Witherbloom College

College of Essence Studies

Studies and Philosophy

The curriculum of Witherbloom College focuses on various sciences, revolving around the life sciences. Biology, ecology, botany, chemistry, and related sciences combine with the study and manipulation of the magical energy of the Positive Plane and the Negative Plane, the primal forces of life and death. Witherbloom’s curriculum shares some overlap with Quandrix’s analysis of the mathematical patterns in nature.

Growth and Decay

The two deans of Witherbloom are traditionally called the Dean of the Root and the Dean of the Vein. These titles are a somewhat abstract way of framing the core division in the college’s philosophy: is growth or decay the driving force in nature? The philosophy of the root (growth) focuses on life and its irrepressible drive to thrive. This view celebrates the diversity and adaptability of life-forms, from the tiniest cells to the most complex networks of living things. The growth philosophy asserts that the urge to survive and reproduce is the most essential principle in the cosmos. Mages who adopt this view wield positive energy and practice healing magic. The philosophy of the vein (decay) focuses on the inevitability of death and decay. Its traditional name comes from the prominence of vampires within the college, whose conceptions of draining life through the vein have long proven an important counterweight to the growth philosophy of Witherbloom. The decay philosophy sees life energy as a resource to be consumed, rather than a good to be nourished for its own sake. Mages who adopt this view wield negative energy and practice necromancy.

Deep in the bayou of Sedgemoor, Widdershins Hall is the heart of Witherbloom college

Scholars of Witherbloom

Scholar	Description	Principle
Banelock	using concoctions of noxious ingredients for withering magic	Decay
Bleed doctor	drain the essence of living creatures to fuel sinister spells	Decay
Boon witch	brewing drafts to empower the living	Growth
Boughcaller	summoning creatures from bogs	Growth
Dreadbones	infusing dead tissue with magic to create Undead servants	Decay
Earthcroucher	connecting directly with the land to power nature magic	Growth
Leafbinder	using medicinal herbs to soothe wounds	Growth
Pestcatcher	harvesting life energy from the pests of the bayou	Decay