Astra Nova is a school of region wide acclaim. Whilst guilds and academies exist that cover a slew of the same trades taught at Astra Nova, establishments like that aren't whole encompassing institutions that teach a full array of heroic subjects like is done there.
The Five Houses
Astra Nova's student body is assigned into one of five specialized coalitions within the school system, known as Houses. Each house has a dormitory building of their own dedicated to housing students of that faction, as well as a Head of House and a student leader known as a House Scion who are responsible for directing their house's student body. Their Head of House also acts as the homeroom teacher of their respective house, seeing their house's occupants on a daily basis, seeing them off to their other classes, the likes of which are attended by a mixture of students from different houses and is based off the individual student's schedule and curriculum.
The five houses carry the namesake of five individual figures from Sonenheim's history. Each house shares a special color scheme, banner, school uniform, and set of edicts inspired by the works, achievements, and traits of their respective idol. Whilst every student is supplied opportunities to learn and an equally strong curriculum on their path to becoming a hero, their house and the philosophies and morals that house emphasize give the students within a specialized focus to see it through, encouraging to their personalities, skill-sets, and backgrounds to surround them with like minded individuals they can find allies in, as well as letting them see the points of view of other houses, and how their own thoughts and codes interact with that of others in a productive, engaging environment. The five houses of Astra Nova are as follows.
| Confidence, Daring, Glory |
Named after the firehearted hero Sönnungr Sigardnison, known to the world as the hero who survived a journey through the realm of a god, bringing the mighty Storm Wyrm of the North to it's demise in single combat in a battle fought for three nights long, and vanquishing the nefarious "she-beast" known throughout the land as the Mother of Monsters. In total, he is known for carrying out the actions of 10 great victories over imensley powerful enemies and once thought impossible feats of the mortal race.
| Guile, Cooperation, Modesty |
Named after the calling card of the mysterious figure who served as a guardian of the common folk and slayer of tyrannical figures throughout their entire career. The cunning Corvian was even able to hold an entire city's worth of nobles in fear for vengeance for their greedy deeds with nothing but a single note from the vigilante shadow, all without ever being seen or caught, and with their identity or even exact gender ever being truly discovered, though The Corvian is commonly depicted as female.
| Creativity, Adaptability, Innovation |
Named after the "magic child" from the sands of the Desert of Aspis. He is a man who is recognized in his adolescence as the father of the field of alchemy as we know it now, and the hero who' body was forged of solid metal by a goddess in order to help him combat his nefarious father and the godly patron he had at his back. He did this whilst later on using his once living soul to create a magical artifact known as The Eternal Flame or the Great Machine using his own body and soul to bring verdant farmlands back to Cyress and save the afflicted of a magical ailment, saving the dying land from famine.
| Balance, Temperance, Wisdom |
Named after Solos, a venerated figure of demigod level power who, after leaving from his home on a quest of self enlightenment, traveled the land with an unlikely ally, a Monkey Queen, on a long campaign to stop a foul force of demons from destroying the land. He is well known for being a fair and just figure, as well as being kind to all living things, showing mercy and reforming people and even offering penance to demons tainted by evil. He was known just as much as a pious figure of mercy and justice as he was a slayer of evil. What he could not bring into balance, he vanquished with an arrow from his bow.
| Compassion, Unity, Empathy |
Named after a large and kind Nagano man said to have the blood of an oni coursing through his veins. He meets and later courts the cursed daughter of a noble lineage and was most notable for receiving a magic cauldron from a god, carrying the cauldron on his back and using it to mix up potions and food that was distributed to the poor and unfortunate of the land as a sort of travelling caregiver. All of this was done whilst knowing full well he was prophisized to be slain by the father of his cursed lover, as Yotamo tried to foil the ruler's nefarious plans and remove the curse from his love. After years of altruism, he peacefully surrendered his life when he was found and was hung from a cross like shaped piece of metal commissioned by a wrathful god who aided his love's father, freeing her from the curse but losing his life as a martyr. His actions inspired the nation and is said to have been the spark that led to Nagano's revolution against the emperor and the reformation of the country after a long era of civil war.
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