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[Nirur Torir]

"That is true, given my families influence. But despite the nobility's tendency to throw money at other to solve a problem, that doesn't sit well with me. Since I am the youngest son, I have the freedom to try to make a direct difference, rather then letting someone else get the funds to potentially help people."

"Besides, it's also a good way to reintroduce the rest of my family to magic. Our Houses founder was a talented and influential mage, but his descendants swore off magic for decades for some reason. This would be a good way to reintroduce magic into our family, and I guess it also makes a name for myself, not unlike you."

"Magic is also very interesting though, so making a name for ourselves via magic is certainly not a bad thing."

"My line hasn't had mages in centuries, so it seems you have a leg up on me, both in magic and family." He chuckles. "Shall we be roommates? I'd like to get a room with a balcony before they're taken."

[WunderKatze]

Raioyris uses his 'Go' limb to gather the 'Vi's and use them to nourish his body. As I suspected...

I have perished. That's a tad unfortunate.

[IronyOwl]

"Kahigan." she corrects. "So that explains it, the both of you are new students. As am I."
She pauses for a bit, making a decision.

"I could explain the basics, but I know little... I suppose a Kahigan is similar to a magical organ, like the tongue, or heart, or eyes. Humans have three kinds, one of each: Go, Sha, and Me. Elves have four in total: A Rho, a Re, and two Eyu.

Kahigan are the much like the tongue. They can perform magic, but they also serve a sensory role. In terms of sense, Eyu and Me both serve the same role. In humans, the Me Kahigan allows us to perceive the world through logic and reason. In elves, the Eyu provides a connection to nature, another way of perceiving the world. In the end, I who have both can perceive nature through logic and reason, but nothing else."
Noting the snakewoman, she adds: "I don't know what your people have, but clearly the University would not accept a beast. You must have Kahigan of your own, whether the same as humans, or maybe unique."

"I see! That's very helpful, thank you. I fear I don't actually know what my Kahigan are, but no doubt they are magnificent! And hopefully the teachers can tell me. And the curriculum doesn't assume a type I don't have. And... well, I'm sure it will all work out. Good day, and best of luck with your time troubles."

Further inspect the room me and Dan picked out, then drag him with me to find the Life professor. He should be in the Life Building, right?

[_DivideByZero_]

"Oh, I see now how this works.  This one is Nix, a hopeful student of water and fire.  Balance is my aim, and I will not rest until my goal bears fruit."

Ask about the locations of the professors for Fire and Water.

"In the Fire and Water buildings."

...

The boatman is willing to take you there. It's more convenient than walking through the forested path. But you could also walk, if you mind.

"Ah, hybrid. So that's how it was. Interesting."

"I'll let quartermaster know our choice." Dan says to Murble. "After that comes meeting with professor, right? Let's get that out of the way right away."

Inform the quartermaster that we want room with balcony. Then inquire where one might find professors.

You head back down the stairs. It seems some of the other freshmen are facing their fears and organizing themselves. Fortunately, your pick would be locked in. You state your claim at the Quartermaster's desk.
"Right. The professors might be busy, might not be, but normally you can find them in their respective building. You can follow the signs outside heading northeast, or ask one of the boatmen. They can ferry you around."

"I see! That's very helpful, thank you. I fear I don't actually know what my Kahigan are, but no doubt they are magnificent! And hopefully the teachers can tell me. And the curriculum doesn't assume a type I don't have. And... well, I'm sure it will all work out. Good day, and best of luck with your time troubles."

Further inspect the room me and Dan picked out, then drag him with me to find the Life professor. He should be in the Life Building, right?

Each bed has sliding drawers underneath with locks to keep your things safe (you find the keys hanging from their respective handle) and thee is a table against the wall with three chairs underneath. A lantern set on top gives off a cool green glow through a crystal sphere, and an empty bookshelf takes up most of the far wall that isn't taken up by the balcony's double doors.
The closet is separated in two, and contains some dividers made from thin wooden sheets which can be moved around the room for privacy or to avoid distractions.

The washroom actually has a faucet, truly a sign of luxury in this age.

After inspecting the room, you grab Dan and head outside.

...

Outside the lodge, there are indeed signs giving directions:
-> School of the Natural Elements
-> School of Energy
-> School of Thoughtform
-> Upper Plaza
-> Marble Gardens, Gate

You decide 'Natural Elements' sounds like Life, so you head there and find the department of life, first thing out of the forest.

Department of Life

You approach a ziggurat made of stone blocks, seemingly centuries old and overgrown with verdant green plantlife--a rarity in these parts.

