University of Magick
The University of Magick was one of the oldest institutes of the Citadel. It is now the newest institute of Sierra
Location Description
The largest school of magic was located in the Citadel, founded by the Ancient Ones. This is where Battle Mages come to learn their craft under the last survivors of the Great Battle.
A large section of the western part of the Citadel was surrounded by a very old city wall. Part of the old heart of old Citadel, this section was once a small nobleman’s quarters, hundreds of years ago. Today, the walls are still there, but there are no gates, and all roads in and out of the section are free for any man who wishes to walk them. It is here within these old walls that the very academic heart of spellcraft of the Empire of Seven Isles exists.
When looking at the University of Magics, one sees a large complex, dominated by the 22 towers throughout. The initial view as the entrance is approached is of a palace, then as one gets nearer a feeling of a church descends upon the viewer, yet one does realise that in fact it is neither. These towers once rose over the skyline of Citadel. Now they poke above the jungle canopy of Sierra.
The entrance, a grand arch, carries twenty Signs, each a show of elaborate craftwork and denoting one of the twenty faculties that teach in the university. A grand square once lay before this gate. Now a deep freshwater pool, one of only two freshwater sources for the town of Réalt lies before the main entrance to the Univeristy
The University of Magick has a great reputation to uphold. For ages unknown this institution has trained students as well as providing scholarly wizards with a hiding place. Although in recent times past the university has seen a quiet period, it is once again getting busy and many students are once more within its walls.
The University of Magick
This place of learning can be distinguished from far away – indeed, from anywhere on the isle, on a clear day, from outside the city as well. Reason for this are the spires: twenty three of them, some ancient, some fairly new. Most are part of a central complex that looks as if it resulted from a magical fusing of a church and a palace; the very aura of the old brown-bricked building breathes learning. Not all of the university is located within this complex though, nor are all the spires; the true reach of the University is practically the entire section lying within those old city walls.
Officially, the University has twenty faculties, each with their own spire. Each faculty specializes in a particular field of magick; a general University charter details how each faction must provide a number of personnel and hours of work in order to educate students – who, after their own graduation, enter the world to practice their magick, or choose a faculty and serve the University. Faculties can be as general as “Energy and Prismatics” or “Elemental Theory”, or as far-fetched as “Exotic Occultism” or “Daemonic Warding”. Some faculties that students commonly deal, aside from Energy / Prismatics and Elemental Theory, are Arcane Research, Temporal Studies, Associations and Energy Fundamental.
Students are housed in campus complexes within the university area; it is very rare for a student to live off campus (also since the staff have made damned sure that the cooks working for the University know their way around good food). They attend two or three hours of class each day; additionally, they are required to do homework which requires researching in one of the literally hundreds of libraries small and large found throughout the university, and they have to log at least five hours of practice in special training rooms each week. Outside of the times required to spend on the study of all things magickal, there are enough things to do for students in and around the university: some professors have their own student cliques; other students prefer to read up on additional topics and form discussion groups, or visit the pubs and taverns that have opened up within the old walls. At night the area has a sort of comfortable atmosphere, almost like a quiet town of its own.
One important thing, obvious to both those in- and outside the university, is the fierce idea of self-sufficiency that lives within the institution. The university becomes a small world unto itself that has as little to do with the rest of the world as possible. The University has its own guard force in the form of senior year battle-mage students who perform shifts as part of an experience class; this helps to stop the greedy thoughts of anyone who would otherwise be foolish enough to break into a complex filled to the brim with junior and senior mages. With their recent move, however, it remains to be seen if this will continue.
Hall of Ages
Once through the grand gate, visitors often stare at the hall in mute wonder. This place is nothing short of impressive, large and aesthetically pleasing. Ahead, stairs lead to the base levels of each of the twenty three spires, and the rest of this place is like a museum. Paintings, sculptures and such make up the more artful of memoirs, but all sorts of items reminding the wizards of their pasts have been put on display here. More toward the back, space has been reserved for those who wish to study.
Off to one side is a medium sized reception desk with a small counter. A thin man with gray hair sits behind it, and smiles at you as you walk in.
Education
The students at the University of Magick are encouraged to take learning magic into their own hands. Players are hereby encouraged to seek training in one of three ways.
1) Private training with their mentors: Simply start a thread where the mage drops by the mentor's office or otherwise seeks out their master for one on one training.
2) Private training on your own: Half the fun of magic is seeing what ideas people come up with. Don't let your mentors tell you something is impossible or dangerous! So right ahead and see what your latest theories on magic bring about. There are a ton of practice areas in the University so feel free to start yout thread and see where experimentation takes you.
3) Public classes: As evidenced by the success and plot points of the Fireball 101 and the Warding classes, learning magic is much more fun when several students get together. Simply start a thread and mention the topic that you are interested in studying and the mods will take it from there.
