Atur Academy

A small arcane institute is located in Atur, Karrnath’s City of Night. Though the city is best known for the Crimson Monastery (its great temple to the Blood of Vol), the Atur Academy has trained wizards, sorcerers, and other arcane spellcasters for centuries - it has just done so rather quietly. Even in Karrnath, whose armies were bolstered by animated skeletons and zombies during the Last War, the teachings of the Atur Academy are not always met with acceptance and understanding. The masters of the academy are necromancers and warlocks, and the lessons they pass on to their students concern the darkest lore - the magic of the dead, of negative energy, and of demonic binding.

## Joining the Atur Academy

In contrast to Morgrave University or the Passage Institute, the Atur Academy is quite exclusive. The heads of the academy look for students they believe have the potential for true greatness, and indeed a few of the greatest spellcasters in recent history were graduates of Atur. The cost of attending the academy is a barrier to many, though a candidate who can’t afford to pay but secures the patronage of a respected spellcaster can hope for a scholarship to defray the cost of tuition.

The staff of the academy features some of Karrnath's most prominent Spellcasters, including wizards and sorcerers, warlocks, dread necromancers and archivists (from Heroes of Horror), and even a necrocarnate (from Magic of Incarnum). Most of the wizards on staff are specialist necromancers or conjurers, including some individuals with exotic prestige classes such as acolyte of the skin or blood magus (from Complete Arcane), pale master or true necromancer (from Libris Mortis), or tainted scholar (from Heroes of Horror).

For all its sinister air and questionable practices, the Atur Academy is first and foremost an institution for the study of magic, and it takes that mission seriously. At some level, the heads of the academy seem determined to prove that an interest in the darker side of arcane magic does not necessarily mean that one is corrupt of character or possessed of an inferior intellect.

## Life at Atur Academy

Once a student has earned a place at the Atur Academy, she is treated as a valuable member of that community. The academy maintains a spacious building in the City of Night (not far from the Crimson Monastery) that has comfortable dormitories, an excellent refectory, large classrooms, and well-appointed laboratories.

Beneath the academy building sprawls an extensive network of dungeons, including passages leading to old catacombs and areas designed for practicing conjuration in relative isolation.

Students at the academy also have access to an extensive collection of spellbooks. Wheneve r a wizard student at the academy advances a level, she can choose one of her new spells from any source the DM allows, including supplements such as Libris Mortis, Book of Vile Darkness, an d Heroes of Horror.

The Academy is very different from others in the academic circle thanks to how small the student body is. The Academy averages between 200 to 250 students, with only 40 professors. The small student body allows each student to recieve special attention from their teachers. This helps the school keep a close eye on the students, and ensures that nothing will go horrifically wrong during their study of the dark arts. The Countess is very strict when it comes to the safety of her students, and she does not give second chances.

With study of dangerous magic comes restrictions, secrets, and factionalism. There are five factions - or 'Houses' - in the Academy, which students are sorted into based on their personality by an awakened Hat of Wizardry. The greatest and most promising student from each house, as chosen by the Headmistress, are selected to be her personal wards. These students comprise the Dark Five. Along with their normal classes, the Dark Five recieve special instruction by Countess Varden herself. The training is rigorous and not for the feint of heart, but those who can handle the pressure, and don't get replaced by another student seeking to take their place, recieve the best schooling that Karrnath has to offer.

This position gives the Five a lot of power in the school, they have access to Countess Varden's personal library, special materials, private rooms, the best food, and (most importantly) power over other students. The Five not only get privilege in the school, but are often placed as high-ranking officials within the government at graduation.

## History

Atur Academy is a centuries old university in Atur, but is little known outside the academic community. It is infamous for it’s focus on necromancy, but it has very little resources compared to the Universities of Morgrave, Korranberg and Wynarn. The Academy was established over 600 years ago by Count Beren ir’Vairn in his 1,000 room estate. The Count established the school in the hopes that he could discover the secrets of the elves and share the knowledge with the Karrnathians. The academy has grown over the years - from a school focused on elven necromancy, to an academy with a wide variety of classes on different types of so called “dark magic”, as well as history and inventions. Even so, necromancy remains at the forefront of Atur study.

The leader of the Atur Academy is the oldest descendent of the ir’Vairn line. Count Beren instituted a right of primogeniture for his descendants, the eldest child is the only member of the family to recieve any inheritance. Death stalks the family; whispers of murder and betrayal folow upon the 'mysterious disappearance' of many an heir.

The current headmistress of the Atur Academy is Countess Varden ir’Vairn (N female half-elf, aristocrat 4/ necromancer 7/ wizard 6). Her elder brother died when she was young, and two of her younger siblings have been mortally crippled after challenging Varden's right as matriarch.

Thanks to the Last War, the Academy recieved support both from king of Karrnath and the Blood of Vol. With government money the school has begun sending expeditions to Xen’drik, but has come back with little thanks to the 'adventurer school' of Morgrave University claiming any artifact that can be recovered. This has fueled a rivalry between the two schools. With the help of Countess Varden's contacts in the government, she often sents agents to covertly steal artifacts on display at Morgrave to be studied back at Atur Academy. The school has also started working in a new field: the magic of the daelkyr. The school already owns several tomes and artifacts regarding the daelkyr, and wants to grow their collection. In seeking to furtheir their study of the daelkyr, the Countess as her eye locked on a former student of the Academy: Mordain the Fleshweaver.

## Key Locations

**The Library of Shadows:** The school's library contains a collection of over 4,000 books, ranging from elven necromancy to daelkyr abominations. It is open to all students, but only the Dark Five can remove books from the library. Each book is owned by the Countess herself, and she will not accept any wreckless behavior. Many students have been expelled from the academy for even minor damages to her collection. The library is overseen by a great shadow name Darthen who was created by Vaden after the death of the former librarian. The in center of the floor is a mosaic of a fanged diamond scull, encircled by a ring of runes. This is the symbol of the school, and when a secret incantation is cast, the skull gives way to a set of stairs leading to a vault that contains the school's greatest treasures.

The Atur Academy is a great repository for what is often considered forbidden lore, and its library is one of the great collections of such material. Students have free access to the tomes in the library, which grant a +4 circumstanc e bonus on Knowledge checks related to necromancy, conjuration, evil magic, and the like. The faculty of the academy is likewise an excellent resource on such topics, and can make a Knowledge check in any relevant specialty with a bonus of +12 to +15. The faculty is the soul of discretion, and students are encouraged to ask anything they need to know without fear of repercussions.

**The Countess’s Floor:** This Floor is the private floor of Countess Varden ir’Vairn. It contains her personal library, laboratory, her bedroom, her private museum which holds many family heirlooms, and a private study room where she teaches the Dark Five.

**The Vault of the Dead:** Atur Acadamy controls a private wing of the Atur Vault of the Dead, a large complex of catacombs overseen by Vedim ir'Omik that hold Karrnath's undead legion. In return for keeping the school's vault stocked, Vedim is granted access to the academic facilities for his personal research.