It’s been 3 weeks since the invitations swarmed out to those invited, each with a stamp that represented their coven. Given warning in the letter, all candidates were expected to have everything they needed in a specific location with them written on said letter. With a flash of white light and intense force, they were at once yanked from their world into the new dimension, where a bright yellow sun shined down on them. A witch smiles at all of you, before levitating all of your luggage and having it handed to invisible servants, that seemed to be heading to where your rooms should be.

”Welcome to Banhaven! I am the senior overseer of you students, or simply the dean. You may call me Mrs. Haven. I’m sure that some of you are shocked at all of this, but you’ll calm down eventually. Leaders from your covens will arrive shortly to give you a tour. Until then, please explore the courtyard, and get to know your classmates!”

And then, as quickly as you arrived, she disappeared in a white flash, putting an omnidirectional breeze into the grass around her. In your group there are 5 others, each one unfamiliar with eachother...

Kane, a tall Tielfing with red skin, white short hair, and sharp features, is reading a book when he is teleported. He stops reading to listen to Mrs. Haven, but then goes back to the book when she leaves. Kane’s luggage is mainly books and scrolls, along with a nice suit of clothes. He is wearing a black double breasted jacket with a red cape and black boots. He looks to be in his mid 20s. He glances at his classmates, “This should be interesting.”, he murmurs. 

A young half-elf with blonde hair and purple eyes peers at the strangers around her. She looks to be in her late teens, possibly on the cusp of twenty, and has a metal prosthetic right arm and both of her legs also seem to be made out of the same materials and design, slightly ruddy with minor nicks and dents. She's wearing what seems to be her 'best' clothes although that's just a tunic and cropped breeches that appear to be as ironed out as possible. With her luggage gone, all she has on her are a pair of goggles worn on her head and a stuffed green dragon plush, which she quickly hides behind her back upon realizing that everyone else can also see it.

She clears her throat, speaking in a soft, slightly raspy voice, then holds her right hand out to the nearest person. "Uh, hello. I'm Seiren. Sorry if the hand's cold. It's like that."

*I’ll be the nearest person, if that’s all right.*
Kane doesn’t notice her at first, but then he slowly looks up and sees Seiren. He shakes her hand, his hand being unusually warm. He doesn’t seem bothered by the prosthetics. “Akanos Novak, my friends call me Kane.”

A rather large, rather blue goblin stands clapping as his belongings are levitated along. He stands about five feet tall, a good foot or two taller than the average goblin, and is a most unsettling shade of blue. He's balding on top, a fringe of grey circling from ear to ear at the back of his head, the unkempt grey matching the bushy brows he sports, though one is a bit singed. His clothes look like grubby hand me downs from a shorter goblin, ill fitting and a bit torn.

He looks around at his fellow classmates, his right eye more dilated than his left. He picks his nose and deposits his findings in an ear for safekeeping.

"Hello Mrs. Haven! Hello, Grizzle's classmates!" 

He waves at Seiren and Kane as they are shaking hands.

(yeah no prob!)

She gives him a little smile at the warmth of his hand but she drops the handshake as soon as possible and quickly goes back to fidgeting with her pockets. "Nice name. I'm... assuming that, uh, means we can call you Kane?" she asks, waving a hand in a general circular direction. "Unless you mean literally only your friends. To which we just met, so we're... not." Seiren clears her throat again and looks at a spot on the nearest wall rather awkwardly. "I'm not great at... talking, sorry," she says, "Where did you come from, if I may ask?" 

At Grizzle's hello, she waves meekly. "Hi."

"Hi!" Grizzle enthusiastically waves again in response to her wave.

Seiren holds her hand out to shake Grizzle's if he'd like a handshake. "Grizzle. Neat name. Why, uh, are you blue? I don't think I've ever seen a blue goblin—" She stops herself, takes a moment, then purses her lips together. "Sorry, I shouldn't just be asking people... why they're blue. Um." She makes a little rewind motion with her finger. "Scratch that. Forget I said that. Where are you from? That's a more appropriate question."

Kane can tell she is very nervous. “Well, before people are friends they are strangers first. But we can become friends, if you like. I’m from Telosbirth, a small town in Greyhawk. He waves to Grizzle but is thinking, “That is a very odd looking goblin.” He turns back to Seiren, “So, you were invited to this Academy for your magical prowess. Tell me, how do you preform your magic?”

Oh, Seiren's extremely nervous. It's her constant state of being. "That's true. Fair. I'm from Baldur's Gate. In, um, Faerun. Not the best place ever. I wouldn't recommend planning a vacation there." At being asked about her magic, she perks up, even leaning forward on the tips of her... her prosthetics don't have toes. But you get the meaning. "Oh, I sing! And play, ah, instruments. Sometimes I write or draw, but that's not very often. Hm." She glances around and finds her lute that she'd set down upon arriving and picks it up. "I can play a song if you'd want to hear something, just while we're waiting?" She says that, but her fingers are already plucking away at some of the strings idly out of habit.

(and that's my "going dark" post — Seiren'll be providing a jaunty lute tune or such in the background while i'm in an IRL session, so catch y'all later!)

(See you soon!)

