College of Biogenesis

Situated on a large island far out at sea between the two great continents of the world, the College of Biogenesis has stood strong for hundreds of years. Once upon a time it had been a single structure. A large, marble building adorned with alabaster decorations and golden filigree that sat surrounded by dense woodland overlooking a great bay. Now, however, that building exists only as a small part of a greater whole. Just as the art of biogenesis is always evolving so too is the college itself. Vegetation has overrun what was once chiseled stone, though by no natural means. Great trees rise high from the earth, their thick branches entangled and fused together to form walls and hallways that spread across the entirety of the island. Their leaves, still green and alive as ever, overlap with one another, forming a feather-like barrier that blocks out unwanted rain.
The college is more than some bent plant-life, however. It is a super-organism. An artificial ecosystem carefully crafted around the lives of the students and teachers that live inside. Thousands of insects, designed expressly not to carry disease, scurry around behind the scenes eating harmful bacteria and aiding in the recycling of dead matter, which in turn helps rejuvenate the living tissue that makes up the walls and furniture used by the staff. These insects are also designed to avoid human contact entirely, always working out of sight and out of mind, as well as to defecate in specific locations within the facility so as not to contaminate anything.
Other creatures living on campus include light-flies. Insects that produce an incredible amount of light for their size and roam in swarms. They follow just above human pedestrians, providing them with better lighting and able to be commanded with the use of simple magic. Ferry-turtles rest near the banks of large ponds, ready to carry passengers across bodies of water to their destination. Fetch-monkeys swing overhead, carrying items of value with their three prehensile tails on request.
The college is divided into layers based on altitude, each one with a specific purpose.
The Undergrowth: The ground floor of the college. Great trees rise high from the earth, their thick branches entangled and fused together to form walls and hallways. These labyrinthine passages encompass the entire island, leading to and from the many study halls, libraries, research facilities, and breeding farms. Roots are carefully bent around and away from the halls residents must walk, and in place of roads of gravel or stone are long paths of long grass carefully woven into a thick, yet soft, mat pleasant to tread upon. This layer of the college is known as the undergrowth paths. The only light within the great halls of the wooden college is the product of bio-luminescence. A soft, golden light illuminates the long halls, generated by special flowers that decorate the foliage that makes up the ceiling.
The Understory: Beneath the thick roof of foliage and above the layers of brambles and flowers that pedestrians know of as the ceiling is what is known as the college’s understory layer. This is an area inaccessible by most mages of the college and serves as a space for the insects, fetch-monkeys, and other messenger-beasts to traverse without distracting the students below. It is a wide and mostly open space filled with seemingly obstructive branches that have been purposefully grown to make clear and wide paths for the mass transport of mages across the campus.
Transport-Sloths are the largest creatures found on this level. Huge creatures, easily nine feet in height, with four long, grasping arms and equally long legs pass through the trees by moving from branch to branch. Their ribs extend outside their backs and fuse together forming a large cage that can hold up to three human passengers comfortably, complete with seating and handle bars to hold onto. They are surprisingly swift for creatures made using the giant sloth as a basis, but the ride is known to be very bumpy.
The Canopy: The thickly layered barrier of giant leaves and branches that protects the college from rain, storms, and sunlight is called the canopy. Despite what many believe this layer is quite resilient and perfectly able to support human weight. To that end many athletic sports events are hosted up here when the weather is clear. Stands can be conjured from the branches below and seats of soft leaves are known to be very comfortable. Other times students have been known to sneak up to the canopy level to have picnics in the sunlight and enjoy the tropical breeze the island offers.
The Emergent Layer: While the canopy is the roof of the college there are several tall, hollow trees that rise above it. These towers serve a variety of purposes, from being locations to study astronomy to simple scenic areas to enjoy one’s evening. A few of these tree-towers also house messenger birds and brain-beast overminds to network the school’s many brain-beasts together. The largest of these towers holds the aviary, where the giant, winged reptiles the college uses for off-campus travel are located.

Layout

Much of the actual classrooms are situated in and around the old, stone structure that was once the college. Though the needs of the students have greatly outgrown what the old building could handle many new facilities have grown out since then. This area exists in the southern portion of the island near the bay, just north of the college’s harbor. The bay itself hosts a number of underwater facilities used for aquatic experimentation.

The center of the island is where the farmlands are. Food and various beasts are raised here both for the college’s own use and for export. There is a small lake at the heart of the island that is used both for fresh water for the animals and plants as well as yet another underwater research facility, this one used for fresh water experiments.
Around the island’s interior is a ring of laboratories where many of the graduated mages work. These labs have spawning pools and other necessary resources needed to do their work. Outside the ring of labs is a ring of housing facilities where the staff and students live. Rooms overlooking the island’s beautiful beaches are typically reserved for the staff while students live in smaller interior rooms.
In addition there are five smaller islands around the main island. Each one has been extensively terraformed by magic to represent a unique biome for different creatures. There is one for tundra, one for desert, one for jungle, one for mountains, and one for open grassland.

Type

College / Academy

Owning Organization

College of Biogenesis