Great House Thirteen
A universal Great House focused on the distribution of common practices and knowledge, to provide continuity between the generations, and to further the sciences through the encouragement of learning and experimentation. Despite their title, they by definition not a Great House, having received and being the only one to receive "honorary" Great House status through a near-unanimous vote by the Imperial Venerate. Originally a division under Great House Solens Arc conceived in an effort to promote cooperative research, constructing the East Imperial Consecrate that would later become the Imperial College of Applied Thaumatics. The Consecrate was conceived solely as a reference library, though quickly became the premier learning center throughout the entire Meridian, scholars and alchemists empire-wide drawn to the vast vaults of arcane knowledge Solens Arc hoarded over the many centuries, now available for personal use at a cost. Additionally, they offered to pay ludicrous compensation to acquire new tomes to stock their growing library, hosting free lectures and seminars to promote and spread purchased works as part of their unusual contract policy, allowing upstart authors and scientists to gain a foothold of publicity for only a modest sum of coin. Its success in attracting the brightest minds to Solens Arc's benefit only served to incur jealously and ire from the other Great Houses, whom were largely unable to sustain their own educational programs for reasons unique only to their internal laws and restrictions. Eventually, Great House Solens Arc went on to establish the West Eschaton Consecrate to capitalize on the citizenry and their potential goldmine of suppressed knowledge, stepping over the line of tolerance for many of the other Great Houses. Solens Arc was presented with an ultimatum to relinquish sovereignty over the Consecrates in exchange for financial compensation, whom accepted as the entire force of six other Great Houses was far too much to bear, even with Monolith's aid. The Consecrates were transferred to a subsidiary House under Solens Arc, of which was immediately uplifted to Great House status to provide diplomatic immunity against assimilation. And thus the short-lived House Thirteen under Solens Arc became Great House Thirteen over the span of two nights, though their ascension came at a price to ensure their obedience to their other Great House kin. Disallowed from acquiring subsidiary houses, participating in the open market, and hosting a private military, Great House Thirteen only exists as a Great House in title, with most of the privileges implied by the status revoked and repressed.
Great House Thirteen did not need the financial support of disloyal subsidiary Houses, converting their two inherited Consecrates into Schools dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge and fostering of intellect. They proposed to the Imperial Venerate that if they wished to retain exclusive access to the wealth of information contained within their schools and to guarantee its continued operation, they will have to pay a fee for every scholar they wished to educate. Such education would include full access to all libraries available alongside the superior instruction of their cadre of Professors collectively well-versed in all practices of thaumatics for every school of magic. The other Great Houses readily accepted the relatively cheap proposition, tagging with every student they wished to be taught a small fortune for Thirteen's cooperation. The recently declared Imperial College of Applied Thaumatics - previously the East Imperial Consecrate - was specialized in the instruction of fundamental principles for scholars to become successful and productive technicians for the scholars' respective Great Houses. The West Eschaton Consecrate was converted after its construction was finalized to the Eschaton University of Theoretical Thaumatics: a monstrous facility created to accommodate the advancement of cutting edge alchemical fields; such pursuits were previously reserved for the elite, now publicly available with the blessing of a Great House. Between these two campuses, Great House Thirteen prospered, their income rivaling even that of the most mercantile Great Houses, all while being entirely disconnected and neutral from the petty politics of the same. Eventually, the Tilth Academy of Thaumatic Engineering was constructed for the sole intent of advocating innovation, utilizing Thirteen's obscene wealth to purchase and provide all resources for aspiring Engineers to practice and perfect their craft, and perhaps invent machinations and technology for the benefit of the Meridian, Thirteen receiving 50% of the acquired revenue for published works. Despite the economic impact of Great House Thirteen, they finally set the Meridian standard for universal education, allowing any and all to attend their well-established campuses to pursue higher education; something unheard of in the 250 rotations before their inception.
-The party began their adventure here under the group alias of Post 1-12: their room allocation and who they were graded as for their time under Great House Thirteen.
-Scholar Malfantedies, CALLISTO 05, Investigator Corvus IX, Transmutation Class Leader Emika, Director Cromwell, Director Luciano, Librarian Sylam'abich, Librarian Chiral, Scholar Rendictus, Vicar Faren Orr Scana, Nightshade, Divination Class Leader Misty Candy, and Borai were all met here. Their current statuses is unknown.
-Board Director Luciano is very distrusting of the party's intentions, and has actively attempted to soil their standing in the College of Applied Thaumatics after the assassination attempt at the Auditorium.
-The party learned that Malfantedies is an aspiring Alchemist for Great House Vertinal.
-It was discovered that the super-intelligent T.I.A. was a construct of Great House Thirteen: an illegal construct at best.
-Great House Thirteen and the Vicarvoyancy seem to bear an unofficial alliance, as discovered at Topaz Anchor: an illegal arrangement at best.
-Scholar Malfantedies, CALLISTO 05, Investigator Corvus IX, Transmutation Class Leader Emika, Director Cromwell, Director Luciano, Librarian Sylam'abich, Librarian Chiral, Scholar Rendictus, Vicar Faren Orr Scana, Nightshade, Divination Class Leader Misty Candy, and Borai were all met here. Their current statuses is unknown.
-Board Director Luciano is very distrusting of the party's intentions, and has actively attempted to soil their standing in the College of Applied Thaumatics after the assassination attempt at the Auditorium.
-The party learned that Malfantedies is an aspiring Alchemist for Great House Vertinal.
-It was discovered that the super-intelligent T.I.A. was a construct of Great House Thirteen: an illegal construct at best.
-Great House Thirteen and the Vicarvoyancy seem to bear an unofficial alliance, as discovered at Topaz Anchor: an illegal arrangement at best.
Structure
Great House Thirteen is currently divided into three campuses, each cooperatively managed by a board of thirteen senior professors dedicated to the advancement of knowledge. Each professor occupies a single administrative specialty for the council, but all oversee the continued success of their assets as a whole. They regularly convene to discuss large financial planning, foreign cooperatives and agreements, contracting, scholar promotions, and higher disciplinary actions. They may choose to invite lower professors to their meetings, or may choose to make them private; either way, the vote of all council members is required for any matters concerning the entirety of Thirteen. All decisions made at a campus by only a handful of the current council members must be proposed and mailed to the other campuses where the remaining members currently reside for their approval. At least seven board members of the council must agree to a proposition for it to be enacted and executed. The positions within the council of thirteen are: Director of Education, Director of Finances, Director of Records, Director of Resourcing, Director of Research, Director of Promotions, Director of Organization, Director of Alchemy, Director of Astrology, Director of Engineering, Director of Statecraft, Director of Empire. The Director of Empire position is intentionally left unfilled, as it is reserved for Astralshaper herself should she wish to witness or participate in board meetings. Under the council of thirteen are the professors, whose responsibility is to remain ready to educate scholars at any time throughout the night. Below them are the scholars themselves, whose sole job is to fulfill the educational demands of their host Great House and pass all of Great House Thirteen's tests. Should they preform adequately, the Director of Promotions will advertise their proficiency to Houses empire-wide, thereby increasing their reputation and hopefully granting them a position of prestige as soon as their education is complete.
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