This building has a terraced layout, with four central stairways leading to an altar at the top (with a statue at the local shrine). There are four terraces, having eight, six, four, and two doorways per side, respectively. Nets of plants prevent people from falling over the edge, and also function as a shade and awning for the level below.

There is a tree you've never seen before growing on the roof of the shrine. Its bark is a rich brown despite being cracked with age, and its magnificent crown is green and filled with capped nuts which tend to fall down in the wind. You find many of these nuts scattered across the ground. Crows tend to come and go, picking up the nuts and taking them places unknown.


The quartermaster turns to the other pair.

"That is true, given my families influence. But despite the nobility's tendency to throw money at other to solve a problem, that doesn't sit well with me. Since I am the youngest son, I have the freedom to try to make a direct difference, rather then letting someone else get the funds to potentially help people."

"Besides, it's also a good way to reintroduce the rest of my family to magic. Our Houses founder was a talented and influential mage, but his descendants swore off magic for decades for some reason. This would be a good way to reintroduce magic into our family, and I guess it also makes a name for myself, not unlike you."

"Magic is also very interesting though, so making a name for ourselves via magic is certainly not a bad thing."

"My line hasn't had mages in centuries, so it seems you have a leg up on me, both in magic and family." He chuckles. "Shall we be roommates? I'd like to get a room with a balcony before they're taken."

"There's one left. If you're sure, I can mark you down."

Raioyris uses his 'Go' limb to gather the 'Vi's and use them to nourish his body. As I suspected...

I have perished. That's a tad unfortunate.

As you leave, faces seem to track you. You are not invisible. But the staff-wielder does not give chase, and others dare not approach.

[-] The wisps wround you, you can interact with. They actually gravitate toward your own Kahigan, and some of them wrap around. You notice a wide variety of these wisps--some are small and short, others are long, curled, or wrapped around tree trunks. Either way, there seem to be varying stages of development.

Uprooting them, you place them on top of your own body. Nothing happens right away. Understandable, as you must have walked through plenty of these when you could not see them. But as you move your body around and work the Vi sprouts, your body starts to absorb some of them. Using your Me Kahigan, you find that you are once again able to feel your fingers, toes, and limbs. Very. Cold.

[TheBiggerFish]

"I meant like, roommate-related stuff.  Do you care who we room with.  Like, not that I necessarily expect this, but opposite-gender roommates or anything."

--Presumably, there is a response.--

"Thank you for your help.  I'm going to go look at the rooms."

Kyron heads up to the windowless rooms.

[_DivideByZero_]

"I meant like, roommate-related stuff.  Do you care who we room with.  Like, not that I necessarily expect this, but opposite-gender roommates or anything."

She corrects her glasses.
"We don't disallow it... for the same reason we allow demihumans and humans to room together. Regardless if one of them's an orc or somesuch. If you have a specific complaint about the remaining options, we can allow for some students to have a room to themselves. But that's the exception, not the rule. Mathematics don't allow it."

...

You head up the stairwells. On your way to the fourth floor, you hear some rather upbeat fiddles and drums coming from down the hall on the third floor. Also arguing, by the sound of it. Whether things have turned physical is impossible to tell, owing to the drums.

The rooms themselves are not much to look at, though they are elegant. Bedsheets are a tricolor red, yellow, and blue, the closet has space for two plus some dividers that can be thrown around the room for separation. A long table with three (?) chairs, a washroom in every room, an empty bookshelf, and a lamp with a crystal ball that glows green. It's spacious enough that if you removed one of the beds you'd have enough space for a decent swordfight,

If they really wanted to save space, there'd certainly be things to cut in the design.

[WunderKatze]

Raioyris begins to whisper 'Vo' imagining the gentle warmth of the sun.

[TheBiggerFish]

"I hear music."

To the music!

[AoshimaMichio]

"Looks like the right place! Very lively. I suppose top of the building is good place to start."

Now it is my turn to grab Murble and head to the top. Ask every person we come across for location of professor. If helpful answer is received, we follow instructions instead of going to the shrine, unless that's where our man is.

[NRDL]

Walk through the forest, it's a nice day out.

[IronyOwl]

"Looks like the right place! Very lively. I suppose top of the building is good place to start."

Now it is my turn to grab Murble and head to the top. Ask every person we come across for location of professor. If helpful answer is received, we follow instructions instead of going to the shrine, unless that's where our man is.

Guess we're going up!

