Lupinossai children meandered into the large, five story Lupinossai Learning Center. But children weren't the only ones to wander through the new building dedicated to community education and cultural preservation. Many teens, adults and elders were also gathered around the gray marble floors of the lobby and faculty offices. This was the first day that the LLC was open for teaching and everyone was signed up for a class or two today. Some of those mingling were in fact the teachers for that day.

Over the PA speakers, a crisp young voice spoke over the milling crowds.

"Good morning students and teachers. Welcome to the first day of classes. Will all students attending Alchemy 101 please report to room 201 on the second floor please. Once again, will all students attending Alchemy 101 please report to room 201 on the second floor please. Orientation will start in 10 minutes. Mooya.

Soon, students of all ages and sizes walked through the door and into room 201. The room had several tables with plastic chairs, 4 chairs to each black marble topped table, and heavy duty tiled flooring. The students managed to settle themselves in the classroom. There were a total of 12 students in the class for this classes quarter.

The clock in the room ticked closer to 9am and the students wondered where there teacher was. Soon, the steady tap of a cane was heard and Ammy entered through the doorway then closed the door. She was wearing a simple button down blue jean shirt, a dark green vest and wore white cargo pants. She limped up to the chalk board and with flowing cursive, wrote out her name in both common and Lupesh Glyphs. She then turned and smiled at the class.

"Good morning class. I am so happy to see a bunch of eager faces today. I see a few students that I know and many I don't. My name is Ammy Loraine Spiritor. I am a Master Alchemist and I will be teaching all of the Alchemy classes taught here in the Lupinossai Learning Center. I do hope you all will enjoy our time together.

Now then, to make sure no one is confused, this is Alchemy 101, Alchemy for Beginners. If you happen to be in the wrong class, you may leave if you wish, or you can stick around and have some fun."

Ammy smiled and took a look at the whole class. She walked over to a large, gray metal desk and opened a cabinet in it. Soon she had 12 blue text books stacked on top of the desk. She closed the cabinet, then sat on top of the desk.

"I do hope you all don't mind a teacher that likes to sit and talk with you all. I like to have a relaxed atmosphere in my classroom. The rules of this class are simple. Respect each other. Respect your teacher. Don't be rude or disturb others. I encourage questions, ideas and embrace teamwork. Now then, the Lupinossai Learning Center offers all of these courses for free and Lucky Dog Press is donating all of our textbooks.

I will read your names, one by one. When I do, stand up, come to the desk and take a copy of your first Alchemy textbook then return to your seat. Now then time to get acquainted with you all."

Ammy read off her students names and greeted each one as they came up to take a text book:
Hollo Fern
Tisha Locke
Anish Loro
Lucky Merno
Sara Oli'i
Rawsha Pojirus
Mallow Rii'too
Lassie Steele
Di'ini'i Tallow
Gi'igi'i Tallow
Winter Web
Myrlene Wolf-Spiritor

Once the names were all called and everyone received their text book Ammy spoke again.

"Today's class will be orientation and will be a bit short to give you all time to go and get supplies and read your first assignment. Most of this class will be in class hands on practice and use of Alchemy. However, it's not all magic gestures, cool symbols and energy. An Alchemist must be smart or a lot of Alchemy is going to backfire.

The class layout will be as follows. I will give you an assignment of pages to read... no groaning, reading can be fun and my text books have pictures in them too... As I was saying, you will read assigned pages before each class. I will then give you additional notes and information in class in regards to what we read and how it applies to a real life Alchemist. After that we will have lab time and do a few examples from the book or experiment.

The only supplies you will need to get for this class is one or two notebooks, writing instrument of your choice and a packet of white chalk. The Lupinossai Learning Center has a store that sells everything you'll need at very low prices or you may get them from the Den Market Place. Everything else I'll be supplying to you.

Our class will be from 9am-11:30am. We will have a 15 minute break after the first hour of class. Alchemy 101 will be a total of 20 days give or take 5 days for holidays or quick coverage of material. Now before you is your text book, Alchemy for Beginners. I want you all to read the Introduction and the first chapter Concept & Theory of Alchemy.

If any of you need a textbook in Lupesh, let me know and I will translate the book for you after this class. If you have a learning disability, please let me know and I will help you as best as I can. Alright class, that is all for today's class. It's a nice, sunny winter day. Go have fun. See you next week." Ammy dismissed the class.

