[TRAINING] History Lessons with Professor Asatira

[Guardian_Iris]

The location for History Lessons had been kept a well-guarded secret until the day before class was to start. The day class was to start was also the grand unveiling of the new Telrunya City Library. The Library has been an on-going work in progress for years, and the current managers of the City had decided it would be a wonderful gift to dedicate it to the Squires who would lead and protect them. Many of the texts, scrolls and books contained in this expansive building were recovered from the wreckage of the Head Quarters, but there is also a large selection of texts that had been kept safe for many centuries, secure from the weather and those who would seek to destroy the knowledge the pages contained.

Upon entering the library via the large, ornately carved cherry double doors, the squires would find a room reminiscent of the HQ in that it was definitly bigger on the inside. Lining the 30 feet walls were shelves upon shelves of books, ancient texts, periodicals and scrolls. Fancy golden ladders provided a method to reach the books in the upper shelves. In each side of the large library were two very wide, ornate wooden spiral staircases going up towards the second floor. In the center of the room, two long tables with several padded stools took up much of the space of the front area.

Towards the back, quietly toiling away at their assigned tasks were several Avalon Fairies at small desks. Each had a white and golden quill and appeared to be hard at work writing in books. Each one was working on rewriting or translating old texts that were discovered in the ruins of the city, as well as in the rubble of the fallen HQ building.

Flitting in front of both long tables was an eleven-inch tall fairie wearing a tiny leather jacket with a whip attached to a small satchel she wore across her chest. She just remained motionless as she observed each squire enter the library.

Once each one was seated on one of the padded stools, she began introductions and the first lesson.

"I am Professor Asatira. I have the only P.H.D. on Telrunya, granted to me by the Guardians, via Iris. I am a world traveler and I love adventure! I have lived on Telrunya for many centuries, and I am the foremost authority on the island's history." She paused to let the squires applaud her accolades.

Ignoring that she barely got a quiet clap, she moved on, "I am here to teach to you the proper, true and real history of your homeland. It is my job to arm you with the knowledge you will need to lead our great Pae. Our history is fascinating, and I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I do."

After introductions, Asatira got down to business. "Our first lesson will be the First War. Not much is known of our kind before this war, because The Great Library was destroyed and all of our records burned. It is because of this, that our kind became diligent record-keepers, writing everything down. We only even know of this war, because a few scattered texts were discovered among the ruins of some of the great temples of Telrunya. On that wall over there," She pointed towards the western wall, to a piece of weathered and tattered parchment preserved in a fancy frame under heavy glass, "That is the first written document we've been able to date, that contains a glimpse into our past. It is a poem written in the ancient language, which speaks of a beautiful meadow and two lovers who would meet there secretly each night. Our scholars (fairy) believe it tells us that our ancestors faced prejudice, if they had to meet in secret. And they believe the meadow that is described is Telrunya's Fae Clearing."

Asatira continued, pointing to three other similar documents preserved and on display in the library, describing what the fairy scholars translated, and what she believed it meant. In addition to the poem, there was a note from a son to his mother, requesting her to take shelter, a scroll that contained a magic incarnation, but it's mostly unreadable because the ink has been smudged by water in some places and the fourth document, which is believed to be the most important key to knowing about the war, is a letter from the Grand Lord, the first leader of the Angels and Demons, to his seconds in command, the Grand Crusader and Grand Herald, instructing them to remove their troops from Dragnid Forest and outlining the final step in victory for the war.

"These titles, Grand Lord, Grand Crusader, and Grand Herald will become your titles someday," the little fairy told the squires. "One of you will be our supreme leader and acquire the title of Grand Lord. The rest of you will become Grand Crusaders or Grand Heralds, helping to lead your Pae." She was so proud telling these young pae of their future titles. 'It is quite an honor."

"It was at the conclusion of this war, when the Angels and Demons lived in a time of peace and prosperity after defeating their foes, that we have our First Age. The Golden Age of Pae'il-kind. We'll go over the First Age in our next sesson, but for now, your homework is to study the four documents on the walls, and write a short essay on the First War. There are some books detailing what our scholars believe happened, but remember, it's all inconclusive and theory, because we have no real evidence aside from these documents and a few recovered relics. Make sure to include one of these relics in your writing."

She dismissed the squires, allowing them to do their research. Next class is scheduled for the same time the next day.

((History Lessons will be posted slowly, one topic at a time, because it is a lot of information. Squires are allowed to respond after each lesson is posted; however, the only requirement is that after each lesson, the player posts an acknowledgement of reading the information either via RP or OoC notification.

