ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

So I'm a ToME newb, having only gotten a character to the East once before it crashed and burned. I've got a Thalore Summoner and I want to take the antimagic quest. But I can't for the life of me figure out how to get it started!

When I talk to Protector Myssil she tells me "Take the test, and then we can talk," and my only option is to say "But..." and then the screen closes. When I check my quest log, there is no "The Curse of Magic" quest. What am I missing?

At the east of Protector Myssil palace there is an arena and a small house. In this house is the antimagic trainer.