The Academy of Erudition

The Academy of Erudition is a major faction operating within the continent of Ahlus.

## Description

Founded on the shores of Inve's Bay, the Academy of Erudition is based in the city of Oxresh, the capital of the Timberlands. Joining the Crimson Blossom and the Tethered Harness as sites for the teaching, study and development of magic, the Academy of Erudition allows for modest intakes of acolytes, preferring instead to recruit individuals already competent with use of the arcane, but seeking further understanding and refinement.

The Academy of Erudition is operated by the five Exegetes, who lead from the Pentadel, a five-towered stronghold at the heart of Oxresh. Often delegating the daily minutiae of teaching to other members of staff serving beneath them, the Exegetes have dedicated themselves to their craft with a zealous focus, founding the five Ministries that provide the subdivisions of the Academy.

### Exegetes

* Exegete of the Curio - Vehramot Amastacia
	+ Focusing on the study of artifacts, relics and other objects of virtu, members of the Ministry of the Curio are vastly knowledgeable, but usually highly insular and isolationist, keeping to themselves and their research. The Ashenvale proves to be the ongoing primary focus of the Ministry and the Exegete that leads it, as well as magics outside the conventional Schools of Magic.
* Exegete of the Expedient - Dorzivan Enbeden
	+ The Ministry through which most of the city's defences came to be and continue to be maintained, the Ministry of the Expedient focuses on the study of mundane, military and magical skill and strategy. Most enchanted items produced by the city are created by graduates of the Ministry, and those sent to apprentice beneath them. All Ministries often send their students beyond the walls of the Academy, but few send their students further afield than the Ministry of the Expedient.
* Exegete of Obnubilation - Balamus Zostel
	+ In an unusual departure from conventional teaching, the Ministry of Obnubilation focuses on hiding magical potential in its students, teaching that their gifts are most valuable when used sparingly and with particularly impactful tact. Naturally tending towards use of illusion and enchantment magics, advanced study of this Ministry includes forays into use of psionic magics.
* Exegete of the Preternatural - Vuruzum Zelnolar
	+ Pertaining to investigations and observation of the Planes of Existence beyond the Prime Material Plane, the Ministry of the Preternatural teaches and counsels the needs for vigilance in its pupils against threats beyond the comprehension and imagination of most mortal minds. Harnessing, manipulating or otherwise conjuring these connections is a cautioned but continued art to those trained by this Ministry, as is use of abjuration magics.
* Exegete of Sortilege - Azhuzat Veldria
	+ Focused on the gifts of divination magic, the Ministry of Sortilege looks for patterns and trends in terrestrial and heavenly occurrences historical and present to make predictions, estimates or other forms of conjecture. Individuals trained predominantly by the Ministry of Sortilege place particular focus on gathering information before proceeding, as well as cautioning others against blind beliefs in prophecies lacking meaningful merit.

## Goals

The Exegetes were originally drawn to Ahlus following the incursion of the region by Hadar after their summoning by Eordemos Lightvale, and has since fallen into a state of frenetic interest in the various arcane blights and curiosities associated with the continent. Expeditions dedicated to studying the Ashenvale are frequent and executed with varying levels of success, while members of the Academy are sent across the continent to investigate the comings and goings of the general populace in the name of vigilance and prudence. Accusations of espionage and subterfuge often follow closely behind such efforts, particularly when the Academy operates to relieve artifacts and other objects from their official owners in order to sequester them safely away.

## Tenets of the Academy of Erudition

* Success does not guarantee future success. Continue onwards with every effort, or embrace the inevitability of imminent failure.
* The majority of the populace has not the means, mind or might to stand fast against most true threats to their being. Your vigilance, forethought and hunger for further understanding is the shield against turmoil.
* Study and research behind closed doors must be supplemented with time spent in the lands beyond. The chance to experience matters firsthand are invaluable learning opportunities.

## Relationships

While official statements have always regarded the rivalry between the Academy of Erudition and the Crimson College of Atralran or the Tethered Harness as cordial, citing examples of collaborations between research projects, the truth is often less cordial than presented. Many consider the graduates of the Academy to be aloof, arrogant or pompous, with many alumni and students developing a deep rooted superiority complex compared to peers trained elsewhere. These perceived elitism and high incidence of students from noble and other wealthy backgrounds being accepted more readily than those of more modest upbringings continues to prove divisive, with accusations of partisanship and nepotism also commonplace.

Nonetheless, those with magical and mercantile interests find themselves frequently treating with the Academy of Erudition, for the Exegetes hold absolute control over the production of Iviniuum, a versatile arcane component used in a wide range of applications, ranging from spellcasting to powering the Galerider Rail. Multiple criminal factions have tried and failed to determine the production recipe for themselves, and no sooner does one plan falter do thoughts of the potential profits spur creation of a new one.

## Characters

Many individuals discovering the magical potential, prowess or power within them might one day aspire to join the Academy of Erudition, drawn in by the aristocratic lifestyle enjoyed by many of its more prominent members. Alternatively, a character might find themselves seeking employment by the Academy to act as escorts for its members on journeys elsewhere in Ahlus, whether urban environments, abandoned forests or other far flung locations.

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