History

# "THE FOUNDING OF SALVATORE ACADEMY

There have been many schools of magic in Earth’s history. There have also been nearly as many catastrophic failures. A magical school is an inherently dangerous thing; so much arcane knowledge and power concentrated in one place, with a plethora of inexperienced magic-wielders, is a powderkeg. Most schools eventually fall victim to the spark that ignites that volatile mixture.

## THE FALL OF CADWORTH SCHOOL OF ARCANA

One such institution was the Cadworth School of Arcana, which was famously destroyed in 1720 in a devastating summoning gone wrong that pulled the entire school, brick by brick, through a door-sized portal into a Nether realm.

The only survivors of the Cadworth nightmare were four advanced students: Erasto Amare, Videra Volo, Claudia Curat, and Fidel Guerrero. They had been conducting research on interdimensional translocation just before the incident. The wards they had put in place to contain their experiment bought them enough time to escape the devastation.

## SEEDS OF A NEW SCHOOL

The four remained in touch over the years, having bonded over their shared tragedy. They watched as other magical schools tried to fill the void left by Cadworth with varying degrees of success. However, none of the schools seemed to even try to reach for Cadworth’s star. They all appeared to fear falling as hard as their predecessor had.

Erasto, Videra, Claudia, and Fidel saw a generation of young sorcerers being ill-served by schools unwilling to commit to the depth of learning necessary to create truly great mages. Frustrated, they met on All Hallows Eve in 1749 and made a pact to establish a new school that would continue the proud tradition of Cadworth, but that would also learn from its mistakes and hubris, never to repeat them.

## THE FOUR HOUSES

Each of the friends was to establish a house that would serve as an essential pillar of the school. Honorable competition would be encouraged between the houses, but always with the goal of teaching the students the strengths of not only their own house’s values, but those of their friends and rivals as well.

Claudia had suffered a crippling injury in her youth in Romania, losing the use of her legs. She devoted her life to studying the magical healing arts of cultures all over the world to try to ensure other young mages would not need to suffer her same fate. She was well known at Cadworth for being a deeply caring person, always providing a shoulder to cry on or nursing sick classmates back to health. When she formed House Curat, her compassion and nurturing ways became the soul of her house.

Erasto was well known ever since his own school days as a romantic and a passionate lover of women and men alike. More than a few students and professors at Cadworth fell for the Guatemalan mage’s charms. His sense of romance never diminished as he grew older; it only became stronger and more focused. He came to believe that love and passion were as vital as blood and breath, and an existence without them was a “living death” (as described in his widely beloved book of poetry: Mi Corazón, Mi Vida). It was no surprise to anyone that when he established House Amare, his romantic idealism became the heart of it.

Videra was always a bit of an outsider at Cadworth. Being a dhampyr, she was often viewed with suspicion by a mage community that looked down on vampires, demons, and other “monsters”. But as she had a human mother that had attended Cadworth, she was eligible to enroll on certain technicalities, though school life was never easy for her. She learned early on that to succeed she had to pursue what she desired with unerring focus and indomitable drive, because no one would simply give it to her, and most would try to take it away. She applied this philosophy to everything in her life: studies, wealth, power, sex, and so on. When she founded House Volo, she codified her philosophy into the house’s charter, emphasizing the importance of desire and the ambition to achieve it.

Fidel was the sternest and arguably the strongest of the four, at least in martial magic. Even his name, Guerrero, means “warrior”. However, his battle prowess was balanced by a profound sense of honor, valuing trust, honesty, and commitment above all else. Fidel’s life had been shaped by violence from an early age, but the influence of a patient and loyal mentor had tempered the young man’s rage and honed it into determination and honor. Fidel wished to pass on those lessons to his students and give them the gift that had been given to him. When he founded his house, he did not want to give it a name inspired by conflict. So rather than Guerrero, he called it House Fidelity to always remind his pupils that real strength comes from faithfulness and truth.

## THE FOUNDING

All that remained was for the four houses to come together as a unified institution. The Founders had many long debates over how to properly run a magical school and avoid the errors that had destroyed so many in the past. They were largely inspired by a particular professor from Cadworth who had often bucked against the rigid systems in place: Saveria Salvatore. She had always pushed her students to think outside the box and question everything, even when it meant trouble for her with the existing administration.

It was Videra that insisted that the new school would never turn away a student based on their lineage. She firmly believed this sort of arrogance had weakened Cadworth, and a more diverse staff and student body would have brought a broader perspective and new ideas to the school, potentially preventing the catastrophe that destroyed it. With Claudia’s firm support, she convinced the other Founders that tolerance and inclusivity would be essential principles of the new academy.

Fidel wanted to ensure that the school be as much a sanctuary as a place of learning, especially if they were to allow all manner of beings to attend. Under his guidance, the Founders erected powerful protection charms to shield the academy from any conceivable attack, from without or within.

After many months, the Founders created their charter: a magical document that would carry the charms and wards bound to the school, allowing the institution itself to be moved to new locations if necessary — yet another method the Founders created to protect the school from the stagnation that had plagued past schools.

In 1751, Salvatore Academy — named in honor of the Founders’ mentor — opened its doors and welcomed its first students. Some of those original pupils returned to the school in time to become professors, continuing a proud legacy that has endured every challenge.