Kane: “I would love to hear a song.” Kane doesn’t want her to be nervous. In his head, he hears a voice. “Remember, you aren’t here to make friends. Your job here is to learn is to learn their secrets.” Kane telepathically says back, “She’s just a young girl, I’m going to need as many friends, or allies, as you prefer to call them, while I’m here.”

(He was talking to his Master, Mephistopheles.)

Grizzle enthusiastically waves at Kane, trotting over to meet them. He wipes his hand on his breeches, realizes that made it dirtier, then snaps his fingers and shouts "Plibble Blip!" and his hand from the wrist down is as clean as if it were freshly scrubbed. He pumps Seiren's hand, and then remains holding on to it as she asks her questions, only letting go to look at his hand and confirm that he is, indeed, blue.

Grizzle, unfazed by Seiren's lack of decorum, and having none of his own, responds cheerfully. "Grizzle is blue because Big Magic turned Grizzle blue. Sometimes it does things like... wait, who asked about blue? No one asked about blue."

He mimic's her 'back it up' motion. 

"Grizzle was in his cave before this. Why are you metal?"

"Why are you red?" , he asks, turning to Kane.

“Have you never seen a Tiefling before, Mr.... Grizzle, was it? Tielfings are born red or light blue, depending on what devil they are descended from. Also, that was very rude asking about her prosthetics. She may not want to talk about it but I can tell your manners are not the finest point of your... personality.” Kane puts the book in his bag and listen’s to Seiren’s song. 

Ezri, as soon as Mrs.Haven leaves, starts looking around at their new surroundings. With pale blue skin, short wavy grey hair, and teal eyes, it is safe to assume the tall woman was an air genasi. She wears short sleeved dark green dress that goes down just below her knees, with blue patterns on the skirt. Underneath are grey leggings, shin length boots and a beautiful blue cloak covering it. There is not much in the way of jewelry, only a silver band on her left middle finger, and a beaded bracelet on her right wrist. She carries two bags for luggage, and has quite a few pouches of various sizes on her belt. A heavy tome is held close to her chest, and she taps her fingers against its metal-bound spine.

"Hi, Grizzle. You look pretty cool." She grins. Her voice has a sort of crackling effect behind it as she speaks. "And... Kane, and Seiren. Don't think it's much of an issue asking someone why they're blue. Bound to be an interesting story behind it all. Nice to meet you all. Ezri's the name by the way." She clears her throat, and falls quiet. Best let the question in the air be answered first, before piling on another.

"Yep, Grizzle Fizzle! Don't know about any tiefling... they all have big pointy horns too? Grizzle knew a ram once, his name was Arnold. What devil makes red babies? Any devil babies blue like Grizzle? Maybe Grizzle have great-great-great-grand devil that make him blue too."

"What's a pross-tick?", Grizzle scratches his head with his once clean hand, feeling for any imminent horns.

"Nope, Grizzle best known for Big Magic, not mammers. Mammers not help you get ahead."

"Hah! You outnumbered now, Kane and Seiren! Two blues! Ezri is very nice blue. Are you horny devil baby too? Kane is, and Grizzle maybe is."

“First of all, it is a very sensitive subject to ask a Tiefling about their devil lineage, so please refrain from asking questions about it. Yes, all Tielfing are born with horns. A “prosthetic” is a part of the body that had to be replaced, the “metal” part you asked Seiren about, but I ask you to leave her alone about it.” Kane puts his hand on his face and sighs loudly. “This is going to be a long school year.” 
He turns to Ezri and shakes her hand. “Nice to meet you Ezri. Quite a turnout for this academy, wouldn’t you say? I’ve meet a few Genasi in my life time, most of them trying to kill me. Hopefully you will be different.” He notices the tome. “Ahh, are you a Warlock of the Tome like myself?” He pulls out his tome, a black leather book with arcanic symbols strewn across it. 

"Ouchie for mommy tieflings.", he winces.

"Okay, Grizzle will ask if things are sensitive to ask 'bout before he asks." 

He looks bored by them comparing their stacks of wiping papers, so wanders off to listen to Seiren or greet the green lady or the other guy.

"No, somewhere down the line, one of my ancestors had a fun night with an elemental." She laughs. "I'm not the murderous type, so you're safe Kane. Wizard, actually. You're a warlock, eh? What sort of being did you make friends with? We have quite a variety of magical talent here."

“Friend... isn’t the right term. Let’s call him my “benefactor”. As for what sort of being he is, that’s not important. What is important is that with his help, I aspire to be the great Archmage that ever lived. Akanos Novak will go down in the history books as a master of the arcane arts. And with this academy, that dream is is much closer.” He gestures to Grizzle while talking to Erzi, “I’m curious to see our Goblin friend use of magic. Obviously, his intellect isn’t the source of his power.” He then gestures to Seiren, “She seems quite young for a spellcaster. I’m going to keep my eye on her, to keep her safe.”

"Oooo, an elemental! That sounds... well... complicated."

((Grizzle has wandered off, but as Kane comments about his intellect not being the source of his power, they look over to see Grizzle scratch an armpit, sniff his fingers, then pull away quickly.))