Episode 28 - The Penultimate Pen and Paper Practicals

## Transcription

*'SWIM meeting with artis, from 22:00 to 31:10 with some out of character content omitted. Transcribed by Sarah Z.'*

**Artis:** Hello, students. How have you been?

**Winsler:** We- we've been okay I think. How are you feeling?

**Serinepth:** We've been well. How are you...?

**Artis:** I have absolutely been better in my life before, um... it's just... a lot, you know? I feel just... exhausted.

**Integrity:** We're so glad you're alive!

**Artis:** Thank you. I'm very glad I'm alive too, and I don't think I've had a chance to properly thank the four of you for saving my life.

**Mira:** No biggie.

**Kharla:** No pinkie!

**Ben:** Holy SHIT.

**Luke:** WHOAA.

**Sarah:** Too soon!

**Sam:** Ohhh my god.

**Ben:** Integrity has NO chill.

**Artis:** Not only saving my life, but also completing the mission for which we went to Patter. I just appreciate that all of you cared so much. It would have been just as easy to leave me for dead.

**Mira:** Of course we wouldn't do that. I have a question, though?

**Artis:** Absolutely. What's your question?

**Mira:** Cause you were kinda dying, when you didn't have the stone... did you know that they did that? Like, that not having it does that?

**Artis:** I knew that there might be... certain effects. I've had.. not anything serious like that happen, but minor things. Just... catching the flu, more susceptible to sickness in the past, when I haven't brought it with me places. I remember travelling to Ophelian once and not bringing it, and I just got ridiculously sick and feverish until I returned and was in contact with the orb again. But nothing like that.

**Mira:** So then, what about Teb? And, is Integrity gonna be okay going without it at any point?

**Artis:** To my knowledge, as long as you don't spend that much time with the orbs themselves, you should be relatively fine. Teb did not usually carry the orb with him, most of the time it just remained in his home while he lurked about the school. I, unfortunately, for the first months of owning the orb, carried it with me constantly, so there's not anything I can do about that. And, beyond that, I don't particularly trust anywhere in this school to leave them. So that's why I carry them with me. But Integrity, if you don't keep them on your person or near your person for that much time, then I think you should be fine. On the subject of that. So I have the Orb of Might. I also had the Orb of Reverence. Did you happen to find that?

**Integrity:** So about the heart of gold...

**Artis:** Did you find it? Or did someone take it?

**Integirty:** When we got to the cubbies, and I looked at your bag... I found one of them.

**Artis:** And you all have no idea... like, there's no leads on what might have happened to it?

**Mira:** Well, we know another guy has it! Well, we know another guy has \*an\* orb...

**Artis:** What. Do you mean. Another guy has it?

**Winsler:** Well, there was this wizard fellow, Ferimel...

**Artis:** Ferimel.

**Winsler:** We think the staff that he was carryin' around had one of the orbs attached to it. The purple orb.

**Artis:** Where is he now?

**Mira:** We don't know... he kinda left while we were fighting. The dictator, not each other.

**Winsler:** Yeah.

**Artis:** Hmmm... he's still in the Plane of Isathil, do you think?

**Winsler:** Maybe.

**Mira:** I think he said something about his work being in the plane, so like probably?

**Winsler:** He's also got Crezka with him as well, as far as we know.

**Artis:** ...Who's Crezka?

**Mira:** Oh! A revolutionary. She's cool. You missed a lot.

**Winsler:** Yeah, a lot happened while you were out.

**Artis:** Apparently, yes. But on the subject of the Heart of Gold, it's currently being held in the Reliquary. I've done some basic examinations of it in the past few weeks. It seems that it just amplifies natural elemental affinity, to my best approximations. I've never been quite that proficient with earthen elementalism, so it's not particularly my field. I might pass it on to one of my colleagues, but acquiring it as a great achievement. I do, however, worry that our next expedition might not be for some time, given the summons by the council. I don't know if any of you heard what happened with Miss Truebeard's group.

**Winsler:** Uhhh no, we don't exactly know.

**Integrity:** What happened with them?

**Artis:** The details of it are moderately unclear to me. I only had a quick chat with Dessa in the infirmary. But I did see Miss Lindeman, Miss Allaro, and Mr. Deeplake were incredibly badly injured. I don't know of Miss Lindeman has woken up quite yet, or if she's back to attending classes, but there was some sort of incident occurred. I'm sure I'll find out more of that tonight. Those two incidents combined, I think the administration might have a great deal of issue with sending students to the Plane of Isathil for the time being, until they can assure themselves or assure parents that it's safer than what it would appear to be.

**Winsler:** That's very understandable.

**Mira:** Are they gonna be okay?

**Artis:** To my knowledge, Mr. Deeplake has returned to classes, although he might have some lasting scars. And I also think that Miss Allaro has been exempted from a few of her exams due to her injuries, as well as Miss Lindeman, I presume, as hers are a bit more severe. But, one of the council attendants should be here at any moment. So if you're all set and ready, we might as well go and wait for them.

**Mira:** Are we supposed to tell them about the orbs and stuff? Or, uh.. leave that out?

**Artis:** They will make you swear an oath of honestly, which is inherently magical, seeing as this is a magical school. So avoidance is key.

**Mira:** Got it.

**Artis:** So, as you avoid my questions, you should avoid theirs. Oh, did I tell you? Yexim hooked me up with his prosthetics person, and I'm getting two new fancy fingers as well!

**SWIM, overlapping:** That's great!

**Artis:** They're going to be like little... multi-tools. As much as I will miss my original fingers, it's never too late for an upgrade, you know?

**Integrity:** Will they be the colour gold?

**Artis:** No, they will not be the colour gold.