An Auspicious Academy

"An Auspicious Academy" (2x17) is the seventeenth episode of the A Clockwork Brass campaign. The Deviants in Violet debrief after a second confrontation with The Warden's Order, and finally meet with Professor Parsmen Glemkil. It took place on both Reinheit 4th and 5th, 136 N.E.
== Synopsis ==
Warning: Not all quotations are verbatim, most are attempts at paraphrasing.
After ending their battle with Zivek and The Warden's Order, the Deviants in Violet debrief. There is a level of relief once Anastazja provides Brynn with some much needed healing. Izolda has left the group to their own devices, needing space after such a vicious confrontation. Cypryjan, who managed to remain generally unscathed after the conflict, opts to work on Stroz, his Steel Defender. After realizing that he may need some scrap parts to fix his machine, Cypryjan turns to the corpses of the knights, and picks them apart piece by piece. He takes several pieces of useable material from their weapons and their armor and applies to back to Stroz for repairing. Afterward, Cypryjan begins to search the bodies while Anastazja and Brynn discuss the conflict and the threat to their safety, as well as next steps.
While searching the bodies, Cypryjan finds a good deal of money, pocketing it. He also finds several sets of armor and weaponry to utilize, all bearing magical enchantments. Anastazja sees a peculiar longsword and hoists it. She takes note that the hilt and handle display iconography of The Grimlady, which is notable as she is one of the rungs of the Divine Tribunal. As Anastazja gives the longsword a few practice swings she feels something attempting to reach out to her. She takes note of this feeling and attempts to replicate it to receive the transmission but cannot. Brynn then decides to search Zivek's body. To which she finds a well-crafted longbow and several unique arrows. She is disappointed to know that he had no money on his personage.
Izolda returns to the group, and Anastazja approaches the Foreman who was hiding during the conflict with most of his crew. She explains to the Foreman that they were hunting for someone in his coterie, and that he should be doing much more extensive background checks on his crew. The Foreman agrees and admits that he has no idea what a background check is. Anastazja then tries to convince the Foreman that their laborious efforts were worth more than two pound zolings, but the Foreman laughs this off and asks her if she did her job. She responds, noting that this was in fact in the job description, and relinquishes the thought of getting paid more for her efforts. Once reunited with the group, Izolda checks to see what woods are available at the lumbermill. She is attempting locate duskwood, but is sorely disappointed to know that this lumbermill is purely designed to harvest the pines and evergreens that dot the area.
The party continues their patrolling of the lumbermill after they have stripped the bodies clean of their supplies and laid them out for when the guard comes. Brynn tests out her ability to cast spells through Lily and is more than pleased with the result. A result which horrifies Cypryjan, who compares such a notion to the "Grabber" they saw at the World Exposition.
During their secondary patrol, a member of the Wrowagn guard approaches them and asks if they are the one's responsible for the slaughter. Immediately, Cypryjan and Izolda try to defend the party's actions, claiming that they had tried desperately to defend themselves and that this whole issue was them being involved with the adventurer's guild. The guard, in response, tries to calm them down as he just wishes to know if they are the ones who committed the killings. He rules this as a lawful killing and only asks for their Adventurer's Guild identification and then leaves them to the rest of their shift. Anastazja comments that they looked incredibly guilty doing that, and advises against it in the future. While patrolling, Brynn offers Izolda the ring she gave her for the second time, and Izolda refuses it saying it looks good on her. Cypryjan then comments on Brynn's performance during the battle and notes that she did quite well. In response to the praise, Brynn blushes slightly.
Anastazja and Izolda recommend that the group goes back to the Adventurer's Guild and try to sell the weaponry and armor that they acquired from their kills. The Foreman approaches the group and hands them a signed writ of conclusion, noting they have completed their job fully and will be rewarded as such. Once back at the Adventurer's Guild, they see a group of people chatting outside, each one with a unique brand of leather. Anastazja and Izolda are able to decode that the armor they are wearing is Oblodra leather (also known as ebonleather), an incredibly rare and light, yet resilient, leather that is made by House Oblodra in the Visig Dominion and rumored to be strong enough to resist shots from firearms. Within the Adventurer's Guild the party sells off their wares and receives their payment for the twelve hour shift. Afterward, they return to Arnelle's Alehaus and receive a Long Rest.
