Queakers was tiny, but she was mighty. Before awakening she was able stop her owner or his friends in their tracks with a single round of her super powered puppy dog eyes. She could still do that, but now she could also do that with her vines or maybe one of her thornbush golems. Normally animals took a long time to learn complex magic, like summoning minions, if they could learn it at all, but Queakers always was a quick study.
In fact, Eldrin, the druid instructor, had gone so far as to call Queakers a prodigy and a generational talent. It was clear to Queakers that Eldrin didn’t know how she was doing what she was doing and that he didn’t seem too happy about that. The two week period devoted to nature attuned magic was half over at this point. Queakers had mastered three spells in that time. That was mastered, not learned. She wasn’t a weak caster either. Eldrin found this out when he tried to put a jubilant Queakers in her place after she mastered her third spell in as many days.
Eldrin attempted to use his own nature-attuned spells to suppress Queakers’ magic. She had mastered a spell that seemed to allow her to grow small plants, like flowers and shrubs, almost instantly even where plants would normally struggle. After Queakers demonstrated this, Eldrin attempted to take control of the plants and transform them into plant based golems that could act semi-independently. He succeeded in this briefly, but Queakers, who was almost as prideful as Eldrin, struggled with Eldrin for control of these golems.
Queakers not only won her struggle for control of the plant creations, but she learned Eldrin’s spell for generating the golems. Eldrin’s spell was advanced and complex, so she hadn’t mastered it yet, but it was now unusual to see Queakers without an entourage of humanoid flower servants. Eldrin had a natural kinship with animals, but his pride was far too damaged by this event to be happy for Queakers or even to remain a teacher to her. Eldrin left in a huff and Ruven eventually showed up to let the team know that the rest of the remaining week on nature attuned magic would be a self study.
In an attempt to smooth any ruffled feathers, Sarah made sure that Ruven left understanding that Queakers didn’t know what she was doing. Of course Queakers knew exactly what she was doing. She had no use for Eldrin now that she felt that she had surpassed him and she didn’t trust the instructors at all. This week was a revelation for the team. Queakers' natural talent had allowed her to surpass the instructor focused in her area, at least in some ways, in under a week. Different classes were likely very different in how this might work and their instructors were strong, but it was clear to everyone that the instructors weren’t as far ahead as the team was led to believe.
Category
Value
Notes
Name
Queakers
Race
Dog
Earth
Class
Mage - Nature
HP
120
MP
100
Spirit
1000
Strength
50
Intelligence
130
Agility
130
Dexterity
15
Wisdom
150
Charisma
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140
Discipline
120
Ingenuity
75
***
After my long hunting trip, I was happy to be working on my apprenticeship with Tanyl again. The brownies had been very generous with their time and assistance from my first encounter, so it feels a little shallow to say that my successful completion of the rite of passage at Ghostlight Falls really cemented my position with them, but that is how it felt. I was still an object of a little more attention and curiosity than I was comfortable with, but on another level I was one of them in a new way now.
Tanyl and I spent long hours in the workshop. My dreams from the falls were still vivid and provided countless examples of magical and non-magical technologies, as well as the integrations between the two, for inspiration. It was hard to believe that a single night could be so impactful, but not only was I inspired by what I had seen, I also had a better sense of the details and mechanics of some aspects of magical artifice. I shared my crystal with Tanyl and she was similarly intrigued.
Tanyl was a master in her own right and I had in no way caught up to her. Her abilities were amazing and I appreciated how lucky I was to be studying under her. However, I was able to contribute more to our sessions following my experience in the falls and we quickly pushed into progressively more complex topics. With the theory side coming along quickly for me, I threw myself into the practical side to see if I could push those skills along as well. With my windfall profits from Lierin’s activities and some income from materials gathered while hunting, in particular my recent duck hunt, I didn’t need to be conservative with respect to the cost of the materials that I was using and I began crafting devices at a furious pace.
Some of my creations were pretty wonky and no one was going to get confused about my level of skill as an artisan, but in other techniques I rapidly developed some skill. With my improved grasp of the theoretical underpinnings of magical artifice, I was also getting good at repairing or altering existing devices to generate new effects. Most nights I snuck into the Treefort to explore the reference books, notes and journals left behind by the bolthole’s previous occupants. The Treefort also held a great diversity of devices and weapons to explore and use in various “extracurricular” projects of mine.
