diatu | So It's Come To This: An NPC Intervention

Who: Vaarsuvius and Headmaster Camillah Birony
What: It is time for a heart-to-heart.
Where: ?????
When: ?????
Warnings: ?????

One rant can be forgiven. Two, less so. And a threat of existential crisis, not at all.

The space they inhabit is much like the Headmaster's office as one might envision it, an image seen in the mind and intermixed with the blackness behind sightless eyes. The only truly clear figure in it is Headmaster Birony, who sits with her feet up on her image of a desk, hands folded behind her head as she leans back in her supremely comfortable chair.

"All right, Vaarsuvius," she says, quite pleasantly, as she motions for the elf to take a seat in a chair that hadn't been there moments before. "You think you're better than us, fine. You think you have all the answers, okay. You somehow feel you have the moral high ground to scream at the people who are trying to help you and protect others, whatever. And you're endangering all of us and apparently attempting to sign your soul over to an enemy of humanity? I gotta draw the line there. So let's talk."

She thumps one heel on her desk. A poster on the front promptly unrolls; it reads "YOU'RE SCREWING UP BADLY. CHANGE MY MIND."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"The presupposes any of us wish to remain here long enough to bother with wishing to be in control."

"Some of you want to stay, you know," Headmaster Birony says evenly. "So making sure they can is important too."

"What about this world do you think is so appealing that given any other option at all people would choose to remain?"

"Lack of enemies." She ticks off the points on her fingers. "Lack of horrible circumstances. Being alive. Those are three big ones, I think!"

"Big undead dragon ringing any bells?" V asked, dryly. "So not a lack of enemies, just a lack of arch rivals. I am pretty certain losing our own powers and being saddled with powers that will kill us if we fail to master them qualifies as a horrible circumstance, even before we consider the nightmare of this school all on its own. As to being alive, death is only a concern if your party lacks the diamonds or access to a high enough level cleric to bring you back. or if you are someone for whom your party would not spend for a resurrection."

"Big undead dragon is a general enemy, not a specific one. Big difference!" It just wants to kill everyone IMpersonally, not specifically hunt people down for who they are. "Also it may shock you to hear we don't routinely resurrect the dead around here... which I realize may account for some of your, ah, lack of sensitivity towards others."

"Why? Not enough Clerics? Just pledge money to raise a temple to their gods, and there you go. A group of clerics thrilled to bring back the dead and heal your wounds for a reasonable donation. Or just have one on staff and pay their fees."

Yes, this is why V really doesn't think much of explosive runes. Healing spells and potions are abundant where V comes from. Especially at higher levels.

"Just don't try to save money by hiring paladins. More trouble than they're worth."

"Right. See, those aren't a thing here. And neither is raising the dead. There are maybe three people who can do it, and they're all the best of the best of the very very best wizards."

"That's a wizard class skill in this set." How odd. "Very well, so then what is needed is to train more wizards to that level. Very well."

So It's Come To This: An NPC Intervention

Shame V';s canon point is from before meeting Elan's dad....

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