Magic Academies Anyone?

[Gossamer]

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I was thinking of putting a few magical academies into the game. The red unlinked field in the Magic NavBox really bothers me. However, I was just wondering how you all envisioned Academies working? We don't actually have any examples in the came currently... so before I get carried away, I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts.

Goss

[Moritz Craven]

I guess it depends on how you define it, but I think there are if nothing else a few schools of magic throughout the world, even that isn't considered a magic academy.

At first thought three cities have a more formal way of training magic, Ravok, Lhavit, and Zeltiva.

Ravok has the Institute of Higher learning, which trains multiple magics in more of a classroom setting.

Similarly Zeltiva has the school of magic/djed, a subset of the University in Zeltiva, which has multiple magics it teaches in classes.

Lhavit has the three towers, each with their own magic they focus on and hold classes on.

I would consider all of those magic academies of a type, or at least magic schools- places with formal training and classrooms where one goes to learn one or more magics.

Outside of those, I always pictured smaller instances of magic training in a few different ways.

You'd have one on one mentorships, often in secret, where a more skilled mage takes on an apprentice one or two at a time and teaches them up in the magic they know. That I think would be less formal and vary from teacher to teacher. Some only know one magic, some know many.

I think Moritz is kind of undergoing that in his training for Pathfinding from the mountain witch Aja. He caught her interest, and then she initiated him and is training him one on one till he's decent at the magic with more of a hands on approach. She knows other magics, but is only training him in Pathfinding.

Then you'd have something more akin to say home schooling, people taking in students into their home and teaching a few students, perhaps there own kids only or perhaps other peoples kids, though that could vary heavily depending on the city and its treatment of magic.

Syliras I assume has some method of training mage knights, so it must have some formal training for magic... Though perhaps thats just the prior noted master/apprentice model with a skilled mage knight training a squire in one on one sessions and not really any kind of formal school...

Anyways, I think those are some examples of schools of magic, and then how I've always imagined other more small scale magic tutelage works in places without a formal school.

I guess really it just depends on what you consider qualifying as a magic academy or not.

Moritz Craven/Crylon Stonecraft

[Shiress]

I realize that what you are talking about sounds like several magical academies throughout Mizahar?

However, I'm not ashamed to admit that I envision something a whole lot like Hogwarts when I think of a magical academy sans flying brooms, of course.

Qualifying mages that teach students their particular magical forte in a university setting. I'm not sure about what the powers that be in the Outpost feel about magic, but maybe one enormous school in the Outpost? That way, players from all over Miz can come to learn magic, possibly with other players, and have the opportunity to thread together. Maybe even have challenges for scholarships and tuition.

-shrugs-

Just throwing my idea out there.

[Baiya]

When I think of magic academies I think less of the teaching facilities that already exist and more of facilities like modern universities where the teachers are required to do research. It would be somewhere they are on the cutting edge of magic, so to speak. Finding new ways to combine disciplines, documenting the ways that wizards overgive and finding ways to prevent or heal it, preserving magical artifacts, etc. would all be within their domain.

But the best way to do that would be to have somewhere where everyone can come together, since word travels slowly in Miz and something like that relies heavily on new ideas coming in and circulating information. So Shiress might be onto something with the Outpost if it is viable. The alternative in my mind would be just to have wizards stationed at each "branch" that specialize in communication. Telepathy doesn't go far enough, but maybe dreamwalkers who have regular meetings? They seem chaotic enough to agree to work with mages, although I see marked are few and far between. If Projection has that kind of distance reasonably within its capabilities, that might work better.

I'm going to stop rambling now, but in short, I am very interested in the idea.

[Gossamer]

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I'm glad I'm asking you guys this because my idea of a magical academy was vasty different than what you guys have going on. I wasn't even remotely considering the 'schools' and 'towers' because that wasn't their actual purpose to begin with... what I was thinking of was near legendary status of things whispered in the night and secret societies with complex indoctrination and djedlines that stretch on into the past forever.

I was going to go the route of 'by invite only' and 'monastery high on a remote peak that even to get to is a trial in and of itself' and 'mystical forest outpost that cannot be found other than by seekers' type scenarios.

You all just want walk up to the door, pay your fee, and get training? hrm...

[Baiya]

I guess it's not the way it's been handled in the recent past, but I thought that was sort of Sahova's deal in the lore. Like, sure, "anyone" can show up, but you have a high chance of being killed for resources and you have to pass a test to be let in to use the facilities. Many of the people there are not just old djedlines, but ancient themselves. So I thought that something like that would be stepping on their toes (although it's not open so I guess it's only your own toes lol)

So to clarify, something like a re-closure of its doors and return to secrecy there is closer to what you're describing? Or a sister/rival facility which has remained closed to the public until now? Maybe there has been a research network run by The Silence that works to suppress darker magic works that has been hidden until (fill in the blank with a horrific escape incident)?

