Mae saw the others beginning to follow Lesviel and bade goodbye to Aurora and Rubina and hurried back to the group of floormates, anxious now to see and do other things.
Mellori was taken aback at Malvyn’s kindness. In all her excitement looking at the extra curricular activities, she clean forgot about a job at the Biblioplex. She smiled broadly. “Thank you so much, I would have been cross with myself if I didn’t apply as soon as possible.” She takes the form from him. “I think we should fill these in at the first available opportunity. Who knows who else might want a job here and might beat us to the open spots.”
The smile remained on her face, “Thanks again,” she repeated.
"I...ehm...I already filled out mine and submitted it..." Malvyn starts, relieved that Mellori seems to appreciate that he brought her a form but a bit embarrassed that he went ahead and applied without her. "...I'm sure we will both get accepted if you turn it in after the orientation." He adds, hoping Mellori isn't disappointed in him, but it felt good to see her smile.
Mei's eyes widen and she jumps as her name is called, on edge once more for being back out in the open space. With a half turn, she looks back at Quentillius with a shy smile and wave of her hand before they're shepherded along, oblivious to Malvyn's reaction though her relief at moving on mirrors his. Mere mention of the Drama Guild had her spine rigid and hands clammy.
Jogging to catch up with the group, she tucks in next to Maeleve and retrieves a small sketchbook from her satchel where she'd been making her own little map of the Biblioplex as Lesviel introduced different areas of note. She adds the Amphitheater and the Book Gardens to it.
Lesviel now leads you on along the edge of the stage. You can see one of the Book Gardens just to the west. Further past it is some other room, but you cannot really see what it is from here. Turning back a little towards where the entrance was, you can see that the Hall of Oracles (B11) has another entrance from this side. The blonde-haired Elf is heading towards it.
She stops just as she gets to the entrance. "This is where I let you go on your own. Just a bit of a fun activity. I will probably see you back at Dresar Hall but feel free to check out activities and jobs after. If you still have questions don't hesitate to find me and ask!" She motions you all into the Hall.
The Hall of Oracles is filled with several statues. But clearly the main focus of attention is to be found at the center of this space. There you see a pulsing ball of magical energy. It fills the area with a bright blue light. Although there are several other groups of students gathered here, an almost sacrosanct sense of calm descends as you step into the Hall of Oracles.
“Brilliant scholars,” says a rich, soothing voice just a few moments after you all had moved all the way into the room. The sound seems to be radiating from the hall’s central snarl of glowing energy. “Your attention, please. As you are now Strixhaven University students, this storied Biblioplex will be your second home for research, studies, and even leisure. There is just one task to accomplish before you officially embark on your academic journey—a scavenger hunt!”
A small parchment materializes in front of the characters. It presents a list of clues.
“The rules are simple,” the voice says. “Each clue on this list will lead you to a different location in the Biblioplex. Simply travel to the area each clue references and perform the action the clue suggests. Time is of the essence. You have only until the end of the day to finish your hunt. Solve as many clues as you can, because at each location, you may win a prize! Now then, off you go!”
Mei gazes reverently up at the luminous snarl as she shuffles into the hall with the others and tries to draw from her knowledge any information about snarls as an Arcavios native. She flips to a new page in her sketchbook and begins to quickly sketch out the hallowed space when the list of clues materializes before her.
"A scavenger hunt?" she says to the others, fumbling the sketchbook as she makes a grab for the parchment lest it fall away, in the process dropping her pencil and a few loose sketches that flutter like leaves to the ground.
As the group of floories enters the Hall of Oracles, the purple-skinned teifling is at first completely struck with awe, his fiery red eyes taking in the grandeur and magnificence of it all, standing with full reverence at the entrance of this majestic temple of knowledge. In his awe, he doesn't even notice Lesviel leaving the group, but as the soothing voice starts speaking he is roused. As the small parchment appears Malvyn quickly steps up by Mei, picking up the items she dropped and offering them back to her with a quick insecure smile, then offering to hold the parchment while the purple-haired girl sorts her sketches out. Malvyn then starts to read from the parchment. He wasn't quite expecting a scavenger hunt in a place like this but the mention of clues has his curiosity piqued. He understands the group has plenty of time to complete this task but he is eager to start and hope to be able to prove to his floories he at least has a somewhat keen mind.
