Asdini College
The Seeds of Empire
From the smallest seed, sprouts the essence that nourishes mighty realms. It is through these humble origins that armies embark on their campaigns, rulers guide their dominions, and economies flourish. Without crops, all crumbles into disarray. Let no disdain be cast upon our vocation, for without our toil, their endeavors would be futile and meaningless.The Asdini College, situated in the city of Khomedasht, Sarzamin, serves as a prestigious institution devoted to the study of horticulture and agriculture. In addition to its academic pursuits, the college is dedicated to the cultivation of exceptional and prized plant species. It also serves as the custodian of the Imperial Granaries, safeguarding the vital grain reserves. The college was initially established in the year 215BSF by the Kanodite Empire, primarily functioning as a vast granary. However, in 208BSF, it expanded its scope to include research endeavors aimed at enhancing crop yields. Over time, the college's research mandate broadened, transforming it into a vital hub of botanical knowledge, serving both academic and practical purposes. A significant portion of the college complex, approximately one-third, is dedicated to the Imperial Granaries. These meticulously arranged storehouses securely hold immense quantities of grains and cereals. The reserves play a crucial role in sustaining the population during periods of meager harvest, supporting prolonged military campaigns, and ensuring the city's stability during extended sieges. Additionally, offerings made to the Great King, particularly crops and fruits, find their safekeeping within these granaries. The remaining two-thirds of the Asdini College are dedicated to academic pursuits and agricultural endeavors. The college's primary focus lies in the comprehensive study and documentation of plant species, while also disseminating acquired knowledge to landowners and scholars alike. To facilitate their research, the college possesses expanses of land specifically allocated for the cultivation of rare, valuable, or intricate plants. It is rumored that well-connected individuals have the opportunity to acquire seeds from the college, enabling them to establish their own private collections. Like many institutions, the Asdini College endured significant hardships during the period known as Sunfall and its immediate aftermath. The college grounds suffered the loss of nearly all its preserved specimens, while most of the academic texts were destroyed. However, concerted efforts by the Dobarid Empire have led to the rediscovery of a considerable amount of information, allowing for the reestablishment of vital knowledge. Nevertheless, certain details regarding exotic or complex species remain lost, potentially forever beyond recovery.
Contents
Etymology
The college bears the eponymous title of Prince Asdin, the third son of Great King Amavand III of the Kanodite Empire. Prince Asdin, an ardent botanist with a lifelong devotion to agricultural pursuits, significantly shaped the field through his scholarly contributions. His sudden death in 209BSF prompted the establishment of the college under the directive of his father. This institutional endeavor aimed to perpetuate Asdin's substantial body of work and continue his steadfast commitment to agricultural advancement. The college once housed a prominent bronze statue of Prince Asdin, serving as a tangible reminder of the prince within the courtyard adjacent to the academy.
From the smallest seeds grow the largest trees. Here, we study both the seed and the tree.
History
The establishment of the Royal Granaries, occupying a significant one-third portion of the Asdini College, can be traced back to their inception by the Kanodite Empire in 215BSF. Throughout the existence of the empire, these granaries served as a crucial component of their agricultural infrastructure. The construction of the College was completed in 208BSF. However, with the downfall of the Kanodite Empire in 6ASF, control over the Royal Granaries and the College itself transitioned to the Dobard Empire together with Khomedasht as a whole.Kanodite Period
During the reign of the Kanodite Great King Kambiz, the resettlement of Khomedasht took place in XBSF. With an ambitious vision of establishing a new imperial capital, construction activities commenced under his guidance. However, it was under the rulership of his son, Amavand III, that the focus shifted towards fortifying the city's defenses in the early years of his reign. In line with this objective, Amavand III initiated the establishment of the Imperial Granaries, strategically designed to store an ample supply of grain capable of sustaining the city throughout a prolonged siege. Tasked with overseeing the granaries and spearheading efforts to enhance grain collection and harvests across the empire, Prince Asdin, one of Amavand's sons, assumed a pivotal role. His appointment aimed to ensure effective management of the granaries and promote agricultural prosperity throughout the realm.
Asdin, a keen botanist, embarked on an extensive tour across the Kanodite Empire to locate individuals possessing detailed expertise in agriculture and horticulture. By actively seeking out farmers, landowners, and hunters, he aimed to find knowledge that could help the Kanodite Empire as a whole. Asdin's pursuit of knowledge was abruptly halted by a brief illness that claimed his life in 209BSF, leaving his research endeavors incomplete but well documented.
The Imperial Granaries behind the academy
Qelb trees take nearly three hundred years to grow to maturity. They were chopped down and thrown on the fires, like common oak.
In the aftermath of the catastrophic event known as Sunfall, the Imperial Granaries endured extensive looting, resulting in significant losses. Furthermore, the once-vibrant plant life within the academy grounds suffered a dire fate, either succumbing to neglect, being stolen, or utilized as firewood. The scholars, gardeners, and guards entrusted with the care of the academy abandoned their posts, prioritizing their own survival amidst the turmoil.
