The Grotto
Floating 500 feet above the Undercroft and orbiting the central Spire of Ioth Academy clockwise, the Grotto is one of the four Lodges attended by young students. Echoing chambers, natural limestone cathedrals, crystalline geodes and pools of spring water give a sense of quiet reverence to the Grotto.
Purpose / Function
The Grotto houses and educates between two and four hundred students, from years One through Four (see Ioth Academy Curriculum) at a time. It is affiliated with the element of Earth. Students are assigned to the Grotto either because they have an innate affinity for the element of earth, or need to be balanced by that element. Grotto students tend to be either quiet and focused, or capable of great harmony. Everything echoes in the Grotto so without focus and careful discipline, there's a lot of racket.
Architecture
Almost the entirety of the Grotto is underground. From the outside, it's a floating chunk of rock. The stairs from the rest of the Academy leads directly into a semi-enclosed depression in the rock, into which rooms and pallisades have been carved. Deeper still is a network of caverns. Time and thousands of students have smoothed the main passageways and chambers. Glowing crystals provide light.
Dormitories, classrooms, libraries, meditation chambers and common areas are all caverns of various sizes. Pools of spring water provide fresh water. Most famous are the "pipe organ" formations and frozen waterfalls, all formations of limestone frozen in time. The Grotto has a beauty like a cathedral formed from the earth by the Titans themselves.
Defenses
The Grotto is the closest lodge to the ground, but it still floats 500 feet above the Undercroft. All access points are tightly controlled and monitored by caretakers.
Parent Location
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