Mei smiles apologetically back at Malvyn with a quiet and blushing, "thank you," as she hastily tucks the sketches back between the pages of the book, storing both it and the pencil back in her bag.
If Malvyn (or anyone else) glances at the sketches as he picks them up, he sees:
The first is a myriad of moments captured from the first day, all rough sketches but with a refinement that comes from years of practice. There's the face of the girl they both now know as Mina, smiling as she'd helped Mei up. There's Maeleve, her expression pensive and hiding something deeper beneath it. And Chara with a shy smile as she tucks hair behind her ear. Knap as he encourages the growth of the flowers in the lounge. Guardok with a bit of crumbs around his mouth and a sense of pride upon his face from when he regaled them with the tale of his family's circus. Malvyn himself looking with disdain down at his coffee-flavored meal. And last of Dresar's Fourth, Mellori, face nearly buried in a book by candlelight as she read into the night.
Beneath it, however, is a second, hastily scribbled sketch that might seem as though it were drawn by an entirely different person. The lines are harsh and the shading deep and dark as though to convey a sense of hopelessness. Within a mass of shadow that nearly fills the page, is a disembodied maw filled with teeth.
With everything packed away, she, much like earlier, leans slightly against Malvyn to read the list with him over his arm.
The size and majesty of the Hall of Oracles stops Mellori in her tracks. She stands, open-mouthed once more at its splendour. But she is soon shaken from it by the voice - powerful yet reassuring. And the promise of...a treasure hunt. Initially, she dismisses the notion - given her lack of competitiveness - but her logical brain nudges her into thinking that prizes might mean books, or some other form of learning.
Now fully engaged, she looks at Malvyn. "So, what's the first clue?"
Hardly noticing Mei scatter her bits and bobs, Knap stares at the sharp distilled condensation of magics radiating from the snarl. He feels uneasy in this place. The Warmth of the voice did nothing to reassure him but the challenge presented did sound exciting!
“This will get our blood flowing. But, I hope we’re not gonna get graded on this.”
Meirecollects about snarls and potentially shares some of it with those that are not from Arcaivos:
Magic suffuses all existence across the various planes of existence. In the Forgotten Realms, scholars describe the fabric of magic as a Weave that allows spellcasters to interact with the world’s underlying magical reality. In Arcavios, that fabric is knotted and tangled in some locations, creating a phenomenon called snarls. At these places, spells can be amplified or distorted in unpredictable ways. This phenomenon matters for Strixhaven because a luminous snarl is situated at the very heart of campus, located in the Hall of Oracles in the university’s monumental library, the Biblioplex.
The gravity-defying arch shapes that appear throughout Arcavios and, in particular, tower over the Biblioplex are related. These star arches are made from spokes of natural materials that float in an arch shape, with a precise inner curve and a rough and irregular outer arch. They can stand straight or lie at an angle, and they can be small or enormous, whole or broken, grown over or mysteriously clean. Their irregular spokes evoke the radiating lines of a shining star.
The star arches are a mystery left over from the birth of the world. In most cases, the arches simply float inexplicably—silent, immovable, and inert. But many people report seeing an arch appear to them at a critical juncture in their lives, helping them understand a lesson or answer a burning question in their mind. Some scholars believe each arch marks a place of great magic, such as the site of a great mage’s birth or the location of a time-lost spell.
Both snarls and star arches are subjects of magical research for students and faculty at Strixhaven, who also study wild and dead magic zones, floating earth motes, and other weird locales.
Guardok follows Lesviel along as she continues the tour, being especially interested in the amphitheatre, looking upon the stage and envisioning how it might be to perform on it in front of people. He has to admit, that as much as the thought of the Cheer Squad and the Gymnastics club appealed, he was sure he would miss performing for a proper audience. He then hears the familiar voice of Quentillius and remembers that he was a part of the acting club. Perhaps the band was more suitable for him. As he is mulling this over, Lesviel hurries them along, and he resolves to keep an open mind and decide later.
When they are led into the Hall of Oracles, for the first time he is properly awestruck. He had been excitable and impressed before, but now he is simply speechless. No longer does he feel fidgety and full of nervous energy. He feels passive and calm.
When he hears they are to take part in a scavenger hunt, he looks across to those with the clue sheet, realising he has no chance of seeing the sheet over the shoulder of those much taller than him.
