Aandal's page

"I will be fine." Wyrd shows no signs of pain as he pulls his hand off the spike. There is also nothing that could be construed to be blood.

Wyrd spends the rest of the hour trying to duplicate the two examples Aandal has demonstrated. By the end of the hour, he has had a spider sized piece of earth wandering about the floor, and a palm sized field of tiny spikes appear where he wanted them.

"An impressive start for just one hour's labor. It is clear you have talent beyond the average bender."

If Aandal missed anyone coming into the earthbending room, PM me and i will try to find your post and respond to it. I know Wyrd was in there, and if he replied to the last post i made, i am sorry but i missed it. I didn't intentionally stop responding to you.

Also i skimmed over about 300 posts in gameplay and 200 discussion, so if i missed you entering the earthbending room, once again i apologize, and Aandal remains in there for the resident earthbenders.

Wyrd repeats the gesture Aandal made, and rather than a field of spikes, he elicits only a rumble from the ground. He tries again, more forcefully, with the same results. He stands for a moment and closes his eyes. He repeats the gesture again with his eyes still closed, and a single large spike juts up from the ground and impales Wyrd's hand with a tearing screech or rending metal. Wyrd's eyes snap open, "Well, that is not right, is it? Perhaps a bit more practice."

"Hmm, are you alright? I can heal that, if you'd like. Focus less on the gesture, and more on visualizing the desired result. The same gestures don't always work for everyone."

Wyrd watches closely, "The way you do that, the motions you use, they are more like what I use. Hmmm. I find it to be less bending the earth than it is that I am a part of the earth. If I want to raise a wall, I simply find that place where I am the earth, then I raise a part of myself like raising my hand." When the elemental is fully formed, Wyrd attempts to duplicate the task, he manages to raise a small shape that looks like an elemental, but the animating spark is missing and he simply has a statue.

"Ah, I understand. This is no ordinary elemental. It is more of an unthinking construct that carries out simple commands. There are other forms you might know."

With that, Aandal turns, rotates his fist palm-up, and extends his fingers pointing to the ceiling. Several yards from the elemental, which stands still, a bunch of spikes erupt from the ground.

"Try that. It is much more like making a wall than making a creature."

"Well, she was usually unable to actually teach me how to do something, but once I saw her do something I could usually duplicate it." As Wyrd speaks, the stone of the room ripples under his feet like a sheet snapped over a bed and the ripple carries him into the middle of the room. ** spoiler omitted ** "I can do a few other things. I can also manipulate metals, and used my abilities to craft my sword."

"Ah, I see. You already have no small skill in bending the earth. In that case, I suppose we should try a few things out then, to see if you can replicate the abilities I have."

Aandal makes a fist in front of himself, palm down, and slowly raises it as a gargantuan elemental slowly rises from the ground.

Wyrd stands, the chair melts back into the floor, and he bows to the man, "I was taking classes with Professor Sunwake. I was told there was a new professor. You are he, it would seem."

Wyrd looks like an iron statue of a barbarian. One so exquisitely detailed it would make master sculptors weep with envy.

Aandal returns the bow in kind.

"Ah yes, it would seem that Professor Sunwake and I are from the same area, although we were there at different times. We studied under the same Master. Due to her many collateral duties here, I have taken over primary instruction of earthbending. Could you show me some of what she taught you, so I have a better idea of where to start?"

Wyrd steps out of the wall into a basement room of the school. Seeing no one around, he reaches out to the earth and a chair grows from the floor for him to sit upon.

In the Basement

An earth elemental comes up from the ground five yards away, the rock skin crumbling away to reveal a hulking bald man with rough, almond-colored skin wearing the homespun athletic clothes.

With a gravelly, yet calm voice, he says, "Welcome to my classroom. I see you have found yourself a chair. I am Aandal, the new earthbending instructor. I take it you have come here for instruction?"

Do we use the Epic Level Handbook for levels over 20? Or what?

i didnt use the ELH with Aandal, but i didnt feel i needed to and didnt really want to get into that stuff again hahaha

Aandal can teach psionics, but he is much more of a specialist (psychometabolism) than most so generic psionics likely isn't the best fit for him.

also for you earthbenders out there, he teaches that class in one of the basements.

Just prior to the Adon-ocalypse

Aandal, now finished fueling his body with a variety of meats, eggs, nuts, and fungi, slowly makes his way back to his classroom when he feels a great force arise within the earth. Even through the layers of metal (with which he was also connected) that separated him from raw earth, the undulating mass of spiritual anger resonated with him.

His skin dried up and cracked until it became shifting boulders grinding against iron ores. With a small gesture he peeled away layers of metal and sank into the ground, the twisted gash he left behind smoothing back over as if it had never yielded. Shortly thereafter, he crumbled up out of the floor near the episode with the nature spirit. Seeing that the Headmaster had already taken control of the situation, having trapped the spirit in a bubble of red energy, Aandal watched to ensure that all transpired smoothly.

