The Grimbriar Gazette | Issue No. IV
Updated: 1 day ago
Weather
The weatherstone is wet, therefore it is raining. No toads gather near the weatherstone, so the rain should stop by tomorrow morning. The grass is yellowed facing West of the weatherstone, so expect a sudden coldfront by week's end. The kitchen's hearth sprites are complaining of sinus infections, so filters will be added to all open windows until the front fades.
Lost & Found
Lost: Set of camel-color curtains. Velvet, 84" in length. Ran away when I tried to set them on fire. Please return to North dormitory and leave on top step.
Found: Pencil with bitemarks on the eraser. Found it rolling around outside of the cartography classroom, trying to find a way in. Won't let me pick it up.
Found: Yellow journal with blank pages. Turns to a liquid when you try to write in it, so good luck.
Gossip
Stinky Leaflets & Explosive Accusations
Rumors of a quarrel are circulating the halls of Grimbriar. Late Friday morning, leaflets poured from the ceiling of the Advanced Potions classroom. Many leaflets caught fire immediately and several even exploded some of the more delicate potions, creating mayhem in the class. While students filed into the hall during evacuation, the contents of said leaflets were made public.
"SIMONA RYARD IS A CHEAT" plastered across the top, with a crudely drawn portrait of the student just beneath. The leaflets were enchanted to smell like feet, and when held, released itching powder onto the reader. Simona, an advanced enchanted cartography student, had been ill the entire week and absent from classes. No one is sure of the leaflet author, but the stunt is being taken seriously by leadership at Grimbriar.
"There is no room for petty squabbles such as this at Grimbriar Academy. Someone could have been seriously hurt, or worse. We encourage the students involved to reveal themselves to the Headmistress for resolution."
It seems someone has it out for Simona, but who? And better yet, why?
Rumors
Suspicious Slime & Waning Time
I hope you aren't squeamish! A mysterious trail of slime has been spotted alongside the Grimbriar Greenhouse. It begins at the overflow grate and continues to the stables. Reports say the slime is a sickly green color with a putrid stench. Those brave enough to to touch it says it feels like eggwhites, and luckily no ill side-effects came from investigating it so boldly. Some speculate that a giant snail has made its home at Grimbriar, while others claim the slime-trail to be of a spectral origin. With a storm looming on the horizon, there's limited time for Groundskeeper Voss to investigate before the trail is washed away. What say you? Giant snails, or spectral sneezers? Or...something else entirely?
Familiar Faces
Meet Chairleg, Cursed Cat of the Castle
While not the most popular class at Grimbriar, Professor Lintwiddle's Tea Divination offers a unique classmate that comes with her very own reputation. Meet Chairleg, a tubby tabby with a unique history. Behind her gleaming aqua eyes and ever-purring affect, Chairleg boasts a rather harrowing backstory. According to Professor Lintwiddle, he first found Chairleg in the back of a cursed artifacts shop. There, beneath a leather chair in the shape of a hippopotamus, a tiny and malnourished Chairleg shivered in the shadows of dark and archaic antiques. Barely six weeks old, she required round-the-clock care from our dear Professor. It was during this time that the Professor realized: Chairleg was cursed.
Lintwiddle has the curse down to science these days and intervenes when necessary, but you may see signs of the curse manifesting if you spend some time with the tabby. She'll settle on a hard surface, likely a stool or tabletop, tuck her paws beneath her, and stare into the distance. What looks like normal cat behavior turns sour rather quickly, though. It's during the eye-shift, as Lintwiddle calls it, where he must intervene. Chairleg's eyes begin to drift off in different directions. Her pupils shrink, a low growl builds in her plump body, and BOOM! The nearest flammable object in her range of vision is set aflame.
"The first time it happened I was rather shocked. She was a tiny thing then, barely filled my palm. She set my bed alight. Can't blame her though, being born in a place like that, can I?" Lintwiddle confesses.
Thanks to Lintwiddle's divination skills, he can foresee when Chairleg's curse will manifest. Before her eye-shift, he fastens a cat-sized anti-fire mask to Chairleg and waits until her growling subsides. A clever pair, the two of them! Should you run into Chairleg in the hall, not to worry. Her last "setting a student aflame" incident was many years ago.
Word Search
This Week’s Menu at Grimbriar Hall
As always, every meal can be altered to meet the dietary needs of any student upon request.
Monday
Breakfast: Maple oat cakes, stewed apples, soft cream tea
Lunch: Butternut mash soup, toasted seed bread, chilled pear fizz
Dinner: Braised chicken with herbs, roasted carrots, spiced apple cider
Tuesday
Breakfast: Peppered egg scramble, buttered toast, smoky black tea
Lunch: Charred vegetable wrap, crisped potato slices, lime spritz
Dinner: Fire-roasted pork, cumin lentils, red citrus cordial
Wednesday
Breakfast: Honey yogurt with berries, oat clusters, dewflower tea
Lunch: Garden greens with soft cheese, warm flatbread, cucumber tonic
Dinner: Lemon baked fish, dill potatoes, clear spring punch
Thursday
Breakfast: Thyme scones, clotted cream, warm berry tea
Lunch: Root vegetable pasty, salted crisps, nettle fizz
Dinner: Roast beef with gravy, turnip mash, dark plum cider
Friday
Breakfast: Mushroom omelet, herb toast, basil cream drink
Lunch: Tomato and cheese galette, leafy salad, peach tonic
Dinner: Garlic roasted lamb, green beans, pomegranate fizz
Saturday
Breakfast: Spiced grain porridge, fig jam, clove milk
Lunch: Roasted beet salad, seed crackers, duskberry cordial
Dinner: Stuffed squash, savory custard, ember tea
Sunday
Breakfast: Sweet rolls with honey glaze, soft butter, morning blend tea
Lunch: Picnic box with herb crackers, soft cheese, apple slices; lavender lemonade
Dinner: Hearth-roasted vegetables, buttered noodles, warm vanilla cider
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