Kleris' arm did indeed touch Zull's shoulder, and she leaned in for a hug.  "Hearing that makes me so happy!" she said.  "I'm really looking forward to this year now!"<br/><br/>With newfound energy, she climbed back up to the top bunk.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Experience, Spells, and Relationships</div><div class="spoiler_body">Gain 200 experience points.  Copy Expeditious Retreat into your spellbook.<br/><br/><strong>Start Relationship Level 1 out of 10 with Zullinat A'Curru.</strong>  Basically this is a rough hand approximation of social interactions with certain NPCs in the campaign.  It doesn't always need to be friendly or romantic, in the case of a rivalry or platonic friendship.  I'll come up with the mechanical benefits later.</div></div><br/><br/><div align="center"><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Day 2</span></strong></div><br/>Early morning came.  The sound of a loud buzzing shook Kleris and Rensha out of their sleep.<br/><br/>"What the hell was that?" Rensha slurred half-consciously.<br/><br/>"Magical alarms," Zull said, who was already up and reading a book in the dark.  "Prefects cast them every morning to make sure we all get up in time."<br/><br/>The orc rose to a sitting position and started to get dressed.  "Alright Kleris, time to get up."<br/><br/>"We should probably open the drapes for her.  Remember, she can't see in the dark."<br/><br/>Sunlight poured into the room.  The sky was a clear, cloudless blue.  A raven flew up and perched on the windowsill.  "Wake up, wake up!" it squawked.  "Get breakfast, class starts soon!"  The bird flew over to an adjacent window and repeated the same declaration.<br/><br/>Breakfast was in held in the dining hall, although it was a much less noisy place.  Many pupils made do by picking up some handheld foods (sandwiches, bread loaves and the like) and ran off to their first classes.<br/><br/>"Not the most efficient way of eating," Zull said.  "They must be in one of the far schools, Mordant or the like."<br/><br/>Nearby, a group of girls were chastising a blonde human boy clad in dark robes.  The raven from earlier was perched on his shoulder.  "Your damn bird shocked us!" one of them shouted.  "Poor Mary nearly hit her head on the ceiling at the sound of it!"<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/WWx49cw.jpg?1)</div>"I'm sorry," the boy responded.  "But not all students necessarily get up at the alarm.  Edgar's a secondary solution to ensure you aren't late."<br/><br/>"Well then, you should at least tell us ahead of time before you give us another heart attack!"<br/><br/>"But it's all right there, in the handbook," the boy said.<br/><br/>Seeing as neither side would get any ground, the angry girl walked off in a huff and called for her friends to follow.<br/><br/>"So, winning the hearts and minds of first years as usual, Arturon?" Zull said as she approached the boy.<br/><br/>"I've accepted it as the sacrifice of being a prefect," Arturon said.  "Hopefully they won't hold a grudge."<br/><br/>"Ignore those fools," the raven said.  "They should be happy you're doing them a favor."<br/><br/>"Anyway, Kleris, this is Arturon, 3rd year prefect, and his familiar Edgar.  Arturon and Edgar, meet Kleris and Rensha."<br/><br/>"I prefer to view us as partners," Arturon said, giving Edgar a slight tickle.  "But it's good to meet you two.  I hope your first day at Redhurst was a good one."<br/><br/>"It was, very much," Rensha replied.  "Anyway, it's getting late.  We need to head off now.  I have Arcane Protections 101.  How about you?"<br/><br/>"Discovery and Disarming of Traps for Adventuring Wizards," Zull said.  "It's an area of study which can really help me from where I come."<br/><br/>Upon realizing that Kleris had the same class, Zull offered to accompany him.  "It's the Wolkhart School of Evocation, on the far west side of campus.<br/><br/><br/><br/><div align="center">(http://i.imgur.com/P1CR5VO.png?1)</div><br/>The Wolkhart School is a large single-story structure.  The stone walls pulsated with a barely visible current of blue energy.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Detect Magic</div><div class="spoiler_body">The energy detects of strong Abjuration</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spellcraft DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">Most likely a Protection From Energy spell or a variant thereof.  Evocation magic specializes in element manipulation, such as the signature fireball spell.</div></div><br/>The Discovery and Disarming of Magical Traps class took place in a large room at the western end of the building.  A large bookcase displayed strange-looking devices of unknown nature on its shelves.  A gruff-looking dwarf sat at a raised desk; he had a thorough view of everyone present.  