Augurium

"We are in the city, but not of the city. This distinction is your first and most crucial lesson. As a sorcerer, you are set apart. Something inside you, this thread of the Weave in your veins, makes you special. You are sanctified for a purpose. We will teach you to harness these abilities and powers. In exchange for the freedom of study and for the scholarships provided so that no student may go without the necessary support this school provides, we serve at the request of the Platinum Scales. The best of us may even march with the Talons of Justice should such a conflict arise. In the meantime, we train and grow stronger. Welcome to your new home, students. Welcome to the Augurium." - Headmaster Chaucer

On the southern edge of the city, the original barracks outgrown by the Talons of Justice serves as the castle and keep known as The Augurium, an academy and research facility of divination and other facets of sorcery. The Augurium functions as an entirely self-sufficient community with a functioning tavern open to the public, three beautiful courtyards, and a towering library with thousands of tomes. In the central hallways, the grand vaulted ceilings depicting previous headmasters and their great deeds or contributions to the city, the castle is the envy of many magic-less miners and the aspirations of many wishful children in Avraathe waiting for their spark of power to ignite within.
The members of the Augurium are welcome members of the city, though not without some hesitation given their unknown powers. The students typically hold very little personal property and are not directly involved with the economic wellbeing of the city in exchange for their scholarships and continued support by the Church of Xymor. In return, their divination abilities are often requested during trials of judgement or in evaluation of civil disputes. It is not uncommon for Auguries, as they are referred to by outsiders, to provide unofficial services to the aristocrats of the city in exchange for spending money or other services.

Architecture

Centered around an open stretch of connected courtyards, the Augurium's main structures all face one another in an extended rectangular quad.
The first is the Tower of Tutelage, where majority of the classes and structured training sessions occur. Meant to reflect the neverending journey of education, the building has an illusion cast on it to appear as if it spirals upward forever when looking from directly below it at the entry.
The second is the Library, the predominant source of knowledge and research. Dialogue-based instruction often happens in an amphitheater attached to the side of the structure which is four floors in all, including a basement of just historic collections.
The third is the Library of Libations, run by Beldan Runehammer. The original library, it still uses all the original stone shelving for storing the wide variety of beverages sold as well as strange knick knacks and relics from Runehammer's days of adventuring and serving in the Platinum Order.
The fourth is the Central Hall, the central tower of campus which hosts the offices and private studies for the staff and professors. The top floor also hosts the Augery, a glass sphere that is used to focus and maintain the concentration of the magical defenses of the city as well as the convenience and functionality of the recent updates made. These spells consist of creating the breeze in the Garden Ward, keeping the smell of the tanneries and other animal processing establishments away from the city, creating the lights that keep the city lit at night, and the illusion of the Tower of Tutelage, among others.
In addition to these structures, there are a number of barracks turned into more spacious dorm-room style apartments where students reside.

Alternative Names

The Old Barracks, The Academy,

Type

College / Academy

Parent Location

Avraathe