I always thought it would be cool if, with the post-Morwen draught only compounding, things previously underwater are being revealed but that's a personal fascination and not necessarily relevant.

[Rohka]

Imagine being a student of an Academy and not knowing it. Or imagine a PC becoming aware of their ‘magic’ line and seeking out new knowledge. Would there be rival academies? If yes, why?

How do the Gods interact with the Academies? Would Academies hold initiation or recruiting events disguised as parties? Or could it be just a well connected network of teachers... to the point where, yes, if you know the door... knock and say hi?

Dream walkers and/or Divinists having an academy of their own? That would make sense to me... imagine an Academy located only in the Chavena.

An idea with the Insidious... would an Academy exist in relationship to them?

Lastly... post-Valterrian, Mizahar being a place where people are learning to survive and thrive again... what would the Academies be trying to defend / protect / prevent? What types of disasters / calamities / monstrosities / wipeouts / squabbles are on the horizon?

...other than the disappearance of Morwen of course. Which is huge in itself.

Just some thoughts in question form.

[Shiress]

I think I got stuck on the word 'academy'. To me, the academy is public knowledge, maybe?

I'm actually intrigued by your idea, though, Goss.

I love the invite-only scenario, and that brings to mind that possibly the ones who run this institute can somehow know a PC's magical potential or even know their djedline before the PC themselves know.

It would be fun if, instead of an invite, a PC gets basically a 'you are coming whether you like it or not' missive.

[Gossamer]

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Let me clarify.... one more time.

I'm not talking about revamping EXISTING entities in Mizahar. I'm talking about putting some new things in to fill in a gap Tarot never finished but left a placeholder for.... Magical bodies/academies/organizations/schools etc.

I just simply wanted your thoughts on how you would like to see NEW things put in the game... not Sahova, not The Lhavit Towers which are actual family institutions, not the existing U's and Colleges which we all but yanked magic from already.

Again, not walk up, sign a register, and pay your fees... but something to add to the atmosphere of Miz and deepen its lore. I'm simply NOT interested in putting in another modern day invention in Miz. The people that put those things in Miz were lazy and had frankly had about zero imagination. The U of Zeltiva was never designed to be like one of the great colleges or universities in history... it was simply supposed to be a vast storehouse of knowledge and education more similar to the library of Alexander and all that it offered its citizens at its time of glory. The person that installed it failed it utterly, I think, especially the way they set up classes with semesters lol... like seriously? I can't even look at it with a straight face... that's why we aren't running it right now. It makes NO sense in Miz's environment.

Sahova is closed. It's not going to open anytime soon unless a Sahova enthusiast comes forward and volunteers to run it AND there's interest.

This also isn't about any other sort of revamp.

Someone touched on a beautiful point about the Syliran Mage Knights and how there's nothing documented about how they are taught, initiated, and guided.... that's a potential right there for something new and cool. That's more along the lines of what I was thinking.

I wasn't thinking Harry Potter because again, that's too modern.

I'm not trying to put anyone down, but I really did hope you'd reach outside the box and throw out some of your ideas as to what these academy bodies could be.

[Asterope]

I'm not going to lie, the word 'academy' made me think modern as well haha. The whole 'pay to learn' thing was what I was sort of leery of when it was brought up, but I wanted to learn a bit more about the base concept before bringing it up. Even the Lhavit Towers don't just allow people to walk up, pay, and get in to learn magic; there's a process that PCs have to go through in order to earn that right. Straight-up just paying to learn magic wouldn't sit right with me, I don't think; the struggle of seeking it out and earning it is, in my opinion, part of the fun of it.

I like the idea of really reclusive, secretive groups. Maybe these groups are concerned about how most places dislike magic, and are worried about knowledge dying out, so they actively seek out people they feel would be worthy of continuing their djedline? Maybe some of these groups even trace back to during the Valterrian, when mages began putting together whatever resources they could while sheltering underground in hopes that it would be preserved and passed on.

There's been mention of rival academies, which I think is a cool idea, but I also wonder now if there might be a more insidious, sort of opposite version of them. Would it be possible to have a group that has a mindset like Sunberth, where they despise and distrust magic, perhaps blame it for the Valterrian in some way, and as such they are trying to hunt down and eradicate these academies to stop it from being documented/passed on?

I just woke up so I'm just sort of giving my first thoughts/spitballing off what other people have already said here, but I'll definitely be thinking about this idea as it's really cool, and hopefully when my brain wakes up more I can come back with a few more suggestions.