Arlie's old magic teacher back at the University. He was an exiled Berelian sorcerer that took political refuge in Maraddon. He died sometime after Arlie left school. He worshiped the primal Elements. Arlie never found out why he was exiled.

Fronkelli practiced an obscure branch of magic called pure elemental magic. Elemental magic posits that all mystical energies can be broken down into the components of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. If you are good enough at these spheres, good enough at Meta Magic, and know how to weave the elements, then you can cast any spell regardless of sphere. Fronkelli was a master in these five spheres and the underlying theory, and he had token ability in a few other spheres as well.

Fronkelli was assigned to be Arlie's personal tutor for a couple of reasons:

• Partly it was a petty punishment by the other mages. They disagreed with his theoretical background, and they didn't want his teachings to "ruin" other students. A few of the other mages looked down on him because he had mastered so few spheres.
• Arlie was a failing student. A wild surge switched his native language from Maraddonian to Dhunic as a small child, and as a result he was a slow reader. Fronkelli also knew Dhunic from his time in Berellia, and could help Arlie through tough passages.
• Arlie was an unruly student. He had trouble sitting still and paying attention in class. He talked out of turn, talked back to teachers, and was generally a menace. His ability had caused some magical accidents, and about half the staff refused to have him in their classes. The other mages decided he needed full time supervision, lest he cause some accident they couldn't fix.
• Fronkelli had a strong Meta Magic background, so he could control Arlie's blue zones. Arlie also needed a good meta magic teacher in order to better control his ability. Fronkelli taught him how to "see" the zones in his mind's eye.

Fronkelli was strict but fair. A blunt man, his criticism was sharp and his praise sincere. If he was disappointed at having Arlie as his only student, he never let Arlie see it.

Quotes and flavor:

• Unlike most other mages, Fronkelli was also extremely religious. He avidly prayed to all the Elemental Spheres and Nature. "Did you learn that rubbish from a Maraddonian textbook? Bah, they reduce magic to the mundane, as if it was a physical science. It's butchery of the art. Tell me boy, you know that feeling you get when you cast? That's your soul moving the world. Tell me, what's magic without the soul? What's the soul without faith?"
• "Alright. I've cast the spell. Tell me how I did it. What spheres did I use, and in what order?"
• "Of course we're going outside today. Men weren't meant to be put in little boxes for most of their life."
• "In the beginning there were only the Elements, and all else is just the Gods stirring the pot."
• "I never understood why these Maraddonian mages waste so much time on trivial knowledge. Why waste your time learning 16 different theories of magic when you only need to learn one?" he stretches his arms and takes a deep breath outdoors. "Life's too short for trivia. You can learn more by taking a walk and opening your eyes than you can learn from a textbook."
• "You call this an assignment?!" The papers lift and crumble in a gout of flame. "Do it again. Next time do it right the first time and save us both the trouble."