Chapter Two of "Power is a Fragile Thing is under the cut" (Chapter One is here)
Chapter 1: Part B
Edwin Odesseiron snapped his fingers theatrically, as the vial of brownish sludge he had brewed combusted, sparkling with bursts of fire before sputtering out and spewing thick black smoke. It was amusing to watch his students' reaction. They smiled at first, thinking this a demonstration, perhaps one that had not gone quite right. That soon turned to confusion and panic as the smoke quickly enveloped the room. Coughing, the students milled around in disorganized fashion, some panicking, others carrying out their own individual solutions in haphazard fashion. Edwin watched it all through his glasses, specially enchanted so that the smoke was transparent to him. Rather disappointing. A student two years ago had managed to rally several classmates and air out the room in quick order. No such leaders here. Ah well. Students here were picked for proficiency with arcane ability, not charisma. Still, some of the students were not complete fools. Two who had the same idea bumped into each other and were opening a window. Another had quickly cobbled together a makeshift fan, and was attempting to clear the air around him, making poor progress. The primary targets of Edwin's scrutiny, however, were the foolish children attempting to suppress the smoke with magic. They'd only been taught basic cantrips, none of which were suited for dealing with smoke. Their efforts were amusing enough to watch however. One appeared to be trying to 'clean' the smoke with a Prestidigitation spell. Another had fired a Ray of Frost- hmn, now that might do something; sublimation would produce moisture in the air, which would gather around the particles causing the smoke and precipitate them out -eventually. Credit for something that could work, even if it would take a week.
The window was open and other students were starting to join the act, opening more windows and fanning the smoke out. The lesson had proceeded well enough. Edwin gestured to the waiting Air Elemental and the creature cleared the smoke out with far more efficiency than the students had managed. "Well, now that was interesting." Some of the students still had dumbfounded looks on their faces. The smarter ones had realized that this had been a test and were wondering if they had passed. Edwin allowed them a moment of anxiety before starting the real lesson for the day. "My commendations to Mister Sten and Miss Raithbone. You were the first to take the appropriate course of action and open a window." The students in question looked relieved. Edwin motioned for the class to take their seats, which they scrambled to do. "Not you, Mister Abdel and Mister Thorne. Stand up. Explain to me, what exactly were you trying to do? [Simians]"
Thorne cast about for an appropriately contrite answer. Abdel however, seemed to have been born without that all too rare thing perversely called Common Sense. "I attempted to dispel the smoke, professor."
"Of course. I see. You were dispelling the smoke. [Trying to teach these monkeys is going to drive me mad] How?" Abdel tried to formulate a reply as Edwin stalked up to him, but the angry mage gave him no time. "Show me your spellbook." The youth, now aware that he was in trouble, handed it over without protest. Edwin idly flipped through it. "Dancing Lights, Detect Magic. . . Caltrops? Whatever were you planning to do with that? [Juvenile Pranks no doubt] Never mind." Edwin held the book up. "I don't see any spells for removing smoke in this spellbook, Mister Abdel. Do you even know of any spells that can disperse smoke?"
"No, sir"
"So instead you tried to use Prestidigitation to do. . . what exactly? Make the smoke smell of cinnamon? [Pity you didn't. That would have been more useful.]" Edwin didn't bother to give him a reply. "And you, Thorne. Ray of Frost? What precisely did you think that would accomplish?" He listened to a halfhearted explanation before ordering the boy to re-read Bigby's treatise on elemental magic effects. Hopefully, the message would get through the incredibly thick skulls of these neophyte Arcanists. "The first thing a Wizard must learn, is that there are appropriate times to use magic, and times when it is foolish to do so. There are spells that you will learn designed to counter smoke and gaseous poison. They are, for reasons that should be obvious to you, advanced beyond your current level. [Thank the gods for that small mercy.] You would have done better to have known your limits and help your classmates open windows." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "You may be seated now."
Time to move on to the next lesson. Edwin pointed at a young woman in the back row. "Miss Lentha. Why else was Mister Abdel's action inappropriate?"
