University of Delavar
Year 568, era of the Movement
Teaching for a bright future
Founded by visionaries, the University hides not their dark past and instead uses it to teach about the consequences of practical research and raises some of the most brilliant minds in the city.
The University of Delavar is the oldest standing institution in Meeraz, founded around 1100 years ago by the Delavar twins, and the one with darkest past. They are the most famous institution in Meeraz, both for their old errors and the brilliant researchers they educate, for that, they are also one of the hardest institution to join.
Structures
Theorica is the oldest building, being propierty of the university since it was open. It is filled with classrooms and studying rooms, where the classes occur and the students can study either alone or in groups. It also holds offices for the teachers and a small library filled with books written by university students and teachers .
Applica is the second oldest building, built to move all the laboratories out of the main building so there was more space for both classrooms and laboratories. It's where all the practise happens and also holds a few storage rooms for all the materials used in the laboratories.
In the center of the plaza, a statue stands, representing both Delavar twins, back-to-back, holding books and flasks. Each sibiling extends one arm, holding a flask, the arm, if followed, points to either the Theorica or the Applica buildings. The statue was made after the twin's death to honour them.
The two associated buildings is a library and a "Break house". They are not property of the university, they are their own organism, but since many students and workers of the university visit them, they struck a deal with the university to work together.
The library has been associated since a start and people are allowed to stay as much time as possible and take as many books as possible as long as they hadn't broken any rules.
The "Break house" has a big restaurant/cafeteria floor for people to eat (students and teachers have discounts) as well as leisure rooms and a gym for use when people are taking a break.
This abandoned building is not in the main plaza, but hidden behind the Applica building. Originally, it was supposed to be a warehouse with all the materials used across the main two buildings, but in truth, darker things were going on.
The building, while having a warehouse facade, holded a few laboratories, hidden behind secret entrances, were a group of researchers of the university committed attrocious experiments almost 900 years ago. These experiments were only found out after the whole univerity was inspected by the Pillar of Law following the assassination of Nera. Since then, the building has been abandoned.
History
The Delavar twins had spent years recompiling and learning as much knowledge as Meeraz could offer them. After they gained some renown for their vast knowledge, people started going to them to ask them to share their knowledge.
Soon, the sibilings found themselves overwhelmed with the attention and constant harrasement and decided to organise classes, where people had to pay to come and learn. This wasn't the first time Meeraz had this method, but the charisma and knowledge of the sibilings quickly made their improvised school grow too much for them to run it all on themselves.
Seeing the success of the twins, the Pillar of Education offered them a building and money to pay extra teachers in exchange of keeping the information free and keep gathering more knowledge. The twins gladly accepted and, after months (some even say years) of teaching a few people so they could teach other people, they started gathering new knowledge with help of old students of theirs.
For almost a decade researchers had been learning about Starfading and the Starfaded without having a living person to learn from, only learning from rumours, stories, and any other kind of proof they could get their hands on. And then, one of the researchers turned into a Starfaded, with a burning desire of learning about Starfading. The researched allowed others to experiment (with some boundaries) on themselves and wrote the best book about Starfading, still keeping the "best" title nowadays.
After the initial panic of the lost of light happened after Nera's death, the Pillar of Law discovered that the university was the cause of it.
Initially, the university was to be permanently closed, but since it holded a lot of historical presence, as the first university of Meeraz, an agreedment was struck between the Pillar and the university.
The university started researching ways of transportation that didn't rely on animals. They got permission from both pillars but haven't shared a lot more towards the public. It's been a bit hard to ignore the sail-less ship they are constructing in one of the harbours.
With the suddent apparition of Portals, the university didn't hesitate to ask permission to research them and experiment on them, which the Pillars agreed to, but only allowed access to a portal that appeared in a cave of Nika.
Teachers and honour students
Teacher of Ethical Studies
-512 to -448
Lire was born in a family of scientists and forced into the science world. While she was in the university, it was discovered that her grandfather was involved in awful experiments in the abandoned building. Since then, she made her goal in life to teach people about ethics in science, and rised to be one of the best teachers of Ethical Studies.
Her success came with a lot of struggles. Right after her grandfather was found to be part of the considered "evil" group of the university, people didn't want to be involved with her and didn't trust her. She always was transparent, even if results made her look bad or if they contradicted her theory.
When she became teacher, she never hid her grandfather's action and actively used it as example of the problems that unethical science can bring.
Starfaded
-528 to -476
Tyras was one of the students that were allowed to travel and research Starfading and Starfaded, and everyone could see how much interested into it they were compared to everyone else. An unhealthy obsession, some called it; a perfect researched spirit, others called it.
While investigating it, Tyras started to undergo Starfading, and wrote and researched on themselves as the condition evolved and progressed. The university research had learnt about this process but was still unsure of the totality of it. After the process was over, he documented any change on their person: physical, mental, and even the appareance of magic.
This obsession of theirs only deepened when they become a Starfaded. It caused them to ask their mates to experiment on themselves (with some boundaries and limits). Before passing because of a faulty experiment, they wrote the most detailed and well written book about Starfading and Starfaded that is still yet to be beaten.
Pillar of Research
-361 to -233
Kelra lived in the transition from living in a permanent night to having daylight again. She lost her parents to the transition as they couldn't stand the change to light since they had born in a world of night. She pleadged her life to learning the conditions caused by the transition and how they could be taken care of. She managed to get in the university with a young age, but no one took her seriously other than her classmates.
After finishing her studies, she not only managed to excel on the psychological research and helped a lot of struggling people, but also raised ranks and become the Pillar of Research.
Beautiful as always, Cato! <3
Thank you <3
Cool reads: Reaching the Meeraz | University of Delavar | Meeraz Morrow | Catoblepon's rambles