The desks were bulky and hollow up top, capable of being opened. (If Kleris chooses to open it up, he sees a bunch of metal knick-knacks, tools, and other small handheld objects)<div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/ssmsMkI.jpg?1)</div><br/>"I'll make this short," he began.  "I am Professor Murin.  If you're here, you're either planning on taking up the career of an adventurer, or for tactical defense.  When it comes to architectural observation, far too often magicians put trust in others instead of learning to be more perceptive themselves."<br/><br/>"And far too many were lost due to this foolishness!" he exclaimed suddenly.  "If you cannot find secret pathways or deadly traps yourself, you may as well leave your lives at the mercies of others!  I am here to teach you all how to detect, disarm, and even build such hidden mechanisms to make you all more self-reliant mages."<br/><br/>He took a complicated-looking circular metal object off from the shelves.  "You there!" he said, pointing to Kleris.  Come up here and tell me what this is!"<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Perception DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">This orb has a small creases forming circles at opposite sides of the object.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Perception DC 20</div><div class="spoiler_body">The areas below the creases are hollow, and probably spring-loaded.  Whatever's inside feels loose, and will probably activate with sudden or violent movements.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Knowledge Dungeoneering DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">You know this device as a gas weight, a dual-purpose weapon and item meant to suck up toxic fumes.  If you answer as such, Murrin will be pleased.  "Correct!" he exclaimed.  He struck the orb, and two hidden cylindrical compartments sprung out from opposite ends.  Gain 5 merit points.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">If you can't make the Dungeoneering check or Perception checks</div><div class="spoiler_body">"What, not even an educated guess?"  He sounded disappointed.<br/><br/>"Anyone else?  How about you?" he said, pointing to Zull with her hand raised.<br/><br/>"It's a gas weight," Zull said.<br/><br/>The dwarf struck the orb, and two hidden cylindrical compartments sprung out from opposite ends.  "Correct!" he exclaimed.  "It's designed to hold compressed air.  Typically, they're filled with toxic fumes and dumped onto enemy combatants from a higher vantage point."</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">If you made the Perception but not Dungeoneering checks</div><div class="spoiler_body">You probably would guess that this is a sort of mechanical trap based on the openings (and loose things inside the interior if you make a DC 20).  "Observant," Professor Murrin says as you point out your findings.  The dwarf struck the orb, and two hidden cylindrical compartments sprung out from opposite ends.  "This is a gas weight," he said, "designed to hold compressed air.  Typically, they're filled with toxic fumes and dumped onto enemy combatants from a higher vantage point."</div></div><br/>He pointed to the orb with a tiny, tube-like contraption.  "This side sucks up surrounding gases to contain inside," he said.  "The other side," he said while pointing to the end with a silver horn, "exhales it when struck in the right spot.  They're a common sight in Underdark strongholds, as the environment makes it easy for vapors to concentrate instead of dissipating into the atmosphere above ground.  Dangerous, but effective.  You'll see many of these traps and variants thereof in underground realms.  You may return to your seat, now."<br/><br/>A student, mostly likely a First-Year, raised his hand.  "Aren't most traps structural?  I mean, a metal orb would look out of place in most areas."<br/><br/>"Indeed!" Murrin responded.  "But to most outward appearances it's just a ball.  It's good to be naturally suspicious of out-of-place objects, but it won't do you much good if you can't disarm it once it activates.  A large part of trap detection involves changing how you perceive the world, but it also involves the fine manipulation of objects."<br/><br/>Murrin produces a set of tools on the table along with a locked box.  Most of the tools appear suited for craftsmanship, but a few more unorthodox items, such as a set of lockpicks and a small mirror, numbered among them.<br/><br/>"Now most devices of this sort have a trigger mechanism, usually a switch or lever which activates the desired result.  Inside your desks are a set of tools and various small lock boxes.  I'll guide you step by step through the first one, and then you can try your luck on the others."<br/><br/><em>Professor Murrin guides you through the process of finding and disarming trigger mechanisms.  You can now perform Disable Checks untrained as long as you regularly take classes.  Roll a Disable Device, or Dexterity check to see how well you perform in this lesson.</em>