Guest Lecture Series

Marks of the Goddess Arumbelle still blazing, Safad and Rya hastened back to the Great Hall so that Safad would not be late for his lecture. A captivated audience of breathy students and an emotional halfling waited, transfixed on the dashing Calimshani as he took to the dais. 

He began with a Major Image of a sign post and then populated it with text. 

The Art of Artificing

Safad Kulius 

DR 1546

The students were on the edge of their seats. Professors took out their quills and ink. Safad cleared his throat. 

"Artificing represents magic on the physical plane..." he began. Somewhere, a halfling lass fainted. 

Safad went on to explain the finer points of Artificing, that harnessing something called "magical convexity" was the key but to be wary of "magical rolldown." Some students thought they understood, professors knew they did not and asked pointed questions. Safad helped clarify the finer points and by the end of it, the professors were impressed and the Archivist requested he help her pen an introductory handbook on the topic. 

Celebrity status enshrined, Rya and Safad thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the afternoon. They explored the grounds and furthered their research. They were welcomed into the secret rooms and hidden student lounges. Debated all sorts of topics with heady tieflings and sage dragonborn. The finest of Heward's Speed Fermentation flowed freely to them, and professors shyly approached them, eager to learn from their practical adventures in the wide world. That night they listened to more trad music at Becky's and then stayed late in the library with Jo-Dot, filling her in on recent events. 

They next morning, they were back early at the library. Jo-Dot met with them and said she had done some digging on their behalf. 

• She told them the book, "Stellar Lights of Faerun" with the star signs was written over 500 years ago, and that so much had happened since then with the gods. She explained that, to her knowledge, every now and then deities can come and go as followers ebb and wane and the gods vie for power. Then during the Time of Troubles, of course, there was all kinds of shuffling around of the gods. 
• Jo Dot did some research on Myth Sveldin and old mythals, and learned often they are places of strange magic. Myth Drannor comes to mind, a prime example of odd magical happenings in a place where a Mythal has decayed. She also learned from Dagnar who has been working on local histories that early adventurers in Myth Sveldin ran into an earth elemental named Gravelle. Praxton cross referenced the G. Rockenwise with translated Svirfneblin texts from the Underdark section, and learned the G stood for Gravelle. Which was all to say, she found it an interesting anecdote but did not think the Myth Sveldin histories would have to do with their Goddess.
• Jo-Dot felt bad after they confided in her and she had stonewalled about the key and the door. She said she was not allowed to explain outright, but pointed them to a book on Rhymanthin, which discussed a great city that was built on the high moor, a secret city. It said the great Kelbhin Arunson, former Blackstaff of Waterdeep, sacrificed himself to create the Mythal and shroud the city in secrecy. It is a haven for those looking for peace and community, where all races and backgrounds can prosper. 

After the morning's research, it was Rya's turn to earn her keep at the lunch lecture. 

Her presentation style differed from Safad's, but her magnetism was such that people would have paid to see her speak...about anything. She took the dais, eyes flitting tantalizingly--so it seemed to them--over her suitors, Galvan, Undoos, and Yanni. She began. 

Rya introduced her talk with the title, "To Bend a Spell"

Her lecture was interactive and half demonstration, where she covered the obvious and the obscure of the sorcerer's use of metamagic. The students looked longingly at her, envying the ease with which she played with The Weave, and manipulated magic through her being. Suffice to say, their preconceptions of sorcerers had been shattered in a few short days. 

That evening, they were invited to a "social" with the professors who were excited to spend some informal time with their visitors. Lillidus sought advice on sending a student to the Greypeaks while others wanted to hear of their adventures. At the conclusion of the event, High Madame Surnal surprised them by offering them positions on the faculty. She explained there has been sufficient interest from sorcerers for them to open our doors for the pair to teach, especially now that they've proven effective in a classroom setting. And certainly for Artificing as well. Rya and Safad were gracious in thanking their hosts for the honor. 

