Traveling through the gate to the great city on the back of his dappled horse, though still only going the speed of the traffic around him, Saelion took in the sights and sounds. Most of his kind lived in cities like this, so it was really no problem adapting, though he wasn’t quite so used to seeing so many different races in one place. Elven cities didn’t exactly breed diversity after all. Still, he wasn’t as shocked by the diversity as another might have been due to the fact that he had been in the Order of Secar with others of numerous races.

Deciding to make his way to the College as quickly as possible, Saelion branched off from the main crowd down an equally large, but slightly less crowded street. Before he got too far, however, a hawker caught his attention and drew him over to the display of his wares. Feeling a bit exuberant, he purchased a piece of jewelry that the man was selling, tying the beaded cord behind his neck after handing the man the fare he asked for, which was actually far too high for the quality of jewelry. Still, it wasn’t much to Saelion, so he let it go and continued on his way, eventually arriving at the College before the midmorning bell.

Once he arrived, he dismounted and took his packs off his horse, instructing the stable hand to take good care of it before heading inside. He wasted no time in heading to the desk and offering his name, the woman nodding as she scribbled it down on a piece of paper to her right. With that done, she gave him the same instructions that she had given everyone else: to wait for Evern to show up, which he should be doing soon. Waiting was fine with Saelion, as it gave him time to meet with some of the others and get to know them, though he figured that he would have to avoid the Moon Elf girl, who had flinched upon seeing him.

Almost as soon as he reached the benches where the others were waiting, an older –looking man in a robe appeared from one of the side hallways, incidentally at the same time that the bells began ringing to signal the time. Ten times they rang, the man waiting to speak until they were done. “My name is Evern,” the man said, his voice carrying a southern accent. “I’ll essentially be the supervisor of your group, and the guide for the tour. So, if you’ll get yourselves together, we can go.”

A few minutes later, they were heading down one of the hallways of the building, opposite the one he had entered by. The walls were well decorated with brilliant tapestries displaying acts of magic and might. The halls themselves used mana globes, little glass balls that were enchanted to give off light when turned on, to keep the dimness of the wintry weather at bay. Small vases containing vivid arrays of flowers sitting on tables here and there further helped to dissipate any gloom from the weather.

“This right here is the dining area,” Evern said, stopping momentarily to gesture through the wide-open double doors that lead into the huge room where several tables housed people talking amiably while they ate. “It’s open practically twenty-four/seven, though the cooks do get a little testy when you come in out of nowhere asking for a meal. Remember that.” That said, he started again and lead them down the hallway a ways before stopping and explaining that the area in front of them was the infirmary. He seemed to believe that that spoke for itself, however, and continued on past the large room with barely a pause.

“This room coming up around this corner up here is the most important for you guys to remember. It’s your classroom, where you will be expected every morning at promptly eight o’clock, or the early morning bell as it’s called,” he said, leading them to the room shortly after he finished speaking. It wasn’t as large as most would expect, but it was large enough to host a couple of training dummies in the back, presumably for practice with aiming spells. The room was also well-furnished with tables for classwork.

“The last room that I need to show you is where you will be sleeping,” he continued after a pause to let the students take in the classroom. Incidentally, it took another turn and several yards before they reached the door that lead to their quarters. Opening the creaky door, he allowed the students to peer inside and satiate their curiosity. Strangely enough, the room appeared to be divided into smaller rooms, with two thin walls on either side immediately upon entering the door. These divisions continued down to the walls themselves. “Each one of you will receive one unit with room for a trunk and a small washbasin. The beds are already in there,” he continued. “The bathroom is through that door opposite the dorm itself.”

“If any of you are wondering about the library, it is off-limits to new magi like yourselves,” he said, tone a little sterner than before. “All we need around here is some fool child thinking that they’re going to be the next Magnus Black and blowing themselves up in the process of trying things they aren’t ready for. You’ll have access to the library either when you’ve proven yourselves capable of the basics and not likely to kill yourselves in some fool attempt at magic. Now, if there are no further questions, feel free to claim your bed and pack away your belongings. Lunch is at one o’clock and your classes begin tomorrow morning bright and early. Until then, feel free to become acquainted with the facility.” And with that, he turned and left, apparently on other business. Saelion didn’t pay it too much mind, however, and went about claiming a unit in the corner of the room. Compared to the sleeping arrangements of the Order, these were actually pretty luxurious.