[Riverfall Location] Valkalah Academy

[Charon]

Valkalah Academy and Riverfall Library Nestled within Riverfall’s second tier near the physical and political heart of Riverfall is the Valkalah Academy. The entrance is etched in stone and peppered with minerals which flash and glisten with the sun’s beaming rays. Jutting out from the cliffs roughly one thousand feet above the Suvan Sea, the name of the school is engraved along the top of the heavy wooden front doors in large, stoic block letters. The institution is usually bustling with young Akalak taking breaks from their daily weapon and combat training in order to become versed in a variety of topics. The academy is the principle place of learning for growing Akalak and all cultural and history classes are taught here as well as other academic courses fundamental to a youth’s development. Young Akalak are not the only visitors of the Valkalah Academy, however. The doors are open to anybody residing in Riverfall or here on an extended visitation. Along with the few Human and Konti students found on occasion, older Akalak frequent the school for additional instruction toward their own intellectual advancement or to brush up on forgotten or rusty areas of study. The teaching staff is on a mostly volunteer basis with only a few core professors being solely committed to a full time job here. Upon entering the Valkalah Academy, a round reception desk confronts each visitor as it is the central fixture of the large cavernous foyer. An Akalak mans the desk at all times the academy is open which is most all day and has full schedules of planned courses and contact information for professors teaching smaller, on-demand courses. Many torches line the walls at various heights and seem to burn bright eternally as one follows another around the entire circumference of the reception area. The academy’s general structure is one which follows any natural cave design by having larger rooms toward the front and slowly tapering as the main hall extends further into the cliffs. Down this main corridor several rooms on each side can be found and serve as classrooms. There are no more offices or other faculty rooms as most of the staff are either temporary volunteers or do other work in their homes or some other location. To the left of the front foyer are several more doors, most standing open, where the staff offices and desks reside. Opposite the room is a single heavy door much the same as the main entrance to the school only having no reason to be treated to withstand salty water is several shades lighter. Above this lighter door is the one word, “Library,” indicating what lies beyond it. The Riverfall Library, as most know it as, seems to occupy an even larger area than the front main hall. A desk sits immediately next to the entrance where a young Akalak is always watching those who enter and, more closely, those who exit. The library is separated into two parts: the large, primary room containing row after row of tall shelves full of different books and a smaller, secondary and separate room which does not have a door and can be found just down the corridor from the front desk. The attendant can see who enters and exits the room which holds important volumes that are not for sale or even to be taken from library at all. Visitors are free to browse, but these books are either very rare or the only of their type. Though vast in size, the Riverfall Library is not the largest in Mizahar and not nearly the most complete, but the needs of the Akalak are filled with its existence and special requests are typically pursued by speaking with the attendant in the front. He usually knows of some men willing to search for new books and if visitors want to secure them for the library themselves, a small payment from the city usually follows. All the books within the main portion of the library are for borrowing or buying if multiple copies exist but the attendant at the desk always takes careful note of which books leave and with whom they are carried out by before anybody may remove a book from the library. Mod NoteAny routine use of the academy and library, feel free to self-moderate. If you want something specific and are not sure of the availability or for general assistance, send me a PM and I'll moderate for you.

[Kavala]

Timestamp: Winter 65, 509 AV
Time: Midday
Purpose: Book purchase - borrowing



Kavala made her way into the Library deep inside the Valkalah Academy, nodding first at the receptionist then moving towards the attendant in the library itself once she passed through its doors. One would think a konti knew her way around a library, but truthfully to Kavala it was just one singular wall of books that had no rhyme or reason to it. Growing up Drykas, Kavala had a strong sense of being mobile. No one kept books, and certainly not nearly as many as the Akalak kept here. There was scores and scores of them, far more than she thought existed in the whole of the world.

"Excuse me sir. I'm here too... pick up a few books if possible. I'd like to buy them, so I can take them home and learn at my own pace, but borrowing would be nice as well. I am a healer that just opened a stables outside of town, The Sanctuary, and I need some help. My sister Akela suggested I learn the use of a blowgun because I'm woefully inadequate with weapons of any sort. She thought darts that would poison or cause sleep or paralysis would be far better than any blade work or other forms of self defense. She also thought a bola would be a good defensive weapon as well." Kavala knew that most of the city knew her situation and that she'd been rescued by an Akalak raiding party from a slave caravan bound for the city of Xy. It was no secret, especially being female and Konti, who she probably was even if she hadn't announced it. "So, do you have any books on the use of these two weapons? I also need a text on brewing poisons, especially those geared towards paralysis for that very same reason. Liquids only... no other sorts of poisons are suitable for darts. I'd also like to find books on philtering, herbalism, gardening, and a... cookbook. I don't know if they teach any classes at the academy, but I was hoping to learn on my own." She said thoughtfully.

She glanced around, unsure at all where anything was or how to find things for herself. It was slightly embarrassing, though she wasn't sorry she was born among the Drykas. Resourceful, proud, they didn't let a little ignorance stop them at all. When it was time to learn, they jumped in with both feet wholeheartedly.

