Art of the Octangle (3)

Moving on through a cobbled path past the Tower of Art, one enters the octangle's preserve of the Order of Midnight / Grey Wizards:

The land is lit up by the eerie light of the full moon.

Here in the southwest of Unseen University's main Octangle, the Tower of Art rises to the west, dwarfing the clock tower to the north, the ancient chestnut trees dotting the Oct, and indeed all the other buildings.  A cobbled path leads northwest to the Tower door and the Great Hall, and east around the lawns to the main gates, making a short detour around two confused-looking statues.

We can see an ashen grey oak bench. Trying to sit on it if you belong to the wrong persuasion has the following effect:

You sit on an ashen grey oak bench.

> The bench suddenly changes its shape to become a steep slope, sending you sliding down onto the grass.

You stand up.

The bench changes back into its normal bench-like shape.

Two confused statues are to be seen close by. The first shows your typical Order of Midnight wizard:

A young-looking wizard, wearing the carved granite robes of the Order of Midnight, looks down at a worn headstone.  She appears rather perplexed about what she should be doing with the large shovel she holds.

The other shows a famous Archchancellor of yore, who suffered the mishaps of being metamorphically challenged:

Archchancellor Mimberley Beaumont, or possibly Archchancellor Beaumont Mimberley (records are not clear on this point) was investigating morphic resonance chord transfigurations when a thaumic backlash transformed him into a large seagull.  Precisely what species of seagull is unclear.  The sculptor has depicted a Circle Sea herring gull, but it's possible that that is artistic license, since his official portrait was painted some time before the accident.  In accordance with universal laws of humour, the seagull statue is wearing a miniature Archchancellor's hat.

Order Rings - The Order of Midnight

> look macabre ring

A plain wooden ring, topped by an elaborate setting. The base of the setting is a slice of tiger's eye. It has been inlaid with a pattern of bones, wrought from diamond. Femora line the circumference, while a detailed skull sits in the centre. The eye sockets of the skull have been filled by tiny sapphires. Deep green lettering runs between the two.
Etched in lines of glowing octarine: "Noctivagus"
It appears to have something written on it.
It is in excellent condition.

> read macabre ring
You read the macabre ring:
The Order of Midnight

Order Rooms - The Order of Midnight

[I've got to start dying less. Really. Really, really! It is not just the incoveniency... Lives are getting expensive, and I'm always taking money out of the bank. And then there's all the trouble of having to spend some long time cruising the corridors and bookshelves of the Library... and such silly deaths too... The last one came from impacience: wanting to climb down faster the jewel tree in Skund forest, I ended up coming down faster than I'd like to...

Anyway, that's not the point, although death and corpses make a proper introduction for the following Order Room. In this case, those friendly cadaver-corroders and necromancers of the Midnights. Special thanks to Master Hitcher for the views - and to their Senior Wizard, Master Trident, for helping me the other day to some beautiful and dark nigromantic attire...]

Standing heavily in the centre of the room, a large slab of marble dominates. Around it sit a good many stools, positioned as if beckoning a mortician to observe whatever happens on the table. Hanging from the centre of the ceiling is a large swag-lamp which offers its light with infrequent flickers. There is a air of science and mystery hovering around the room. A bulletin board and a plaque are hanging from one of the walls.
A small octarine eye, hovering in the middle of the room, watches you.
There are three obvious exits: west, southwest and east.

look lamp: This is a light giving lamp which swings from the centre of the ceiling. It hangs from a chain that is connected in a few places to the ceiling thereby creating a "swag" effect.

l chain (in lamp): This is the chain that allows the lamp to swing from it.

l ceiling: The ceiling has been hammered from fine galvanized steel. From the centre, a swag-lamp is hanging.

l floor: The floor is comprised totally of surgical steel and is heavily ventilated, allowing any splatter from the marble slab to simply drain away. Despite this, it is perfectly sturdy and very capable of holding multiple wizards.

l walls: The walls have been forged from a type of stainless medical steel. They have been brushed to a smooth matte finish. They are so smooth, in fact, that if something were to splatter on the walls from the slab, it would melt right off and slip into the grates.

l stools: These are observation stools raised high enough that someone could easily sit and work on the marble slab. They have been constructed from stainless steel, in whole, and seem very uncomfortable.

l table: This is a table a little more than nine-feet in length and four-feet wide. The perfect size for a autopsy. It has been carved from fine white marble and features both a raised rim and a small drain. Along the head of the pallet is a tray for holding various tools of the trade as well as a neck rest just below it. At the foot of the bed is a disposal unit for discarding unneeded bits and pieces.

l rim: This is the outside lining of the marble slab. It has been carved this way to reduce the risk of fluid spillage.

l drain: his drain is located in the middle of the slab and allows for any fluid to drain away properly.

l tray in table: This is the head of the slab whereon a tray is set. There should be an assortment of tools laying here, however, there is seemingly no work that needs to be done, so the tools are missing. Just below this area is a neck rest which allows the spine to stay perfectly straight. It's not wise to ask why the corpse needs to be ... comfortable.

l neck rest: This is built into the slab in order to keep the participant's spine completely straight. We wouldn't want bad posture, now would we?

l disposal unit in table: Here, at the foot of the slab is a small opening through which extra bits and pieces might be tossed. The inside doesn't look to be very sanitary. There is the odd bit hanging around as if afraid to travel down its last path. Silliness, really. I mean it *is* dead, isn't it? What more could happen? There is also a small chest hidden just under the slab, here. No telling what *that* is used for.

l bits in disposal unit: This is a fresh head severed from the corpse of Fireclown. It seems to have been pickled. This is a single bit of the last person to use the slab. Or rather, be used on the slab. It appears to be a hand gripping to the last vestiges of hope. You could do your civic duty and push it the rest of the way down.