one of those northern languages. I think Teacher Ot is looking at me, I'd better wave again. I wonder if Teacher is part of his name, or just a title? What's a production android registration? Why does he have a number? What's that smell? Is there something on my boot? I'm hungry. I think his tattoos are glowing again.
As soon as Maddox begins to move back to his seat, Haunt leaps out of his chair, knocking it over. He grins at the gnoll woman, mutters, "I meant to do that," and quickly sets the chair back upright.
"So hello, I'm Haunter of Monsters, I mean my name is Haunter of Monsters." He begins pacing around the room, weaving between the other chairs but managing not to knock any more over. "Well, not the name I was born with, obviously, that would be weird, it's the name I was given and then took for myself. As one does. Or I did. Anyway, you can call me Haunt, because people tell me it's easier than screaming "HAUNTER OF MONSTERS" when you're being eaten by something in the jungle. Which is usually when people are screaming for me, because I hunt monsters. I mean, sometimes I hunt monsters, but what I'm known for back home is haunting monsters, because I used to try to find out things about monsters by following them quietly and spying on them. Now I try to ask questions first and read about them, and then follow them, and then hunt them."
Haunt stops pacing for a moment, takes a breath, taps a claw onto the back of an empty chair. "What else? Oh, my parents were alive and in good health the last time I talked to them, which was through a sending spell a few weeks ago, and I have 11 brothers and sisters. They all live back in Murraseth, but we're really from Mzali. And nobody sponsored me for this school, I didn't even know that was a thing. Teacher Ot just let me in."
The amurrun sits back down in his chair, then leaps back up before the next student can begin. "Also, a couple of months ago I figured out that almost everything I hunted has some kind of weakness, and sometimes the weakness is some of the stuff I already have in my pockets just in case, which is a funny coincidence when it happens. So I'm here to learn more about that." He sits back down.
His knee starts bouncing. His fingers start poking and prodding at his pockets, until he finds the right one, opens it, and pulls out a brightly painted pebble and starts rolling it from the palm of one paw into the other.
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Much sat in a deep crouch and waited for several of the others to speak first. This proved to be inspired: she had not foreseen the slight young woman shape-changing into anything, let alone a spider.
Let this be a lesson to you, Much. You do not even know what you do not know.
I have seen giant spiders in the jungles of the Shisk. They may not evil, but they are always hungry and never picky. Yet this little one does not make my hackles rise the way they do. Still though, she moves like a woman well trained. I would be wise to have her be pack.
Next the catman spoke. He spoke and moved with the languid charm Much envied in catfolk. To follow a monster and learn its ways as he described would earn the praise of her elders. Much approved as well.
Cubs like stories of warriors that dash into battle with heed for the their enemies. But a heedless warrior is a dead warrior and is only good for songs for cubs. This is another creature that I would do well to stand beside.
The Android was.. wholly outside Much's experience. She had seen catfolk and spiders (if no Anadi) and elves (which she assumed her final classmate was), but a man with metal legs and glowing tattoos wasn't even a thing that Much has dreamed of. Yet again, this was a creature deserving of her attention and respect.
This is the world of magic, Much. Your size and power mean less here than ever. Trust your instincts, build your pack and learn quickly. Duty requires it.
With that thought, Much rose slowly from her haunches.
"I am Much. My pack hunts and trades on the plains to the south. My elders believe it has been too many generations since a Kholo of our pack studied here. So they have sponsored me to attend. I am honored to be here with each of you." Much promptly dropped back into a comfortable crouch and nodded to the final student in the room.
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Jaer, always shy and quiet even surrounded by those he knows well, tries to speak up, wanting to use this chance to make a good impression on the teacher and his classmates. Before he can force the words from his lips that seem stuck together by strong glue, he watches one of his new companions shift form, her body reforming in a way Jaer had only read in storybooks.
Will I be able to learn to do that after learning here? I think I’d rather change into a bird, just to fly - but… just to be able to change!
