Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane ScienceWyrdwood Academy is one of the oldest wizard colleges in Serendipity. It is known for magical research that is groundbreaking, dangerous, and unethical. Because the school has graduated generations of highborn mages, from well-connected families, most are content to overlook such unseemly allegations. Its ultimate goal is to produce peerless mage-knights, and vaunt Serenian culture to its rightful place of dominance. The old guard cherish it, though Wyrdwood has clashed with the Order of the Moon and more progressive nobles. The school is fiercely competitive and patriotic. It loves draconian rules, slavish adherence to tradition, and cruel hazing.
The goal is a wizard school filled with reckless experiments and oddball traditions. But I want to make it very easy to get involved, and open to collaboration. It can sponsor adventurers, be the alma mater of a mage-character, or a player in political intrigue. You can find our discord here:
https://discord.gg/CYumdYVMembershipSerenian mages make up the bulk of the school. Still, non-magical adventurers and visiting scholars have worked their way into the Academy. Foreigners are given a cool welcome. They face suspicion, and their spellwork is treated more as a primitive curiosity. The cats and gargoyles of Wyrdwood keep a close eye on outsiders to dissuade snooping into secrets and forbidden lore.
Apprentices: Wyrdwood students, ages 13 to 21, are mostly drawn from old mage-families. Still, talented slaves and peasants are often admitted for the sake of new blood. Noble or common, they are stuffed into the same overcrowded dormitories, made to wear the same starchy blue robes, and given the same out-of-style haircuts. Apprentices are left to express their individuality and worth through raw talent.
Underclassmen
Aahva ChatterjeeAilith LeighlinAndrew Maxon, and his molecular magic!
Arthur ClearwaterBeatrix Evans"Brandon"Derek Ryder, at Wyrdwood to harass girls and go to parties! (In order to harass more girls)
Grent Killoran, "Prince of Dirt"
"Kaliam", conjoined apprentices Kana Blackbraid and Liam Hargrove
LaeniLulu Von GrimmelshausenPlutonius Kingshield, Too Cool For School
Susie RainfeatherTaig Harnas Upperclassmen
Aurelia "Rory" MarigoldAwendela "Sunny", a Duhjari shaman-in-training with many powers relating to animals!
Brahgo IronjawBrendan ChaseHana SplintKayleeMorgan Strouse, who has gold magic!
Percival ClearwaterRianharr Thalance, Self-Proclaimed Fashion Police
"Sprinkles", a Fae student with a creative side which she expresses through glamour magic
Thatcher Paulson, he has an "evil eye"
Fellows: Graduates, junior teachers, and wealthy donors are Fellows. They can walk the grounds, visit the libraries, and conduct research under supervision of a Magister. Most underclassmen are taught by Fellows.
Fellows
Alabaster Zinc, professor of disenchantment
Dorothy Summers, professor of prestidigitation
Ewan ap Rhys, awarded honors in the study of life magic, and duelist of the Blue Ribbons
Glinda Fare, Wyrdwood Librarian
Idara, professor of elemental ice
Ricardo Swantra, professor of magical weaponry and how to use it
Yarden Hale, professor of thaumateurgy
Magisters: Wizards recognized as masters of their craft are Magisters. They oversee teaching and experimentation. The Magisterium, their collective body, votes on matters of school policy and leadership. Most are old, crafty, and mired in petty intrigues. The position is political as much as academic, and most magisters come from old Serenian lines. I ask that you PM me before creating a magister, so we can discuss the character and how they fit into the school.
Magisters
Maergath, magister of soulshaping, First of the Broken Seal
Llewellyn, Magister of Familiars and Magical Beasts
Maggie Fen-Breath, magistrix of black magic
Saoirse Nettlefield, Magistrix of Elemental Alchemy and Headmistress of Wyrdwood
The Headmistress
Saoirse Nettlefield, Magistrix of Elemental Alchemy and Headmistress of Wyrdwood
CampusWyrdwood is a small, early-age castle built into the scrubby hills of northwestern serendipity. Its courtyard houses the the Wyrdwood, a gnarly old apple tree covered in eldritch carvings. According to legend it was grown from the cuttings of a since-incinerated world tree. Its towers are a maze of vast libraries, cramped bunks (smaller students sometimes sleep in drawers), and hidden menageries. Magic is incorporated into its very architecture, and corridors are rearranged each semester. The Lyceum houses libraries and lecture halls on the lower floors. The Attics, a euphemism for Wyrdwood's three towers, are for dormitories and offices. The Vaults are a network of caverns beneath the school used for experimentation and spellwork.
