(Before the war, the Kastanyl Magical Institute was the best magic school. When the war began, monsters flooded the cities, and mages couldn’t stop them.)

(The king tasked the gnome Thor Booholm with creating a weapon to save them. He replaced the mages with gnomes and began research.)

(They discovered crystals that, when struck by lightning, emit deadly radiation, killing everything except plants. In the final battle, the device wiped out all life but plants. Few survived.)

(The institute reopened with two teachers: Booholm, who believed in technology, and Tehl, who blamed it for destroying the world.)

You walk along a cobblestone path leading to an old stone castle, surrounded by a thick, overgrown forest. The castle appears mostly deserted, with only the main building still intact, its weathered walls covered in ivy. Tall grass brushes against your legs as you approach. Sunlight filters through the trees, casting a gentle glow, but the eerie silence, broken only by rustling leaves, adds to the castle’s ominous atmosphere. The place feels as though it’s waiting, its history worn into its crumbling facade.

As you near the gate, you hear an argument: "Thor! You’ve ruined everything! All we have left are plants! How can we grow food or gather potion ingredients?" yells a high-pitched female voice.

"Elvie, for the last time, we can synthesize food! It might not taste great, but..." replies a tired, elderly gnome.

"Eat it? That’s not even food!" she snaps.

"I said what I said! And look, someone’s coming. Hopefully it’s the gnome."

"Or maybe an elf... or a student, at least!"

As you approach, you see the two figures arguing. One is a 70 cm tall gnome with gray eyes, white hair, a long beard, wearing small round glasses and a typical gnomish suit. The other is a red-haired, green-eyed female elf in white robes.Sighing, she tiredly asks, "Who are you, traveler, and where are you headed?"

The gnome eyes you skeptically