He listens to his classmates introduce themselves, resisting the urge to take notes as they speak. He’d never been in the company of such strange and wonderful people and found himself wondering if he were dreaming… Maybe the last weeks were all just a dream? Am I going to wake in my bed at home?
He could feel Talya quivering in her pocket, watching and listening with him.
An android? I don’t know if I have heard that word… I will have to ask Talya about it later, I don’t want to seem stupid by asking.
He continues to listen, his eyes going back and forth between Much and Haunter of Monsters, thinking, I wonder if those two will get along better than the animals they resemble?
Finally, when the room grows quiet, eyes on him, Jaer managers to speak, if haltingly at first.
Ummm, hello. I’m Jaer… Jaer Irsei. I… well, I guess I’ve come here just to, well, to learn more about magic. I’ve been trying to teach myself at home… Talya looks up at Jaer, cocking one small brow before he continues, but my da and a… friend think I really needed to come here.
He pauses for a moment, then his words tumble out rapidly. I have always been the weird one in my village, his right hand raises near to touching his ear, his left rubbing Talya’s head. I guess I don’t feel quite so odd now that I’m here.
Jaer flushes red, realizing his words, as usual, didn’t come out as he meant.
Umm, no offense. I just mean… you are all so interesting! I feel like I’ve walked into a storybook! I came here just expecting to learn magic from more books than I could get at home, but that isn’t the only thing I’m going to learn, is it?
Ot claps once, and laughs. “That is well said, Jaer!” Ot exclaims. At the Magaambya things are not weird, they are interesting. Your perspective does you credit, and will inspire those around you.” His tone changes slightly in a way that seems to take in all of you. “It is indeed good that you are here.”
”I thank you, all, for your introductions. You have gone beyond merely telling your name and homeland, you have begun to show yourselves, and your origin. This is the difference between facts and reasons, and here we concern ourselves with both. The first, because it leads to knowledge, the second, because it leads to power.
Teacher Ot glances out the window, where the rain is still pouring. And nods at the dark-haired young woman seated in the back of the class near the door. She rises and quietly begins rummaging around a sack tied to her belt.
“We believe we can satisfy what you seek, here at the Magaambya, whether it is your need for knowledge, your curiosity, your need for growth, or your obligations to your people.” He directs himself to Jaer, Haunt, Laesah, and Much with each comment, then turns to Maddox, looking troubled.
“However, for you, Maddox, I have bad news and good news. It is the same news, as is often the case.” Ot says, with a hint of mischief in his voice.
“The news is this: between my wife Niana and myself, you have already made two friends, and I daresay you will make many more than four in your time at the Magaambya.”
He smiles again for a moment, and then goes back to his more scholarly demeanor. “Now, if you will follow me, we will walk to The Circle, where I will present you with a few small tests.” Ot touches a finger to his striped headband, and for a split second the air around him shimmers.
”Stay near me if you’d like to avoid the rain.” He gestures to the back of the room, where the young woman has produced several spider-silk umbrellas from her sack, lined up near the door.”Or help yourself to an umbrella from Esi. You may also prefer to just get wet. Here in the jungle, accepting the rain is sometimes preferable to fighting it. Now, attend me, please.”
With that, Teacher Ot steps out into the rain, waiting for the class to join him, then begins. Whether you choose to stay near him, where the rain seems to bounce off of an invisible dome, have taken an umbrella, or are just getting soaked, you hear Ot’s voice carrying through the rain, though he doesn’t need to shout.
“At the Magaambya, we seek to understand our differences. Where others might dismiss a trait as irrelevant or troublesome, we understand that the things that make us unique in life are key to who we are as people. And it is who we are as people that defines our magic. Sometimes, it is things that are different about us, things that societies have taught us to hate, that show what our talent will be.”
Esi, who greeted you earlier, walks under one of her umbrellas at the rear of the group, in position to collect any of you that might stray away. She has a look of determination, marking each of you and shadowing anyone who drifts too far from the Teacher.
