Well, the fine faculty at the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts have put a month’s worth of speculation into a handful of paragraphs. The full press release is below, but let’s take a look at it, shall we?
First, the picture of Pets on a Podium. We can’t help but notice that there’s a crab or lobster pet wearing the banner “Celestia”. This more or less confirms what we students have long suspected, that the next would be Celestia, a land that apparently contains water and beaches and an emphasis on flight. Jonathan Livingston Seagull World? MAYBE!
More interesting is what they promise about our pets, who too long have just been content to dance alongside us.
The pets have just won some sort of competition. Could this be a pet arena of some sort where you control your pets directly in competition? Pets will “take you to unseen parts of familiar worlds” – pet-only portions of the realms we know? “… and in time to come, worlds beyond those you know”. Well, clearly, Celestia, coming some time after the pet battles – which were hinted at months ago by @jtoddcoleman on Twitter (well, he didn’t say PET BATTLES, but he did hint at a new kind of combat which I can only assume refers to what they have announced).
Lastly, Ambrose says, cryptically (oh wait, I guess that would be KingsIsle-ally): “The answer you seek may be in the stars….” Could this be the ALSO hinted-at Astral Magic (magic of the Sun, the Stars and the Moon) from long ago? Only time will tell!
Here’s the full release – make your own guesses!
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**
**
** **
** **
** **
** **
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE **
** **
Ravenwood School*** of Magical Arts ***Welcomes Spring Competition
** **
WIZARD CITY, The Spiral (March 5, 2010) – The winds of spring are blowing across Wizard City, and with them come the fresh spirit of competition. Inspired by Earth’s finest athletes at their winter games, Wizards from every school and many worlds of the Spiral are ready to set forth on grand new adventures with their loyal pets alongside them, with exciting new activities and fresh challenges soon to come.
When asked what’s in store for pet-owners, Merle Ambrose, headmaster of Ravenwood School of Magical Arts, replied: “This spring, pets will be able to do more than you have ever dared hope! These fine creatures will serve alongside you in wonderful new ways, taking you to unseen parts of familiar worlds, and in time to come, worlds beyond those you know! If you think you have seen all that the Spiral has to offer, young Wizard, you will soon discover an all new breed of entertainment!”
When asked to elaborate, Ambrose replied cryptically, “The answer you seek may be in the stars… or it just might be there alongside you.”