#lore_grimoire

Similar to chiroquine and pegasi, unicorns are also magifauna. They live off of magical plants and live in herds for protection. Despite depictions in modern mundane media, unicorns and their cousins the kirin are more closely related to goats and other bovidae – morphologically at least.

From what we have observed, their herds are led by the largest and oldest member of the group. With their minimal sexual dimorphism, it can be difficult to tell, but it does seem like they follow both males and females – so long as they are the oldest able member. Even those with broken horns have been observed to lead.

Sorry for the month long break everyone! I was moving out of my old apartment and then everyone started having birthdays for some reason…

Anyways, these pages are a bit bare bones, just a small look into our Narrator’s living quarters since, like me, Vika was stuck not working and not fully relaxing:

“Summer classes ended last week, and with the studios and lecture halls closing, and students heading home for the break, the library hasn’t seen as much use as before. With my work done for the summer, I’ve been nesting away in my private quarters above the library. I’ve been tense though, there’s something on the horizon, like a fated storm. It’s been making my feathers ruffle more than usual.

The Kikimora have visited a couple times to check in on me. Helpful mouse-like spirits that help keep living areas clean and organized if paid appropriately. Of course, that payment usually comes in the form of snacks and flowers, but who am I to judge what another magical creature enjoys?

The outer edges of campus are not the only spaces affected by the concentrated magisphere. In fact, the layout of Nevermore Academy is rarely the same year to year, due to the "migration" of its various buildings. For this reason, most lecture halls and discussion rooms are not themed to their specific classes - sometimes it is easier to simply reassign subjects that to ask students and staff to trek across campus.

One group of buildings that at least remain together as they migrate are the Church and Religious Studies hall. I believe it is due to the faith many students have in their gods that keep these buildings from moving separate from each other. While the physical sciences are not always so intermingled with each other, faith and belief are so intertwined that it ties the physical buildings together.

Another section of the Academy that rarely moves is Olde Campus. Though now it is little more than the foundation of the original castle the school was founded in, it is still the cornerstone of the school. Though most of the bricks and wood that made up the old keep have since been repurposed into other structures, some of the original wall still stands and is to this day protected and used in protection rituals. It is no question that if the wall were to fall that it would foretell great misfortune for Nevermore Academy. I hope that day never comes.

The professor in charge of the Greenhouse, Mx Cerka, was kind enough to allow me to sit in on one of the Summer classes. They explained to the students that like any magic, flora (or botany) magic relied heavily on intent and belief. Such that if your intent is not in line with the purpose of the spell, it will not work to its fullest potential.

However, like any other magic, when rituals are used they must be followed lest it break and possibly have unforeseen consequences. For example, one student tried summoning a dryad pixie and instead summoned a djinn pixie because they used the fire activation instead of the plant one.

Mx Cerka also explained to the class that magic was more easily malleable here on Campus due to its being built on both a Well and a tangled knot of Ley Lines. This I knew well, having written my graduating thesis on Nevermore’s odd assortment of magispherical oddities - and was excited to hear about what such young students were learning.

The normally parallel and perpendicular Ley Lines curve inward towards the school in the immediate area, causing the temporal-spacial deformation in the surrounding areas. And being built on such a large Well of Magic gives the area a strong outpouring of mana, so that people are able to use it more freely than they would elsewhere.

On the way back to campus my path passed by the Greenhouse and its connected Fields, so I decided to stop by and check on the progress of any summer students. The Greenhouse is much bigger than I remember, and its Fields are far more colorful. ... It is a shame I did not bring colored inks with me on my tour of the Wilds around Campus. The blue grass under the orange sky was quite gorgeous today.

Ah, but within the Greenhouse was a different story. Potted plants took up every available shelf near the outer wall, with the undersides of tables stuffed full of tools and protective equipment. I even noticed a few self-effective magic stabilizers to ensure any flora summoned is benign.

There were not many students in the Greenhouse today, but one young human man caught my attention. He had a small fairy on his shoulder, a pixie I believe. She (it?) was nibbling on a piece of chocolate covered fruit and whispering in his ear. He seemed to be following instructions as he worked over a bowl of succulent sprouts.

After a week of searching, I finally found one of the herds of Kirin that wander the grounds of Nevermore Academy. These elusive creatures have been likened to Unicorns due to their general appearance - equine shape with a singular horn - however they are not closely related.

Somewhat more similar to the Cervidae family of deer and such, the Kirin are able to channel their magic through an antler that sheds annually. Despite going without this focus for part of the year, it seems as though the *strength* their magic is not affected, but rather their area of affect is.

From what I have seen, Kirin use their magic offensively and defensively. They will strike out at foreign Kirin if they get too close with forceful rears as though the offender was mere feet away to be gouged by the single antler on its head. Defensively, I have seen shields appear over their flanks and their children when predators attack.

Antlers however, are not the only thing these magifauna shed. Their backs and haunches are covered in fine protective scales, and these are constantly being shed as new ones grow in. Along their spines are slender quills that rise and fall. I do not know the reason behind them, but they are magical nonetheless.

Heading back to the main campus, we ran into a herd of Chiroquines (commonly known as Thestrals). These winged equines are known for their leathery, bat-like wings, larger ears, and folded noses that allow them to glide, hear farther, and sniff out prey respectively. Much more docile than the Kelpie I wrote about before, these gentle creatures are omnivores and will eat small animals including birds, rabbits, and snakes on top of their usual diet of grass and fruit.

Similarly, there are the Aviaquines (Pegasi) that are feathered and furred, and are known for their wide bird-like wingspan. These equines are primarily herbivorous, but are known to eat eggs and very small rodents and reptiles occasionally.

Like the Kelpie and Griffin, the Thestral and Pegasus are magifauna and rely heavily on their magic for flight. Unlike Kelpies and Griffins, the winged equines are far less likely to attack humans wandering through their territory. Instead, they are more likely to approach, albeit cautiously.

Beyond the murky edges where grassland meets swamp, between the hanging Weeping Willows, amongst the Grasping Ferns, lies Kelpie territory. Marked and signed by warning posts at its edge, the area is one of the most deceptively benign spaces near Nevermore. Many have gone missing while wading through those waters, never to be seen again but by the next victim.

Kelpies are fascinating creatures. They are magifauna; creatures with an inherent sense for and immediate connection to magic. Despite the magic flowing through them, they live, they breed, and they eventually die. But in order to do that, they need energy: they need to eat. Kelpies are omnivores, but one can wait for days for a proper meal to wander onto its pond. And from there, it is rare indeed for its prey to escape alive.

Griffons are another type of magifauna, but even they are not so blatantly connected to the Fae. The glamours and charms of the Kelpie that allow it to lure in prey before drowning it have been evidence enough for some to question it. Even the appearance of the pure white equine beast are so rooted in Fae history and culture that it is obvious the Courts had some hand in the creation of the species.