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As related by Fantin, Lecturer on Pyromantic Studies and Wizardry
by Colin Chapman
'The magical gong resounds at dawn, waking me from fitful slumber.
Groggily crawling out of bed, the light orbs in the ceiling automatically
intensify, and the crystal window shifts from opaque to translucent
and clear. The panorama of Cymril greets me as always, bathed
in the amber light of dawn.
Stalking over to the green and white marble washbasin, it magically
fills with warm water, allowing me to wash, bringing myself to
awareness. Invoking a minor spell to clean, refresh and style
myself, I pick some appropriate robes of crimson spangalor from
the wardrobe, don some heated slippers, and make my way to the
breakfast hall.
Filled with the usual light-hearted breakfast banter of effective
ward procedures and other magical conundrums, the light provender
toasts, fruit condiments, fresh red hairy Blum fruit, and refreshing
green tea, serve as adequate provision until lunchtime.
Making my way back along the magically lit and heated corridors,
I take the wind-lift to my floor, and enter my room to gather
the necessities for today's lectures. A mental itinerary; scrolls,
check; warding amulet, check; personal grimoire volume two, check;
endless-ink stylus, check.
I take a breath and enter the lecture theatre, gazing at the rows
of students; a dazzling array of hairstyles, robes and colors,
all sat looking towards the lecturing plinth; towards me. Magister,
how I hate being a lecturer sometimes.
Why is there always one joker in every class? Someone intent on
humiliating their lecturer? Try and make the floor slippery beneath
my feet would he? Well, I'll let Jaelistian stew in his current
Skank form for a while more, the little Urthrax.
Lunchtime, the other lecturers congratulate me on my transformation
of the troublemaker, and toast my health. We share a few jokes,
debate the true relevance of Zanillo's magical expertise.
Time for a stroll before my second lecture. Returning to my quarters
I don my levitating boots, grab my best staff (impresses the ladies
don't you know?)and leave the vaulted halls of the Lyceum.
The city, a great testament to the arcane arts I might add, is
as busy as ever, and people give me respectful and polite nods,
returned in kind. Well, I am a lecturer at the Lyceum after all.
Gliding through the streets, I still marvel at their beauty, and
soon find myself at the doorstep of Magique, a fantastic establishment
known for its superb entertainment, and liberal attitude to intoxicants
of all varieties. Making reservations for the evening, I return
to the mighty stairs and pillars of the Lyceum, already grinning
with the thought of the evening's entertainments.
At the second lecture I turn back Jaelistian, the obnoxious troublemaker,
into his human form and we resume the studies, this time in practical
rather than theoretical form. You just wouldn't believe how glad
I am that I have this warding amulet sometimes. How someone can
confuse 'frieze' and 'freeze' is beyond me.
Evening arrives all too slowly, as Merdigan the Miraculous, Cirelle
and myself don our best raiments and make our eager way to Magique.
5 hours later, after several enthralling and magically enhanced
dancing displays by young nubiles, and more than our share of
aquavit, we stagger-float back to the Lyceum. As usual we receive
the standard, but brief, ear-bending about 'how lecturers should
serve as a good example to the initiates' from that wrinkly old
tyrant Talmaj, and somehow make it to bed. Another day of Lyceum
life draws to a close.'
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