When all was said and done, he returned to his classroom, wondering if he had any students yet. While he waits, he practices his katas.

Aandal rises up from the rock in the floor of his classroom and looks at his class schedule.

"Looks like I will have time for breakfast today. Might as well go see what the cafeteria is like."

Aandal plods his way toward the cafeteria, grabbing two large trays of food with his ham-like fists. He very large for a man, and wears relatively simple pants and robe. He walks over to the staff table and takes a seat at the end.

Is there a trophy or something for killing the headmaster's desk with a magic sword?

yeah, i think they keep it in detention.

"Let me guess, about this big?" she said holding her hands a few inches apart. "I hear there are still some pseudodragons out there that weren't hunted to extinction. And I'm really not sure how studying dragons will help with psychometabolism," she added, bemused.

"Teachers don't need to wear a uniform. It's encouraged but not mandatory for students. Most of them choose to wear their uniform or some variation of it though. It saves having teachers mistake them for new arrivals."

"It was about the size of small livestock, living high in the mountains. It had wings but could only fly clumsily. Studying all forms of life, especially exotic ones, is important to psychometabolism, especially as far as metamorphosis is concerned."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about it. There are a lot of us who use telepathy naturally....seems to go along with shapeshifting if the other form doesn't have obvious means of understandable vocalization. For instance, I'm a dragon, and when I'm in that form I can't really talk like a human. Hence telepathy. It's fine if you can't speak with your mind," she said, carefully gauging his reaction to her saying that she was a dragon.

"Ah. And the uniforms? Under the earth is a rough place for such things, so if I must wear one, it must be sturdy cloth. A dragon, you say? I had heard rumor of dragons on my way through town. In my travels, I have seen dragons, but none as fearsome as those here, if half of what the townsfolk say is true. The ones I saw may have been very young, or perhaps lesser forms of dragon. I would like to study dragons here in my spare time, it would help with my psychometabolism."

"Well, since we have an earthbending instructor now, besides me, chances are there is now a classroom in the basement. The school rearranges itself based on what's needed. Get used to using the arrows. Sometimes it's the only way to figure out where something has moved to. I know there will be interest in psychometabolism classes. You'll probably have to move between classrooms since that one wouldn't be in the basement....you'll probably find a door in your basement classroom leading to stairs that go straight to your upstairs classroom. At least that's how it works for me with the specialized practice space I have for the special cases and my lab. So. As for class lists, those will either go to your classroom or your living quarters. You'll find that using the arrows as well. And there should be a copy of your schedule in your room as well so you know when to show up where to teach."

"How infinitely efficient, and thereby convenient. I suppose I shall make my way to my quarters, and then wait in my class for students as the schedule shows. One final line of questions: I see uniforms all around, is there a "kit" of sorts for staff including uniforms and other required items? I have already overheard a few telepathic communications, is that the norm here? I have no means of communicating outside of my voice."

"It's a complicated situation. Was....no, some things just don't get better with time. But the universe is a better place without him in it any longer. Well. On that cheery note....sounds like time to change the subject, no?"

"Indeed. Is there a list of students that I should expect in class, a time that class should be conducted, and a designated place for the practice of earth bending? I can also teach psychometabolism, if there are any students interested in that field."

"No," she said, sadly, looking away. "The great evil in the temple was my brother. The time demon was an ally of his. We were raised in the temple, he and I. But there was something broken in him that none of us could see."

"That must be why he forbade us to go there. I am sorry for your loss."

"Since I was born really. Until about ...ummm....27 years ago? Well, my time. Time went all funny around the jungle. From the day I was sent away to the day we came back and found Master Quo in the village it was about a week I think. But for him it had been longer. Years. Not sure exactly how many years. Well, obviously that got better after the whole time demon saga was over with."

A reminder that she looks way too young for those statements about how long ago it was to be true. :)

"Time demon? I assume that has something to do with the unnatural flow of time? Was that the great evil in the temple that the monks failed to defeat?"

She laughed, relaxing a bit. "Tam says that talking to Master Quo was like trying to have a conversation with a drunken fortune cookie."

"I suppose that is one way to put it. When did you train under Master Quo?"

"Well, you certainly describe the time dilation effect near the jungle accurately...though it seems quite the coincidence...." she said, still suspicious of his story. "Tell me something that Master Quo would say."

"Hmmmm, it is difficult to fabricate his wisdom, but he was a very secretive man. A story he told us is this: A master who lived as a hermit on a mountain was asked by a monk, 'What is the Way?' 'What a fine mountain this is,' the master said in reply. 'I am not asking you about the mountain, but about the Way.' 'So long as you cannot go beyond the mountain, my son, you cannot reach the Way,' replied the master.' He made us think on things of this nature for hours on end."

