Neopian Academics: Supreme Seekers of Knowledge
by Ziggs (drziggs)
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Have you ever used the Neopedia to learn something new about Neopia? Referred to the Gallery of Evil for information on a villain you just encountered? Paged through the Gallery of Heroes to learn more about Queen Fyora after visiting the Hidden Tower? Picked up a new game technique from the Wheel of Knowledge? If so, you have Neopian academics to thank for this information.
These are the Neopians responsible for conducting research, writing reports, summarizing data, and storing information so that its available to all Neopians interested in learning. In addition, they are the primary teachers, professors, scholars, and mentors to many Neopets across the land. Even the Neopian Times are carefully collected and stored for historical use by museum curators, including this issue! Without the careful collection and dissemination of this important material, we wouldn't be able to continue learning in Neopia.
What are scholars? These are any Neopet or Faerie involved in academic or learning pursuits, including teachers and professors, researchers and explorers, scientists, students, and any other collectors of knowledge, professional or not. In short: nerds. You've come across them before: those who pour over texts for fun, experiment with mixing dangerous potions, and love to write things down. This article will describe some of the most famous of those scholars – many of which are well known Neopian heroes. Like all Neopets, Neopian academics come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities, but regardless of what type, or their field, they should all be celebrated as seekers of knowledge.
Professor Lambert
The most famous member of the The Seekers, Prof. Lambert first came to attention in Neopian history during the Battle for the Obelisk. When the Obelisk first emerged, Lambert led the Seekers to gain control of the Obelisk in order to study its mysterious properties. He is a pink-colored Gnorbu associated with Brightvale, whose career is only described as a scholar within the Seekers. We don't know much about what this particular Gnorbu studies, although it is assumed he is a professor of Brightvale University.
Like many of the other Seekers, Prof. Lambert is sophisticated, often seen with a pocket-watch and parasol. Despite his rather stylish appearance, he doesn't hesitate to enter the Battledome and get his gloves dirty, as he proved to be a formidable opponent during the Obelisk Wars. His well-known niece Katie is a child genius who is skilled in mechanics.
Seshatia
Seshatia, who may be better well-known as the Library Faerie, is in charge of the Faerie Crossword and the Faerieland Book Shop. Her specialty is in Library Science, where she organizes the largest collection of books in Neopia at Faerieland. Most recently she has played a large role in The Void Within, where she assists Tavi and Nyx in their journey.
Seshatia is a knowledgable Faerie with extensive experience across Neopian history. As resident Librarian, she has access to most of Neopia's knowledge. Seshatia is most likely the most knowledgable Neopian currently alive and Queen Fyora often relies on her guidance. As with other Faeries, she sometimes gives quests to Neopets, although she doesn't give any rewards of her own. Instead, she bestows the rewards of another Faerie, including the Fountain Faerie. As a result, many Neopets are excited to see Seshatia, as they could potentially receive a Rainbow Fountain dip as a reward.
This unique Faerie is said to have read every book ever written in Neopia. Those researching a particular topic often come to Seshatia looking for recommendations and guidance, as she has an excellent memory. She can navigate the massive library in Faerieland without a guide or map, and can often point you to a specific reference by memory alone.
The Lenny Conundrum Wizard
While this Lenny is painted a basic color, his mind is anything but basic! This scholar is in charge of the famed Lenny Conundrum riddles in Neopia. While he has recently retired (possibly temporarily) from his station, in the past riddles were given weekly with prizes and trophies awarded to the Neopians that completed them the fastest.
While the Wizard's puzzles encompass many different types of problems, its well known that his favorite types are mathematical in nature.
It is rumored this Lenny received his training at Brightvale University, where he majored in mathematics and was an excellent student. He began the Conundrum puzzles in order to reward critical thinking skills in Neopians, which he states is a necessary component of learning. This Lenny a close friend of Seshatia due to their common affinity for puzzles, and they often challenge each other over tea.
Dr. Landelbrot
Dr. Landelbrot is an eccentric green Lutari scientist and captain of the spaceship called The Coincidence. He is famous for developing the Random Events Machine, the apparatus which controls random events. He is originally from Moltara, which is no surprise as many inventors and engineers hail from this region. Neopians first met this Lutari in Year 16 when he began transmitting from his spaceship, opening a portal of access through the watertower in Moltara. He now takes regular quests from Neopets to help power his spaceship and the Random Events Machine.