Lentha was all to eager to criticize Abdel; no surprise there, the boy had been a pain in the posterior to everyone ever since he had been admitted to the Institute. She really should have known to take the time to analyze the question instead of blurting out the first thing that came to mind, however. "Well, he not only wasted a spell in an ineffectual manner, but also used magic in class without permission."
Let it not be said Edwin was an unfair teacher; he was equally harsh to all his students. "Permission? [Since when did any of you monkeys ever ask permission?] The world outside these walls is a harsh unforgiving one. It will not wait for you to plan, to analyze. You will sometimes have to act on instinct, and your instincts will sometimes be wrong. Many wizards have a tendency to hoard their spells like a miser, against a far away what if. I am told that some so-called masters of our trade even encourage such behavior. To be blunt, most such wizards get themselves killed if they find themselves in combat. In a dangerous situation, your most valuable resource is time. A poor plan of action undertaken immediately is better than a good one that you start only after bodies start piling up. [Fighting without a meatshield is not fun.] Which leads me to Mister Abdel's mistake. He tried to fight smoke with a spell that had no such function. Foolish, but he at least he did something. But to continue with that futility for fully a minute and a half-" Edwin glared at the now subdued student. "Even a simpleton should have realized that it wouldn't work within a fraction of that time. And Miss Lentha." He waited for the woman to acknowledge the rebuke. "Next time, do think over your answer first. [I swear, herding cats must be easier than this.]"
It was a relief to the students to hear the bell toll. Professor Odesseiron was the most powerful mage in the institute, and a genuine genius, but he spared no one's feelings. They eagerly trotted out of the room.
Edwin watched them go. He knew all too well that they were upset, even frightened by his harsh words. But he refused to see his students become the sort of fools who had turned Thay into the cesspit it was. He bullied them, to be sure, but it was to force them to learn to stand up for themselves, to think independently, and not to trust too far in magic -or believe that their abilities made them superior to others. Thay had been full of arrogant fools and their unthinking lapdogs. Edwin wanted competent wizards who considered consequences and held convictions. And by the gods, what Edwin Odesseiron wanted, he got.
Chapter 1: Part B
Edwin Odesseiron snapped his fingers theatrically, as the vial of brownish sludge he had brewed combusted, sparkling with bursts of fire before sputtering out and spewing thick black smoke. It was amusing to watch his students' reaction. They smiled at first, thinking this a demonstration, perhaps one that had not gone quite right. That soon turned to confusion and panic as the smoke quickly enveloped the room. Coughing, the students milled around in disorganized fashion, some panicking, others carrying out their own individual solutions in haphazard fashion. Edwin watched it all through his glasses, specially enchanted so that the smoke was transparent to him. Rather disappointing. A student two years ago had managed to rally several classmates and air out the room in quick order. No such leaders here. Ah well. Students here were picked for proficiency with arcane ability, not charisma. Still, some of the students were not complete fools. Two who had the same idea bumped into each other and were opening a window. Another had quickly cobbled together a makeshift fan, and was attempting to clear the air around him, making poor progress. The primary targets of Edwin's scrutiny, however, were the foolish children attempting to suppress the smoke with magic. They'd only been taught basic cantrips, none of which were suited for dealing with smoke. Their efforts were amusing enough to watch however. One appeared to be trying to 'clean' the smoke with a Prestidigitation spell. Another had fired a Ray of Frost- hmn, now that might do something; sublimation would produce moisture in the air, which would gather around the particles causing the smoke and precipitate them out -eventually. Credit for something that could work, even if it would take a week.
The window was open and other students were starting to join the act, opening more windows and fanning the smoke out. The lesson had proceeded well enough. Edwin gestured to the waiting Air Elemental and the creature cleared the smoke out with far more efficiency than the students had managed. "Well, now that was interesting." Some of the students still had dumbfounded looks on their faces. The smarter ones had realized that this had been a test and were wondering if they had passed. Edwin allowed them a moment of anxiety before starting the real lesson for the day. "My commendations to Mister Sten and Miss Raithbone. You were the first to take the appropriate course of action and open a window." The students in question looked relieved. Edwin motioned for the class to take their seats, which they scrambled to do. "Not you, Mister Abdel and Mister Thorne. Stand up. Explain to me, what exactly were you trying to do? [Simians]"
Thorne cast about for an appropriately contrite answer. Abdel however, seemed to have been born without that all too rare thing perversely called Common Sense. "I attempted to dispel the smoke, professor."
