Email Session 1: The First Days of Work

The next day you wake up early in your new room at the College of Sea Magic and Navigation, excited to start your new job as an enchanter. You are a bit worried that your unfamiliarity with the College of Enchantment will be a problem even though your boss, Sibo, only inquired about your skills in the College of Lightning at the job interview. Quickly, you get dressed and gulps down an uninteresting breakfast."But hey the food is free at the College", you think to yourself as you chew on a particularly common piece of bread. You leave the College and hire a boatman to take you to the Brush and Gull in the rich district of Goudberg. The boatman is a fat smelly Tilean type, who smiles when he hears the address, probably expecting a big tip or something. He will be disappointed. Any way his stereotypical mannerism makes you consider whether the Knights of Purity have a point with their very broad definition of mutants. In any case there definitely seems to be many more of Tileans around than before you joined the College and most of them dirty and smelly. However, the fat man get you to your destination without a word. Standing on the dock you see a well build and well maintained three winged building with a private harbour in the courtyard guaranteeing privacy for the many exclusive guests. Two wings are five stories high while the last wing is only three stories high. From the courtyard harbour, there are two main entrances, both with signs. One sign says "Sign of the Gull and Brush", while the other say "The Brush and Gull". Slightly confused you pick the nearest entrance, but is quickly dismissed by an aspiring artist, who in no uncertain terms explains to you that only a fool doesn't know of the greatest portrait painter in Marienburg and his school called "Sign of the Gull and Brush". "The hotel is the big building over there.", he say, pointing at the two 5 storied wings.
As you enter the expensive hotel, you are impressed by the tasteful decorations everywhere. The restaurant comprises of a large room with tables and a barto the left and a lounge with a large fire place and a collection of fine furniture to the right. Straight ahead a servant awaits with infinite patience, behind him stairs leads to the upper floors. In the corner a 3 man orchestra is playing. "This is definitely more like it", you think to yourself, "Way better than life inside the confining walls of the college". Soft music floats through the air and you wonder how come the College of Music was banned 500 years ago when the Emperor banned all the Colleges and how come the College of Music was not allowed to join the College of Air and the College of Water when Baron Henry's College of Sea Magick and Navigation was founded after the War of Independence. Of course you know the answer - Tzeenz never paid much attention to these Colleges as he favoured the College of Fire above all else among the elemental Colleges. However, you have always entertained a lingering doubt that the answer could be that music neither helps trade nor war. Typical! Perhaps beauty not truth is the first casualty of any conflict. Realising that you were actually physically stunned by the music and the beauty of the restaurant, you snap out of it as a large elegantly armoured man approaches you from the lounge. He is not wearing any uniform, but his armour is very well made with elaborate designs edged into the metal. He wears a two-handed sword on his back. "Isn't that illegal?", you wonder without actually articulating a question as you note his fearless gaze and purposeful stride. He is obviously a veteran. Without introductions of any kind, the man asks you: "Are you Marius?" You barely hesitate, before the man adds:"Sibo sent me. I'm Herr Südenwald." You can't help thinking "So are we on a first name basis or what?" as you follow the man up the stairs. However, last name basis somehow seems appropriate for this stoic warrior. Herr Südenwald leads you to a suite on the third floor, where Sibo greats you in his usual friendly mannerism., but he quickly dismisses Herr Südenwald asking him to guard the door. A request Herr Südenwald follows without hesitation. Sibo leads you to a neighbouring room, which has been temporarily refitted from small private lounge to an enchanters work space. There is a sizeable fireplace in the room with a good fire going. "No one is saving on the wood in a place like this", you notice with a smile. On the way you ask Sibo "Where did you find him?" while pointing back at Herr Südenwald. Sibo replies with a shrug "Marquant's Escorts is the only way to go if you want prober protection without hiring an army and I really dislike being interrupted when I work. Besides you know how guards affect the enchantment process". Actually you do not, but now do not seem like the time to confess ignorance. "Anyway, I see you walk the streets of Marienburg with your Channeling active. You should not do that. Of course it is up to you, but since it is illegal for you to cast spells on the streets, some withhunters and clergy see channeling in itself as an infraction. They will have you feeding the fish before you know what happened. In my humble opinion it is better to travel incognito and in any case I insist that you at least do so on your way to and from here." Not knowing how to respond meaningfully to the lessons of an obviousæy more experienced mage, you simply nod and thank him for his advice, reassuring him that you will comply with his wishes. Sibo continues, "I spoke to Casanova, you start at 1 Gylden a day", Sibo informs you as he closes the door. You can hardly believe your luck and accepts with a formal nod.