The students all grinned at being let out early and left the classroom quickly. All of them clutched their brand new text book.
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History of Lupinoss: 101 The Early Era's (Project Lupinoss through Age of Canis & Lupis)
Professor Marsoo Parchment - Historian of Mundane and Arcane History
Lecture 1 - Project L.U.P.I.N.O.S.S. Era.

It was a bit cool, a nice fall morning. The class was crammed full of students today, every size, shape and race. Young kids were seated next to teens who rubbed elbows with adults and even some elders. Elves mingled with Dwarves, Gnomes teased Airii, and a few Orcs and Humans were chatting with Erthrii and Riivii teens. The wood tables were all laden with History of The Lupinossai Volume 1, the prerequisite book for HL 101.

Soon, the door to the classroom open and a very short, yet wiry looking Erthrii entered the class. Attired in a simple blueberry blue tunic and tan cotton pants he moved behind the teacher?s desk. He had no flowing mane, and his ears were slightly large for his size. Upon his snout was a thick set of glasses. He laid down a copy of the same text book the students had, turned and with a flourish wrote out his name on the chalk board.

"Good morning class. Please settle down, find your seats and have your text books at the ready. This is History of Lupinoss 101, the Early Eras and I am your lecturer, Professor Marsoo Parchment. If this is the wrong class for you, by all means let me know and I will assist you in finding the right bastion of knowledge for the day." He looked around the class and nodded seeing no misplaced students.

"Let us begin then. You are here today to quench your thirst for the history of the Lupinossai. A very deep thirst you must have then and I do hope to quench it for you. During this class we will be discussing the early era's of Lupinoss known as; Project L.U.P.I.N.O.S.S., Years of Life, Pack Wars, Council of Dens, and the Age of Canis and Lupis. These early eras are what set the stage for how Lupinossai evolved to become the collective races and nation we are now. To know how any civilization or nation became great you must look at its past so we will start with the era known as Project L.U.P.I.N.O.S.S.

Open your text books to page 6 please and read along if you wish or you can listen and take notes. Either way is up to you. The Lupinossai are not, nor were they ever a natural race. You can listen to all of the spiritual and holy mumbo jumbo you wish to from the priests and priestesses of Canis and Lupis but we were created by Humans and not by our 'Deities'."

A collected gasp from most of the Lupinossai students was heard in the classroom. The other students looked about the room at the sound of the gasps and listened quietly not sure if something disrespectful had been brought up. Professor Parchment clapped his paws loudly.

"Settle down. Settle down. You are all here to learn. Learning means we leave behind presumptions, falsities and spoon-fed lies that we have heard since puppy hood or since we have suckled from our mothers. In this class room an open mind is expected or you will find a lot of history quite unsettling to the fairy tales of your youth."

The class settled down once more. Some of the humans and elves were nodding approvingly of Professor Parchments words, the Dwarves and Gnomes weren't quite sure if they agreed, and the Orcs and Lupinossai students looked a little ruffled at being told their beliefs in Canis and Lupis were false.

"The more you learn the less you know and knowledge comes with a price, my dear students. Moving on, bear with me and you will see what has lead up to the belief system you all partake in. Now then, we call the era Project L.U.P.I.N.O.S.S. as that is the time the Humarans, that is the nation of Humans in the realm of Sliinkaa, came to the volcanic islands that were named Alpha Site and Beta Site. They began terraforming with technology and magic the land we now call Lupinoss or the Old Country. This area was terraformed to allow them to set up a facility to create, raise and breed an experimental type of anthropomorphic soldier that would give them a loyal army.

Why would the Humarans need such an army you may ask? Records show that the other anthropomorphic races on Sliinkaa at that time, also created by the Humarans, were in open revolt and fighting the enslavement roles placed upon them. The Humarans wished to oppress them and push them back under their control with a fierce and dedicated military force up to the task of fighting creatures on a sentient and physical level higher than most humans could attain. Thus their brightest minds and master alchemists crafted the first Lupinossai pair, Canis and Lupis. The pair proved to be an exquisite and perfect blending of DNA, mythological and virological agents. Vastly intelligent, rivaling most humans and stronger than most anthropomorphics created the Humarans were quite happy with this new venture in playing with the powers of creation.

