Warlock Patrons Banned From Hanging Around Wizard School
"Why would students want to pay outrageous fees and spend years learning arcane knowledge that doesn’t help them in the real world, when they could just make a deal with any of the number of patrons."
Andufs Gumbledire, Headmaster of Gumbledire’s School for Wizards, announced Friday that loitering on school grounds, especially by otherworldly patrons looking to strike deals with students, will no longer by tolerated. “It’s distracting for the students,” Gumbledire expressed to The Dungeon Tribune in an interview regarding the change. “Students come to spend years studying theoretical and impractical aspects of the subtle weave from which magic can be harnessed. What they don’t need is Fiends and Great Old Ones filling their heads with silly visions of power.”
The new focus wasn’t originally Gumbledire’s, though. For years, concerned members of the PTA (Parent Thaumaturge Association) have asked for stricter enforcement of existing rules regarding campus access. “I told Gumbledire it would escalate,” said Head of the PTA, Gildas Silemore. “If you keep letting poison dealers hang around, it opens the door to all sorts of problems.”
While few actually oppose the new efforts, many are pointing out that Gumbledire may have ulterior motives for the changes. “It’s great that students will be safer and have less distractions from their studies, but I’m not so sure it’s the primary concern of school management,” says one concerned parent who wishes to remain anonymous. “If it was about the students, these changes would have been made long ago. The only reason they’re being implemented now is because it’s affecting the bottom line.”
While not overwhelming, there is some evidence to support these suspicions. Both enrollment and graduation rates have been declining at the school in recent years. Some members of the public, particularly warlock patrons, believe they know why. “They can’t handle the competition,” says celestial patron Olendriel the Pure. “Why would students want to pay outrageous fees and spend years learning arcane knowledge that doesn’t help them in the real world, when they could just make a deal with any of the number of patrons willing to negotiate.”
Some advocates aren’t convinced, though. “They’re just children!” says concerned teacher, Engrid Chalkwilder. “They’re so easily influenced and shouldn’t be making such big decisions on their own. And these patrons are expert manipulators. One student told me a patron promised him a really fast horse and a charisma bonus if he enlisted today.”