I still felt the echoes of the books' impressions. My gaze drifted to the smaller of the two. Something about it drew me in. The impressions weren't any stronger than those in the imperial index. There was an almost qualitative difference. Something that I couldn't put my finger on. Like a square that's been tipped on its side. It's different then what it used to be, but there was nothing to tell you what exactly was different. My hands twitched to open the book. It had the knowledge and practices of my ancestry.

It took a measure of will to tear my eyes away from it. I knew I could gain power from skills in that book. Between them and my rather unearned gifts I could have strength unseen since the days of Heim, but that would be a shallow power. My personal strength would do little to support my goals. What I needed was knowledge. Ways to obtain and keep it, as well as profit off of it. Those skills of visceral warfare would do little for me.

"As you know, My Lady," it seemed that Urgl was finished with making fun of me. My shoulders dropped a bit. I was relieved. I still didn't know how to reconcile the ever grumpy old man with the playful, if worrying, man he had been just minutes prior. "Once a child reaches the age of five and are granted their name they are then allowed to start training in whatever trades their family engages in. These can range from being a simple pig feeder to a vaunted hearth keeper. The majority in Norland can be given to three distinct groups. The soldiers or mercenaries, the hunters who brave the glaciers to the north, and the sailors along our two coasts." He paused for a breath too long. "You have chosen to follow none of these paths." My shoulder flinched by its own volition when the old man moved the thinner index away. It almost made me want to change my mind. But I had come up with this plan years ago. I was not going to sway from it now. "Instead you wish to simply learn." His iron grey eyes bore into my head.

"Since that is your goal we will focus on Scholars and their variations. The Scholar class is defined by two things. First, you will only gain experience when you actively learn something. Other actions such as hunting monsters or creating works of art will award you nothing. The second is that the class will assist you in your capacity to learn and retain information." As Urgl spoke he lifted from his seat. His pockmarked face paused for a moment. I think he was waiting for me to go back on my word. Relenting a moment later he walked over to one of the surrounding bookshelves. "The primary Attribute for most Scholars is Intelligence, though there are several that rely on Willpower and even one recorded case of a Scholar who used Charisma." His thick, scarred knuckles rapped against the spines of the books. "Though that last example was a Bard and his particular brand of Scholar only assisted him in learning and remembering songs, poems, and stories to tell around a fire." His hand settled on a book that was only as thick as a pinky. It had a cover made of wood adorned with red silk and gold leaf. With uncharacteristic gentleness, the giant of a man opened it to a spot about three-quarters through it. One of his overly bushy brows rose as he read something within. His mouth moving ever so slightly to the shape of the words.

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"Are you an aspiring Bard, My Lady?" There was no mirth in his jest. I shook my head. I didn't speak, much less sing. A poor Bard that would be. "Hm." Shaking his head, Urgl closed the book in his hand and replaced it on the shelf. He ran a hand through the short, grey beard that covered the bottom half of his face. Thin black beads were strung up in it. His fingers caught on one and started to wist it around. "So we are left with either Intelligence or Willpower." His hands slapped together like a hammer on a gong. The sound bounced in between my ears. He reached out to two different books. Both had covers of thick leather. Their only difference was in their apparent ages. The binding of the first was obviously newer. Images of wild beasts were embossed on the front and back, highlighted with traces of silver. Black letters were painted upon its spine. The other book was in a much worse condition. I could see the strings from the binding already starting to slip through the bottom. The painted title had already flaked off, leaving only a handful of blue spots. There was no artistry upon its covers as well.

"One of these holds methods for naturally training your Intelligence, the other for Willpower." He held up the individual books as he spoke. I reached my hands out to the one he had indicated as the Willpower trainer. I wanted my primary Attributes to be Constitution and Willpower after all. Knowledge would come naturally, even with a relatively low Intelligence, but the force to put that knowledge into effect would come from Willpower. It would also allow me easier and more consistent control over the Ice and Cold as well as safety in my dealings with the spirits. I had not sought any out yet, but I already knew that it was only a matter of time.

Urgl nodded at my choice. In his hands rested the book that was starting to come apart. As he returned to his seat across from me he left the Intelligence trainer on top of the thinner index. Leaving the Imperial Index facing me, he opened it to several different pages before coming to a stop. The header on this page wrote "Pattern Recognition," but before I could read more the librarian continued to speak.

"There are many skills that help with the forming of a Scholar. Reading Comprehension, Writing, Listening, general Perception, and many others. I believe, for no small reason, that Pattern Recognition is the most valuable of the lot. When you have leveled the skill high enough it will assist you in noticing trends in your research, mathematics, even fighting." I found myself growing excited as he pushed the index towards me.