A symbol of Elsewhere University: “cordati cauti auspicati” written at the top, above a long-necked horned figure.
Eyes closed. “See nothing, you’re told.” Eyes open. “Except - you do.”
“For love.” A human and inhuman figure, embracing.
“Or desperation.” A human figure, holding a glowing staff, facing a large snake-bodied multi-eyed creature.
“Out of curiosity.” A human taking a book titled ‘folklore’ off a shelf.
“Or simply luck, good or bad.” Flower-shaped light floating between somebody’s hands, an open box below.
“You learn what you can. So now –”
“Remember,” a human figure says, “groundskeeping” written on their badge.
“There are kinder ways to see than silver nitrate.” A woman wearing glasses holds out another pair. “(Although they still come at a cost.)”
Written on the silhouette of a crow: “Do not wrong the crows.” A crow perched on a human figure’s back. “They protect those they love.” A crow in flight. “But they do not love many.”
White, indistinct shape of a horse standing in water. “Do not approach the horse by the river.”
Crossroads. “Or step into the crossroads before the library.”
“Something terrible sleeps below the ruins of the old English building.” Far underground, a dragon.
Through the fog, something looks vaguely like a ship, or maybe a building. “The mist brings the sounds of an ocean that, if you are lucky, you will never see.”
“Sometimes the pool has no bottom.” The water continues down, and down, and down.
“There are things no professor will teach you. But that does not mean you cannot learn them.” A human figure sits at a computer within a circle of salt, while outside the circle, an inhuman figure traces patterns of light.
“But students of the forbidden major have more to fear than most.” Three people. “(Are more feared than most.)” The same three people, but one now has oddly-coloured eyes, one is wearing a blindfold, and one is only a shadow.
“Many professors have long pasts.” Two look human, and more or less normal. One is incredibly wrinkled, and has hair that doesn’t seem quite right. One isn’t even vaguely human, yet still wears a shirt and tie.
Human figures, wearing the uniforms of cooks, custodians, or other workers. One has a scar across his face. One holds a sword. “Many non-academic staff have quests.”
“Most will help you if you can.”
“Summer is a distant dream.” A branch in full foliage; then a branch bare except for icicles. “Winter is broken to pieces - exams, breaks, short terms.”
Two different collections of inhuman figures. “Here the year turns on autumn and spring.”
“But there are things greater than the petty courts.” Covered by their hand, a different mouth, some human and some inhuman, says each syllable: “true” “roy” “al” “ty”.
“Belief makes things true, here. And theatre majors believe in more than most.” An empty stage, “break a leg”, whistling, “the Scottish Play”.
A majestic inhuman figure on stage, spotlights shining on them, while the audience kneels. “But above all, they believe in The Play.”
“The forest
“goes on
“for ever
"and always.” It gets darker, and the trees get larger.
“With the Sight, some faces will grow familiar.” Various inhuman figures, all strange and different, some beautiful, some terrifying. “Listen to the stories: familiarity is not safety.”
“In desperate straits, take refuge in the library, and follow any advice given to you there.” Bookshelves, and a human-seeming figure behind the desk at a computer.
“Above all, know that you can trust the seal.” Inside a Celtic knot, text reads “beware the lights”. “(The university tries to protect its own.)”
“Deal” comes from all three mouths of an inhuman figure. “You can trust the word of the Fair Folk, once given.” Another signs “pledge”.
“And you can trust the groundskeepers.”
“After all,” the groundskeeper says, “we’re here to keep the balance.”
