Rotham is a marvel of magical engineering, it sits upon a wide plain, but the city itself is a plateau made of raised earth. It resembles a Spanish star fortress from above, but all one can see from the ground is its walls that tower eighty feet into the sky and its Mado cannons. These six cannons point towards the sky, seemingly presenting a challenge to any gods that dare come to make trouble from the heavens. The sheer size of these weapons convinces people that this would not be an idle threat. Five cannons are positioned at the tips of the star, while the last one remains in the center of the city. One would not be able to tell that this city stands upon a huge amount of packed earth just by glancing at it, though. The entire thing more closely resembles a huge hunk of steel from the outside than any geographic feature. The edge of the Fortress is riddled with battlements, and thousands of soldiers patrol these walls.

Most of the entrances are sealed shut from the outside and are only small enough to walk through, but there is one exception. This exception sits in front of Neidr at this very moment. A large discoloration in the wall, twenty feet high and ten feet across, is guarded by two soldiers. Both of them wear blocky metal armor with a silver sheen, their faces covered by helmet visors. They are each equipped with a long sword sheathed at their waist and a sidearm at their other hip.

Startled by the commotion caused by Neidr's arrival, both of them are clearly on edge. Their bodies are tense, and their hand is hovering around their sidearm. Neidr's maniacal laughter doesn't make them any more comfortable, but they are capable of a great deal of restraint. After all, if they shoot the wrong person, that could be their neck.

Neidr on the other hand is just happy to see the city. His mood is soon interrupted by the cautious call of a guardsman,

“What is your business in Rotham?”[Young Guard] Neidr cocks his head at the youthful voice, but disregards it.

“I'm a student, has the ceremony started yet?”[Neidr] This might seem vague, but for the people of Rotham, an outsider saying that they are a student can only mean one thing. They have come to the Academy.

“Are you sure?”[Young Guard] the youthful guardsman's voice sounds again, but he has lost a lot of his earlier confidence. Neidr shakes his head and assumes this kid is new.

“What is that supposed to mean? Can't you recognize a noble when you see him?”[Neidr] Neidr's voice is cold and tinged with arrogance, although, that performance may drop a couple of degrees in your heart considering his current appearance. The youthful guard looks Neidr up and down, and looks at the guard opposite of him.

“Sir, do we?”[Young Guard before the guard can finish his sentence, an older voice lets out a long sigh and begins to speak,

“Name?”[Older Guard] Neidr smirks and replies,

“Neidr.”[Neidr]

“Affiliation?”[Older Guard]

“Hyll Barony.”[Neidr]

“Purpose?”[Older Guard]

“As I've said, I'm a student.”[Neidr]

“Where?”[Older Guard]

“Rotham Academy.”[Neidr]

“Entry or returning?”[Older Guard]

“Entry.”[Neidr]

“Student code?”[Older Guard]

“00960.”[Neidr]

"Leave your weapon with me, Palder will take you inside.”[Older Guard] The older guard directs a thumb at his partner and lets out another long sigh. Just as Neidr hands his knife to the old guard, Palder, the youthful knight, clicks his heels and salute before shouting,

“Follow me sir, Hyll, I'll escort you to the opening ceremony!”[Palder] Neidr nods graciously and follows the young guard. Palder takes off his gauntlet and glove, then places his hand on the wall. The discolored section then begins to lift.

This causes Neidr's brows to furrow, it isn't the most secure thing he has ever seen. Palder then guides Neidr through a series of twisting and turning corridors and stair-wells. If that wasn't bad enough, after they reached the summit, they traveled through a series of narrow alleyways before finally reaching a huge open section. A place where thousands of student should have been waiting is empty. The only sound is the fountain that sits in the center of a large park. Although the area is surrounded by buildings, it seems peaceful and natural nonetheless. Upon arrival, Palder immediately begins to walk away, but before he could, Neidr calls out,

“There isn't anyone here, did you bring me to the wrong place?”[Neidr] Palder refused to respond and dutifully scuttled away. Neidr feeling a mixture of worry and rage was about to yell at the young lad to come back when he heard someone whisper right next to his ear.

“You are in the right place, late though, very late, incredibly late, ridiculously late.”[Grumpy old man] Neidr jumps away in fright and looks back to see an old man with a white goatee, before Neidr could get a word in edgewise, the old mean began to lecture.

"Mister 00960, I see that you hold our prestigious school in no regard, deigning that you can show up whenever you wish. Good good good, you are quite brave, aren't you? Not even princes have your kind of guts, but unlike them, I guess you don't see us as something worthy enough to deserve your punctuality. Did you know I have been waiting for hours for you to show up? I have things to do, you know. You can't just waste my time on a whim because your life is oh so important, you know. Our campus has moved locations, you know. I gave everyone plenty of time to gather their resources and people before sending them over for the trek, you know. However, since you don't need to show up on time, then I don't need to give you time. I hope you die, you know. Oh, go straight"[Grumpy old man] Then the old man snapped his fingers and Neidr's vision went blank.

When Neidr awoke, his whole body was wet and his back was tickled by grass. A cursory glance revealed rolling hills and blue grass? A single narrow, previously dirt, path ran towards the horizon.