“To the North, as Jaer might tell you, people say that children with white or red hair have strong potential for magic. Here in Nantambu, we recognize that left-handed people are often devious, and skilled at undoing spells. One student of mine is terrified of butterflies, even though he considers it ridiculous. Yet in exchange for this fear of fluttering whimsy, he has one of the most orderly minds for games and strategy that I have ever seen.”
As Ot walks through the grounds of the school, it quickly becomes clear you are headed towards a massive black obelisk. More buildings, classrooms, libraries, dormitories, and training halls, line the streets at different levels among the terraced walkways. Giant trees and low shrubbery grow between the buildings, nature and architecture both giving way to each other, seemingly without complaint or conflict.
“Sometimes, we do not understand our magic, and that lack of understanding causes pain. People who are uncomfortable in their own skin are incredible shapechangers but often feel unsettled until they recognize the shape they were meant to be, or that just one shape will never be enough to define them. Those who feel an urge to jump from high places often become frightened of themselves, but they are simply channeling the untrained will to fly.
“Sometimes, our talents are not revealed by happy means,” Teacher Ot face becomes somber, and he continues, “One student here had a family who planned her life out from birth to death, punishing her when she deviated the slightest bit. She only found freedom in the thought of her grave, and as a result, the dead began to speak to her. Here, she has freedom to choose her own path, but her necromancy remains strong.
Ot stops at the foot of the obelisk. Now that you are here, you see that it is covered in names, carved into the face of the stone all the way to the top. The bottom few feet are blank, black stone, waiting for more names to join the others. The very top of the obelisk is covered in giant onyx animal heads proudly and protectively looking out over the school.
“You don’t have to share, but I want you to ask yourselves: what about you defines you, even if others rarely notice it? Is there something inside you that pulls at you, perhaps defying rational explanation?
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Laesah wrestles inwardly with herself before awkwardly accepting one of the spider-silk umbrellas from Esi. She defers her gaze from the older student (with the nice teeth), her olive complexion colouring slightly as she murmurs a 'thank you'.
Following Teacher Ot's procession through the Magaambya grounds, Laesah takes in the magnificent surrounding scenery, each eyeful a sumptuous backdrop of history, nature, and tradition. She glances briefly at the umbrella, silently judging for herself the skill of the silk-work before shaking her head at the weight of recent words.
"...People who are uncomfortable in their own skin are incredible shapechangers but often feel unsettled until they recognize the shape they were meant to be, or that just one shape will never be enough to define them. ...”
It is fortunate, this makeshift veil with which I might hide my reactions! Not that it matters to this perceptive and wise man - it's as if he's reading us all as plain as a storefront sign. Grandmother preserve me should I need to obscure something from him. I do wonder what his history has been with this Maddox classmate of mine.
The rainfall picks up, and Laesah regards the obelisk where their walk ends with interest.
It's curious that the faces of the obelisk nearest the ground are blank and ripe for new names - it's almost as if the obelisk is slowly raised up out of the ground to accomodate a new enshrining. I wonder if scaling the obelisk to read the names is frowned upon...? Her chain of thought ends as Teacher Ot proposes a query.
"...what about you defines you, even if others rarely notice it? Is there something inside you that pulls at you, perhaps defying rational explanation?"
No secrets here, then. Even from myself, it would seem.
"I cannot feel the Weave," out blurts Laesah. She clears her throat embarrassedly, then presses on. "My people - the anadi - we follow the Weave. It is the rhythm of our life; its skein can tell anything at any time - any portent or anecdote, no matter how great or inconsequential. The greatest of my people weave alongside Grandmother Spider, knitting the present from the past to make the future." Laesah shakes her head sadly.
"I cannot. I cannot hear it or see it. Stars and skies, I can barely even weave silk for my own purpose. This umbrella -" she shakes the rain-catcher for emphasis - "the skill it exhibits far out-paces my own. How am I to lead my people if I can't even begin to guess where to go? And yet, they tell me that I am borne of an omen - that the warp and the weft are through me and in me, and...."
Laesah sighs.