The actual work is surprisingly simple. A number of small gemstones has been prepared for you and all you need to do is cast Lightning upon the gem. The gem attracts the Lightning, which do not harm the table upon which the gemstone lies. It is of course tiring work as each casting fatigues you. After casting the first couple of spell castings, Sibo stops you and inquires how much training you have received. It is quite obvious that he already knows, so you see no point in lying about how inexperienced you are. He nods apparently liking your honesty: "You need help! This is inviting disaster. We will resume tomorrow". He hands you one gylden and ask Herr Südenwald to escort you out and hires a boatman to take you anywhere you want. Once again it is a fat smelly Tilean type, who do not speak. You are uncertain whether it is the same man who brought you here, however, the Tilean do not show any signs of recognising you. You spend the rest of the day at the College, studying the Lightning Spell and realise that Sibo was right. There was several aspects of the spell that you did not quite master yet, but how is that going to change tomorrow you wonder, as you go to bed after a rewarding day. Your last thought of the day is "One gylden a day. I'll be rich!"

Next morning, breakfast is it usual common self and you seriously consider making it a habit to eat breakfast at work. You fantasise about breakfast at the Brush and Gull and decided that it is a good idea as soon as possible, but it will have to wait, because taday you are running a bit late. You hire a boatman to get you to the Brush and Gull. Surprise you get a born and bred Wastelander, who cannot shut up about todays Bloodbowl match, the Marienburg Mariners against a dwarven team called Middenheim Miners. He makes you wish for yesterday's fat smelly Telian boatman. When you finally arrive, you suspect the the boatman took e deliberate detour, so that he had time to finish his tale and earn two pennys more. "Bastard! I would gladly pay double for a clean-shaved silent Tilean type.", you think to yourself as you crawl unto the Brush and Gull dock.
Her Südenwald greats you at the door and escorts you up the stairs, where Sibo is waiting. "No active channeling. You understand simple instructions and you are on time two days in a row.... And they say it is hard to find good help these days. You keep it up, young man, and you will go far.", he smiles and leads you into the temporary lab. Like Yesterday, Herr Südenwald is instructed to stay and guard the door. "That door is sooo wrong for any burglar", you think as you leave Herr Südenwald behind and enters the lab.
Sibo quickly enters work mode and reveals a new collection af small gemstones. They all shine the same a light purple except one, which is both light purple and light blue, but not the familiar light blue of Air Magic. Sibo asks "I bring you a gift to help you with todays work. Can you see it?" Without hesitation you point to the small gemstone, which is different than the others. "You have a good eye, Marius. Take it and concentrate on feeling the magic of an Arch mage in your veins." Slightly nervous you take the gemstone and concentrate. To your astonishment, the gemstone disintegrates to dust in your hand, however, that is nothing compared to the feeling of power entering your body. You feel invincible. You have never seen this spell before, but you will certainly research this effect later once you are back in the College. Sibo smiles knowingly and ask retorically "So are you ready to start?". He fetches some blue robe with stars and matching pointy hats and a pair of masks covered in runes. The cloth looks like something from a fairy tale, but none of the equipments is magical. Sibo reads your facial expression and explains with a shrug "Enchantments seem to function better when the enchanter is dressed in traditional cloth." Then he puts the robes, hat and mask on. Slightly perplexed you follows his example. As yesterday your job is simply to cast Lightning on the prepared gemstone, while Sibo watches. It is tiring work with about 10minutes rest between each spellcasting, but you manage to enchant almost 40 gemstone over the next 9 hours. The only break is for lunch, where you get a great lunch served in your room. During the day you get to know Sibo better as he is very friendly and talkative. Apparently Sibo makes his living offering magic items to rich and powerful in Marienburg. He confesses, that it is a good life and business is booming. At one point you ask him what the lightening orbs are for. "That is a business secret, Marius. Almost all of our customers want to be anonymous to avoid trouble with Clergy and Witchhunters. Not that so powerful people actually needs to concern themselves with such matters, but apparently it is politically opportune to do so.", he answers and continuous "Will you by the way be interested in teaching my client the art of Throwing Lightning?" You inquire about the pay and is informed that it is always the same. Saying you'll have to think about it, you stay quit for the rest of the meal, while Sibo talks about some of the weirder request he and his brother have received over the years, such as a talking lamp that wakes up people at a pre-set time with both light and sound. Apparently this was a particularly challenging project.
After a long second day, Sibo and you prepare to part ways and agree to continue tomorrow. "Oh one last thing. I almost forgot. Let me help you disguise that enchantment, so that you arrive in one piece tomorrow. Is that allright?" Waiting formally for your accept, Sibo cast a spell you do not recognise, but which will also be the subject of late night research as soon as possible. You do see however that your magical aura vanishes. "No need to cancel your Channeling tonight", Sibo say and clap you on your back as you part ways.
It is the typical fat garlic-breathed Tilean that sails you back to the College, where you go to bed early, exhausted from casting more spells in a single day than ever before. Very early next morning you go to the library to research the two spells of interest. You find that one belong to the College of Enchantment and the other belong to the College of Meta-Magic. The first is called Spellstone and let you save a spell for later use inside a gemstone. The second is called Conceal Magic and hide magical auras. it would take years of study for you to master any of them, but especially Spellstone is way beyond your reach. You wonder how such a relatively young mage as Sibo have come to master such complicated magic. Running out of time, you put the thought aside, leaves the liberary and the College and hails the typical Tilean boatman to take you to the Brush and Gull for yet another days work in your new profession.