There was a brief pause, while each teacher seemed to assume that someone else was going next. Luthien finally turned his head and made a small gesture to a very young-looking woman, seemingly more of an age to be a student than a teacher. She nodded and rose.
"I am Milhera Zandras," she said, speaking with a quiet confidence that belied her youthful appearance. She had long brown hair and clear blue eyes, and her green dress was patterned with vines and leaves. "It will be my pleasure to teach the proper use of the natural forces, to those of you who wish to learn. Light and darkness, fire and ice, earth and wind -- all of these will answer to your call, should you learn how to address them. As for myself personally, I am always pleased to help when I can. Please, do not be shy about bringing your questions and concerns to me at any time." She smiled warmly at them all, and resumed her seat.
Next, a young man -- though not as young-looking as Milhera -- rose to face the students. He had short dark hair, and wore a long-sleeved, high-collared black robe. He regarded the students sourly for a moment. "Thomas White," he said curtly. "Healer." He sat back down without further elaboration or comment.
Finally, a dark-skinned man, heavily muscled and bristling with weapons, stood up. "I am Jan Zhao," he said, his voice deep and subtly accented, "Servant of Al-Monj, and teacher of non-magical combat at this illustrious Academy. To be more specific, I teach Unarmed Combat, Bladed Weapons, Blunt Weapons, and Ranged Weapons. As my colleague Instructor Mendici explained, it is mandatory for first-year students to take either a non-magical combat class, or self-defense. If you are undecided as to which might suit you best, please feel free to speak to either or both of us before you sign up." He inclined his head, and sat down, moving with a remarkable grace for someone so heavily armed.
Luthien nodded, and addressed the students again. "Unfortunately, several teachers were unable to be here. You will certainly meet them in the future, so for now, I will simply list their classes: Summoning, Alchemical Potions, and the Art of Magic. Now, does anyone have any questions about any of these classes, or those taught by any of the instructors present?"
After Luthien and the others answered any questions, lunch was served -- a well-seasoned stew, brought out in two large bowls per table, with stacks of smaller bowls for the students to serve it into. There were also baskets of fluffy round rolls, and butter to go with them. It was simple fare, by Aeolian standards -- much more the kind of thing you'd eat in a Shadowtown tavern, albeit one of the nicer Shadowtown taverns.
As the servers were still working on bringing out the food, Luthien said to the first-years, "After you've all eaten, please meet in the Great Hall, where you first entered, for a tour of the Academy. That's also where you'll find the class sign-up sheets, against the back wall. Simply add your name to the sheet for each class you wish to take. You may take up to six classes, although I recommend four or five. And since we cannot always arrange the schedule so as to provide everyone with all of the classes they wish to take, please put a star next to your name for those that are a particular priority for you."
"Now, please enjoy your lunch," he said, smiling.