The Academy loves to showcase its magical excess. Flocks of overdue library books soar through its constantly rearranging corridors, though tardy students are made to sweep and mop.
Student LifeMost students are sent to Wyrdwood by virtue of family connections. Its not uncommon for junior instructors who are either unlucky, or passionate about education, to wander the countryside and slave markets in search for promising talent. Most begin their 8 year stints in early adolescence. Life at Wyrdwood is strictly regimented and the smallest details down to lunch and attire are micromanaged by persistent enchantments. Truly clever pupils will find ways around them, after all, and those inclined to follow rules are best suited to taking orders.
Course of Study: All students are schooled in the fundamentals of elemental magic, life magic, and metamagical principles. Upperclassmen are officially apprenticed to a Magister, or Fellow Magician, to develop their unique talents.
Culture: Wyrdwoodians are fiercely competitive and accustomed to fighting for accolades and attention. With each year and trial come new perks and privileges; older students perpetuate the pranks and hazing they endured the previous year (as gestures of affection, of course). Just the same, Wyrdwoodians form close friendships as a consequence of the shared ordeal. And upperclassmen do take little ones under their wing. Traditions at the Academy include:
- Midsummer Masters: A chess tournament where underclassmen, not off for the summer term, are miniaturized and made to fight as the pieces.
- Vaulting: Thrill-seeking students sneak into the Vaults, pilfering magical oddities for bragging rights. There's talk of a race of blind fish people (transformed students? dimensional interlopers?), a wish-granting mirror, and an undead wyrm.
- Lord Spencer O'Toole: Lord Spencer attended Wyrdwood Academy long ago, but he fell ill one day and returned home. The illness which could've been cured at Wyrdwood took his life at his home. His brother, an amateur necromancer, couldn't deal with the loss. When Lord Spencer died, his brother brought him back. Only... it wasn't done correctly.
- The Wishing Well: In the north courtyard, near the stable, is a wishing well. Its terribly rude and sarcastic. Curious first-years often throw junk into it for a laugh.
Room and Board: Wyrdwoodians are quartered based on age, sex, and standing. A bright girl in Year Eight might get a tower-top; ten boys in Year One will simply be crammed into a bunk. All pupils are given a set of starchy, azure robes. Stoles, gilded sleeves, and personal staves are awarded for advancement. Upperclassmen seated near the high table dine on roast game from Wyrdwood's preserve; underclassmen near the kitchens enjoy blanched greens and porridge.
Departments, Clubs, & CommitteesWithin Wyrdwood are numerous departments, committees, and fraternities. For every school of magic Wyrdwood has a practitioner. Elementalism is the favored craft, though it has pioneered the art of Soulshaping.
Divination is banned for being the stuff of charlatans and primitives; a wizard determines his own fate, and the gyrations of elemental particles are inherently unpredictable. Key factions are listed below, but many others exist:
Blue Ribboned Basilisks: The Blue Ribbons are devoted to the art of wizardly dueling. Mostly it's a social club for rowdy young mages with a penchant for destructive pranks. Still, it's responsible for many lifelong friendships, petty rivalries, and society weddings.
The Broken Seal: Officially, the Broken Seal is devoted to developing weapons for the Serenian army. In particular it is known to dabble in soulbinding and the animation of golems. No one has officially asked if infusing soulstuff to steel is so different from necromancy. No one wants to know.
The Broken Seal hand-picks upperclassmen largrly from the Serenian aristocracy, and students willing to bend their morals for the good of country. Those chosen by Maergath can spend days in Wyrdwood's Vault conducting experiments, or vanish for months in order to conduct "field research." There are rumors abound of kidnapped test subjects and dragonbone smuggling. Many of it's members go on to hold high military office, or head more conservative households.
The Reliquary: The Reliquary is responsible for archaeology expeditions, and the catalog of magical anomalies, and fantastic beasts. It is very open to outsiders and new ideas. It openly consorts with unsavory adventurers and mercenaries.