The information taught in this class is not the full, true history of the island. But the squires must believe it is, and they must be RP'd to believe it is with all of their heart. Anything any other Pae teaches them must be questioned and it is unlikely any squire would believe an alternate history. This is very important in order to remain a leader of the Angel and Demon Pae'il.))  

[Guardian_Iris]

The next day, Asatira dressed in period costume, representing the fashion style of Pae'il during the Golden Age. Lace and silk scarfs adorned her tiny body with accents of silver, pearl and opal. Upon her head was a silver replica diadem. Around her tiny waist a leather belt with a tiny fairy-sized dagger holstered at her hip.

"Welcome squires! I'm so pleased to see you today. I trust your homework went well?" she started the introduction as soon as she noticed the last of the students take their seat. She gave a smile and nod towards Genesis, excited to see that at least one of them was excited to learn the history of Telrunya and Pae'il. She suspected that if they only knew of the treasures the island had hidden, they'd all be more eager to learn.

"As promised, today we'll be discussing the First Age, or the Golden Age as we like to refer to it." She flittered around the the two long tables, making a show of displaying her fashion choices. "This is the age of peace and prosperity, where your ancestors first discovered magic and how to use it. It is also the age of Elders and great learning."

With a flick of her wrist, several books that had been stacked at the end of each table started to levitate and move towards each student. The books settled gently in front of each one, and one more snap from Asatira's fingers and the covers flew open, ruffling the pages as if a strong gust of wind rushed through the great library. The page stopped on a crude drawing of two beings.

"Take a look at this drawing. This is how your ancestors first looked. This how they looked until shortly after the Fifth Age started, and human intervention started altering your evolution. Although they may look primative, they were very smart and as capable as you are of magic use, problem solving and critical thinking." Asatira let the squires study the picture for a moment, fielded any questions they may have had and then continued on with the lesson.

After a few minutes, she snapped her fingers again, and the book flipped to another page. This page had the names of ten Pae'il listed, along with a short biography. "The ten Pae'il you are looking at here, are the heroes that ended the Great War, became the first Elders, and eventually ascended to become the Guardians. These are the faces of your deity. Go ahead and flip through the pages to familiarize yourself with who they are and their contribution to our kind."

• Madaesos the Fearless, an Angel, discovered how to bestow Paragon abilities.
  
• Strafe the Courageous, a Demon, discovered how to bestow Soulbinder powers.
  
• Eryx the Just, an Angel, discovered how to bestow Shapeshifter abilities.
  
• Tabari the Gentle, a Demon, discovered how to bestow Mastermind abilities.
  
• Arlo the Lucky, an Angel, discovered how to bestow Wild Soul abilities.
  
• Dylana the Patient, a Demon, discovered how to use the elements and bestow Stormspike powers.
  
• Liliana the Confident, an Angel, discovered how to transverse other dimensions and bestow Planeswalker abilities.
  
• Medea the Calm, a Demon, learned how to harness the Light to bestow Redeemer powers for healers.
  
• Yara the Proud, an Angel, learned how to communicate with nature in order to protect and nurture the island.
  
• Roksana the Brave, a Demon, grew in wisdom and trained the Pae'il in the arts of strategy. She also bestowed the defensive and offensive abilities all Angels and Demons use.
  
• 2 Unknown hero

Each page showcased a different Guardian, listing their name, accomplishments and special power. There was a remembrance page that mentioned the two unknown heroes who have disappeared from time. There was also a drawing of a stone monolith on each biography with a full picture of all ten monoliths arranged in a circle (with two empty spots where monoliths clearly should be, but aren't). The caption below the picture simple read, "The Ten Altars."

Once each student was on the Ten Altars page, Asatira began speaking again. "The Ten Altars is on the island below us. Overgrown jungle vegetation and time has hidden it away from plain view. Your homework tonight will be to visit the island and try to locate the Ten Altars."

Asatira finished the lesson talking a little bit about the way of life during the First Age and how peaceful and progressive the Pae'il were during that time. She talked of how beautiful the land of Telrunya was, and about the discoveries and inventions. She spoke with a fond nostalgia, as if she was there and remembering a better time and place.

"Sadly, all good things have to come to an end," she said to end the lesson. She wished each squire a good day and good luck on their trek. She didn't think any of them would find the Ten Alters on the first try, because they did not have many daylight hours to look, as it's forbidden for them to leave the castle past sun down, but at least it gets them started on their quest.

((If you, as a player, have questions regarding this information, feel free to ask, or have your squire ask via RP.))