"Of course. I see. You were dispelling the smoke. [Trying to teach these monkeys is going to drive me mad] How?" Abdel tried to formulate a reply as Edwin stalked up to him, but the angry mage gave him no time. "Show me your spellbook." The youth, now aware that he was in trouble, handed it over without protest. Edwin idly flipped through it. "Dancing Lights, Detect Magic. . . Caltrops? Whatever were you planning to do with that? [Juvenile Pranks no doubt] Never mind." Edwin held the book up. "I don't see any spells for removing smoke in this spellbook, Mister Abdel. Do you even know of any spells that can disperse smoke?"
"No, sir"
"So instead you tried to use Prestidigitation to do. . . what exactly? Make the smoke smell of cinnamon? [Pity you didn't. That would have been more useful.]" Edwin didn't bother to give him a reply. "And you, Thorne. Ray of Frost? What precisely did you think that would accomplish?" He listened to a halfhearted explanation before ordering the boy to re-read Bigby's treatise on elemental magic effects. Hopefully, the message would get through the incredibly thick skulls of these neophyte Arcanists. "The first thing a Wizard must learn, is that there are appropriate times to use magic, and times when it is foolish to do so. There are spells that you will learn designed to counter smoke and gaseous poison. They are, for reasons that should be obvious to you, advanced beyond your current level. [Thank the gods for that small mercy.] You would have done better to have known your limits and help your classmates open windows." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "You may be seated now."
Time to move on to the next lesson. Edwin pointed at a young woman in the back row. "Miss Lentha. Why else was Mister Abdel's action inappropriate?"
Lentha was all to eager to criticize Abdel; no surprise there, the boy had been a pain in the posterior to everyone ever since he had been admitted to the Institute. She really should have known to take the time to analyze the question instead of blurting out the first thing that came to mind, however. "Well, he not only wasted a spell in an ineffectual manner, but also used magic in class without permission."
Let it not be said Edwin was an unfair teacher; he was equally harsh to all his students. "Permission? [Since when did any of you monkeys ever ask permission?] The world outside these walls is a harsh unforgiving one. It will not wait for you to plan, to analyze. You will sometimes have to act on instinct, and your instincts will sometimes be wrong. Many wizards have a tendency to hoard their spells like a miser, against a far away what if. I am told that some so-called masters of our trade even encourage such behavior. To be blunt, most such wizards get themselves killed if they find themselves in combat. In a dangerous situation, your most valuable resource is time. A poor plan of action undertaken immediately is better than a good one that you start only after bodies start piling up. [Fighting without a meatshield is not fun.] Which leads me to Mister Abdel's mistake. He tried to fight smoke with a spell that had no such function. Foolish, but he at least he did something. But to continue with that futility for fully a minute and a half-" Edwin glared at the now subdued student. "Even a simpleton should have realized that it wouldn't work within a fraction of that time. And Miss Lentha." He waited for the woman to acknowledge the rebuke. "Next time, do think over your answer first. [I swear, herding cats must be easier than this.]"
It was a relief to the students to hear the bell toll. Professor Odesseiron was the most powerful mage in the institute, and a genuine genius, but he spared no one's feelings. They eagerly trotted out of the room.
Edwin watched them go. He knew all too well that they were upset, even frightened by his harsh words. But he refused to see his students become the sort of fools who had turned Thay into the cesspit it was. He bullied them, to be sure, but it was to force them to learn to stand up for themselves, to think independently, and not to trust too far in magic -or believe that their abilities made them superior to others. Thay had been full of arrogant fools and their unthinking lapdogs. Edwin wanted competent wizards who considered consequences and held convictions. And by the gods, what Edwin Odesseiron wanted, he got.