As a resident of Moltara, Landelbrot is equipped with many curious tools of his own invention, especially those for investigating rare or unique items to help in his quests. His petpet Scintilly is a Mechanized Laboratory Assistant, and she helped Neopians connect with Landelbrot through the original laboratory in Moltara.
Most recently, this Lutari researcher has been a major player in The Void Within, where he was one of the first to launch into action and investigate the strange void substance. As someone with previous experience in space and space travel, he was well suited to welcome the space traveler Nyx to Neopia.
King Hagan
King Hagan is a green Skeith and the ruler of Brightvale, a kingdom known for its dedication to academia. Brightvale is home to its own University and contains many academic pursuits, such as their own library, book store, and special Wheel of Knowledge. It's no surprise that the king of such a region would reflect such academic achievements as well. King Hagan hosts his own version of a riddle-type game, where you can attempt to impress him with your knowledge. Hagan will provide you with a letter grade based on your response, with the best grade being an A+! Of course, your reward for succeeding will be a book or scroll to read.
In contrast, King Hagan is very much at odds with his brother, King Skarl of Meridell. Tensions are a bit strained between the brothers as they are very much polar opposites, with Skarl having no interest in knowledge and reading. Hagan has written an autobiography about his life, titled "King Hagan", which can be found at Brightvale Books. It's unknown which subjects are the specific interest of this Skeith royalty, but we can guess that his focus is likely literature due to his focus on books and reading.
Professor Milton Clodbottle
This curious yellow Kougra is a renowned biologist known for working with petpetpets (P3s). Clodbottle is most well-known for developing the Habitarium, which was a method of studying P3s via observing them interacting in a terrarium.
This Professor is very dedicated to his subject and has spent large parts of his career in the field studying and collecting P3s in the wild. He has traversed all the continents of Neopia, hunting P3s in the jungles of Mystery Island, collecting from the mountaintops of Shenkuu, and even scouring the leaf litter of the Haunted Woods to discover new species.
Clodbottle likely originally hailed from Moltara, as revealed by his deep interest in mechanical inventions – he typically wears his custom-made magnifying glasses. Of course, the creation of the Habitarium itself is a feat of engineering! It’s a large glass container with transparent walls for viewing, and lots of devices for monitoring factors such as temperature, humidity, and soil type.
Professor Milton's Habitarium experiment has ended, but this academic has moved on to bigger and more complex problems. He currently studies Moltaran Worms, which emit curious bioluminsecent glows. He is great friends with Roxton A. Colchester III, and the two often go on hikes across Mystery Island together.
Kayla
While many know her today as the owner of Kayla's Potions in Meridell, this Zafara plays a much bigger role in the past of Neopia. Originally one of the close friends of Lita the Aisha, she was present for the much-studied Meridell-Darigan War.
Kayla is a red Zafara that loved experimenting with potions as a young Neopian. She was close friends with Lita and enjoyed role-playing with her friends as Kauvara. During the War, Kayla played a major role by using her magic portion brews to turn Turtum Petpets into a gigantic size, turning the tides of war to favor Meridell against Kass' evil forces. She is well-revered for this important move and is considered to have saved Meridell by using her skills.
Now, Kayla has made a strong name for herself brewing and selling her wares in Meridell. Occasionally she teaches potion classes at the nearby Brightvale University, and often meets with Kauvara in Neopia Central to discuss new brews and combinations. Instead of focusing on Morphing Potions as Kauvara does, Kayla's interest is in stat and mood-changing potions, creating those that enhance strength, speed, and intelligence.
Lenny Curator
Little is known about this elusive curator of the Tyrannian Natural History Museum. He is a shy but inquisitive Mutant Lenny who organizes a vast set of records concerning all aspects of Neopia. The Curator's system of file cabinet records spans entire buildings and he can navigate them almost blindly. Some Neopians balk at his Mutant color, but this Lenny is entirely harmless and exceedingly friendly, especially in teaching young Neopians. If you need an ancient record for that history report, this Lenny would be glad to assist you in finding it (and citing it correctly!).
He also has a fond interest in fossils and natural history, especially in his home region of Tyrannia. He has attended fossil excavations and mapping expeditions across the Plateau, and has organized that the skeletal remains of the fearsome Monoceraptor from the Tyrannian War be cleaned and displayed as an impressive exhibit in the Museum.