They began to create more Lupinossai from the genetic samples and forms collected from Canis and Lupis, altering them so they would have three distinct types of Lupinossai; Erthrii with their grand stature and robust frame and strength for the infantry soldier, delicate, small, agile and gifted with flight, the Airii for the ever alert scout and sentry as well as an Ariel attacker, and finally, a little less durable but with a an insane intelligence and a burning spark for magic, the Soultre for the commanders of this growing army. With this growing army being created and an excellent training site established away from prying eyes, Project L.U.P.I.N.O.S.S. was initiated. L.U.P.I.N.O.S.S. stands for Lycanthropic Utalizing, Programmed Infiltrating, Neo-Oppression Super Soldier. Quite a mouthful to the Humarans so they attached the permanent name of Lupinossai or Lupe to our general race.

The Humarans continued to raise and increase the numbers of Lupinossai Army for the first 50 years, training them and even allowing them to breed under supervision and killing any mutations that their odd collection of DNA could throw. During this time records indicated that the Soultre could learn well and lead troops well, but few of them could every manage the task of leading the Lupinossai Army as a whole. Thus they turned to Lupis, the original male, who by this time had increased in intelligence beyond measuring and placed him in charge of the army and to work obediently with the Humaran staff. Canis was placed in charge of the facility and Alpha site to keep it maintained and to ensure all units functioned well and received medical attention.

From this point on, records are a bit unclear as to what happens during the 51st year of Project L.U.P.I.N.O.S.S. What is indicated is that the Humaran staff lost contact with the Humaran military on the mainland of Axiim. Scouting parties of both Humarans and Lupinossai were sent to investigate. Records state none ever returned. The conclusion was derived that the Anthros, as the anthropomorphic freedom fighters were now being called at that time, had overrun the Humaran military base on Axiim. The following year, 52 P.L., communications with Beta Site was lost as well. This had the remaining Humaran staff panicking. The Lupinossai army were calm. Losses in battle are expected.

Against all rational and wise directions the Humaran staff order Lupis to keep the Lupinossai Army on Alpha Site, Lupinoss, and went to investigate Beta Site. Records of that time state they never returned."

Professor Parchment paused to take a sip of water from a bottle on the desk. A glance to the clock on the classroom wall. "We will break for 15 minutes. Come back by then and we will conclude the lecture on the Project L.U.P.I.N.O.S.S. era."

The students, relieved to bolt from the class room and the torrent of words and information flooded out and into the courtyard all talking about what they heard. Marsoo looked through his notes for a moment or two. The reactions of the students today to his statements was nothing new. Few ever liked hearing that the tales and beliefs their parents ground into them were false. Sipping more water he looked over the notes a bit more. Oh how far we have come. He thought. Soon the courtyard bell rang and the students all filed back in mumbling and glancing at the professor.

As soon as they all quieted again, Professor Parchment continued the lecture. "Welcome back. We are to the point now that the Lupinossai Army, lead by Lupis and cared for by Canis are left on Alpha site, Lupinoss. They remained vigilant, trained and had faith the Humarans would contact them. Three years passed and finally Lupis had to do something with the Lupinossai army. With no contact with the outside world, the original military site now reaching overcrowding, he had to make choices in what to do with a military army with no way of completing its purpose.

Lupis conferred with Canis and the ruling Soultre commanders and they all agreed that it would be wiser to stand down the military, allow the troops to try and form familial packs and try to implement civilian tasks and expand the facilities out into the wild territories of Lupinoss. Agreed upon this course of action, the Lupinossai Army was disbanded, packs allowed to form and move out of the military facility. Thus ended the Era of Project L.U.P.I.N.O.S.S. From this point on Lupinossai severed ties and forgot most of their dealings with Humarans. Records were kept though and as you can see now we have classes to remind how we came about and started.

The facts to take away from this first lecture is we, as a nation were created by humans for a specific task long ago. A task no longer our priority but as we proceed in our lectures evolved with us and mutated to become part of our everyday life. War, conflict, violence and oppression. Take heart though, just because this is our roots does not mean we are all war mongering barbarians bent on subjecting everyone to our will. It is though a good place to start when some tend to stray and gain that spark of wanting it all. You have seen some of these Sparks of Domination as I call them recently in our Den history. General Igneous Fi'igoo is one to note, few alien nations from space, The Ebony Knight of myth and legend, even the horrendous Vuusoolta Wolf coup that led our Den from being a Council ruled city to a Single Patriarch Monarchy. Through history you will see more.

Now with your appetites whetted for now with a sip of knowledge I bid you a good morning, best of luck in any remaining classes and see you next lecture. Please read pages 30-70 of your text book for a better understanding of the Years of Life era we will be discussing next lecture. Good day class, you are dismissed." Professor Parchment smiled and gave them a little bow and watched as the class emptied.

So far an interesting start of the class session and perhaps an interesting duration to come.