"Do read out the clues. And make sure to whisper as we try and figure them out, we wouldn't want to give away any answers".
As the floories gather together for the clues, Malvyn reads the first loud enough for the all to hear."Okay, the first clue is as follows; You’ll forget all about any trouble or plight when you step forward and are ensnarled in light."He says, letting everyone think a while. He had an idea but for some reason he didn't feel the need to impress the others, a testament to how they all had made him relax in their company.
Mae gets a quick glance at the sheet and begins mulling the clues over in her head, sliding her hand into her bag and letting her fingers slide over the head of her small drum. The first clue is read out loud, bringing it to the forefront of her thoughts. Her eyes begin to drift around the Biblioplex as she considers this and the other clues.
Mei takes out her sketchbook once more to scribble down her own guesses and underlines the word "snarl" within "ensnarled" as she takes a step back to make room for the others, glancing up at the enormous snarl elephant in the room. She then focuses more intently on figuring out the answers in reverse, starting with the fifth clue. They all seem fairly straightforward--not riddles written by the Fey, she thinks with a small smile.
Chara looks at the others... she isn't very good at solving puzzles, and doubts she'll be much help in the brain department. That being said, she does have one thing that she can do which might be helpful.
"Um... I'm not great at solving puzzles... but... if you think it would help I can get an overhead view and maybe I can use that to help point us in the right direction..."
She pauses, then grins sheepishly.
"And maybe also keep track of the competition."
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Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Mae looks at Chara and smiles a bit, "I'm not sure we're competing against others, but I'm not opposed to having someone see things from a different perspective, if you wish. But it seems to me this first clue has to do with this magical snarl here. Anyone see something there?" She begins to take a few steps toward the snarl to get a better, closer look.
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Mae saw the others beginning to follow Lesviel and bade goodbye to Aurora and Rubina and hurried back to the group of floormates, anxious now to see and do other things.
Mellori was taken aback at Malvyn’s kindness. In all her excitement looking at the extra curricular activities, she clean forgot about a job at the Biblioplex. She smiled broadly. “Thank you so much, I would have been cross with myself if I didn’t apply as soon as possible.” She takes the form from him. “I think we should fill these in at the first available opportunity. Who knows who else might want a job here and might beat us to the open spots.”
The smile remained on her face, “Thanks again,” she repeated.
"I...ehm...I already filled out mine and submitted it..." Malvyn starts, relieved that Mellori seems to appreciate that he brought her a form but a bit embarrassed that he went ahead and applied without her. "...I'm sure we will both get accepted if you turn it in after the orientation." He adds, hoping Mellori isn't disappointed in him, but it felt good to see her smile.
Mei's eyes widen and she jumps as her name is called, on edge once more for being back out in the open space. With a half turn, she looks back at Quentillius with a shy smile and wave of her hand before they're shepherded along, oblivious to Malvyn's reaction though her relief at moving on mirrors his. Mere mention of the Drama Guild had her spine rigid and hands clammy.
Jogging to catch up with the group, she tucks in next to Maeleve and retrieves a small sketchbook from her satchel where she'd been making her own little map of the Biblioplex as Lesviel introduced different areas of note. She adds the Amphitheater and the Book Gardens to it.
Lesviel now leads you on along the edge of the stage. You can see one of the Book Gardens just to the west. Further past it is some other room, but you cannot really see what it is from here. Turning back a little towards where the entrance was, you can see that the Hall of Oracles (B11) has another entrance from this side. The blonde-haired Elf is heading towards it.
She stops just as she gets to the entrance. "This is where I let you go on your own. Just a bit of a fun activity. I will probably see you back at Dresar Hall but feel free to check out activities and jobs after. If you still have questions don't hesitate to find me and ask!" She motions you all into the Hall.
The Hall of Oracles is filled with several statues. But clearly the main focus of attention is to be found at the center of this space. There you see a pulsing ball of magical energy. It fills the area with a bright blue light. Although there are several other groups of students gathered here, an almost sacrosanct sense of calm descends as you step into the Hall of Oracles.
“Brilliant scholars,” says a rich, soothing voice just a few moments after you all had moved all the way into the room. The sound seems to be radiating from the hall’s central snarl of glowing energy. “Your attention, please. As you are now Strixhaven University students, this storied Biblioplex will be your second home for research, studies, and even leisure. There is just one task to accomplish before you officially embark on your academic journey—a scavenger hunt!”
