Of Night and Magic

Disbandment

Lyr and Farney find a new home in the magical university of Magiston. The Bonner Boys find a new threat in the headmistress.

Lyr wakes up in a cold sweat from hearing that screech again. The one that’s followed him ever since he entered the astral plane. He tries to shake it off, stands up, and spends time with Farney over by the dying fire. Farney shows Lyr the latest issue of Headlines. The dwarves don’t have a leader and nobody is coming after them. Now he intends to settle down in the next safe place they find. He invites Lyr to stay with him, unless he wants to continue with this group. Lyr considers it. Does he want to continue with them? Before he can answer, both Gnomes are magically put to sleep.   Fancier shoes step over them and walk over to Indigo, nudging him awake. He looks up at The Moonlit King. Ludomir asks for the 24-Carat Star and about the council of dragons. Indigo tells him about the dragon eggs while Ludomir sets the star into a ring. He seems interested in the eggs, but right now he’s more proud of his newly made engagement ring. He’s going to ask Sarastra the Queen of Night and Magic to marry him. Indigo warns him. If she’s the headmistress of Magiston, then his party will be there too. Ludomir tells him not to let them interfere, then lets him know not to worry about that Revenant anymore. He disintegrated it himself.   Days later the party rides into Magiston, a college town if there ever were one, with plenty of shopping to boot. Lyr buys boots for Farney, Danger replaces his old greatsword and buys some potions with Daryl. They so rarely get to restock.   They enter the university and head to the visitors center for a map. Each school of magic has its own building around the quad where students can practice on some very magically receptive obelisks. Figuring magically learning a language is a type of enchantment, they head for the school of enchantment.   Out on the quad the party is set upon by a crew of Quicklings, fast little fey who steal Indigo’s obsidian key. He yells for them to grab it, telling everyone it’s his focus now. They get most of the Quicklings, but two run into the school of conjuration.   Inside they chase the Quicklings to a classroom where they meet the student who summoned them. He’s been experimenting with Tor and realized it's incredibly powerful against Fey. He even demonstrates its power on the last Quicklings, absolutely decimating it with a simple magic missile.   Heading toward the school of enchantment, Farney is distracted by a girl working on lenses that let you see into other planes. Farney goes to help her while the others continue.   They start yelling around if anybody is interested in an internship, which is when Hogarth steps up to them. He knows comprehend languages and that’s literally the only qualification he needs. They invite him to be their intern, whipping up fake paperwork saying he’ll receive academic credit.   The school quad gets dressed for an event that night. The party meets back up with Farney, who has bonded with the girl, Mirai, and the school. He tells Lyr he intends to stay here. They test out the Plane Lenses on Lyr, seeing a large monster stalking him in another plane. Something is attached to Lyr.   But there’s no time for that. They hear a roar from the quad. Joining the crowd they see the Moonlit King arrive with the Queen of Night and Magic. She’s truly stunning in a dress that looks like it was woven from the night sky. He asks her to marry him and she says yes. The student body gathers around them, and the party moves in too. Everybody except for Indigo.   The Moonlit King brushes against Lyr, and suddenly he gets a throbbing pain in his head. It crawls out of his mouth, an Xhkarsh. They leap in to fight the monster. It tries to dive into someone else, but they’re able to kill it first.   Danger and Daryl find the Moonlit King and talk to him. They’re not going to fight, they just want to know what happened to Indigo. He tells them he’s made Indigo see things from his perspective. Changed his mind as it were. They ask him to be more specific.   “Alright fine I control Indigo now.”   They speak to a professor at the school who tells them about infection possession. Something that can’t be undone unless you had some means of putting somebody’s soul in a new body. Daryl realizes they can do just that.   Danger and Daryl agree to take a trip to see Braes. Putting Indigo through dragonbirth should rid him of the Moonlit King’s influence. They tell Indigo they’re heading for Smith’s Landing, a blacksmith town that could give them stronger weapons, but Lyr cuts in. He’s not coming. He’s staying here in Magiston with Farney.   They understand, and the three original party members head off, first toward the Council with Hogarth and then South toward Braes. Completely unaware of what he’s become.