The Astrellos Academy of the Arcane Arts

The Astrellos Academy of the Arcane Arts, often simply referred to as "the Academy", is situated in the very centre of Astrellos. Its circular walls form a ground surrounding the Arcane Tower- an ancient relic presumed to be of Elvish origins placed on the centre of a great magical font. It is one of the most magically charged locations in all of Sedia, and is sacred and important to many local cultures.
The Academy is the main education source for Arcane Art in Sedia and also educates students from Virias and other international locations. Educating in Primarily Wizardry and Sorcery fields, the school also supports the Sedian Military with educating and training Battlemages, as well as providing courses on magical law to produce qualified Arcane Law Enforcers. Working with other universities in Astrellos, The Astrellos Academy of the Arcane Arts also provides opportunities for combination degrees in magical sciences, research and engineering.

Governance and Structure

The academy is run by the Council of Magi. The council is made up of 9 members- A Grandmaster of each of the 8 schools of magic, as well as the Archmage, who serves as the head ruling body of the academy, and who also serves the current rulers as Magical Advisor of the Realm.
Highmages: The highmages are not part of the council, but could be considered one step beneath it. They are considered experts in their fields and are also known as "Doctors" or "Professors", depending on their chosen honorific. Highmages are teachers and researchers.
Sorcery: Each field of sorcery and sorcerous origin has their own specific highmage.

Grounds

As noted above, the Academy is obviously visible above the sprawling buildings of Astrellos, even from a distance. Its most notable feature is the tower. The tower is in the centre of the city, and serves as an attraction in itself. Made of brownish-grey, granite-like stone, it is rimmed with gold at each floor causing it to glitter in the sunlight. Atop the spire at the top, there is a beacon. Once a great burning braiser, it was replaced with a fluxfluid fuelled light many years ago. The lantern only goes out for a single day a year, known as Founder's Day, where it is re-lit at midnight to re-enact the first lighting of the torch.
The building is a great and ancient relic thought to be of first age high elf origin. Its location was chosen for unknown reasons- though it is assumed it is due to the very high level of natural magic in the area and that it may have been some kind of structural conduit or focus, or a building of religious importance.
The grounds are guarded by highly trained and trusted Magi Guards. The grounds are off-limits to the general populous, and you will need a good reason to enter the gates. Reasons include inquiring to join, or needing to speak with members etc- but unless your reason is obvious and you are non-suspect, you will be accompanied by a guard at all times.

Research

The Astrellos Academy of the Arcane Arts is a notable research school, undertaking research as part of student degrees as well as by professors as teaching examples for students. The Academy holds claim to many notable discoveries and studies, including groundbreaking research on source magic and source magic conduction. Their work on the conduction of source energy through wiring, and on different materials to use as wiring has lead to massive improvements in flux technology, and has enabled Astrellos to grow as a city.
The Academy has strict rules on experimentation, and since their more strict accreditation process has been put into action, all new experiments must be approved by a board of legal experts and thoroughly documented. Despite this, many members of the public continue to speak of rumours of unlawful experimentation being undertaken as competition to graduate with high honours becomes more competitive among students.

Military Involvement

For most of Sedia's history, the government has had partnerships with the Astrellos Academy of the Arcane Arts to train, educate, monitor and sometimes house Battlemages for the Arcane Ranks of the Sedian Armed Forces. Sedia's Arcane Armed Forces have always been a large focus of their military body, and an entire wing of the school grounds is devoted entirely to training Battlemages strictly from wizardry backgrounds.

Reputation:

The Academy has long been tightly interwoven with Sedia's politics, due to the fact that many members of the Circle of Magi also hold important positions in the Sedian High Council. During the Great Sedian Revolution, the amount of corruption that high-ranking members in Government positions more publicly came to light. Since that time, the Academy has gained a reputation as a corrupt organisation that uses its prestige as a school to cover up government schemes, act as a tax loophole, and unfairly issue high grades to richer students of lower performance.
In very recent times, the school has been slowly rebuilding its reputation among the people. Although a large number of people still distrust it, a recent reshuffling of staff and a newly imposed 3-yearly accreditation inspection has softened opinions.
Despite heated opinions and everlasting debate, statistics continue to paint a picture of the Astrellos Academy of Arcane Arts as a school of great educational prestige. The school still holds record graduation and success rates compared to other lead Arcane schools in neighbouring countries. Additionally, an increase in education for magically gifted people in Sedia through newly funded additional sorcery classes has lead to a 15% decrease in Arcane crime in the last century.

Type

Educational, School/Academy