Professors
The professors of Atheneum are arguably the most learned people in The Former Lands, and as such command considerable knowledge and the power that comes from that knowledge.
Dia Sirani, Theologies
A Tortle woman whose evidence-based research into the divine occasionally puts her on shaky ground with the Ministry of the Pantheon.
The party spoke with her to ask questions about the cults of Thanaset. An alarm of sorts of hers went off that was meant to warn her of nearby members of the Ordo Sororal - raising the party’s suspicions that their agreement to work with Sister Constance may involve more than just a verbal agreement.
She later aided the party in studying a captured Shadow and helped to determine their origin. Immediately afterwards the group was confronted by Sister Constance and members of the Ordo Sororal who sought to arrest her as a heretic for her open discussions about the cults of Thanaset. Upon entering to make the arrest however, Sister Constance and her companions were confronted by Morphidel who fore bade their presence on University grounds. Morphidel’s magic forced the other professors safely away from the conflict.
The party would later encounter her again as a member of Irwinyn Alser’s resistance movement in Atheneum.
Irwinyn Alser, Beastiery
An elderly male Gnome with a reputation for having an animated social life. He is rarely without his cat, Misha.
The party came to him to ask questions about the mysterious hostile shadows they had encountered, only to find they knew more than him. The professor was intrigued to learn that they had some connection to the dead and recommended magical means to try and secure one.
He later aided the party in studying a captured Shadow and helped to determine their origin. Immediately afterwards the group was confronted by Sister Constance and members of the Ordo Sororal who sought to arrest Dia Sirani as a heretic for her open discussions about the cults of Thanaset. Upon entering to make the arrest however, Sister Constance and her companions were confronted by Morphidel who fore bade their presence on University grounds. Morphidel’s magic forced the other professors safely away from the conflict.
He eventually fled the University as Morphidel’s power grew. During his adventures since, he managed to rescue the now former Sister Constance from her vengeful masters and reunite her with the party.
When Phillipe prepared his Operation: Arctic Thunder Hammer to rescue the party from the secret temple of the Ordo Sororal, Alser was chosen to be a member of the team.
He disappeared around the time of the Battle of Cathedral and was later found to have started a resistance movement in Atheneum, gathering together many of the former Professors and some of the party’s other allies. There, he and Furnace hired the party to assassinate Magnus conDoin.
Leonard, Arithmetics
A male Loxodon prodigy who is constantly frustrated by others’ disinterest in figures.
The party would meet him briefly as a member of Irwinyn Alser’s resistance movement in Atheneum.
Magnus conDoin, Energies
A Human male sorcerer who envisions a world fueled by magic. His son Perrin ran away to the south and has since disappeared.
Perrin conDoin turned out to be one of the boys in the cult of Thanaset led by Acererak, who died at the hands of a drider witch after Tortonymous’ failed attempts to save him.
After Morphidel’s defeat at the hands of the party, he stepped up and took over as sole ruler of Atheneum with the occupying army to apparently do his bidding. This eventually put him into conflict with a resistance movement led by Irwinyn Alser. Irwinyn and Furnace hired the party to assassinate Magnus, who took him captive instead - only to discover that their actions were part of a much larger plan included an invasion of Atheneum by the Knights-Errant. Magnus escaped, and unleashed Tar Gorath upon the party.
When the party returned to Atheneum following their victory over Tar Gorath, Magnus drew them into his pocket dimension where he was conducting his own experiments on the Shadows. He was killed when the party released the Shadows and they tore a hole into limbo, straight through him.
Marie, Chemistries
An elderly female Loxodon whose potion creations are as valued as her experimental beverages are feared.
The party would meet her briefly as a member of Irwinyn Alser’s resistance movement in Atheneum.
Morphidel, Histories
A Professor from The University in Atheneum. Educated and enthusiastic, but also arrogant.
The party encountered him in a cave in The Trialwood, investigating a ruin in hopes of finding the tomb of one of the legendary Silver Knights. While his magic kept the nearby dangers at bay, he was unwilling to venture deeper into the ruin and so hired the party to explore it for him.
When their efforts only uncovered a magical weapon however, rather than a body, he stormed off in a rage. He bid the party keep the weapon as payment instead.
Garron noticed that when infuriated, the Professor seemed to speak with several voices at once.
Later while visiting The University, the party discovered that while the professor was the envy of his young students, his fellow professors’ opinion of him ranged from politely disdainful to outright hostility.
He later appeared during the party’s
studying of a captured Shadow, confronting Sister Constance and members of the Ordo Sororal who sought to arrest Dia Sirani as a heretic for her open discussions about the cults of Thanaset. The party sided with Sister Constance during the battle and exposed him as a Shadow of tremendous power. He cursed them all, claiming that their Gods had failed the world and that the “Lady of Nets” was silent - his reasoning for the inability of the souls of the departed to move on from the world. The party and Sister Constance were forced to flee with the assistance of the creature Furnace.
The party discovered a treatise written by Morphidel about the Silver Empire of Nerath that summarized a lifetime of his research.
The party would later learn that while they were searching the south, Morphidel had cemented an alliance with Yvonne Melissa Nerath and had convinced her to have her armies occupy Atheneum and all but lay siege to Cathedral.
The party fought him again during the Battle of Cathedral, and managed to banish him before he could kill the Bishops; but Morphidel expressed his confidence that he would return.
The party and Furnace finally destroyed him in the Eldwood on their way to the entrance to the Long Road.
Furnace
A sentient automaton and skilled wizard working as a teaching assistant at The University. It revealed a fascination with the creations of the Silver Empire of Nerath, and believes itself to originate from that era. Although not a true professor, that fascination has earned it the derisive nickname of ‘Professor Antiquities’ from the students there, egged on by the disdain shown for it by some of the other professors.
In exchange for detailed notes and study of Tortonymous’ ancient Silver Age greataxe, it created for the party a magical trap it believed they could use to trap one of the shadows.
Furnace later aided the party in studying the captured Shadow and helped to determine their origin. Immediately afterwards the group was confronted by Sister Constance and members of the Ordo Sororal who sought to arrest Dia Sirani as a heretic for her open discussions about the cults of Thanaset. Upon entering to make the arrest however, Sister Constance and her companions were confronted by Morphidel who forbade their presence on University grounds. Morphidel’s magic forced the other professors safely away from the conflict. Furnace was the first to overcome the magic and returned only to find the party confronting Morphidel’s Shadow form. It used its magic to help the group escape and agreed to research what it could to aid them in the future.
Since then it stayed in touch with the party several times via Tanhauser, a magical/mechanical bird that passed messages as Furnace provided updates on its progress.
When Phillipe prepared his Operation: Arctic Thunder Hammer to rescue the party from the secret temple of the Ordo Sororal, Furnace was chosen to be a member of the team. Furnace’s magic was crucial to the overall plan, although regrettably Tanhauser did not survive the battle.
During the Battle of Cathedral, Furnace aided the party in the fight against Morphidel, and then was able to use its magic to evactuate them and the Bishops from danger.
Furnace urged the party to acquire a Dwarven OmKey. Upon doing so they were able to open the door to the Long Road in The Eldwood.
The party would later encounter him again as a member of Irwinyn Alser’s resistance movement in Atheneum, where he and Irwinyn hired the party to assassinate Magnus conDoin.