[Charon]

Upon seeing Kavala enter the library, the blue-skinned attendant immediately dropped the large volume he was reading to the desk and quickly smiled. Though the Konti looked familiar and Acadius was just positive he had seen her about, her name was slipping by as he searched his mind frantically to remember it. He sat without saying a word as she explained her purpose of being here and upon mention of the stables and healing, Acadius finally pinpointed where he knew the beautiful face from.

The librarian listened attentively and upon mention of poisons his brow slightly perked. Acadius was not one to judge too quickly, but it was not everyday somebody became interested in studying the craft of poison- especially on their own. The akalak did understand her situation, however, and in accordance to their culture he did want to help the young lady out if he could. With nothing more than a mental note of her rare request, he stood and smiled and demonstrated that he was happy to help. "Well you have certainly found yourself in the right place, my dear. Please, let me show where you can find these books." The man quickly came from behind his desk and brushed by Kavala, eager to show her what he could.

"Gardening and herbalism can be found right here," Acadius pointed to a section of shelves. He pulled off two books and immediately moved further down the row. "Philtering... could be found here and this next section contains information about weapons and related subjects." He glanced around with a single outstretched finger for a brief moment and finally rested it on a book concerning blowguns. He pulled that off the shelf and squatted to the lowest shelf before removing another book and adding it to the stack he still carried in his left arm. "This last book is all we have on creating and brewing poisons. If it does not contain what you're looking for then I would be afraid you need to look elsewhere. Also, the cookbook you have asked for can be purchased as we do have several here." The akalak showed Kavala the half dozen recipe books contained in the Valkalah Academy and motioned for her to take her time in picking one. "Any of our cookbooks are ten gold ones. I'll have these up front when you are ready."

He left her alone and placed the stack of pages on the desk and waited for her to return. He noted in his ledger the books Kavala had selected and the date on which she took them. There was no specific date on which they must be returned as knowing who had them was sufficient information in itself here in Riverfall. It also helped that the Konti was well known around here so a simple name would allow anybody who needed to know the information the location of the borrowed books.

[Kavala]

She smiled at the helpful attendant. It was nice to actually find what she needed, and as for the books she could copy down what instructions she needed at home since he was going to allow her to check them out. Being helpful, the man gathered up her list, and she nodded at the poison selection. "It should be fine. Again, I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a quick way to defend myself once I learn to use the dart/blowgun and bolas." She said, nodding that everything would be well. Once she reached the recipe book section, Kavala took her time looking through everything. She eventually selected a book on basic cooking that showed tool use, had simple recipes, and hints for the new cook. Then she picked out a book on baking and one on main courses that had a small appetizer selection. Three baking books might help, alright, so long as she sat down, read them, and got purchased the proper supplies.

Once she was done, she moved up to the main desk, paid the thirty gold crowns for the three cooking books, and then gathered up the rest of the books to put in her pack after carefully signing for them. "I'll take good care of them and have them back as soon as possible." She said, offering him a shy smile and swiftly departing to return home.

Kavala had a lot of reading to do.

[Kavala]

Timestamp: Early Spring, 510 AV
Time: Midday
Purpose: Returning Books - Borrowing More! (w/DS permission)

Kavala carefully slipped into the library, stopping at the desk to greet Acadius. She'd been a frequent visitor to the library since she'd come to live in Riverfall. The librarian knew her to be reliable, bringing her books back in the same condition they left the place - though she did tend to keep them a while. He'd asked her once about it and Kavala simply smiled. "I write down everything that seems important between the first and last page least I forget later on." She replied, then had showed him one of her copies. It was almost exact - except that being hers she felt free to put in her own notes on whatever topic was at hand.

And so it was she set two volumes down on the counter - turning them in - and borrowed two more in their place. One was Kavala's usual fare - a book on first aid, splinting, bandaging, and basic wound care. The second was a book that surprised Acadius a bit. It was on Auristics. She ran both by him to make sure they weren't particularly rare or valuable - meaning that she could take them home... and with a smile left the library.

[Roebak As'karri]

TS: 15th of Spring, 510 A.V.

Roebak arrived at the Academy roughly at mid day, and made his way to the library. He had been there quite a few times, and knew the way. He walked tall, but did not really look at anyone else in the building. His skin made him stand out very badly in contrast to other Akalak, so trying to be subtle was futile, and in fact detrimental.

It wasn't like he was doing anything illegal, or immoral, although some people would have said otherwise. He was here to read, and perhaps borrow, a few books on some rather tabboo subjects. Magic, that was what he was here to learn about. He doubted that hardly anyone in the whole city knew how to manipulate magic at all, and if they did he doubted even less that he could find them and convince them to reveal themselves or teach him.

So that left him with reading books and experimenting. He knew that that was an especially dangerous concept, experimenting with an already very dangerous subject, without any guidance.

He had learned about the biased views people had on magic in school when he was younger, but it had not convinced him. All he had learned from them was that it was a chaotic tool that evil men sought to use, and it had consumed them. His teacher had never mentioned a good spell caster, but he knew they had to exist. He wanted to be one of them.

