Arcane Academy

Magic use on the mainland of Malex has always been a rarity, but spellcasters live in infamy as tyrants and villains, at least in human memory.

During the War of the Necromancer Lord, a Highlander worshipper of Necrexios, the old human god of the dead, raised an army of the undead and descended from the southern hills, terrorizing the mainland coast for decades. A group of wizards and sorcerers worshipping the old human god of the arcane, Xelios united alongside the legendary human paladin named Aubrey.

The defeat of the Necromancer Lord took place at the mouth of the a river named the Victory in honour of the battle, where Aubrey had, as legend has it, built the island fortress that stands there today. Across the river, the wizards and sorcerers who had fought the evil necromancer formed a society that would teach future generations of spellcasters, forbidding necromancy.

They formed societies around the remaining schools of magic; abjuration conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, transmutation, thus creating the Arcane Academy.

In modern times, the Academy is a complex of classrooms, archives and dormitories in downtown Port-of-Utopia. The facilities are run by a headmaster, a chamberlain and a head archivist, along with professors who run each school and their faculties.

The Academy, a few hundred full-time students and a few dozen faculty members, is mostly made up of wizards, who hone their powers through study. Sorcerers are more rare among their numbers, as they draw on a natural well of powers that grow with their skill, but occasionally a young sorcerer will find their way to the Academy. Divine magic users who claim their powers come from the gods are even rarer, but sometimes will seek out the Academy's resources. Warlocks are synonymous with necromancy, and are likewise prohibited from practicing in Directorate land.

The Academy's relationship with human society at large is tenuous; though magic is considered much more mundane among elven culture. While powerful spell casters make themselves useful among the court, or during times of conflict, humans still have not forgotten the reign of necromancers in ancient times. Most people of Malex are suspicious about magical power that isn't used in the name of the just Pentacle gods. This suspicion is heightened among worshippers of the New Church of Apexion, who believe the studies of magic users should be furthered observed and controlled. This is mostly due to ignorance and misunderstanding, as the powers of most magical students is negligible. Still, the Arcane Academy mostly keeps to itself and encourages its students to dedicate themselves to quiet study, counselling control, discipline and duty.

At the Academy, campus life is a different matter. When wizards join a specific school they often dedicate themselves exclusively to the betterment of their preferred speciality. Among each school is a collegial and, sometimes, dangerous competition, which does nothing for the reputation of the Academy as a whole when neighbours hear about another exploded apprentice.

There are also still rumours that the forbidden art of necromancy is studied and even practiced amongst the Arcane Academy, which also doesn't help.