The Academy of Arcanium

Introduction and Overview

To most in Terrania, the Academy of Arcanium is the ostentatiously ornate building from which its inhabitants peer down on the locals perched above in their ivory towers; seldom ever leaving its walls. But, while somewhat accurate to a fault, there is so much more between those walls.
The Arcanium is the haute couture center for learning any and all things related to the Arcane. Whether you wish to learn how to harnass the power or maybe you were lucky enough to have said power rush through your blood, this would be the best place for you.

Structure And Goals

From a top level down view, the Academy is not a single entity, but instead a grand collection of annexes stretching across Terrania, with a presence of varying size and influence in just about every city center. The central campus is located in Bordeloux, and it is here the curriculum and dogma related to arcane scholarship and study is theorized, developed and written to be sent down the avenues of inquiry to its annexes.
At the annex level it functions very similarly to a school. In the halls of an Arcanium Annex, you would see groups of students vigorously being led by teachers in subjects related to the Arcane: Transmutation, Illusion, Evocation, Enchantment, etc. The teachers; as master controllers of the Arcane recruited from all over Terrania and Umbregia; help the students further their exploitation of the arcane. The more renowned the teacher, the more in demand their classes, and annex will be. This is why many of the best arcane experts in our world have ended up in the halls of an Arcanium Annex.
But the Arcanium isn't just about learning how to throw a firebolt. Beyond wielding the arcane, those under its roof create literature in the arcane, and experiment with its vast effects. Researchers scour historical documents, and create their own from observations of experiments in the Arcanium as they endeavor to fully understand how the arcane works in our world. The centuries of shared knowledge has been the Arcaniums greatest muse and most influential impact. New spells are birthed in its walls as its researchers blend components with varying and new techniques to enhance or change the resulting reaction. Additionally specialists tinker with magical objects hoping to unwrap their connections to replace it or copy it to another object. The various objects exuding magical properties sprinkled in our world are said to have all spent time within or were created at an annex.
For those in the Arcanium, the Arcane is not static, and commits to pursuing ways to manipulate and develop it to serve us better.

History

Much of The Academy's founders and early history seems intentionally obscured by the mists of time. Apparently, (or at least speculated that) there is a written history of the Arcanium that goes back to the start of it all, the Terranian Awakening. But, the Arcanium fiercely hides those written answers deep within its highest levels of stewardship. To what end? For what reason? Only those at the top of the Arcanium’s ivory towers will ever know for certain.
What we do know for certain, is this version of the Arcanium was centered in the coastal city of Eridenne, Ankerya in roughly about the mid 950s AC.This information was dug up from Ankerya records written around that time. Apparently, the leader (now known as ArchProvost) was a powerful nobleman named Shazadee Zahurd. He had used his vast wealth to build the fledgling house of learning into a prestigious institution of arcane. It's unclear if Shazadee was a great teacher; or merely a grand financier. Regardless, the Academy began to attract folks from not only all over Ankerya, but all over Terrania. As a result, towards the end of Shazadee’s life, the Arcanium began building annexes in other cities along the coast of the Medialulem Sea, like Tunesta, Athenera, Jergencrest and Bordeloux
In the late 1200s AC, the destabilizing Pyrhems Calamity created great instability around the Medialulem Sea. At the height of Pyrhems wrath, large sections of Eridenne had been destroyed during the Great Siege of 1241. At the time the Arch Provost was a Half-Elf named Valorie Boldwinter  (a rumored paragon of Auril). Fearing continued unrest causing the collapse of the institution and defilement of its sacred libraries and grandiose vaults; Valorie relocated the central campus to Jergencrest, Varangia. There were a number of reasons for this choice. First of all; the Jergencrest annex had grown to become the 3rd largest in Terrania (after Athenera and Bordeloux) after only a few years from being established. Secondly, the Varagia Empire’s ascent had created a wondrous, peaceful and prosperous land. Finally, its location on the coast allowed for considerably more freeing travel, and its members could easily travel to and from anywhere in Terrania, and had a clear path to Umbregia.
From this point forward the Arcanium expanded rapidly. Over the next few centuries, Annex’s began popping up all over the continent. By the 1700s AC, most major cities in Ankerya, Primrose, Varangia, Madrinada and Toussaint housed an annex. It's also around this time the rivalry of the Azuth-Mystra philosophies brimmed over the sides. All involved parties have been incredibly hush-hush, but a significant part of the Arcaniums intercontinental leadership broke off their commitment to the Arcanium in 1739. This is where the ethereal Diablerie sparks into existence. While the actual ideals and goals of the Diablerie are unknown to outsiders, anyone with a functional understanding of the Azuth-Mystra debate can hazard a guess, freedom from constraint.
Finally, in more recent news; the central campus was once again relocated. This time to the largest and most influential campus in Bordeloux, Toussaint. The cause was the volatility of the Plume Night in Horthmert, and it's ripples of chaos throughout the once great empire of Varangia.

How to Join

If you are interested in grasping the basics of the arcane, or want to hone your skills in a particular field, then the Arcanium is your best bet. But it's easier said than done. Most Annexes have no space for new students. And even if one opens, you’ll need a lot of renown, ducats and probably a prestigious recommendation to boot. Neither of those three things are easy to obtain, let alone all three. But, if you somehow obtain those three elements, then the Arcane is at your fingertips. You’ll begin by enrolling in a couple of basic programs and as you build up your knowledge and repertoire, new and more complex programs will open. As does the potential to be hired into one of its many fields of research and scholarship. It is at this point many individuals in the Arcanium decide to make a life of it.

Founded: 950 AC (Estimated)
Headquarters: Bordeloux, Toussaint
Current Leader: Arch-Provost Naylion Clearmind (1751 - Present)