ANCR-OWL Lessons

Heading to the Room of Runes, you are both nervous and excited for the practical portion. Maybe also nauseous. You try to wrangle all your emotions into a manageable semblance of order, but as you climb the stairs, your heart rate increases despite your efforts. What if she wants me to activate hieroglyphics? You worry internally. Your Awakening Spell has never been as effective as your friends’. Or, no, worse! What if she--. You reach the door, and your “what ifs” are mercifully cut off. You take a gulp of air, and watch as your hand reaches out to the door, almost of its own accord.

When you close the door behind you, you are astonished to find that you appear to have left the castle. Was the handle a Portkey? Was there a secret passage to the Room of Requirement? But there is little time for questioning what has already happened. You know inherently you must keep going forward. Around you, the swirling sands of a desert seem to be directing you towards a shape on the horizon. As you approach, you see old structures and remains that lead you to believe this is an undiscovered necropolis. This tomb may hold hundreds of people.

Between you and the tomb, two figures stand, uninterested in the looming structure behind them, instead fixing their gazes on you. You recognize one, but don’t find much comfort in that fact. That’s Professor Wessex alright, her hair pulled back with a scarf, bedecked with sunglasses. She looks more at home in the unforgiving desert than you would have expected. Though, you suppose she did used to be a magiarchaeolgist, after all. The man to her right speaks up, and the khaki-clad woman begrudgingly lets him take the lead. “Ah, right on time. Welcome. My name is Professor Alesi.” As you approach, he gestures to the structure behind you. “In an effort to make this as realistic as possible, the Ministry has been working alongside your professor here to enchant this room to simulate an actual Egyptian tomb. Naturally, there will also be a portion that tests your knowledge of Germanic runes as well, but suffice it to say it should be an interesting ride.” The middle-aged man shifts his weight and looks to Professor Wessex for her to continue. She wastes no time.

“You goal is to make it through the examination without becoming hopelessly lost or injuring yourself so badly we need to come in after you. There are real dangers in this faux tomb, though they have been fabricated by Professor Alesi and myself, and they will harm you if you let them. However, should you adequately understand the inscriptions throughout the tomb, you will be in no danger at all. You will see me again when your test is finished.” Professor Wessex stands aside, allowing you to focus on the tomb once more.

Looking a bit horrified at your professor’s blase attitude, the man adds hastily. “Now don’t fear. We wouldn’t put you in actual danger. Medical attention will be available to you if you’ve managed to get tangled up in something too nasty!” He moves out of the way as well. “We’ll be monitoring you throughout the exam for just such an eventuality, though I’m sure it won’t be necessary.”

With that, there’s nothing left for you to do but approach the tomb… Good luck.

For this practical exam, click the link below. You will be taken to another webpage and will begin playthrough. Your practical test is made up of multiple choices and navigations. Some choices are more straightforward than others. You will be graded on how you deal with each obstacle. Many of the“frames” or “scenes” of this text-based game have a letter in parenthesis "(A)" next to some instructions.  When you see instructions like this “Explain how you escape,” in a separate format (on paper, in a word document, in a Google Doc) be sure to record in detail exactly what the prompt requires, taking the context of the situation into account. Repeat the process as many times as necessary. Be sure to record the letter designation alongside each separate answer. There are no word counts; your only task is to record your thinking thoroughly. At the end of the examination (there are many different ends), take what you have and submit all of your answers (labeled by letter) into the submission box for the essay attached to this lesson. If you have any questions on how this works, owl me.

Enter your practical exam