Morgrave University
The university was founded by Lord Lareth ir'Morgrave in 738 YK to be a "beacon of knowledge shining from the tallest towers of the city, illuminating the forgotten secrets of the past."
Located in the University District of Upper Menthis in Sharn, Morgrave does not have the prestige of the colleges of Arcanix in Aundair, nor the Library of Korranberg in Zilago, but does hold the honour of having the widest ranging fields of study of any institution in Khorvaire. Professors at Morgrave lecture on anything from contemporary literature, to battle field triage and the pronunciation of third century cantrips. If you want to study it, there’s a professor at Morgrave who specialises in it and some of them even take students.
It's well known that Morgrave owns pretty much all of the University district, but the University proper is comprised of six great spires arcing out over the top of the city. The central Dalannan tower is the centre of the university and the entrance to anyone wishing to enter. The other five towers half encircle it, each named after and representing each of the Five Nations and each with their own bridge to the central tower. Despite some cross over throughout the years, each tower tends to contain the departments that correspond to its namesake.
- Aundair Tower: Magic, Botany, Gastronomy, Geography
- Breland Tower: Economics, Archeology, Politics, Journalism
- Cyre Tower: Arts, Literature, Natural science, Engineering
- Karrnath Tower: Military training, History, Alchemy, Medicine
- Thrane Tower: Theology and philosophy, Mathematics, Psychology
- Dalannan Tower: The seat of university faculty, temple to Aureon and University Library.
Architecture
The beautiful gothic arches and six tall spires of Morgrave university are a sight to behold even within the City of Spires itself. The architecture of the buildings are a testimony to hundreds of years of artists, engineers and inter departmental final projects, though each of the five towers has their own style matching their namesake’s nation: the brutalism of Karrnath Tower, the bysantine domes of Thrane Tower, the baroque palisades and statues of Cyre Tower, the revivalist facades of Aundair Tower and the gothic arches of Breland Tower all cut a distinct profile around the classical simplicity of central Dalann Tower.
The university grounds, and residences show a similar tradition of varying styles with verdant botanical parks and industrialist workshops sitting side by side, though it must be said their scale and grandeur decreases as they spread out from the central spires. However, as any alumni will tell you, Morgrave’s love of variety has its limits as the warrens lower down the towers that are the student accommodations have been known to vary so rapidly to the point where a room may be split by architectural style and height, meaning the perpetual variety becomes quite uniform.
History
Before the Last War, when the continent was united as Galifar, the students of Morgrave used to be housed in the towers of their home regions with a healthy rivalry and sporting contests held between each. However, while the internationalism of the faculty was maintained during the war, the same was not possible with the students with the Brelish government decreeing only Brelish students could enrol in further education to “ensure the protection of Breland’s glorious ideals and innovation”. Why the distinction between Scholar and Student was drawn is unknown (though now routinely questioned) but for over a hundred years the tradition of the “Five Houses” was lost as only Brelish students passed through Morgraves spires, the population and outside funding for each spire, waxing and waning in turn with the distant war.
Throughout the Last War, the politics of research and academia has been a constant problem for the Five nations with the one hundred year cycle of five different detentes, new treaties, sharing of new discoveries and the inevitable renewal of tensions. Morgrave was able to endure mostly intact for two main reasons: it refused to take research projects for the Brelish Ministry of Protection, and by simply ignoring the War when it came to faculty. Scholars from different countries were welcomed and traded so long as they left the war with their coat on the way in, research teams of varying nationalities often found the funding for projects coming from ever changing sources as political landscapes changed, and even visiting lecturers often found themselves with a fully furnished apartment and starting salary in case their fortnight of presentations got extended indefinitely by the latest political treaty. That is not to say the schisms of the War never reached Morgrave, but more that the University’s insular nature within the already insular city of Sharn made the issues of the war a distant problem for many within its high walls.
Since the end of the war, Morgrave has again begun to change. Even before the signing of the treaty of Thronehold Morgrave began taking in students form other nations in 992 and incorporating them into the Brelish community, most of the time successfully. As of the 998 intake, approximately 10% of the student body is non-Brelish with a notable section of that being refugees due to the University’s Cyran Scholarship. Therefore, while the now international students are no longer grouped by tower, the population of Morgrave is once again on its way to being multicultural.
Not that this hasn’t caused problems however. While most the international students who come to Morgrave are interested in Brelish culture and so want to fit in, not all of the Brelish people and students are as pragmatic as their national stereotypes. Prejudice and hate speech was common in the first few years, though firmly stamped down on by the fairly international faculty, but tension and ocassional violence between groups of nationalistic Brelish students and the international students can still be found to this day. Not that it is all one sided as a combination of culture shock, alienation and aggression has been known to have its effect on the international students as well. Campus security now has a permanent task force prepared to seek out and prevent nationalist student groups from any nation, though with the admission of the new Warforged students this year many are holding their breath to see if undercurrents remain undercurrents with this new still contentious issue.
Type
University / Educational complex
Parent Location
Included Locations
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