"...I think that they are mistaken."
She clears her throat.
"I'm sorry...that...that probably wasn't an answer to your question."
Much lost Teacher Ot somewhere around "knowledge and power". She had let her thoughts float out through the open door into the rain, her fingers rapping the stone at her hip in a slow mimic of the rain spattering the obelisk risking in front of the group.
Much scanned over her classmates.
I wonder how the storm feels on hairless flesh? Probably cold. My nose is cold.
Much shook her head to break her own reverie.
I know cubs born to magic. Cubs that fell the pull. Baobob was born to be a bonesinger. But I am not that and do not envy it.
Grandmother spoke true the day I left. "Much is smart and strong and maybe -maybe!-better than nothing, but not Much is certainly not enough. You must go out and become more. Much more."
Much stifled a grin at that, letting it fall into a wry pant. Grandma liked her puns.
Grandmother is wise. I am wily enough to wield the stone-rope and tenacious enough to learn the languages of orcs, the Southern queens and the porcupinemen. I will learn the magic here in the same way. Magic will not be given to me, but I will have it nonetheless. Knowledge and power indeed...
For a second time Much gathered her thoughts and brought her focus back to her fellow students.
Maddox, still feeling warm on the inside from having learned he already made two friends, follows Teacher Ot out of the classroom. At the door, Esi pushes the bag of umbrellas forward at Maddox, who doesn’t know how to decline the umbrella and takes one awkwardly with a nod of thanks to the girl. He hurries after the teacher and walks far enough away from him to be outside what Maddox considered to be his personal bubble but close enough to feel the effects of the invisible rain deflection. He looks up at the sky, through the magic barrier, umbrella at his side, and again feels a sense of wonder and excitement for where he is now.
They reach the obelisk and Maddox looks around at his classmates, all thinking about the question posed by Teacher Ot.
“You don’t have to share, but I want you to ask yourselves: what about you defines you, even if others rarely notice it? Is there something inside you that pulls at you, perhaps defying rational explanation?"
Maddox thinks about himself, about his past, about the only other soul he's ever spoken to before escaping the factory and finding the Ots.
I am defined by my curiosity, above all else. I want to know...everything.
Jaer follows closely behind his new instructor, as Teacher Ot speaks, wondering How has a managed to create this shield from the rain? Would it work against more than rain? Is he concentrating to maintain it? Could you create a shield like this and sleep under it?
Puzzling over the casual use of magic, Jaer nearly misses Teacher Ot’s question before his thoughts bound trait to trait that set him apart from those around him. Finally, he says, Umm, well, I can’t read people’s minds - yet! - but I feel like my mind is always filled with questions about everything around me. I feel something like hunger to know the why’s and how’s of things. Why do fish drown in air? How do birds stay on a branch without falling when they are sleeping? Why does metal become brittle if you heat it and cool it down to quickly”
He pauses for a moment, thinking of the times he asked those around him questions like this.
From what I can tell, other people’s minds are more… quiet… still. Sometimes I wish I could make mine like that, but then I find myself wondering… why again.
He shrugs.
A… friend tells me that you can’t find answers without asking the right questions, but it always seems to me that getting an answer leads to another question.
Haunt jumps out of his seat and weaves his way out of the room behind Teacher Ot and the other students. When he passes Esi, he smiles and says, "No thanks! I'll be fine!"
I wonder what those things were that she was offering. Maybe I'll ask her for one later.
He is drenched within a few moments of stepping outside.
The gnoll warrior looks almost as wet as Haunt feels, although she seems less bothered by it, and none of the others are wet at all. Laesah's umbrella is fancier than any he has seen before, but then he notices the rain-free bubble protecting Teacher Ot, Maddox, and Jaer. As he hustles up to join them, he mentally replays what he heard Teacher Ot say before they left the lecture hall.
"[Something about tests...] Stay near me if you'd like to avoid the rain [...]"
Oh, right.