After their long rest, the Deviants are awoken by the sound of classical music being played and move towards Anngratz Academy to meet with Parsmen Glemkil. Izolda leaves behind her weaponry in the Experimentation Suite. They take note of the beautiful walls and buildings that the Academy is made up of. Before long, they are greeted by the sights and sounds of the Academy. They first check Fyodor College, the college that Cypryjan was mostly in attendance of. Under his guidance, they traverse the schoolgrounds and are shown the way to Professor Glemkil's Planar Studies classroom, at room 1420 within Czapriwitz Hall. Once they arrive at the door, Anastazja and Izolda take note that there has been a charm placed on the door, courtesy of the Alarm spell. Brynn uses Lily to investigate the dark room with a single golden light at the side of it. Lily detects no traps but the team instead opts to go to the Oleg Observatory to search for Glemkil instead. 
Traversing the schoolgrounds further, the party moves past the Experimentation Field and sees several alchemists and artificers displaying their abilities. They also see the Beacon of Radiance, a large statue dedicated to Lucia Albright and her defense of the city against the invading Wylandrian Empire. Cypryjan refers to it as the "ballpoint" and chuckles at its existence. They then see a rotund figure, sprinting at breakneck speed across the walkway. It is the mascot of the school: Betty the Beacon. Brynn is delighted by the sight, Cypryjan is embarrassed and Anastazja is flummoxed. 
Once they arrive at the Oleg Observatory, they see a small lecture going on. The Deviants decide to listen in and see that it is actually an early announcement about the cancellation of hoplitodromos from the Headmistress of the Academy, Rozalia Luxearn. Brynn and Izolda are positively enamored at the sight of her, and Cypryjan, skittishly, moves down towards the offices marked A-M. Once they arrive at the door marked "Glemkil, Parsmen Pl.D." Cypryjan knocks on the door. A single knock is all it takes for the door to slowly creak open. Once opened, a floating page flies across the black room. Inside they see a singular desk and a series of writing all over the walls and floors of the office, glowing a dim gold. The party enters the office and tries to decode the writing on the walls, literally. Cypryjan is able to discern the Arcane incantations and notes that they are attempts to complete an incomplete incantation. Beginning with certain phrases but ending differently. He is able to see that it is some sort of Conjuration spell. Izolda attempts to decode the math on the walls, and notes that it is in the study of Physics. Some sort of translocation and duplication process but she has no genuine grasp of this incredibly complex math. She does, however, note the continuous markings of a kite shape with circles around it. 
Once inside, the door slams shut. A silhouetted figure appears to be writing something on the wall, and the familiar voice of Parsmen Glemkil echoes; "So... you have come to kill me". Anastazja and Cypryjan immediately try to reassure Parsmen that they are not there to kill him. In their success, Parsmen stops his writing and conjures four desk chairs for the team to sit at. He himself sits on his own desk, reaches behind it and pulls out a decanter. He fills a glass with the brackish liquid and then the same glass with the same liquid appears on the desks of the Deviants. No one drinks from their glasses at any point. 
The Deviants have a series of questions they wish to propose to Parsmen Glemkil, who takes this opportunity to play a game he calls "Professor-Student". He explains the game and then it is played. 
=== Questions Posed (Deviants) ===
* Cypryjan: "How do you know about Clausewitz's plans?" / "What is your strategy for dealing with said plans?"
* Anastazja: "How is it that you published a book 98 years ago?" / "Are you a planewalker?"
* Brynn: "Which planes have you been to? (Have you been to the Feywild?)" / "What did you mean by 'there are other ways to learn magic'?"
* Izolda: "Have you been to the Shadowfell?" / "What was the Shadowfell like?" / "Is there a different way to get to the Shadowfell apart from going during Samhain Time?" / "Do you know of a way to cure Cypryjan?"
After a couple of rounds of the game, Parsmen Glemkil summons a golden ring around the party. He describes it as a Zone of Truth, and asks each member of the party why they are really there with him in that moment. He takes each answer into consideration and responds with the Frahtish phrase; "das liffen!"