A small parchment materializes in front of the characters. It presents a list of clues.
“The rules are simple,” the voice says. “Each clue on this list will lead you to a different location in the Biblioplex. Simply travel to the area each clue references and perform the action the clue suggests. Time is of the essence. You have only until the end of the day to finish your hunt. Solve as many clues as you can, because at each location, you may win a prize! Now then, off you go!”
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Mei gazes reverently up at the luminous snarl as she shuffles into the hall with the others and tries to draw from her knowledge any information about snarls as an Arcavios native. She flips to a new page in her sketchbook and begins to quickly sketch out the hallowed space when the list of clues materializes before her.
"A scavenger hunt?" she says to the others, fumbling the sketchbook as she makes a grab for the parchment lest it fall away, in the process dropping her pencil and a few loose sketches that flutter like leaves to the ground.
((Arcana: 22))
As the group of floories enters the Hall of Oracles, the purple-skinned teifling is at first completely struck with awe, his fiery red eyes taking in the grandeur and magnificence of it all, standing with full reverence at the entrance of this majestic temple of knowledge. In his awe, he doesn't even notice Lesviel leaving the group, but as the soothing voice starts speaking he is roused. As the small parchment appears Malvyn quickly steps up by Mei, picking up the items she dropped and offering them back to her with a quick insecure smile, then offering to hold the parchment while the purple-haired girl sorts her sketches out. Malvyn then starts to read from the parchment. He wasn't quite expecting a scavenger hunt in a place like this but the mention of clues has his curiosity piqued. He understands the group has plenty of time to complete this task but he is eager to start and hope to be able to prove to his floories he at least has a somewhat keen mind.
Mei smiles apologetically back at Malvyn with a quiet and blushing, "thank you," as she hastily tucks the sketches back between the pages of the book, storing both it and the pencil back in her bag.
If Malvyn (or anyone else) glances at the sketches as he picks them up, he sees:
The first is a myriad of moments captured from the first day, all rough sketches but with a refinement that comes from years of practice. There's the face of the girl they both now know as Mina, smiling as she'd helped Mei up. There's Maeleve, her expression pensive and hiding something deeper beneath it. And Chara with a shy smile as she tucks hair behind her ear. Knap as he encourages the growth of the flowers in the lounge. Guardok with a bit of crumbs around his mouth and a sense of pride upon his face from when he regaled them with the tale of his family's circus. Malvyn himself looking with disdain down at his coffee-flavored meal. And last of Dresar's Fourth, Mellori, face nearly buried in a book by candlelight as she read into the night.
Beneath it, however, is a second, hastily scribbled sketch that might seem as though it were drawn by an entirely different person. The lines are harsh and the shading deep and dark as though to convey a sense of hopelessness. Within a mass of shadow that nearly fills the page, is a disembodied maw filled with teeth.
With everything packed away, she, much like earlier, leans slightly against Malvyn to read the list with him over his arm.
The size and majesty of the Hall of Oracles stops Mellori in her tracks. She stands, open-mouthed once more at its splendour. But she is soon shaken from it by the voice - powerful yet reassuring. And the promise of...a treasure hunt. Initially, she dismisses the notion - given her lack of competitiveness - but her logical brain nudges her into thinking that prizes might mean books, or some other form of learning.
Now fully engaged, she looks at Malvyn. "So, what's the first clue?"
Hardly noticing Mei scatter her bits and bobs, Knap stares at the sharp distilled condensation of magics radiating from the snarl. He feels uneasy in this place. The Warmth of the voice did nothing to reassure him but the challenge presented did sound exciting!
“This will get our blood flowing. But, I hope we’re not gonna get graded on this.”
After Mei grabs the parchment, she looks over the list of clues with Malvyn glancing over her shoulder.
Clue 1. You’ll forget all about any trouble or plight when you step forward and are ensnarled in light.
Clue 2. Alumni commission works when they retire, seeking promising mages to inspire.
Clue 3. Each group deserves a free treat for their investment. Serve up this list and enjoy your refreshment.
Clue 4. These leafy beds aren’t always what they seem. Give them a pat and see what you glean.
