Arcane Academies

The realm of Vylgaard is home to four arcane academies which seek to bestow upon students knowledge of magic in both theoretical and practical terms. In general, study at the academies is limited only to citizens of Vylgaard, however in very rare cases, students from Oziaros and Eonearia have been accepted. Each of the four academies specializes in two schools of magic and is headed by an archmage. Upon first arrival at an arcane academy, a student will spend upwards of three years learning the basics of magic before undertaking specialized training in the field of their choice. After the first portion of their studies in which they dabble a bit in each of the 8 schools, the student has attained the designation of Lesser Mage. If the student realizes that the academy they are enrolled in is not the home of one of the schools they wish to specialize in, they are allowed to transfer to another academy in order to complete their specialized training. The specialization portion generally takes another two to three years. At that point the student is considered a Greater Mage, and more specifically a Greater Conjurer, Necromancer, Evoker...etc. as per the specialization.

Of course, some students seek to attain further knowledge and skill, either in the same branch, or other branches. A student who has attained specialization in both schools of magic from an academy (for example, both Illusion and Evocation from Apirix) can be designated as a Master Mage. The ambitious student who attains Master Mage status from all four academies has achieved the highest level of magical education available and has earned the title of Grand Mage. Prior to Erastav being integrated into network of schools, a student who wished to become a Grand Mage only had to study at three of the academies as Enchantment was part of the curriculum of Apirix and Conjuration was taught in Iturune. Achieving Grand Mage status takes between 15 to 20 years of study. Accordingly, there are very few people who have earned this title. In general, Grand Mages go on to become the archmages of arcane academies or serve as special advisors to the kingdom.

For the most part, the Academies tried to stay out of the war. However, as times grew more dire and both sides just wished it would end, some students suspended their studies to provide arcane assistance on the battlefield either as volunteers, or more commonly, through coercion and pressure.

The four arcane academies are as follows:

Apirix
Apirix is an arcane academy on the Emerald Coast. During the war, many students on the mainland migrated to Apirix to continue their studies and avoid the chaos that was happening. However, because both sides of the war had a need for more mages trained in Evocation, the academy also became a hot recruiting ground for soldiers. The recruiters used rather unethical tactics to get students to leave their studies and join the war - threatening their families, preying on students who weren't doing well or who had family in the war, and making claims that their villages or towns had been destroyed and their help was needed. These efforts only became more drastic as the war dragged on. Over the 40 years of the war, thousands of students were pulled away from their studies to join the war. Many of them never got the chance to finish their educations. The school's speciality is Illusion and Evocation magic.

The Archmage of Apirix is a male Tortle named Mohrnus, aged 32. Of the four archmages, he is the only one to have officially completed training at all four academies before earning the title of Grand Mage. He originally studied Illusion magic at Apirix before continuing his studies at the other academies.

Apirix is the largest of the four academies and takes in a maximum of 500 new students each year (this number does not include those who have already attained the Lesser Mage designation).

Bigaris
Nestled in the center of the Umihl Wood, Bigaris was the first school of magic founded in Vylgaard. Originally catering only to elves, the school has been open to all students since the middle of the First Age. Of course, until recently gnomes were not allowed access to schools outside of Erastav. The school specializes in Abjuration and Transmutation magic. Like Apirix, recruiters attempted to recruit mages from Bigaris, especially those trained in Abjuration magic. However, they were not nearly as successful.

The current Archmage is Sivelle Brightgrass, an older elven woman. Archmage Brightgrass began her arcane studies at Iturune and earned the title of Greater Diviner before continuing on to become a Grand Mage. In the last decade of the Twin's War, Brightgrass had a vision of the Umihl Wood being set aflame by Osdyr's forces. In order to protect the school, the students, and the surrounding community, Archmage Brightgrass and the students cast strong protective wards around the Wood on the day of Osdyr's attack. As his forces approached under cover of darkness, torches in hand, the wards surrounding the Wood pushed the would-be attackers back. They scrambled up and tried to throw their flames, but the wards held strong and the Umihl Wood was protected.

Bigaris is a mid-sized academy and accepts around 250 students each year.

Erastav
This small academy was the only place where gnomes could learn the arcane arts due to racial discrimination and until recently, only gnomes could study there, but due to the increased interest in magical study, all students are now welcomed regardless of race. The academy is especially well suited for the study of Enchantment and Conjuration magic

The archmage of Erastav is a forest gnome named Galbeor Garrick. Being a gnome, he of course, was not permitted to attend the other arcane academies. However, this did not stop him. He had completed training in all 8 schools of magic at Erastav, but he wanted the official title of Grand Mage which could only be earned by studying at the other three academies. Having perfected the formula for a long-lasting disguise self potion, Galbeor first enrolled himself at Apirix where he studied as a mountain dwarf named Gulborn. He then moved on to Iturune where he claimed to be a halfling called Garlan Gullbarrow. His final act of deceit and trickery was to study at Bigaris under the name of Gyril Galanodel, a half-elf. In each school, he kept to himself and studied hard, making sure to take time to brew his disguise self potions every week. Coming by the ingredients was tricky, but somehow Galbeor managed. Upon completion of his fourth Master Mage title 7 years later, he returned to Erastav. It wasn't until the end of the Twins' War that he revealed what he had done. Rather reluctant to grant official degrees to a gnome, the archmages of the other three schools re-issued his certifications under his true, gnomish name. Galbeor holds another title as well: the first ever to become a Grand Mage with Master Mage status from all four academies.

The academy is rather liberal in its acceptance policies, and as such, accepts nearly 300 new applicants each year, most of which are gnomes.

Iturune
Located on an island in the Whispering Sea, Iturune is perhaps best known as the location where Orsya learned magic while in exile. The academy is particularly focused on the schools of Divination and Necromancy, and as such is not generally a student's first choice as more practical schools of magic are more highly sought after. However, those who are interested in specializing in the arts of Necromancy, must be thoroughly screened before continuing their studies in order to ensure that the knowledge gleaned is not put to any unsavory uses.

As any other aspiring mage, Orsya spent the first two and a half years attaining Lesser Mage status before moving on to specialize in Necromancy and earning the title of Greater Necromancer. At this point, Orsya had already amassed enough people to form her army. The war began in earnest almost immediately after she concluded her studies. During the war, it has even been reported that some undead were present in Orsya's forces. Whether these were created by Orsya herself or students and classmates she recruited from the school is unknown.

The Archmage of Iturune is a human woman named Evenia Luven. Archmage Luven began her studies in Bigaris, specializing in Transmutation before continuing her education. At Bigaris, she was part of Archmage Brightgrass' efforts to protect the Umihl Wood from Osdyr's attack. Interestingly, she did not complete the Master Mage program from Bigaris immediately after achieving her Greater Transmuter title, as is often the case. Her studies took place during the war and she was worried that mastering the art of Abjuration would cause her to become targeted by the armies. She proceeded to Iturune where she learned Divination, Necromancy and Conjuration and achieved Master Mage status. Archmage Luven then earned the same title at Apirix by studying Enchantment, Illusion, and Evocation. Finally, she returned to Bigaris to finish her study of Abjuration.

Of the four academies, Iturune is the smallest and most selective, taking in only 100 students each year. This is largely due to its isolated location, cold atmosphere, and rather niche focus of study.