Session 8

So, we’ve had some time to devote to our projects. I’m wondering if the fragments of the stone ghost could be studied for a way to harness their incorporeality: perhaps a way to pass through obstacles? It’s still early days, and I haven’t managed to make much progress with that or with investigating the haunted area of the campus. Even my progress with training with the Tempest Sun Mages has stalled a bit. Maybe I’ve just had too much on my mind.

There wasn’t too much time to dwell on that though. Another faction leader has returned to the Magaambya: Janatimo, the leader of the Uzunjati, and a master storyteller. He had been giving public renditions of his tales, which were of course wildly popular, but had unintentionally led to a small incident with our new Anadi classmates. Unlike Matuas, they aren’t comfortable maintaining their human forms for long periods of time; preferring to stay in their spider or hybrid forms. I didn’t think much of this, but apparently their appearance had caused some shock and discomfort at the last rendition, leading to Esi unsuccessfully trying to convince them to stay in their human forms. I’m actually sorry I was so dismissive of Matuas’ concerns about revealing his true nature to us, given that this is the treatment his folk get here. It also made me think: if this fear is because people identify spiders as dangerous predators, wouldn’t that apply to us Kholos too? Do people only appear to tolerate us, but in reality are scared and intimidated into silence? In any case, Matuas has volunteered to help the new Anadi students to maintain their human forms for longer.

We ended up attending on of Janatimo’s storytelling sessions in which he gave a rendition of the Four Hunters. It was interesting to hear a version in which some of the hunters were male, but the message was largely the same: know your limits, when to push ahead, when to hold back, and the great golden city hidden in the jungle. It made me think of those fantastical stories I used to dream of: the tribe beyond the jungle, beyond the mountains, beyond the desert, beyond the sea, beyond even the north wind itself – a warlike tribe of males who go hunting, raiding, and even wed each other. Maybe it had always been intended as a cautionary tale of what happens if you let males have too much power, or a titillating idea for females who like “strong males” (plenty of memories of unwanted attention there); but I’d often joked to Hibiscus that maybe we should just run away to the north and join that tribe. He’d always laugh nervously then go quiet. I guess it wasn’t as simple for him…
After his storytelling session, Janatimo invited us to talk about the events that had transpired with the new Anadi students: them being attacked seemingly from nowhere by gryphons. His approach is an interesting one: inviting us to propose both a sensible/practical reason or solution and a fantastical one too. For the reason as to why the gryphons attacked, we put for such ideas as: magical influence or control of the creatures, the machinations of a Fey court, and a long-standing blood-feud between the Anadi and gryphons due to an insult many generations ago. He also asked us about what we could do to help Anadi students be more comfortable here. I proposed we let them spin their webs between the buildings to act as shortcuts.
While the exercise was interesting, we still had to decide what our next course of action was to try and find out why this had occurred. It was time to begin our investigation by examining the corpses of the gryphons. We were able to determine that these were creatures that had spent a long time in captivity: evidence of old wounds that had been sutured, and healed cleanly, and markings indicative of shackles around the limbs and neck. It was also apparent that they’d not eaten for a while, but what little was still in their stomachs consisted of the remains of spiders. It seems that arachnids had been these creatures’ primary food source. Let’s just say at this point, I became acutely aware that I’d skipped breakfast and nearly took a bite out one of the corpses. We had to move on… We continued by interviewing two of the new Anadi students: Maztachia and Savanakin, both of them busy with their own projects: some artwork and a bow respectively. They told us that they’d felt an inexplicable and inexorable pull towards Nantambu and the Magaambya, even before they knew either place existed.
Given that these gryphons appear to have been captive, we thought it would be a good idea to search the city for any dealers of exotic creatures who may know more about them. After asking around, we were told that Oba’s Wondrous Creatures did have gryphons with plumage matching those the ones that had attacked us. When we entered the establishment, the owner spotted my Magaambya mask (I’ve taken to wearing it more often) and started berating us for killing her incredibly valuable gryphons. Looks like we’d found what we were looking for. I…decided to shut her up with a growl and a comment that those creatures had tried to eat fellow students of the Academy, and that I’m the one who does the eating around here. Ugh, to think it was not so long ago that I’d been wondering if it was actually the case that we Kholos were not so much accepted as feared. I should have taken a bite or two from those gryphon corpses after we were done investigating them. After the others were able to calm the situation, we were able to find out that the gryphons (who had been fed on spiders, as those were a cheap and convenient food source) had escaped shortly before the attack. Oba permitted us to examine the area out back where the other creatures were held, though it seemed that the gryphons weren’t the only ones to escape their cages, but the only ones who could escape the enclosure itself. Meera’s ability to communicate with animals led to a diplomatic solution with the tigers (and scoring us some nicely-matured meat which the tigers were turning their noses up at. Lunch, finally!). The remaining two creatures: a basilisk and some kind of chimera-like goat-wurm that breathed lightning required us to subdue them before packing them back into their cages. Let’s just say that Oba was grateful that we were able to solve this without adding to her meat stockpile, so the Academy’s reputation has been preserved here.

With everything that’s been happening, I haven’t had much time to really reflect on what I’ve been through, what I’ve done. I asked Nanna about these strange dreams, and she said that it’s her side of the family to blame for that. Both she and my mother also experienced incredibly intense dreams, though what they meant wasn’t always clear. This is what confuses me: I’m supposed to be the hunter, the survivor – the one who escaped and made it here to begin his new life. I’ve learned how to harness the Craft, something no male from my tribe has managed to do in living memory. I have a new tribe: one that I chose, and one that accepts me as I am, in spite of my flaws. I should be happy, but I can’t get rid of that feeling weighing down on me. My mask didn’t feel complete until I added that flower, his namesake. Is this…guilt…shame? I know I should talk to someone about this, but if they knew what had happened…if they knew what I had done… Could they ever trust me again?