Imperial University of Sahemia

**Imperial University of Sahemia** (also known as **Ban Thavalar** - dav. *the city of learning*) - a Zahrian university dedicated solely to the study of sahemia, or magical sciences. Known as one of the biggest and most prestigious schools in the world, Ban Thavalar can claim to have been an alma mater to many famous magicians, sorcerers and scientists.

## Buildings and sites

The university is oftentimes synonymous with the city of Ban Thavalar that was built with the academy in mind; the university's various buildings, faculties and cathedrals are scattered around the city with the Iskandar II's Square serving as both the town center and a cultural hub for the students and professors to hang out. The square is also where the Talan Palace is located, a magnificent building that serves as the headquarters of the university's Provost, the quarters of the professors and home to the Faculty of Magical History and Thaumatology.

Other important sites include:

* Guamal Palace - home to student dormitories
* Practical Magic Area - a big campus that houses the Faculties of Conjuration, Elemental Magic, Illusion Magic and Alteration

## Faculties

Ban Thavalar has many faculties, with most of them studying magic and it's various schools. Some departments, however, take on topics such as herbology or alchemy, which aren't traditionally associated with magic.

### Faculty of Magical History and Thaumatology

This faculty studies the definition of magic itself, it's history and how knowledge about it developed.

Despite being an old department and one of the original faculties, it's rather sidelined as something that is more of a trivia, not useful to students with ambitions. It's an unfortunate situation because Thaumatology is crucial to understanding magic itself and helps in studying any other sahemic field.

### Faculty of Mental Magic

This department focuses on magic that pertains to the mind, controls it or changes it. Countless alumni of this particular faculty would go on to become renowned healers and doctors, who would use their deep understanding of the mind and how it works to help their mentally ill patients.

### Faculty of Conjuration

Students of this faculty learn about the art of conjuration - summoning objects and creatures from the Nightmare Realms, which are another topic that is studied on lessons.

### Faculty of Illusion Magic

This department teaches about how magic can be used to create illusions and have an effect on someone's perception.

### Faculty of Elemental Magic

This faculty studies the magic of the elements, be it the four classical elements or any other. Students here learn how to control water, or tame fire. The department is renowned for it's warrior-mages.

### Faculty of Divination

The subject studied here is divination - the art of information gathering by use of magic.

### Faculty of Alteration

Alteration is the study of how magic can change the laws of nature so that physical truths don't apply anymore.

### Faculty of Thaumaturgy

Graduates of this faculty leave the university with knowledge about how religion and magic are linked, how sahemia is used by various gods and how miracles work.

### Faculty of Alchemy and Herbology

Students of this department learn about the magical properties of herbs and potions that such herbs are used for.

### Faculty of Applied Magic

Here students can learn about how magic can be applied to the mundane world, how it can be used in sciences other than magical and how it can improve lives of non-magical users. Graduates of this faculty are usually the most diverse in terms of occupation after school, seeing as they also learn about other things than magic.

Created in 590 3E by a Vatushan sorcerer Dalimir Nadobian, it's the youngest faculty of the university.

## Known graduates

* Thebe 'the Tenacious' - leader of the Sorcerer Conclave in the I Conclave War, he managed to overthrow rebellious nobles and installed a magocracy in the Zahrian Empire
* Farah Astarai - famous Khayadian thaumatologist and philosopher, Farah published the Treaty on Magic and Religion and On Magical Divinity, two books that eventually led to the creation of a new religious movement, Sahemulanism
* Iskandar VI - Zahrian emperor, graduated the Faculty of Elemental Magic
* Ratonhaketon - Timeretian warrior-mage, leader of the Timereti in the II Battle of Naluan during which he famously routed both the Zahrian and Abantian forces despite being outnumbered by both empires
* Gathaspar 'the Great' - probably the most popular Khayadian king, Gathaspar studied Elemental Magic and Conjuration at Ban Thavalar