A Note to Returning (and New) Readers

Ahoy, my fellow hunters of improbable magic.

It seems my last collection of spells was far more successful than even I anticipated. Successful enough, in fact, that shortly after its publication I received a rather official-looking letter. To my astonishment (and alarm), the Arcane University of Highmark offered me a formal position: Professor of Inadvisable Spellcraft.

It is as if I cast detect thoughts upon you, dear reader: The famously eccentric Ezrin Quale, doing something as cliché as teaching at a school of magic?

I admit it took some convincing. But the promise of fully funded expeditions (rather than relying upon the contents of my dwindling coin pouch) and access to a restricted library wing labelled “Dangerous” won me over.

Also, in no small part, I assumed that very few students would sign up for a class called “Application of Inadvisable Spellcraft”. Alas, that assumption was very incorrect.

My students are bright, enthusiastic, and occasionally combustible. They interrupt constantly and argue enthusiastically. They smuggle familiars into lessons, attempt to clumsily reverse-engineer my research, and once – memorably – summoned a gaggle of geese mid-lecture.

I admire their spirit.

So here I am: funded, employed, bafflingly legitimate... and once again compelled to share my findings with the wider world.

Which brings us neatly to this new volume: The Ezrin Quale Addendum, beginning with my work on Inverted Invocations.

I do hope you enjoy it.

And if any of my students are reading this: please return my spectacles. They are not a “focus component” for anything, no matter what you’ve convinced yourselves.

The inside of the cover contains several handwritten student notes.

  • For reference, Professor Q's class filled up in six minutes – his spells are a prank gold-mine. The dean had to remove two members of staff from the list. – A.A.
  • You can sneak in to the library's dangerous wing – climb over from the rafters near the assembly hall. You're welcome.
  • Word of advice – The Professor's extra-credit field trips are actually just searching dangerous old ruins to find scrolls for his collection. – Kaz
  • Pretty sure it's impossible to get a “C” in this class. I've gotten every other grade. Is this some sort of life-lesson? – J.S.
  • Whoever keeps feeding the mimic under his desk is going to get us all in trouble.

Follow me on Mastodon/Fediverse for more! @joe@social.jifish.co.uk – Copyright