When not swamped in a nest of ancient records at the main office, this Lenny can often be found with Professor Milton Clodbottle. Often the two will be found on the ground outside of the Tyrannian Plateau, closely observing the minute day-to-day activities of the local P3s. They have published multiple papers on P3 behavior together.
Roxton A. Colchester III
Roxton is an orange Lutari explorer that has played major roles in several excursions across Neopia. Roxton first came to light during the events of the Journey to the Lost Isle in Year 9, where he volunteered to assist in an expedition to a new island. Unlike many of his peers, Roxton was one of the few who believed Professor's Fairweather's assessment of an unknown island and who was willing to join the dangerous expedition. His skills in exploration were well-proven on the trip, which included storms, shipwrecks, island survival, and large monster evasion..
Roxton's second major role in Neopian history involves the riveting Atlas of the Ancients tale in Year 11. In this exciting journey, the wise Gnorbu Master of Shenkuu calls on Roxton's experience as an explorer to help solve a mystery regarding fire-breathing monsters and natural disasters. The Lutari academic travels through many Neopian lands, including Altador and Faerieland, searching for lost artifacts. Eventually his discoveries, along with those by Clara Chatham, lead them both to a chain island off the coast of Altador that led to the discovery of Moltara!
As such, Roxton the Lutari is greatly associated with the land of Moltara and many of the resident inventors work closely with him. He is a member of the Seekers and close colleagues with Professor Lambert, as they have co-authored several publications of maps in unexplored regions of Neopia together.
Clara Chatham
Clara Chatham is a researcher without whom the discovery of Moltara would not have been possible. Clara is a blue Wocky and assistant to the Gnorbu Master of Shenkuu. When the wise Gnorbu connected some unusual events in the region, he called on Clara for guidance in locating a unique tome. Once she located the book, they uncovered a series of clues to potentially solve an ancient mystery. Clara was more than willing to join Roxton on a subsequent journey across Neopia, filled with danger and excitement.
While Clara was not afraid of danger, she was often at odds with a certain Lutari explorer known to be reckless. As more of a literary scholar, Clara was more efficient in surveying a situation before making a decision. Despite their differences, the two of them eventually uncovered Moltara. She collaborates often with Seshatia, as the two exchange rare books often, and it is rumored that Seshatia is training Clara as an apprentice to one day take over the massive Faerieland Library. She is also a valuable member of the Seekers, who often call on her extensive knowledge of texts.
Aristotle A. Avinroo (AAA)
AAA may be better known as the Game Master, and is in charge of the Daily Dare challenge, an event hosted every spring in Neopia. A rather short yellow Blumaroo, AAA originates from Roo Island and is an expert at videogames, computers, and all things technological. He may even be considered a genius due to some of his extreme gaming records.
AAA has a very competitive personality and likes to always come out on top. As he is still quite young, other Neopians excuse his haughtiness due to his young age. AAA spends a lot of time bragging about his achievements on the NeoBoards, but until he grows up a bit more, it's unlikely that the reclusive Seekers guild will accept his application. Perhaps spending time at Brightvale University will focus this young Neopet's studies into something worthwhile.
AAA wears his iconic 3-D style glasses, which he requires in order to see the screen well, as his eyesight is quite bad. He is never seen without his gaming headset, and he often takes numerous technological gadgets with him during travel. He has developed several popular games across Neopets in which he is featured, such as AAA's Revenge and Dungeon Dash. His strongest competition is his Aisha sister, Abigail, who is also a formidable games challenger.
The Lab Ray Scientist
Fear him or honor him, you cannot deny that this mad scientist Scorchio has had a large impact on the Neopian community. Every Neopet knows this scientist is in charge of the feared (or revered) Lab Ray, which changes a Neopets' species, color, gender, and stats at will. Will the Ray change a beautiful Faerie Neopet into a mutant, or worse, a yellow chia? Or will it grant a Draik their dream color of Robot? The machine is as fickle as its creator, who alternately adopts personas of genius and crazed madman – he is difficult to pin down and talk to.
Only a truly unhinged scholar would be able to develop something as powerful and unstable and the Lab Ray. The Seekers have bluntly denied his entry application every year, going on 10 years of rejection now.
From the study of the tiniest petpetpet lifeforms, to the discovery of entire worlds such as Moltara, you can certainly appreciate the wide variety of academics and researchers that Neopia has to offer. We hope you have learned something and are inspired by reading about these high-achieving scholars. Remember to keep reading, pay attention in class, ask questions, and never stop being curious!
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