To say that she was pleased would have been an understatement. When Sohalia had spread the word of her attempt at gathering interested parties, she had been somewhat nervous. How would her idea be received? Would anyone even want to participate in such an odd new venture? Sure, she had mentioned it to others in the past, had gotten the approval to use the Dragon's Throat as the "home base" for her plans - but she had been gone a long time, and as far as she knew, her plans for the Academy had disappeared with her.

As she looked over the group that had assembled, she noted the familiar faces, the ones she had expected to find here. To Maren (their Diviner, a crafter, and a scholar in all but name), the pale dove offered a genuine smile of welcome; so, too, did she greet Isopia, the mare that she had met outside the borders of the Throat on a day not too long ago. Ampere's arrival was both surprising and not, and despite whatever history they shared, Sohalia was pleased by the show of support. The lone stranger to appear thus far was an ice-queen named Elsa. The presence of not one, but two equines from outside the Dragon's Throat brought a great deal of joy to the Transcended. She had been afraid that her invitation to all would bring nothing, that the Throat would never be able to share what began here today.

"Welcome to all of you," she added before the meeting could begin. "I am so pleased that you've come!" She didn't want to single Elsa out - she was the only outsider present, and Sohalia didn't want her to feel uncomfortable - but she nodded her head respectfully to the stranger all the same. And with that, their meeting began.

Ampere was the first to speak, and the dove listened carefully to her suggestion. To combine the church with the Academy had its pros and cons. On the one hoof, it would make the space useful all the time rather than just for religious purposes. On the other, it could open the sacred building to desecration. Her sentiments were voiced by Maren.

When the voices among the group quieted, Sohalia shared her thoughts on the matter. Her voice was soft and melodious, thoughtful as she considered all that had been said. "The church is a sacred building, and that should remain its primary function. However, perhaps there would be a way to modify the plans for its construction - the addition of a multipurpose room off the main sanctuary? A short hallway to distance the room from the holy area would make it separate, but still connected. It could be used for meetings of various kinds - herd meetings, for one, but also for our Academy. I do think that only wisdom should be offered within the confines of the church, regardless of whether or not such a room is added." The mare paused, allowing them time to discuss her idea. It may be that there would be no intention to add more to the church; that decision, she would leave to Maren. Still, having a separate room may help to ease the minds of the Sun's followers.

"Now, it is my opinion - and please, this is all open for discussion, so do not hesitate to critique - that there are three main areas of focus for any of our pupils. First: wisdom. History, religion, culture - it's something that I feel is particularly lacking in Helovia. Many of us have a limited understanding, at best, of our land and our gods, and I think it would be beneficial to all if we could remedy that. Second: magic. It is all around us, all the time, and many of us have been blessed with tremendous abilities. I wonder if a dedicated training ground might help us uncover new abilities - or, rather, new ways to use our existing ones. Additionally, the collaboration of those with different magics - for example, crafters - could yield interesting results. Third: combat. It is, unfortunately, a fact of life here that we should be able to defend ourselves. There have been a multitude of threats against Helovia in my years here. Imagine if we were all united against them, rather than fighting amongst each other? It has been peaceful recently, but I fear that unrest may again find us one day." Again, she paused, allowing discussion.

There was so much more to say, so much more to reveal. She wanted to designate leaders, to send them all away to spread the word, to hunt down teachers, to invite pupils. The mare was almost giddy with excitement. But she could not rush it, not when she had invited these core individuals to have their say. No - their Academy would be the better for their planning now, and she would be patient until this meeting was done.

"talk talk talk"

Brighter than the northern lights
Want to live to feel the daylight