Keleth Loremaer awoke bright-eyed from his trance with a jolt. Today was the first day of school! He and his brother Malzeer had been sent from their home in Cramora to the neighboring country of Hatun to join the ranks of the prestigious magical academy. Keleth had passed the entrance exam with flying colors, though Malzeer somehow missed the mark. Never one to accept failure, Malzeer assured Keleth this was only a temporary setback and he'd be accepted into the academy "before you know it!"
Malzeer Loremaer had been awake for an hour, but hadn't yet willed himself out of bed. Today was the first day of school, and he was going to miss it. Hearing Keleth begin his day in the other room, Malz turned under the sheets and groaned. The evening he'd received his rejection verdict was the lowest he'd ever felt, and he was still recovering. That night he'd gone to a dark place - and not just within himself. He made a pact with a mysterious powerful entity that promised him power enough to correct his shortcomings.
The boys hurried through their morning preparations, ushered along by their family's longtime man-servant, Remington. Shouts of "You're fourteen now, you need to act like it!" were heard multiple times this particular morning. After getting dressed and having a quick breakfast, the boys embarked from their upscale apartment home toward the gates of the academy.
School uniform robes draped loosely over Keleth's fair elfen frame, and he fidgeted with the amulet the school had sent to permit him entry to the school grounds. Always a reader, Keleth had his spellbook strapped to his hip with an assortment of spell components stowed in a pouch.
Though the boys were twins, Malzeer instead bore the form of a tiefling - complete with horns, tail, and ashen skin. He'd never received an explanation for why he was so different from the rest of his family, but this never bothered him much... though he did end up in shoving matches over it during primary school. He strutted down the streets of the noble quarter in a fitted leather tunic and idly gripped his dagger.
As they approached the main promenade, they came across a fountain around a larger-than-life statue of a young elfen woman bending down with an outstretched hand. It looked to Keleth like she was offering something important to the onlooker, while Malzeer read a placard that dedicated the statue to Archmage Vel, the founder of both the academy and the small country of Hatun that contained it. Turning past the statue, they continued up the street toward the school.
They didn't make it far before they were accosted by three older teen elves loitering at a patio. The ringleader introduced herself as Delba and asked whether the brothers were looking for trouble. Malzeer puffed his chest, but Keleth and his amulet seemed to be her focus. Keleth narrowly avoided being stabbed and retaliated with a wave of sound, knocking back his assailants and alerting the neighbors. A crotchety old elf yelled out the window, "Delba Orbyn, you get in here this instant!" Malzeer took a parting shot as Delba and her companions retreated into her home, "Make sure when daddy beats you you write a good description in your diary."
The boys sprinted the rest of the way to school, only to find that Malzeer could not pass the gates. Somehow they repulsed him as he drew near, though Keleth could pass through unhindered, sensing the amulet collect the energy. They attempted a few tricks to try getting Malzeer through, but had to give up as the bell tolled the official start time. Keleth promised to retrieve some books from the library for Malzeer to peruse at home.
Malzeer sulked away from the school, with the realization that he had nothing to do fully hitting him. He wandered down through the noble district past the statue and his home, into a shopping district. Malzeer perused a potion shop and a scroll shop, learning how both magical consumables function, and purchased a map of the city.
He meandered into the town center, discovering a boisterous fighting arena that forbid any magic in the ring. There he encountered Galyen, a bookie for the betting circles that just so happened to have some connections. Malzeer was looking for easy work and was no stranger to mischief, so he took Galyen up on an offer to meet his boss that night and do some contract work for the thieves guild.
Meanwhile, Keleth excitedly entered the school courtyard, and introduced himself to several of the other first-years. He made quick friends with Brom, a bumbling human boy from a small town in Cramora. An attractive elfen lass introduced herself as Enelle, but scoffed when Keleth "fraternized" with humans like Brom. Keleth decided to play a practical joke on her by using a magic trick to toss dirt on her otherwise pristine robes as a teacher gave an opening statement from the top of the courtyard stairs.
"Welcome to Dokora Academy for the Arcane Arts. I am Professor Grell, behind me are Professors Zacharias, Stormsash, and Asha. Those of you familiar with this institution may be wondering why Archmage Vel is not the one welcoming you." Grell beamed with obvious pride at being the one in charge. "She regrets being absent from this orientation, but has vital matters of governance to attend to. Don’t fret, I am sure you will get other opportunities to meet our illustrious leader during your time here. Our mandate, as it has been for centuries, is to generate new knowledge through research and study for the betterment of the nine races.
"Some of you may be familiar with the conflict between our neighbors to the west - Archmagus Vel insisted that I remind all of you that the purpose of our arcane studies is to promote peace and prosperity, and that using magic in the service of chaos or despair is aberrant to the weave itself." The last words Grell seemed to force out of himself, if with some air of disagreement.
"We all look forward to seeing what this coming year will bring - I encourage all of you to engage in your studies with intensity, focus and aplomb. You are dismissed to the custody of your professors."
Keleth joined the other first-years under the tutelage of professor Stormsash. They were quickly beset with a puzzle to cross a chasm, given scrolls to set an even playing field. Keleth managed to finish with the fastest time using an unorthodox method, and received the attention of the teaching staff. Enelle quickly announced a rivalry with him, as she set the second fastest time.
After class, Keleth visited the library and met a studious gnome named Yeksim. He discovered to his dismay that the books could not leave the school grounds due to a protective enchantment, but managed to tear a page out of a book and bring it home with him.
At home, Malzeer was playing ball-in-cup, and had been for at least an hour. The two brothers told the stories of their days, and Malzeer groaned at the frustration the school blockades were causing. In the background, Remington cooked them dinner and chimed in advice from time to time.
After dinner, Malzeer went out to make contact with the thieves guild. He met a charismatic man named Aren, who organized the operations in town. Aren assigned Malzeer to docks duty, helping unload shipments of illicit scrolls - Malzeer learned that nature and divine magics were forbidden within the city.
He returned just as Keleth was settling into his meditative trance pose. As he said goodnight, Keleth said, "Looks like getting you into the school is gonna be tougher than we thought."
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