He had learned the names of several different types of magic, but sadly, the one he was most interested in, Glyphing, required the ability to cast the others in order to be of any use. It used the other magics and reproduced them with the use of symbols. Magic scrolls, items of power such as weapons and tools, they could be inscribed and then have magical properties, with no threat to the caster.

First though, he needed to learn other magic techniques. He had first thought of using Reimancy, but it was of the more dangerous manipulations, and there was another, Voiding, that he thought would be a good start. He was searching the shelves as he thought about all this for the hundredth time in his head, and finally he came upon the books he was looking for. They were in a shadowed section of the library, off in a corner, and there many books on what he wished to know.

Books on Reimancy, Voiding, Auristics, Glyphing, and much more, at least ten books on one shelf, and as he looked, he could see spatterings of other books concerning magic. He pulled a a few on Voiding off the shelf, and sat there on the floor and began reading them. He didnt dare ask to borrow them from the library, that would raise to much suspicion he thought, but he found a book cover that was loose, and large enough to cover the book he wanted, so he borrowed a Voiding book under the pretence of another.

[Kavala]

Timestamp: 30th of Spring, 511 AV
Purpose: Acquiring Some Books

Kavala and the library were old friends. It was one of the things she loved about Riverfall. The city let its Nakivak's wander and had no problem educating them to keep them from being bored. Kavala nodded to the attendant, who was a different guy than the one who normally minded the library. That fellow had been a kind-hearted soul who'd perished in the bad business with the ghost and mine. This one, however, seemed harder and more interested in what she was doing. Kavala had no idea what his name was, but she had visited more than once borrowing and returning the books she wanted. The Konti went to the magic section and carefully browsed until she had what she wanted. Four books, enormously valuable, lay in her arms. There was one on Shielding, Spiritism, Gylphing and Morphing. For a good measure, she also borrowed a book on Religion that listed all the Gods, their names, and titles and what domain they presided over. Kavala had an inherent curiosity in the gods, and wanted to make sure she was well educated on their domain.

After signing for them, Kavala tucked them into her backpack which weighed her down given the fact Tasi occupied his sling on her chest. She'd return the books after she'd had a chance to read them, study them, and most likely copy their content like she had her previous usages. If someone needed them, the library would get a hold of her and have her return them for the other user. Kavala had no problem with that. Her activity since the birth of her son had slowed down considerably and she was needing something to fill the time when she had to sit with him rather than ride out or do some of the chores her hired hands now handled.

She smiled at the attendant, thanked him, and headed out with her treasures tucked neatly against her torso - all of them.

[Lakara]

Timestamp: 12th of Summer, 511AV Purpose: Book borrowing Lakara quietly entered the library, giving the attendant a courteous nod. She moved off along the shelves, taking care to note what information each section of the library held. This was her first visit to the place, and she had instantly fallen in love with it. She came across the shelves she needed quickly, and browsed for the exact information she was looking for. She chose two books and then headed to the desk, carefully placing the volumes upon it. One was a first aid book that held notes on bandaging, basic care and the like. The other was a book filled with information on many of the herb species found in the lands. She signed the books out, making sure to write a note on where she could be found. Most people knew of Kavala's Sanctuary, and the attendant was all too happy to loan the Konti the books. He obviously knew how much care it's staff put into their every-day tasks. With a soft thank you, she made her way out of the library, the books tucked neatly under her arm. They would greatly aid in her studies, and she was already planning to write notes as soon as she had the time.

[Dex]

Timestamp: Spring 30, 512 AV Purpose: Informing the library about their rats. Dex had been hunting the previous night, and found a feast. To bad he couldn't get to it. He had come across a building, and could just smell the rats inside through a vent. However, said vent had a thin grate on it, small enough that he couldn't get in. So he promptly waited until the next day to inform them that they had rats, and that he could help. A source of food, and if he was lucky, they'd even give him the special shiny things. Which brought him to where he was right now. He had followed his route from last night, but got slightly confused at the change of views from night to day. After getting close enough to track the same scent path from last night, he found himself walking into a building with a large pretty sign infront. Not being able to read, he ignored it and walked on in, noticing the large akalak next to the door scowling slightly at him as he walked in. Dex turned to the akalak, hoping that he would be able to direct him. "Hello. Who do I talk to about helping you for shiny thi--- Mizas?"

[Gossamer]

DEX Acadius looked up and smiled when the young man walked in and approached. His way of speaking was odd and that clued Acadius into the fact that perhaps the boy wasn't exactly human. He looked the youngster over to see if he was clean and glanced at his hands to see if he could tell if the boy was used to work, and then nodded. "What sort of help are you looking to be? All that depends on what you want to do and what positions we have available, young man. We're always looking for stockers, copiests, and ...." Was the young man a kelvic? "Pest control for the right individuals. We can also use folks that clean and dust or are a combination of anything above. How's your writing or hunting skills?" The akalak said, suspecting kelvic but not wanting to offend the human if he wasn't indeed one of the animals that were so prevalent in Riverfall.