Ashild Gyrdottir has just arrived at the magical academy of Stirling, in the Principality of Daer Laida, which is well known as the finest magic school in the empire. Ashild is only eighty-five years old - effectively a teenager. She's one of only half a dozen elves at this mostly human school, so she'll have to adjust to a strange culture. Fortunately, she already speaks the language pretty well. Wish her luck with her education!