There's always that moment in any conversation when suddenly there's a lull. Especially among a number of people who don't all know one another very well. Into the middle of that uncomfortable silence, the door opens once again. A woman enters, who at first glance you would consider to be old considering her white hair and lined face, and makes her way toward your little circle of visitors. Her posture is straight, and her movements are sharp and sure, the vigor of a woman much younger. She walks with a tall spear in her hand doubling as a walking stick.
"Ah, you're all here already," she says in a warm, alto voice, and in the distance you can hear the second bell ring the mid-morning hour.
"I knew a number of you would heed the summons with the gravity it deserved," she continues, looking to Krav, Verrian and Viani in turn, then at the rest.
"Others I was merely hopeful. Bodes well for the future, I say."
She takes one of the open chairs, and indicates for all of you to sit.
"For those of you who do not know me, I am Athisa Veras of Veridium College. Those of you who do know me," she says, giving a wry but friendly smile to Krav,
"would be advised to speak kindly of me. And Ephwrath? Put that book under your chair, as I know you'd be otherwise distracted by it."
Those who have spent significant time at the school know Athisa as a reknowned scholar and teacher in Veridium College, a stern but fair taskmaster in her classes, self-deprecating, encouraging and supportive of her students. Until they screw up. Her mere disappointment is as terrifying as many other scholars' ranting and raving.
"I know that you are all wondering what you have been summoned for, so I will not waste any more of our time together. The time has come to begin allowing people through the wards. You seven have been chosen by the School to comprise a team that will venture out from the Shining City to take stock of the aftermath of the War. Make no mistake, the world outside has changed more than you can likely imagine -- we know that much from what we have been able to divine from behind the wards. The unrivaled power that allowed us to transform the world through the Great Advancement may have also proven our downfall. Your charge will be to set forth from Meriava and learn what you can about the devastation: what has survived, what has changed, and what can be rebuilt."
She continues on, explaining what little the School knows of the world beyond. Communication and trade with nations outside the city has been cut off for months, if not years. Parts of the landscape have apparently changed completely. Great feats of magic, such as the Floating Towers of Ardraven, seem to have either failed completely or have mutated in unknown ways that make them undetectable.
"It is asking a great deal, to send the seven of you out into this new wilderness. Be assured, you are not the only team we are sending, and we do not expect you to explore every corner of the earth and solve all the world's problems," she says with a sad, if kindly, smile.
"Explore what you can. Learn what you can. Report back to us when you can."
She takes a whitestone disk from a pocket and hands it to Elora.
"If this works properly outside the wards, it should allow you to send us your findings when you feel there is something important we should know. We will provide you with the equipment and provisions you need to start your journey, but you should not expect our direct intervention once you leave the walls of the city. It may not be possible to provide that aid, and even if we can..." She shakes her head, looking to the floor for a moment before addressing you all again.
"You should not expect our direct intervention. We will leave it at that."
"I am sure you will have many questions. Please, ask them, and I will answer to the best of my ability."[ +- ] Athisa Veras, Scholar of Veridium College