Lyn- in case i missed something or you missed something, Aandal didn't get a response from the last thing he said to Aananda

Aandal wrote:

"Well, Master Quo mentioned that it was once called the Temple of the Flowing Water, but I never actually went to the temple itself. It was forbidden."

"You knew Master Quo?! When did you meet him? Oh, right, after the temple was destroyed....but then where were you when we found Master Quo? He was living by himself..."

"It was about forty or fifty years ago. Hard to tell, when I finally left it seemed as if only days had passed. He trained me in secret, something about an evil that had taken the temple as its home. He wouldn't tell me about that either. He sent me away on an errand and when I returned, a gravestone was all that remained."

"Well, Master Quo mentioned that it was once called the Temple of the Flowing Water, but I never actually went to the temple itself. It was forbidden."

"Greetings. I am Aandal, from the ruined temple in the jungle. Are you Professor Sunwake? The Headmaster mentioned that you are an earthbending instructor whose schedule has become rather full."

After receiving his answer from the Headmaster, he bows and exits his office, following arrows to the Earthbending Professor Sunwake.

"Professor Sunwake, the earth bender I just mentioned, is someone you should meet when you can. She works with students that need more specialized help. Your responsibilities wouldn't be much different from that of a teacher at any other school. Help the students learn and keep them safe. Occasionally you might be asked to chaperone field trips or school events. I'll have a pamplet placed in your room just in case you do think of any other questions."

"As for a room and food, the cafeteria is open from eight o'clock in the morning until ten at night. We have a rather wide selection of food, so you can eat whatever you wish. It's busiest during breakfast, lunch, and dinner for obvious reasons."

"A room has already been set up for you. It's rather plain at the moment, but it will change to suit you better once you enter it. Here is a map of the school, and you can always think of your destination to get a nearby wall to light up with arrows showing the quickest way." Ryo explains as he hands over a map. "I know you just got here, but classes start tomorrow. We're always looking for teacher's here, since the kind of students who come here are a fair bit more... gifted than the rest."

"Alright then, I will meet Professor Sunwake and read over those materials when I receive them. Teaching tomorrow is no problem. As for a classroom, is there a designated spot outside that these classes should be confined to?"

"Hmm, I am terrible at this. I'm sure I will think of plenty of questions an hour after I leave your office. Is there some sort of contract I can read or pamphlet that outlines responsibilities? Perhaps a run-down of any staff members I should meet or students that need extra attention? Other than that all I can think of is eating and sleeping arrangements. I don't require food, but I do enjoy it; and I can sleep mostly anywhere."

The door opens to reveal a man in green robes sitting behind a desk, a set of cards placed seemingly at random in front of him. He looks up and beckons Aandal in with a gesture.

"Welcome! I am Headmaster Ryo Antairus. Now forgive the assumption, but since you look to old to be a student, I guess you are here for a teacher's position?"

"Ah, yes. You have the right of things, Headmaster. While conversing with a previous student of this academy, I heard that there were a few students in need of an instructor in the ways of earthbending. Without being boastful, I feel that I possess the requisite knowledge of the art to teach others. I also believe that when you teach others, you teach yourself as well. My previous instructor perished several years hence, and I find myself without purpose, so happening upon this institution was fortunate."

Aandall, did you see the posts about the arrows leading you to the head master's office?

yes, unfortunately i saw it when the site was going down, i thought i replied, i will double check now.

EDIT: yes his reply is on the bottom of page 490. he knocked on the door. i didnt want to assume too much by him entering and all that.

Aandal wrote:

Fortuitous, he thought, following the arrows.

The arrows don't lead Andal far before stopping at a door labeled "Headmaster's Office".

Aandal knocks on the door.

so how is your learning supposed to work? you are a monk/airbender now and then going to replace monk with waterbender or just replace some katas?

yeah i found that Transmogrifist went well with earthbender. and he would be a lot more comparable to you if he was student-level.

but i look forward to the opportunity to be the earthbending teacher.

how big are the hallways in here?

A tall, muscular man in dirty robes approaches the gates of the school.

"This must be the place. It doesn't look so much unlike a temple, although it is a bit fancy for my tastes. I must approach the master teacher" he said, proceeding further.

He circled the main building, taking in the sights while giving everything a wide berth. A lake, a garden, the place certainly wasn't an eyesore.

He entered the main building, looking for indications of where the master teacher would be. A set of arrows appeared in front of him.

Fortuitous, he thought, following the arrows.

he will either continue to the headmaster's office, or to the basement if the headmaster is already headed that way, or he will be intercepted by a teacher or something.