He catches up and ducks into the protection of the bubble next to Maddox. "So what's a production android registration? I mean, I know you said you are, so I guess that's you, but you also said your name was Maddox, right? Do your tattoos glow? They looked like they were glowing for a few seconds back inside. I was going to get a tattoo once, but the tattooist said I'd have to shave the spot where the tattoo was going to be and even then my fur would probably grow right back, so there wasn't much point in it. But anyway, yours are interesting. Especially if they glow."
He paces from side to side as they walk, forgetting about the rain and then being driven back into the bubble by the unpleasant reminder of water cascading onto his head and back.
"I once saw a ... hey, worms!" Haunt spots a couple of worms slowly crawling across their path to avoid drowning. He pulls a vial out of a loop on his vest, checks to make sure it's empty, then reaches down to scoop some of the worm castings into it before recorking it and returning it to his belt. "That stuff could be useful later, you never know!"
Once they arrive at The Circle, Haunt stalks around the obelisk, reading off names at random and peering up to admire the stone animal heads.
“You don’t have to share, but I want you to ask yourselves: what about you defines you, even if others rarely notice it? Is there something inside you that pulls at you, perhaps defying rational explanation?"
Haunt misses the question at first, but replays it after everyone else has answered and he realizes Ot is looking at him expectantly.
"Oh, right, me. Well sure. I mean, I haunt monsters, like I said. I follow them and I observe them and I make notes ... I usually make notes ... anyway, I learn what makes them strong and then what makes them weak before I hunt them. Did I say all that before? I probably did. So anyway, I'm really interested in monster hunting because it's hard for people to live if they're being hunted by monsters, isn't it? So I think it's better to hunt them first." He pauses for a moment, then adds, "Also, you probably haven't noticed yet but I have a lot of trouble sitting still and staying quiet when I'm inside or bored or anxious about something. And apparently I don’t have any magic in my blood, which was disappointing to my family. But at least I can see magic auras when I concentrate."
Haunt looks back up at the onyx guardians at the top of the obelisk, then back at Teacher Ot.
"So what's the test?"
Maddox turns to answer Haunt’s questions after he is finished asking, but as soon as Maddox opens his mouth, Haunt has already drifted away to harass a couple of worms on the pavement. Maddox inwardly thinks huh. and decides it’s probably best to answer him later.
”Thank you all, again, for your answers, and for your thoughtfulness,” Ot begins.
"I'm sorry...that...that probably wasn't an answer to your question."
”Your answer is perfect. It is incomplete, as knowledge often is until further investigated, but perfect nonetheless.” He reaches into a sack tied at his waist and brings forth an unlit candle.
”But let us now learn through action, before I lose the attention of young Haunt again,” he says with a grin. ”Show me, through your combined or individual efforts, can you light this candle without flint or matches?”
Master Ot's request was so far outside Much's abilities that her first reaction was to turn to Baobab, her bonesinger.
Of course, Baobab wasn't there.
Next, her eyes shot to the weapon wrapped around her waist.
Can I light a fire with friction from my stone rope?
The absurdity of the thought jarred her back to reality and brought her jaw snapping shut with an audible thwap.
Much, it is good that your foolish thoughts stayed in your head and didn't fall out of your gaping mouth. This challenge is for you now. Get used it.
I have no magic to light your candle, Master Ot, but I'm ready to assist anyone with the magic or wit to do so.
With that, Much took a half back to make room for her fellow students and looked around to see who might step up to the challenge.
Maddox rolls a knowledge nature check on the candle, just to see if there's anything funny going on.
Ot sees Maddox struggling to figure out the candle. "I assure you, this is a regular candle, wax and wick. There may be tricks later in your educations, but this is as it seems."
He places the candle on the ground and steps away, so it's easier for all to interact with. Challenges in this school are often solved with magic, skill, or creativity. And sometimes trial and error," he gives his customary warm smile. "Have no fear, failure will not be judged harshly. This is simply another opportunity to learn about each other."
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I can’t do anything of the sort! I can’t cause fire to spring out of the air!
Laesah’s inner turmoil subsides as the seconds tick by and none of her fellow students step forward.
