Institute of Maya Zaman

The Magic College of Ruzrugh

Few trades in Totania are as well respected and important as the arcane arts, and fewer universities are there with the adequate tools to teach these arts. Among these, one stands atop the rest.
That is not the Institute of Maya Zaman.
An organization of great significance in the land of Udai, the Institute of Maya Zaman is the second most prominent and influential institution of arcane learning in Totania. Its more well-known name, the Magic College of Ruzrugh, comes from its rival school: the Magic College of Zephys. It was originally called, and still known by many as, jaaduee sanstha. This name is one it inherited from when it was just a traveling school for mages, and it translates directly to Magical Institution, for it was not a formal school at the time, but just a collective group that got together to teach magic.

Location

The Institute of Maya Zaman is located in the city of Ruzrugh, but it does not actually exist there. Instead, the city of Ruzrugh holds only the entrance to the school.

Ziusudra by Jarhed

At the top of the tallest tower, the Tired Spire, a crooked structure that juts into the sky, something strange can be found. A bright light glows three times a day, or else when a secret chain of words are uttered.
Words that only the upper echelons of the school know.
This is a portal that leads to a distant planet, supposedly artificially created by Maya Zaman herself.
The planet is called Imz, as it is the Institute of Maya Zaman itself, and serves almost entirely as housing and school grounds for the students and faculty.
Some students even remain there after graduation, building some settlements outside of Institute oversight. The party town Hazatra, the farming settlement of Suripura, and the quiet land of solitude called Unaganj are the most famous.

Leadership Structure

The Institute of Maya Zaman is not led by the ruler of a nation like the Magic College of Zephys, nor is it even run by a single person.
Instead, it has a hierarchy, which is capped off by a council of powerful mages.

Assembly of the Disassembled

The Assembly of the Disassembled is a shrouded group of mages that obscure their identities, hiding somewhere on the planet Imz. They are unaware of most goings-on in Totania, and determine the next course of action for the Institute based on what they think is best for it, rather than any outside influences.

Tarsem the Banished by Jarhed

There is only one known member of the Assembly: Tarsem the Banished, an ancient Sea Krait from before Maya Zaman. He was trapped inside the hourglass of Time Magic, and was eventually transferred to another hourglass which he is said to still live in, helping advise the future educators.
All other members are only speculated, and likely most of their names would be meaningless to those that hear them. They could be newly appointed or hundreds of years old and the world would be none the wiser.
The students do not hear from the Assembly. At most, they will get a notice from on high telling them what the Assembly has decreed, but for the most part the two are completely isolated from each other.

Chancellor of Ash

It is the Chancellor of Ash that is the voice of the Assembly to the student body and the wider world, serving as the face of the Institute of Maya Zaman. It is the position once held by the school's namesake, and derives its name from a quote from Zaman:

Founding

The Institute of Maya Zaman was once a nameless group of mages and scholars that traveled aboard the ships of the nomadic, seafaring Mammen.
No formal title was given to them, but they were often called the Sea Kraits for the great danger they posed to those that crossed them, as well as their ephemeral nature.
Spearheading much of the early days of the school, on these ships, was the necromancer Sea Krait known as Ziusudra, a powerful mage whose origins are lost to history. All that is known of them is that they were unbelievably powerful and lived for hundreds of years on board the ship, likely extended by their magical skill and knowledge.
That, and they taught a certain ace known as Maya Zaman.
Upon the death of Ziusudra, it is said Maya Zaman assumed the position as head of the Sea Kraits, and there she led her students around the world. Upon returning to the lands the Mammen frequented, they discovered the aftermath of the Beastman Genocide and Maya Zaman decided that keeping her people safe was a top priority.
Thus, she helped the Mammen migrate fully into the city of Ruzrugh, and to help legitimize it, she determined that the Sea Kraits should centralize their actions in this city. She was aware of the Magic College of Zephys and how it had helped invite people to the city, and hoped the same would happen here.
Maya Zaman did not seek glory or to rule, and so she did not stay there forever, and eventually is said to have died of mysterious causes. There are a hundred different stories, but the most plausible is that somehow, despite all the magic she knew, she drowned.
The Institute continued on in her honor, taking on her name despite her wishing for it to exist independent of her.

One-Sided Rivalry

The Magic College of Zephys and the Institute of Maya Zaman have a rivalry, as many see it. To most outsiders, they appear to be rival schools, which is where the Institute of Maya Zaman gets the name "Magic College of Ruzrugh."
The Institute of Maya Zaman tries to reach the level of the Magic College, founded well after the Zephys university. The Magic College of Zephys does not see it as a threat to its reputation, and ignores the Institute.
Thus, while the Insitute of Maya Zaman is constantly trying to increase its fame and prestige, the Magic College of Zephys can simply coast off of its place in history and the fact that influential folks from all over the world seek out a seat in its classes.

