Arcane Magic
Whereas divine magic springs from the gods and their institutions, and primal magic is derived from the natural spirits of the world, arcane magic is more abstract. The arcane arts generally involve learning about the way the world works, and then altering the balance; manipulating reality to achieve specific effects. Some have to work long and hard to be able to do this, others are simply born gifted, and others still gain their abilities through dangerous bargains with sinister beings.
Classes from 4th Edition D&D that would be associated with the Academy include: the wizard, swordmage, artificer, and bard. While the sorcerer and warlock are arcane classes, you would most likely not have attended the Academy if you belong to those classes. Because sorcerers usually have an inborn talent for magic they would not require, or usually desire, further education on the subject. Warlocks, instead of learning the arcane arts through hard work and study, gain their power from a pact with some greater power. Depending on who their pact is with, a warlock may need to hide the source of their power, which might ultimately lead them to attend the Academy as a cover.
Structure of the Academy
The Academy is both an organization made up of people who have attended and graduated from the institution, and the name of the institution itself. The Academy grounds, in the elben capitol Garstang, houses the marble-walled buildings for the various Schools of magic. Each School covers a different area of study, but students are not restricted to education in any specific school unless they wish to be. The Schools are led by a member of the Academy that is given the title of Grandmaster and is well versed in the ins and outs of that specific area. Most of the actual teaching is done by simple Masters, who spend time with the students, often one-on-one.
The leadership of the Academy as a whole is twofold; first there is the Academy Board that makes the major decisions as a group by vote, second is the Headmaster who serves as the public face of the Academy and sets the tone and direction of the administration. Both the members of the board, called Boardmasters, and the Headmaster are elected by the general membership of the Academy, ie. past graduates. Once elected to a position, the elected individual holds that post until death or resignation. The leadership structure of the Academy was originally based largely on that of the Order.
Attending & Joining the Academy
The first thing that needs to be mentioned is the nature of the Academy. It can most easily be described as a university or college for magic. It is not, however, Hogwarts; students are not seen throwing magic at one another casually or using enchanted quills to write papers. Magic is considered serious business. In light of that, getting a place at the Academy is no easy matter; though there is not a set limit on the quantity of students, there is a definite limit on the quality of students. Students who do not live up to the high standards of conduct are ejected from the Academy, either temporarily or permanently, depending on the severity of their transgression.
The first step in attending the Academy is to be tested for you aptitude. A master from the Academy will administer the test, which is a combination of pure knowledge, potential for understanding the complexities of the workings of the universe, physical strength and dexterity, and many other smaller topics. Each section of the test adds to your overall score, and though you need not score high in all areas, a certain score is required to be accepted as a student. Students who score too low on the test are rejected outright, while those who score in a certain grace zone are allowed to study privately with a Master for a year before being re-evaluated for admittance; a potential candidate who fails the test a second time is rejected and not allowed to test again.
Like many universities and colleges, the Academy’s usual program is four years long, though students of exceptional talent and potential are allowed to study for longer if they wish. How you scored on the various sections of the aptitude test will determine the topics of instruction for your first six months, and your master for those lessons persists as you Advisor for the rest of your time at the Academy. After this initial period, you are allowed to choose the topics that interest you most, assuming there is an available Master willing to take you as a student. Study is long and hard, and students are expected to work every day except Volands, when they are allowed time to rest and attend service at the kirkhall. Your personal experience at the Academy will depend largely on your topic of study, and the personality of the Masters teaching you.
At the end of you fourth year at the Academy you are considered fit for graduation. In a ceremony with little fanfare you are awarded the title of Master yourself, and you become a full-fledged member of the Academy. Many students may develop a strong bond with their Advisor, and it is not uncommon for a the Advisor to give a graduation gift to the student, often a signet ring made from a deep purple alloy called hepatizon. The exceptional graduates who wish to continue their studies are given the additional title of Adept and allowed to remain as students. Even those Masters who do not continue to study under another often conduct magical research and experiments of their own.
Friday: Population & Demographics
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