Think, Laesah. Where did you see a lantern or a lamp on these grounds?
Laesah begins searching her memory for where she might have seen a flame lit that she might use.
Haunt starts to cast his one spell, detect magic, before Teacher Ot tells the new students that the candle is thoroughly mundane. He shrugs and finishes casting anyway and looks around.
I mean, it's raining really hard! It wouldn't be easy to light the candle even with my flint and steel.
Maddox feels the pressure of no one responding. He looks deep inside himself for the answer.
Come on. There’s got to be something I can do.
And then it comes to him. The task is to light the candle, not necessarily with fire. He concentrates hard and feels the nanites in his blood start to pulse in his synthetic veins. They move faster and faster. He walks over to stand next to Teacher Ot and the candle, and with all his might, he feels the nanites surge, causing light to emanate from his pale white skin, effectively, albeit minimally, shining light onto the candle.
"Oh, very clever, Maddox," says Teacher Ot, without a hint of sarcasm. To the side, one of the student onlookers, a tall strix boy with a crown of white feathers gasps, produces a book, and starts scribbling notes, his look of idle curiosity now replaced with the rapt attention of a researcher.
Ot, for his part, doesn't look shocked by the display. "You may have made yourself the subject of a future interview for Jerek. Most here haven't met an android before, and I do believe I mentioned that here at the Magaambya, there is no weird, only interesting."
He now addresses the group. "The candle is lit! Before we move on to the next test, I will give a moment to see if any of of your peers had a different approach."
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Laesah watches Maddox’s efforts to cast a spectre of light onto the candle.
The Weave progresses not just forward, but also sideways.
She smirks, bends over to collect a stick from the ground, and walks up to Teacher Ot.
”Could you please light this stick for me, Teacher?” she smiles. Then, once alit, Laesah uses the stick to light the candle.
Ot lifts the candle up and out of his weather shield, dousing it with the rain, shaking off the water, he places it back in his sack.
"Well done, both of you," Ot says with a grin. He reaches into his robes and produces a small, harmless Garundi shovel‐snout snake with distinctive scale patterns. He sets the snake on the ground where it begins slithering around, but not running away.
“Your next test… can you get a secret from this snake?”
Maddox performs a knowledge nature check on the snake, in order to ascertain what language it might speak and generally where it comes from in the world.
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Laesah laughs at herself at Teacher Ot's praise, but inclines her head gratefully. When the snake is produced, she shakes her head in frustration.
I have none of these skills. Truly I was sent where I wasn't meant to be!
The anadi woman shrugs and tries her native tongue, sounding like a combination of hums, clicks, and trills.
When that doesn't immediately produce results, she shrugs helplessly and steps back in good humour.
By Grandmother's grace, I hope not to embarrass myself further.
Maddox leans over to Laesah and whispers with utter seriousness:
"Wow, that's amazing."
“That was neat, Maddox! So your tattoos glow and the rest of you glows? How do you ... hey, a snake!”
Haunt lets his detect magic spell end, and turns his attention to the reptile. He grins at Teacher Ot. “Looks like I’m not the only one who keeps interesting things in his pockets! Well, it isn’t much of a monster, but I bet I can figure something out.”
The amurrun peers the snake for a few moments, trying to discern its weaknesses.
DUBIOUS KNOWLEDGE
Feat 1
Traits General, Skill
Source Core Rulebook pg. 260
Prerequisites trained in a skill with the Recall Knowledge action
You're a treasure trove of information, but not all of it comes from reputable sources. When you fail (but don't critically fail) a Recall Knowledge check using any skill, you learn a bit of true knowledge and a bit of erroneous knowledge, but you don't have any way to differentiate which is which.
FIND FLAWS [one‑action]
Traits THAUMATURGE
Frequency once per round
You determine a creature’s weaknesses, whether a literal weakness or a metaphysical one. Recall Knowledge about a creature, using your Charisma modifier instead of the usual ability modifier for the skill you’re using to Recall Knowledge. The creature must be either one you can see or one you’re specifically Investigating in advance during exploration. The result depends on your Recall Knowledge check, which has the following additional effects as well as the usual effects of Recall Knowledge.