"Mages are a product of the present. We exist to forge a path towards a future we will likely not see, but we practice magic so that we may perhaps get a glimpse, when in all likelihood, all that will remain of us when our dreams come to pass is ash and faded hope."

— Maya Zaman

The Chancellor of Ash is responsible for relaying the will of the Assembly to the student body, faculty, and the world. They are an envoy of the Assembly, with some even saying they are a member. This is not true. They are beholden to the will of the Assembly, but can act on their own when the situation calls for it.

Maya Zaman by Jarhed

Those that hold the position of Chancellor of Ash are some of the greatest mages in the world, rivaling the Draconian Grand Wizard at times (and at other times falling vastly below the likes of the greatest Grand Wizards, such as Kilprax Ildial). During the Grand Wizard Struggle, when the Magic College of Zephys's administrative position lost a great deal of respect, it was the Chancellor of Ash that became the ambassador for all things magical in Totania.
The day-to-day affairs of the Institute are handled by the Chancellor, or someone they appointed to take care of their affairs.

Masters of Study

The Masters of Study are those who, in other schools, are known by titles like professor. They are the educators, experts in their fields who are very familiar with the many magical arts.
A goal of the Institute of Maya Zaman is to have working professionals, mages that are out in the field working towards the betterment of the world, teaching the future of magical society. This does not, however, always work out. Many mages work simply to attain the title of Master of Study and then coast off of that, or retire from their field work upon becoming a Master of Study.
Due to this, as the Institute has continued on, its curriculum may suffer, as its Masters of Study are not aware of the state of the world that they are sending their students out into. At times, they may be preparing them for an age that has already passed.

Sea Krait

The title of Sea Krait is one that originates from the school's roots, before it was an official school. Since the Institute itself was founded, the title has gone on to mean top students in a class, who serve as examples for their fellow classmates and help in lessons.
Sea Kraits are given special privilege, allowing them to arrange official trips for the school and act on school business. They are the only students allowed to freely leave Ruzrugh without permission, as everything they do is sanctioned by the school and is believed to be within the Institute's best interests.
When one graduates as a Sea Krait, they are given the option to remain at the Institute to go on towards a path as a Master of Study, to remain on Imz in another capacity, to become an ambassador for the school, or simply to leave. They are also given an enchanted item of their choice from the school. Other graduates are not afforded these options
Below the Sea Kraits are all other students, as well as faculty that are deemed "lower ranking" which means those that do not have a role in the actual education of students, such as those involved in food preparation and cleanliness around Imz.

Traditions

Classes

To combat the Magic College of Zephys, an exclusive university that only accepts 16 students for a 4 year education the Institute of Maya Zaman opens its doors to more students, instead accepting around 100-150 students every year, spread out into different classes.
These students are then broken off into areas of study that are focused around their magical technique. These include:

Institute of Maya Zaman Uniform by Jarhed

• Necromancy
• Alchemy
• Bardic Practice
• Druidry
• Beastmastery
• Puppetry
• Enchantment
• Reliquary
• Illusionry

Some students focused on more basic techniques are instead sorted into class based on Elemental Affinity, and there are curriculums for various innate magical abilities, such as Area Devil Abilities or those of the Korvians.
Students capable of all affinities, Aces, are given special one-on-one classes.

Uniforms

The Institute of Maya Zaman has a uniform, which it requires students to wear during special events including orientation, graduation, and exams. It is made of a purple material that is naturally occuring on Imz, which can be found nowhere else, known as Utnap, which helps the students stand out in the yellow-ish terrain around the schoolgrounds on Imz.
It includes a hood and cape to protect from sandstorms, as well as a mask to obscure identities to help foster a more unified student body.

Acceptance and Prestige

Students are accepted into the Institute of Maya Zaman via a magical trial held in Ruzrugh, where various puzzles are set out that can only be solved through intelligence and magical use. This helps to ensure that only the best of the best are accepted.
At least, the best that were not accepted to the Magic College of Zephys.
Princes, Village Chiefs, Elven Captains, Dwarven Generals, and other prominent individuals seek out the Magic College. Therefore, the Institute can admit more people of lower status, or at least lesser nobility and status, or the rejects that were denied entrance.
It is not a bad institute to learn at. While many chide those that attend it for not going to Zephys, the students still end up as capable, intelligent mages capable of enduring the struggles of the world. Most of the time.