Clue 5. Some stars are ancient, enduring, and bright. But others—maybe you!—are born on opening night.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Mei recollects about snarls and potentially shares some of it with those that are not from Arcaivos:
Magic suffuses all existence across the various planes of existence. In the Forgotten Realms, scholars describe the fabric of magic as a Weave that allows spellcasters to interact with the world’s underlying magical reality. In Arcavios, that fabric is knotted and tangled in some locations, creating a phenomenon called snarls. At these places, spells can be amplified or distorted in unpredictable ways. This phenomenon matters for Strixhaven because a luminous snarl is situated at the very heart of campus, located in the Hall of Oracles in the university’s monumental library, the Biblioplex.
The gravity-defying arch shapes that appear throughout Arcavios and, in particular, tower over the Biblioplex are related. These star arches are made from spokes of natural materials that float in an arch shape, with a precise inner curve and a rough and irregular outer arch. They can stand straight or lie at an angle, and they can be small or enormous, whole or broken, grown over or mysteriously clean. Their irregular spokes evoke the radiating lines of a shining star.
The star arches are a mystery left over from the birth of the world. In most cases, the arches simply float inexplicably—silent, immovable, and inert. But many people report seeing an arch appear to them at a critical juncture in their lives, helping them understand a lesson or answer a burning question in their mind. Some scholars believe each arch marks a place of great magic, such as the site of a great mage’s birth or the location of a time-lost spell.
Both snarls and star arches are subjects of magical research for students and faculty at Strixhaven, who also study wild and dead magic zones, floating earth motes, and other weird locales.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Guardok follows Lesviel along as she continues the tour, being especially interested in the amphitheatre, looking upon the stage and envisioning how it might be to perform on it in front of people. He has to admit, that as much as the thought of the Cheer Squad and the Gymnastics club appealed, he was sure he would miss performing for a proper audience. He then hears the familiar voice of Quentillius and remembers that he was a part of the acting club. Perhaps the band was more suitable for him. As he is mulling this over, Lesviel hurries them along, and he resolves to keep an open mind and decide later.
When they are led into the Hall of Oracles, for the first time he is properly awestruck. He had been excitable and impressed before, but now he is simply speechless. No longer does he feel fidgety and full of nervous energy. He feels passive and calm.
When he hears they are to take part in a scavenger hunt, he looks across to those with the clue sheet, realising he has no chance of seeing the sheet over the shoulder of those much taller than him.
"Do read out the clues. And make sure to whisper as we try and figure them out, we wouldn't want to give away any answers".
As the floories gather together for the clues, Malvyn reads the first loud enough for the all to hear. "Okay, the first clue is as follows; You’ll forget all about any trouble or plight when you step forward and are ensnarled in light." He says, letting everyone think a while. He had an idea but for some reason he didn't feel the need to impress the others, a testament to how they all had made him relax in their company.
Mae gets a quick glance at the sheet and begins mulling the clues over in her head, sliding her hand into her bag and letting her fingers slide over the head of her small drum. The first clue is read out loud, bringing it to the forefront of her thoughts. Her eyes begin to drift around the Biblioplex as she considers this and the other clues.
Investigation: 18 (game log)
Mei takes out her sketchbook once more to scribble down her own guesses and underlines the word "snarl" within "ensnarled" as she takes a step back to make room for the others, glancing up at the enormous
snarlelephant in the room. She then focuses more intently on figuring out the answers in reverse, starting with the fifth clue. They all seem fairly straightforward--not riddles written by the Fey, she thinks with a small smile.Hearing the clue, Mae also makes a connection between 'ensnarled' and 'snarl' and what is right in front of her.
'Step forward' seems to suggest going towards it. Now just to figure out how you 'get ensnarled by the light'.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Everyone can see other groups huddled together in discussion. Several quickly made their way out of the Hall of Oracles.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Chara looks at the others... she isn't very good at solving puzzles, and doubts she'll be much help in the brain department. That being said, she does have one thing that she can do which might be helpful.
"Um... I'm not great at solving puzzles... but... if you think it would help I can get an overhead view and maybe I can use that to help point us in the right direction..."
She pauses, then grins sheepishly.
"And maybe also keep track of the competition."
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Provide feedback!
Mae looks at Chara and smiles a bit, "I'm not sure we're competing against others, but I'm not opposed to having someone see things from a different perspective, if you wish. But it seems to me this first clue has to do with this magical snarl here. Anyone see something there?" She begins to take a few steps toward the snarl to get a better, closer look.