Critical Success You learn all of the creature’s resistances, weaknesses, and immunities. If you would have learned any of them already from Recall Knowledge, you learn different information instead. You can then use Esoteric Antithesis without spending an additional action.
Success You learn the creature’s highest weakness, if any. If you would have learned it already from Recall Knowledge, you learn different information instead. You can then use Esoteric Antithesis without spending an additional action.
Failure You couldn’t quite figure it out, so you decide to invoke a wide range of superstitions and narrow it down from there. You can use Esoteric Antithesis as your next action.
Critical Failure You came up with the wrong information and nearly made a critical mistake, distracting yourself. You become flat-footed until the beginning of your next turn and can’t use Esoteric Antithesis this round.
ESOTERIC ANTITHESIS [one‑action]
Traits ESOTERICA, MAGICAL, THAUMATURGE
Requirements You can take this action only when Find Flaws allows you to.
You search through your esoterica to find the right trinket that will apply a weakness to your attacks against the creature you Found Flaws in. You Interact to apply specific esoterica to yourself and your weapons; you can perform this Interact action with the hand holding your implement. Your unarmed and weapon Strikes against the creature become magical if they weren’t already, and you cause them to apply one of the creature’s weaknesses even if they don’t deal the correct type of damage. If the creature has a weakness with a value of 2 + half your level or higher, set the type of weakness to the creature’s highest weakness. Otherwise, you create a custom weakness with a value equal to 2 + half your level; this weakness applies only to your Strikes. For example, against a tyrant, you might attach a chain broken to free a captive. This effect lasts until you use Find Flaws again.
As Haunt crouches down to watch the snake, a coin-sized medallion slips out from where it had been tucked under the lapel of his vest and dangles from a narrow strip of leather tied around his neck. He absent-mindedly places a hand over it to keep it in place, or to make sure he doesn’t lose it.
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Laesah's swarthy complexion pinks up at Maddox's encouraging words.
"Thank you - Maddox, is it? It's just the tongue of my people." She concentrates further on the snake (which doesn't seem to be responding).
"I don't think I was successful." Laesah gives a short, breathy laugh.
She concentrates intently on Haunt's attempt.
The snake spends a bare moment regarding Laesah, pointing its head in her general direction and testing the air with its tongue as she tries to speak to it before it slithers away, mid "conversation."
Maddox thinks, This woman is a spider but her people are snakes? How can this be?
His attention completely diverted, he focuses on Laesah who he considers to be the real mystery now, and rolls a society check to understand what’s going on with her.
That important issue resolved, he turns his attention back to the snake. Using his inherent ability to notice aberrations in every day life, he sees two important details about the snake.
The first thing he notices is that when Teacher Ot put the snake down on the ground and the snake moved towards the assembled group, it was not a smooth, clean movement like a normal snake.
The second thing he notices is that the pattern on the scales of the snake seem a bit unnatural. Possibly even otherworldly, like no snake he’s seen before.
Maddox points these things out to the group in the hopes that they will help him brainstorm.
You don't typically get any benefit when you leave and come back to a place, though if a major change has happened there and time has passed, the GM might determine that you do.
Haunt stares at the snake for another moment, then smiles and bounces back upright.
"The barb on its tail is interesting, but I think the fact that it was born alongside a shadow twin is the neat thing about this snake in particular. And," Haunt turns to look at each member of the group in turn, eyes wide. "It's shadow twin watches from its place in the spirit world!"
He taps his fingers against the side of his leather vest. "You know what would put it down quickly, because of its tie to the shadows?" He plucks a vial from one of his pockets and holds it up. The corpse of a dead insect is visible at the bottom. "Doesn't look like much now, but this was a firefly. Smear a little of the glowing stuff from its butt onto the edge of your sword and BAM!"