***
Leirin looked like the cat that had swallowed the canary when she found me at breakfast at the beginning of my second week following the events of the new moon at Ghostlight Falls. She sat down across from me and helped herself to some of the cantaloupe like melon on my plate. When she had finished chewing, she said, “A little birdy told me that your precious Queakers mastered her first spell, her first three spells in fact. That certainly is cause to celebrate. I think that it is high time that we have your wayward family over for a party. Something tasteful. I’ve reserved the upper floors of the board game cafe for this Friday and the team is working on the menu and entertainment. I just stopped by before making the invitations since you get so grumpy when you aren’t included in every little thing. We’ll start at 1:00 PM and go until question marks. What do you say?”
It had been too long since I had spent any time with my friends, but I was apprehensive. I expect that Lierin understood how I felt and the situation perfectly, as her plan was well tailored to meet my concerns. In a private venue that we controlled, I wouldn’t have to deal with the instructors or anyone unexpected showing. I could spend some time with my old friends while surrounded by my new friends, while keeping the aspects of what I had been up to close to the vest. With Lierin making the arrangements and invitations, I also didn’t have to worry about doing any actual work, which I also appreciated. “How could I say anything but thank you Lierin.” I could tell that she was tickled.
***
I doubled down on my apprenticeship for the balance of the week, but I knocked off at noon on Friday to clean up and get to the board game cafe early. The second floor looked very festive. The balloons raised a lot of questions. I hadn’t seen anything like them since my awakening. How did they make them? Where did they get the rubber? What was in them that was lighter than air? I didn’t sweat it though. I helped myself to a half lemonade half ale and a small helping of the seasoned duck meat and cheese before settling in at the bar. I knew that Leirin could tell that I was nervous to see my friends after so many changes, because she didn’t even get on my case about getting into the food before the guests arrived.
The gang all came together and Leirin was an amazing hostess. She was showing off a bit really, but I was fine with it. Galan, Tanyl and some of the other brownies also showed up for the late luncheon. We had a great afternoon with some great refreshments and some fun board games. The weather was wonderful, so we had a chance to take in some fresh air and the view from the terrace. Everyone had a chance to talk, relax and reconnect. I mentioned my hunting trips briefly, but focused more on my apprenticeship with Tanyl and my time in town. I also got to hear from them about the instruction provided as part of the tutorial and their various skills and personal updates.
I could tell that Sarah had more to share than she was going to spill in front of the group, but aside from Queakers none of them seemed to be making very fast progress. It probably wasn’t fair to call her my dog anymore. She was certainly her own dog, but either way I was very proud of her and she was very happy about that. Leirin spent a fair amount of time circulating, but she certainly fawned over our canine guest of honor more than enough.
As afternoon turned into evening there was a bit of a transformation at the venue. While we were on the terrace, the couches and low tables were removed to open up a dance floor and space for a live band to set up. The nearest analog that I could come up with for the band was a fae jazz ensemble with a classed bard as the singer. They were amazing. We were ushered into the large private room for a beautiful formal dinner that heavily showcased the bounty of duck from our recent duck hunt.
We were joined for dinner by Deldes, Delirin and Beluar, though both Beluar and Galan left shortly after the meal. The two elders shared some amazing stories of adventures from days gone by, but they didn’t monopolize the conversation. The ominous air that Deldes and Delirin were so adept at putting off was absent this evening and my friends were quickly at ease around the wild elves. The two were actually dressed up, especially for them, and looked quite lovely, a fact that hadn’t escaped Karl or Lando or Lyle or Sarah.
Leirin made the seating chart for the dinner and had me at her right hand. I was next to Delirin and across from Kelly. Those three were all poise, good grace and good manners. I was not sure what Leirin’s intent with this seating arrangement was, and that had me a bit worried, but I rarely understood what Leirin was thinking. Queakers was in between Deldes and Delirin and she was lapping up the attention from the elven hunters. It was a wonderful meal in good company, just what I needed to let go of the last of my apprehension.