The trip to the Thaumant School of Transmutation was relatively straightforward.  After cutting through the auditorium, Kleris and Rensha came to a wide section of paved walkway flanked by impressive-looking statues of various spellcasters.  Rensha gawked at the myriad assortment of figures as they ran by.  "Wow, I wonder if these are all of the famous figures who attended Redhurst over the centuries?  You think any of them still teach here?"<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Knowledge Arcana or History check, DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">You recognize many of these figures.  There's Algarz the Virtuous over on the left, former leader of the Order of the Golden Wing.  And over there's Cramsha the Bold, the pyromancer who repelled the elvish invaders at the Battle of Latharian.  And the statue of Tamigak the Inscrutable warps and twists in tune to the natural hive-form the wizard (or more accurately, group of symbiotic insect wizards) was known for.</div></div><br/>The statues came to an end right at the front gates of Thaumant.  It was a very large one-story building of hewn stone and other colorful minerals which seamlessly blend with the rest of the building.  The rooms inside are very large and expansive; and a good thing too, for several dozen students clog the hallways, all of them heading in the same direction and Kleris and Rensha.<br/><br/>"You don't suppose Transmutation's a very popular class, here?" Rensha asked.<br/><br/>"Well of course it is," a voice said nearby.  "The art of change can be applied to so many different situations."<br/><br/>(http://i.imgur.com/PZxU90k.jpg?1)<br/><br/>A pale, short-haired boy was at Kleris' left.  An odd shadowy circle hung directly above him, causing his form to be cast in relative darkness despite being in late morning.  "The school predates the founding of Redhurst itself," he said, "and people keep signing up for it year after year!"<br/><br/>The hint of fangs shown as he talked.  "Every single one of Redhurst's best duelists graduated here, and I don't intend on flaunting tradition."  He smiled at the sight of Rensha's blade.  "My name's Andrei, by the way," ha said, half-bowing to them both.  "What are you-"<br/><br/>"Move it!"<br/><br/>The mass of students pushed the three of them forward.  Clearly there was no room for hanging around.<br/><br/>"Now, now, people, there's no need for pushing."<br/><br/>(http://i.imgur.com/CaqZZ5e.png?1)<br/><br/>Suddenly the students stopped in their tracks at the sight of this dwarf.  He wore his brown hair in long flowing locks and his beard braided.  He wore but a simple tunic and overalls, not standard Redhurst attire.<br/><br/>"Dean Doil, I'm sorry, we were just in a rush-"<br/><br/>"To class?  Well, I'm afraid your worries are for naught, for I intend on having class right here, in this hallway."<br/><br/>Many of the first years gave quizzical looks, but the older students seemed to know exactly what was going on.<br/><br/>"One of transmutation's most common uses is for self-improvement.  A magus enhances their reaction time to duel better, a scribe boosts his endurance to pull an all-nighter to finish writing a book.  This is the aspect of transmutation we will be focusing on right now.  Andrei, would you kindly pass these scrolls to the rest of the class?"<br/><br/>From an oversized pack Doil produced a thick bundle of magic scrolls, all rolled up.<br/><br/>"A man as short as me needs to get places fast in Redhurst," Doil continued as Andrei passed the scrolls down.  "And even the taller among you had to rush quickly here to avoid tardiness.  Now what if I were to tell you that you could take your time coming to class, all the while arriving early?  Does anyone know what spell I might be talking about?"<br/><br/>"Teleportation?"<br/><br/>"Ah, that can do the trick, but it's far too powerful and risky to use for daily tasks," Doil answered.<br/><br/>Upon opening the scroll, the contents became clear to Kleris that they detailed Expeditious Retreat, a spell to enhance one's movement.<br/><br/>"I'm speaking of Expeditious Retreat, a spell which makes your strides quicker, with no increase in exhaustion rates.  I'm sure all of you will find it useful when making it to other classes on time."  He laughed.<br/><br/><br/>"Okay, but how will we test this?" a purple-haired tiefling asked.<br/><br/>"I'm glad you asked that, young lady," Doil said, with an ever-widening grin.  "I want you to do what you've just been doing on the way here, except you'll be casting this spell to help you.  Make three full laps around the hallways, and you pass this first class.  The three lucky ones who make it ahead of the rest of the class will get something extra special."<br/><br/>Dean Doil stood to the side, back against the wall.  "When I count to 3, I want you all to start casting Expeditious Retreat and start running."<br/><br/>"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Rensha exclaimed.<br/><br/>"Alright, get ready!  3...2...1...GO!"<br/><br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote from: Game Mechanics</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"><em><strong>Roll for Initiative, then roll a Spellcraft check to finish casting the spell from the scroll.  The result on Initiative determines your general speed, Spellcraft to see how quickly you finish.</strong></em></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>