Haunt looks back down at the snake. "Not that this little guy is doing any harm."
"It is clear this group will be difficult to keep secrets from. Excellent!" Ot says with a grin. Haunt, you have an amazing way of seeing to the truth of a thing. I look forward to challenging you and seeing if I can't capture more of your attention. Perhaps I should bring more snakes?"
Teacher Ot says a quiet thanks to the snake as he stores him back somewhere in his robes. When his hand comes back out, it is holding a smooth, round, flat, stone - the sort of stone that looks perfect to skip across a pond. He places it on the ground and looks at you all.
“One final test for now. Can you make this stone dance by itself?”
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Much's ears rolled forward at the word "stone".
Her paws instinctively went to the stone bolas and stone rope at her waist.
Stones. Dancing, flying, crushing. That, that, I can do.
She locked her gaze on the tile next to the stone even as her body twisted, the stone rope coming off her in a fluid, practiced blur: out, up and then whistling down.
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Laesah watches Much's actions and gets inspired.
I can do that as well! she realises. With the stone back on the ground after the gnoll's triumphant display, the young anadi woman concentrates, opening herself to the strange power that has always bubbled just under the surface. As if dipping her head into running water, Laesah lets the energy envelop, carry her, bob her along in its incessant current...
Laesah turns into a non-distinct blur of silken fabric and limbs as she streaks to the where the stone lays on the ground, her movements ridiculously speedy. The stone rises in the air as her hands and feet lash out somewhere underneath it, lazily "dancing" on a buffet of blows. It remains oddly in the same orientation for the entirety of the display, the careful placement of the blows preventing it from wobbling much to the left or right. After a thirty second demonstration, the whirling dervish that was Laesah slows, depositing the stone back to the ground. Her form appears as it once did, her scarves and braid a bit askew.
Panting with the brief exertion, Laesah looks hopefully to Teacher Ot for approval as she emerges from the energy flow.
Haunt grins at Teacher Ot’s praise, and doesn’t catch - or ignores - the backhanded criticism. He applauds the martial displays from Much and Laesah.
He glances down at his clapping hands, then nudges Maddox and Jaer. “I bet we could make it dance if the three of us got close and clapped together loudly enough, what do you think?”
Excited by all the problem solving and teamwork, Maddox smiles for the first time and nods to Haunt.
"I'm willing to try."
Ot's eyebrows shoot up as Much smashes her weapon into the ground, sending the stone flying into the air. He recovers quickly, and as Laesah begins her display he is looking on with interest. By the time Haunt and Maddox begin clapping, he is tapping his foot along with them.
He looks mischievously at the stonework Much destroyed, rubs his chin and says to himself, "Well, nothing a Mending or four can't fix..." Then, he addresses the rest of you, "I have never seen that test approached in such a... decisive way, and, for that, I thank you. I have learned much about how to best teach you all. I hope you have learned a bit about what being a student here is like, and what you can expect from each other."
Teacher Ot extends a hand and the stone floats into it. He tucks it back inside his robe and turns and making a few simple gestures into the air. A handful of glowing symbols emerge, hanging in front of the pillar.
And now a question. Not a test, just a choice that will help me begin to kindle the magic within each of you. Which of these symbols speaks to you most?
Before you float symbols that look like a Flickering Candle, Balanced Scales, a Multi-pronged Key, Pursed Lips, an Open Hand with an Eye in the Palm, and a Running Hourglass.
Maddox tentatively steps forward first towards the symbols and considers them intently before pointing at the multi-pronged key.
“This one speaks to me. I want to know what secrets it unlocks.”
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Laesah considers Teacher Ot's question carefully.
The balanced scales call to me. When the Loom is stable, the Weave can be read with accuracy. But--- The anadi's eyes narrow as she scans the other sigils, then speaks aloud, more to herself than anyone else.
"That is not my way. I do not see the Weave; I follow it, I climb it, I ride it..."
Laesah raises her arm, gesturing at one of the symbols.
"...I run with it."
She points clearly at the hourglass.