=== Zone of Truth responses ===
* Cypryjan: "I believe you are a good ally to have."
* Anastazja: "I think you will prove to be a very powerful and useful ally in the coming battles."
* Brynn: "I wish to learn from you."
* Izolda: "I think you are going to be useful."
Parsmen Glemkil then takes the time to explain his backstory, which will be recorded on his page and not here. He then explains the process by which they need to undergo in order to stop Blausten von Clausewitz.
=== The Master Plan ===
* Step 1: Figure out where the divine ordinances are.
* Step 2: Acquire six divine ordinances.
* Step 3: Solve the Labyrinth of Brisbayern.
* Step 4: Find the "power cell".
* Step 5: Destroy it with the divine ordinances.
Parsmen Glemkil explains that their first stop must be the Feywild, so that they can speak to an Archfey named Taaraan. He describes him as the Archon of Deals, blessed with immense knowledge and a member of the Fey Court. In order to locate Taaraan, they will need to find a Fey Wanderer and utilize them for the purposes of exploration. Once they are able to figure out where the divine ordinances are, they can then utilize them to end Blausten von Clausewitz's reign of terror.
The party is entirely bewildered by this, and Parsmen Glemkil gives them a moment to discuss it together, casting Deafness and Silence on himself in the form of a bubble helmet. They party deliberates on the matter. There seems to be two sides developed during this discourse. Brynn is all too excited to go to the Feywild and handle this issue of Parsmen Glemkil. One the other side, Izolda is urging serious caution in the matter. The two go back and forth about the differences between being power-starved and utilizing power for the greater good. Cypryjan's input is eventually asked for, to which he responds with seeing little alternative to stopping von Clausewitz's planning. Anastazja remains incredibly silent during the entire exchange.
Izolda signals for Glemkil to end his spell, to which he does. The two teams form an alliance, and Parsmen Glemkil encourages them to tie up any loose ends that they might have before summoning him. He places a set of golden dots on each of their hands before allowing them to leave. After everyone else leaves, Brynn stays behind to ask Parsmen Glemkil furthered questions. He answers them coyly, implying that he can teach her greater magics than the ones she has, which he describes as weak and putrid. Brynn then shows him the Hex Arcanum which he regards as drivel, and instead shows her the true form of Sicarius, a different book she found in the Scriptorium.
Outside of the classroom, Izolda pulls Anastazja to the side and asks her about her quiet demeanor. The two go back and forth about the futility of their predicament but Izolda attempts to reassure Anastazja that she values her opinion and holds her in high regards.
== Featured Characters ==
=== Deviants in Violet ===
* Anastazja
* Brynn
* Cypryjan
* Izolda
=== Absent ===
* Eislyn
=== New ===
* Betty the Beacon
* Greggory, teller at the Adventurer's Guild
* Rozalia Luxearn
* Unnamed member of the Wrowagn guard
=== Returning ===
* Lily
* Parsmen Glemkil
* Unnamed foreman
=== Mentioned ===
* Blausten von Clausewitz
* Calladan
* Taaraan
== Quotations ==
* Anastazja to Parsmen Glemkil: "What is there to say at this point?"
* Brynn to Izolda: "How can you sit by and let Clausewitz control everything when we can do something about it!?"
* Brynn to Izolda: "I know what it is to crave power. I want it. And that means that I know: we have to stop Clausewitz."
* Brynn to Izolda: "You are going to need [power] to stop this. Take it from someone who has had none. It is a useful thing to have."
* Cypryjan to the Deviants: "I cannot allow for Clausewitz to get away with this... how can I? Especially while he holds a grasp on my mind."
* Izolda to Brynn: "Not everyone wants power."
* Izolda to Brynn: "Don't you dare try to convince me that I need power."
* Izolda to the Deviants: "We are adaptable creatures. We learn to adapt and evolve. And I will learn."
* Izolda to Cypryjan: "Cypryjan. I... a-ap-apologize... for not making the duskwood clothes for you before the Feywild... you are first in line."
* Parsmen Glemkil to Cypryjan: "Do you wish to be a slave... or a god?"
== Trivia ==
* This episode marks the first time that a place of learning has been visited in the Campaign.
Category:Episodes