Academy of Dragon Knights

The Academy of Dragon Knights (also known as simply **The Academy**, or **Lóngxué** in Tiěbàng), was a boarding academy of dragon knights located in northeastern Kazzak.

## History

### Founding

The Academy was first founded during the schism of the Ashcoat Monastery in 1150, when the original Ashcoat Monastery broke into the Blood Hunter-centered School of Ash and the Dragon Knight-centered Academy of Coats. Some extremists rejected the compromise of the Academy of Coats, refusing to coexist with the Blood Hunters. The faction left Midi entirely, crossing the sea into northeastern Kazzak with their dragons, and founding their own school, which they spitefully named The Academy of Dragon Knights.

The southern academy, lacking the infrastructure and population size of their Midi counterparts, instituted a policy of recruiting capable children from the local Duōzhǒng clans. Eggs would be brought to local villages, and if the egg hatched in the presence of a child, they were brought back to the Academy to live there for training and education. The policy was intended to breed utter loyalty in their knights, and encourage fealty to the Academy above their individual peoples.

### Gnoss Wars and Conflict with Tiěbàng

Rather than directly conquer land, the Academy established its influence among the nearby Duōzhǒng clans by protecting them from monsters and invaders in exchange for food and acceptance of their recruitment policies. They eventually encountered the Gnoss Lords as their empire expanded northwards, and engaged in several skirmishes before ultimately settling on an uneasy peace. In return, the Academy would provide monetary tribute. Unlike the mutual trade arrangements of the past, the Academy was more and more forced to demand payment in exchange for their services as a way of paying off the Gnoss Lords, and increasingly they evolved from a monastic order into a mercenary group.

The Academy was one of the many Duōzhǒng groups which participated in the northern theater of the revolution against the Gnoss Empire, and as such, was offered a place at the founding of Tiěbàng. Some accepted, but most returned to the Academy, seeking to protect the purity of their practices. They largely returned to their previous activities of protecting local villages (now in exchange for money). As Tiěbàng grew and expanded, the longstanding suzerainty which the knights held over the locals fell under threat, and their relationship soured rapidly.

To the United Government, the war with Ozymandium and acquisition of ichor was a higher priority than the pacification of the east, and as such a full invasion force was never committed to the Academy. Some efforts were made, but each time the Academy repelled the armies sent against them. The east, while claimed by Tiěbàng, remained an unruly and rebellious region, until the fall of the Academy in 1998.

### Fall

In 1998, the Academy was mysteriously destroyed over the course of that year's Fall Festival. The vast majority of the faculty and student body were slain, and the Academy itself was burned down. The circumstances of the Fall remain mysterious; the government of Tiěbàng has officially denied any involvement in the incident, though they have since strengthened their presence in the region and claimed the site of the fallen Academy as a military base. What few survivors remained were sent home or to the Academy of Coats, and Tiěbàng has intentionally been stifling any information or discourse about the Academy within its borders, causing it to fall into memory.

## Structure

### Population

At its peak size, the Academy was capable of housing anywhere from 200-375 students, and up to 50 active faculty members. Students were separated entirely by year, and dorms were built with open design in mind for ease of dragon perching and transport. Younger students, ranging from ages 10-13, were placed into beginner classes for honing the connection with their dragon, and in later years, sorted into a specific practice for style of riding and combat.

### Practices

* **Rider:** Focused on mastering the bond between knight and dragon.
* **Elemental:** Teaches harnessing of inherent draconic magic.
* **Platinum:** Emphasizes defensive fighting and protecting other riders.
* **Shadow:** Practices subtlety and misdirection in combat.

## Controversies

The Academy has fallen under heavy criticism from Tiěbàng and some Duōzhǒng groups for their practice of child recruitment. The Academy of Coats has officially denounced the practice as well, and did not acknowledge the existence of their southern counterpart until after its destruction, where they extended a hand to some of the refugees. Some families have accused The Academy of claiming to respect a family's refusal, before sending them an invoice for the hatched dragon egg, and taking the child it hatched for as collateral.