2. Some Lessons Belong in the Classroom

Bow’s End Tavern
Greta’s fingers tighten around the note as she reads it.

"This is ridiculous." She slaps the note down on the table, not quite crumpling it, but the paper bends under her fingers. "Rewriting memories of half a dorm? Do you have any idea how much power — and how many faculty members — it would take to pull that off? That’s not some quiet little cover-up, that’s a conspiracy the size of a dragon’s arse."

She snorts, shaking her head. "This smells exactly like something the Society of Subtle Truths would pull. Professor Mirthwhistle warned us about them — bunch of troublemakers who plant fake clues and weave spooky stories just to see who’s dumb enough to chase after them." She gestures at the note dismissively. "This is their style — get us all riled up, waste half a term running around like idiots while they laugh themselves sick."

Dorian watches her, his expression mostly neutral, but there’s a flicker of something in his eyes — curiosity, maybe, or something he’s choosing to keep to himself for now. He doesn’t say anything, just turns the note slightly so he can reread it, fingers tapping absently against the table. This note might be a prank, sure, but there was enough truth buried in the wording to tug at something deep in him.

Dorm
Grinning, Brie twisted to show off her own ink: a jagged series of dark lines and stylized webs across her shoulder and upper back, symbols of her own past and pride. "See? Nothing says ‘don’t mess with me’ like permanent body art."

Just as she was about to launch into a story about where she got her first tattoo (probably in an alley behind a questionable tavern), Brie’s sharp ears caught the soft sound of paper sliding under the door. She raised an eyebrow and hopped off her bed with an exaggerated stretch, scooping up the folded note before Kiraen could react.

"Ooooh, what’s this?" Brie held it up between two fingers, turning it over like it might explode. "Secret admirer? Mysterious love letter?"

The paper was smooth and high-quality — not the usual rough scrap or crumpled flyer you’d expect from students handing out party invites.

Brie squinted at the wax seal, which was stamped with a spiraling sigil — a snake consuming its own tail, but the serpent was segmented like puzzle pieces shifting apart. "Huh." She tossed it onto Kiraen’s bed. "Definitely not a love note. Looks more like… secret society stuff. You in some kind of cult already? I thought I was supposed to be the shady one in this dorm!"

When Kiraen opens the seal and reads the paper, she finds it is a note (invitation? request?) from The Society of Subtle Truths

To Kiraen, Assistant Librarian of the Biblioplex,

Congratulations on your appointment. Such a fine position is reserved for someone with brains… yet, it pains us to see you wasting precious time at the dueling gym.

A little bird whispered to us about your recent contributions to the illusionary door puzzle left upon the campus grounds. Clever work, Miss Nyrazzrin. It’s rare to find someone who notices the clues, let alone solves them.

We could use that mind. That curiosity. That knack for seeing what others do not. We need your help.

Should you wish to know more, leave a silver coin under the third floor common room’s couch before midnight tomorrow. Consider it an invitation.

---
The Society of Subtle Truths

Dorm
Well Brie, you got that tattoo by your own initiative. I'm not a follower of Lolth, but my aunt though I should be, just because she was a priestess.
And I'm not in a cult!

Kiaren reads the note sitting casually on her couch. Right now she is in the most comfortable and unimposing clothes she owns.I better go find a silver coin. But I'm starting to get a bit miffed about all those unwarrented oppions on how I use my spare time

Dorm
Brie stretched lazily, cracking her knuckles as she sat up. "Silver coin? Yeah, I got one." She reached into her coat, which was draped over a chair, and fished out a small pouch. The sound of clinking metal filled the quiet dorm before she pulled out a tarnished silver piece and flicked it toward Kiraen with a practiced ease.

"But hold up." She tilted her head, her golden eyes narrowing with curiosity. "Why do you need it? You planning to bribe a professor? Paying off a bookie? Some secret wizard handshake I don't know about?"

She leaned forward, tail flicking behind her, still oblivious to the contents of the note. "C’mon, spill. You know I love a good mystery."

Dorm
Nope Brie! I will tell you once I have uncovered this mystery myself.
Kiraen packs away the note. She will burn it at the earliest opportunity.
She takes the coin and leaves for the dorm stairs, she goes up to the third-floor common room and place the silver coin right away - and drops the note in a convenient fireplace.

Tavern
For a moment, the tavern falls completely silent as all eyes follow the fiery dragon soaring through the air. The flickering light dances across the walls, casting dramatic shadows over the gathered patrons. Then, as the dragon dissolves into a cascade of harmless golden sparks, the room erupts into cheers and applause.

"By the gods, did you see that?!" a gnome near the bar exclaims, nearly falling off his stool in excitement.

A few students whistle and clap, some slamming their mugs on the table in approval. A grizzled orc leans back in his chair, smirking. "That’s a hell of a way to liven up a night."

From behind the counter, Tulk raises a single brow but doesn’t intervene. He simply chuckles and shakes his head before returning to polishing a glass. "If you burn the place down, you’re cleaning it up," he calls toward Marlena.