Dobarid Period
Inheriting a fragmented empire, the initial Dobarid monarchs dedicated significant efforts to restoring stability within their territories and fortifying defenses to ward off potential invasions from rival successor states. Priority was given to fortifying and safeguarding the Imperial Granaries, reestablishing the crucial role they played in ensuring the empire's sustenance. The academy grounds underwent thorough investigation in search of remaining fragments of valuable information, although much had been irretrievably lost in the aftermath of Sunfall. Unfortunately, the cataclysmic event had decimated the repository of plant specimens, leaving none to be salvaged. Nonetheless, modest progress was made in locating surviving individuals who had once been associated with the college. Their recollections and expertise were diligently documented, and efforts were made to rewrite some of the lost papers, preserving what knowledge could be revived and safeguarded.Dedicated endeavors have been undertaken to recapture and unearth the knowledge that had previously been lost. Recognizing the importance of agriculture as a source of stability for the Kanodite state, the successor states have invested substantial resources in reclaiming their agricultural heritage. Noteworthy progress has been achieved in areas such as research on crop yields and enhancing operational efficiencies, which have garnered considerable attention. However, the broader scope of research pursued during the Kanodite era, those encompassing botanical studies, have seen diminished popularity and inadequate funding.
I often wonder if I have discovered something new or have I just re-learnt something we once knew. Have I made a great discovery or just re-treading the ground already covered?
Function
The college serves two purposes; a large repository for grain and cereal crops and an academy for horticultural study and research. The academy divides its time between focussing on arable crops, particularly wheat and barley and researching rarer and more complex plantlife used for medicinal, herbal or financial gain. Whilst the granaries and the college are found within the same complex, they are operated independently of each other. The granaries, in particular, are highly guarded to ward off would-be thieves and are in a gated compound.They'll teach you how to grow more. Great... Doesn't help me or my family when my crop fails. If the sun doesn't ever shine, a lecture isn't going to feed us.
Both the Kanodite Empire and the Dobarid Empire use the Shalikdom system of governance. This system has regional governors, Shaliks, who send tribute to the capital annually. All grains sent to the capital as tribute, or grown locally, find their way to the granaries to remain until needed. Previously, the grain kept in the granaries has been used to protect the city during a siege, to share with the local populace during harsh winters (particularly those post-Sunfall) and to support extended military campaigns.
Collection
The Asdini College has researched and grown a wide array of crops, plants, trees and berries in the pursuit of agricultural knowledge. The college spent many years researching the Qelb Tree in an attempt to find a way to grow them sustainably (with limited success) and has several medicinal treaties on the propagation, cutting and usage of the Theml Root. This research was ordered by the Kanodite Great King X to aid his military endeavours and the root remains the principal painkiller used by the successor kingdoms, despite the in-depth knowledge required to cut it to be a usable medicine.
The Qelb Tree. Several trees are grown at the Asdini College
Architecture
The Asdini College is made up of the granaries to the rear and the academic grounds at the front. The academy faces outwards to the main road and is front by a large pond with fountains pouring into it. This water is used for aesthetics but also as a drinking source for locals and to water any plants growing within the grounds of the college. The main building is used as an auditorium for lectures and public meetings. It is also used as the meeting area for those wishing to sell any rare seeds or plants that they are willing to part with. To the north of the main building is a library building designed to hold the scrolls of writing covering horticultural topics. This building has several side rooms for private audiences to read on their needed topic and for the academics to research in seclusion. To the south of the academy is a walled area reserved for growing plants currently being studied. The majority of this area is regularly re-used once treatises and papers are completed. A set portion is placed aside for the cultivation of rarer plants and trees, typically if they are of interest to the state or worth large amounts.Never forget that the reason this academy exists, the beautiful gardens, bountiful orchards and the chance to research as we do is because of grain. A cereal crop, unremarkable really. Never forgot, it's the unremarkable things that let us learn about the remarkable.
Behind the academy, gardens and vineyards are the Imperial Granaries. The granaries are walled and arranged in four rows of eight, number thirty-two in total. Designed solely for practicality and security, they are made of mud-brick with an opening at the top reached by a stairway. It is in this hole that grain can be poured in or removed, with a hatch securing the top against rodents or birds. Each magazine can hold enough grain to supply the city for two weeks and the mud-brick is designed to keep moisture out and keep the grain cool to ensure it does not spoil or begin growing. All of the magazines are regularly checked for structural or weather damage by engineers to ensure they are fully functional.
Asdini College
The Seeds of Empire
General Information
Type:
Civic
Location:
Khomedasht
Sarmazin
Sarmazin
Construction Started:
215BSF
Construction Completed:
204BSF
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