[Wolfhunter107]

Of she hasn't already, Christine grabs her uniform and asks for directions to the Fire and Water buildings

[HighEndNoob]

"Sure. let's be the most noble of roommates."

"...Sorry, I had to."

[_DivideByZero_]

At the Lodge

Of she hasn't already, Christine grabs her uniform and asks for directions to the Fire and Water buildings

"Water is one of the natural elements, so you'll find it grouped there. Look for a short, round building.

Fire is one of the energetic elements, the other being wind, and so you can find it along the path demarcated by the signs outside the lodge. Look for what's left of the Wind Department building, the Fire Department is right next to it."

"Sure. let's be the most noble of roommates."

"...Sorry, I had to."

"Fair enough. I'll mark you two down, that leaves one room on the first floor and thirteen on the top floor."
The quartermaster straightens her glasses.
"You two are free to head out, just be sure to come back by sundown. I get yelled at by the Watcher if I don't have the heads counted up."

...

Outside the lodge, there are indeed signs giving directions:
-> School of the Natural Elements
-> School of Energy
-> School of Thoughtform
-> Upper Plaza
-> Marble Gardens, Gate

"I hear music."

To the music!

You head over to investigate the noise, and hear not only drumming, but the hammer-like blows of massive feet hitting the ground. Indeed, these sounds are too heavy to be made by men. The only possibility is...

Orcs.

You catch sight of it through the open door: two orc males, tackling and brutalizing each other with skull-capped clubs. Animal skulls, of course, but ominous enough. The beds have been pulled aside and stacked against the walls, and two bystanders are playing the music, the drummer a shirtless orc with olive drab skin and camouflague-patterned trousers, the fiddler a light-skinned human with ominous red pupils that stand out even in the relatively dim lantern-light, wearing a Folstag-styled uniform except with black as the primary color instead of white.

The two fighters are a slate-skinned orc with a brilliant red mane flowing through the air. His moves are as smooth as the flowing river, with deep and incisive strikes against his opponent's pressure-points. The other fighter is strongly-built, even for an orc, with deep Prussian-blue-colored skin and the orcish equivalent of a crew-cut, a swatch of short black hair starting with a widow's peak at the forehead and extending down the back all the way to the tailbone. Both of the fighters are wearing rags with bones and teeth strung together as decorations.

The one human in the room eyes you with a sly grin, and tilts his head toward your side. On the floor is another fiddle, and a cello leaned against the wall.


At the Department of Life building

"Looks like the right place! Very lively. I suppose top of the building is good place to start."

Now it is my turn to grab Murble and head to the top. Ask every person we come across for location of professor. If helpful answer is received, we follow instructions instead of going to the shrine, unless that's where our man is.

Guess we're going up!

The both of you begin climbing the stairs. Since it's a direct route to the top, Dan takes a detour when he sees an open door on the second story, third room to the left of the stairs.

Inside, you find a class in progress. Students in fantastical dress line up in rows, more ornate and complx than the freshman uniforms. Meanwhile, a professor with a gray old beard, a conical hat, and a monocle over his right eye, stands at a chalkboard drawing a tree graph which various Higan characters at each branching point; single letters at the bottom and more complex strings at the higher ends.

One student stands out in particular, and may suffice as an explanation for the open door. Though the room is mostly human, there is one whose head is made of fire, and his uniform is a metal suit of armor charred with blue from heat treatment. His hands wear leather gloves, as do his feet, and he wears a leather cape which seems to insulate the wooden chair just enough to keep it from smoldering, but not enough to protect it from the occasional spark. You smell smoke and ember.


At a copse, between the marble garden and lodge

Raioyris begins to whisper 'Vo' imagining the gentle warmth of the sun.

[-] The word itself does not strike up any sort of magical force, but fortunately it seems your lips part and your lungs function as they should, emitting the noise of speech. You notice, however, that your breathing impulse is gone. Indeed, you also don't seem to require blinking, and you feel... insulated. From the cold.


In the forest

Walk through the forest, it's a nice day out.

You head out for a walk, noticing footprints in the snow scattered about. Or the remains thereof--the continued snowfall covers most footsteps in a thin dusting, and these in particular seem to wind around the pines. You look deeper into the forest and see that it transitions into a typical Icecone forest further out. These trees are covered in a layer of bark that glistens in the light and looks like colored ice. Their spires tend to shed snow easily, forming a sea of cyan up the hillsides. You also spot one grey tree, among the rest.

[NRDL]

Try and follow the footprints, also check out the grey tree.

"Absolutely beautiful, this place.", Nix said, to no one in particular.