As they were departing, they made sure to mention to Selanie that their friends, and Davna's partner, were expected to arrive any day now. They weren't sure if they themselves would still be around, but they wanted to let her know that these friends were a little rough around the edges. The road has made them tough, they explained. They said their farewells and went back to their quarters. The following day would be their last at the college.

They spent the morning in the library and then returned to the Great Hall for the last of their lectures. Rya began. 

"Many generations ago there was a female blue dragon in my family, and ever since, every female in my family line has been a sorcerer and been able to wield magic. Unlike some of our brethren, we have always viewed this a blessing, a piece of our history, and something to be cherished, revered and passed down from one generation to the next. And so my mother taught me how to wield my power, how to harness the magic in my blood and how to protect myself as I uphold the family legacy.

The blue dragon blood that flows through my veins has always given me a particular affinity for lightening. Perhaps fittingly I was born during a lightning storm, and my mother always enjoyed telling me about how at the moment I was born, the entire world lit up, as if it was day. If you had asked her, she would have sworn that I had manifested that lightening the moment I entered this world, though that is certainly up for debate.

My mother didn’t start officially training me in my magical abilities until I was 11, though she was keen to avoid lightening storms, or even the barest hint of poor weather until I was 16 - that may or may not have had something to do with my terrible propensity for lighting the traps on fire - accidentally of course. Before my official training began though, my mother was always teaching me about control. How to control my emotions and return peace to my mind even when that seemed to be the furthest thing from my mind. Can you imagine trying to teach that lesson to a toddler, or worse, a teenager?

I won’t say that I made it easy for my mother, after all that would be a blatant lie, but I am thankful for all of the lessons she gave me and how she taught me to keep a level head even at the most stressful of times.

I remember my favorite lessons always occurred during lightening storms when I could nearly feel the magic in the air. She would always start the lesson with a meditation, and have me close my eyes and really feel the energy in my blood. Once I could feel the energy flowing through me, should taught me how to harness the lightening and bend it to do my bidding. My blue dragon blood gives me a particular affinity for lightening centric spells and therefore many of the spells that I have mastered are focused on bending lightening. Not only do these spells come more easily to me, but they are also more effective and powerful than other spells that I know. When I cast these spells, I feel it come alive in my blood and it enhances the spell.

Oh, I do remember one lesson though, my mother was trying to teach me Lightening Lure, which I used to use before I mastered Lightening Bolt. She took me out of town to a clearing we sometimes visited, located higher in elevation in the neighboring mountains. Oh how I would complain when she told me that we were going there to train. And boy was this a storm, it seemed as though the storm was just sitting on top of us, lightening striking all around us, but my mother was attempting to get me to channel the lightening into an attack. It must have been 2 hours into this training session, the storm wasn’t letting us and boy was I getting frustrated. Oh I could call on the lightening, that wasn’t the issue, but I couldn’t control it. My mother was trying to get me to channel the lightening towards a mannequin she set up, but I couldn’t get it to hit the mark. Finally I became so frustrated that I sent a bolt at her - since my aim was so terrible I think a part of me never believed the lightening would actually do my bidding - of course this time it worked perfectly - don’t worry, my mother was also an accomplished sorcerer and was able to block the attack, but man I cannot remember her ever being both so angry and so proud at the same time. Her hair slightly stood on end, and this led to a celebration, after a long lecture on control and not letting my emotions drive me of course.

Once I learned how to feel my magic through lightening, my mother taught me how to access it all the time, even without a natural storm. In a way, it’s about trust, learning how to trust the magic that flows in the world around you and bending that magic into the spell you envision. Magic is everywhere, and being a sorcerer is about tapping into that magic and learning how to recognize, embrace and use it."

The crowd took to their feet when she finished, applauding. 

And just before Safad was set to begin, a rough and haggard, filthy, group of adventurers slipped into the back with Dagnar. 

Just as the crowd was quieting down, a voice rang out--too loud.

"Look at that sexy Calimshani!" 

It was Falka, heckling her friend.