Ironforge University
Ironforge University is the most renowned academic location in Totania. Located at the Northern Edge of the Dwarven Capital city of Ironforge, Ironforge University is said to take up a quarter of the entire city.
This is not, however, counting the cavernous locations that are settled in in the surrounding mountains, where some Dwarves live inside the caves.
Founding
Ironforge University was founded by Archibald Forvian V in the year 12. Archibald was an unknown Dwarf at the time who came upon a massive fortune and decided to put it into mass education. Archibald's origins were unknown, but his family quickly gained traction. Some political rivals fabricated claims Archibald was Human and meant to sabotage Dwarven society, but his contributions in the form of Ironforge University quickly disproved this.Balrus by Jarhed
Expansion
Initially, Ironforge University was a humble place of study. However, it was a Dwarf named Balrus, co-creator of Dwarven Sport Flingo Ball, who expanded the college's prospects. Balrus's sport had been getting very popular, so in 151, two years after its creation, he suggested the school get involved. They were hesitant to participate in such a violent sport until students petitioned. Soon enough, Flingo Ball would be engrained in Dwarven culture as much as Beards and the Hjiffnz E Ceremony. This was very lucky for Ironforge University. With Balrus helping them study his sport, and a team taking his advice, they won tournament after tournament and gained massive funding and renown for more than just education. This coincided with the Grand Wizard Struggle, where the Magic College was losing traction as an institution. So the Headmaster of Ironforge University at the time expanded the majors they offered. He created new majors, hired new teachers, and hired as many people he could to build new parts onto the school, taking over more and more of Ironforge with the school.Campus
There are many famous and well known parts of the campus of Ironforge University.Melthrum by Jarhed
Orange Phoenix HQ
The Orange Phoenix squad of mages has one of its two bases at Ironforge University, where many of its more experienced soldiers teach courses. Magic Studies, for instance, is often taught by the Dwarven General of the Orange Phoenixes. Their HQ in the University is one of the few areas in the University that is off limits to anyone but students and soldiers. Outside visitors, no matter what, are not allowed in. Few reports of the interior are known, though it is believed to be a wondrous place akin to the office of the Grand Wizard itself.Archibald's Books
Archibald's Books is the library and bookstore of Ironforge University. It is open to all students and any visitor who can prove they mean no harm. What this means is not that they have to go through any test or that they must not bring weapons. It only means that they are sized up and it is determined whether the strongest person on campus, often a Dwarven General, would be able to take them in a fight were they to do anything. Aside from the Temples of the two Gods of Knowledge, Sia and Mimir, and the Clolith Library of the Magic College, Archibald's Books is likely one of the most centralized locations of knowledge in Totania. Some personal bookstashes may be more impressive, like a supposed Korvian mansion filled with books or the Court WIzard Tower in Nerodil. The librarian is often a student or recent graduate looking for money before they can get a stable job with their degree and education. They know that they'll get something out of it, but the job of librarian is a nice fallback in case. However, librarians at Archibald's Books will often say they do not get paid enough to deal with some of the people that pass through that bookstore.Location
Ironforge University is in a scenic localle that overlooks Human Territory, as well as the city of Ironforge itself. There is a guarded path to reach the Temple of the Dwarven God Hadur, as well as convenient Caravans and Hot Airships to other places on weekends.Majors
There are many majors one can study at Ironforge University. Here are a list of them:- Forging
- Weapons Forging
- Armor Forging
- Everyday Forging
- Forge Maintenance
- Dwarf Studies
- Elf Studies
- Draconian Studies
- Korvian Studies
- Humanoid Studies
- Family Studies
- Religious Studies
- Magic Studies
- Gender Studies
- Tactics
- Combat Training
- Alchemy
- Medicinal Herbs
- Biology
- Psychology
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Statistics
- Education
- Dwarvish
- Common
- Elvish
- Draconic
- Gnomish
- Goblin
- Orcish
- Kamejin
- World Literature
- Pre-Humanity
- Philosophy
- Enchantment
- International Relations
- Law
- World Court Studies
- Accounting
- Necromancy (No Longer Offered)
- Business
- Economics
- Marketing
- Real Estate
- Sports Management
- Art
- Art of Beards
- Creative Writing
- Dance
- Music
- Vocal Performance
- Drama
Facts and Figures
Average Tuition: 400 Gold#1 Educational Institution in the World
Student Diversity: 55% Dwarves, 20% Halflings, 15% Gnomes, 10% Other
Faculty Diversity 77% Dwarves, 13% Gnomes, 10% Halflings
#1 Flingo Ball Team in the World
Typical GPA of First Year Student: 3.9
Great Forge
The Great Forge is the largest forge in the world, and one of the largest structures in the world. It is larger than Ironforge Castle itself, and makes up a large portion of campus. With it, students are constantly making weapons, armor, or anything they can with metal. Paintings of the Headmasters of the school line the walls. When the forges are not activated, it is a dark place. There are few if any torches. However, when the forges are lit, the paintings are illuminated. A plaque at the entrance says that this is to show that the flame of learning will illuminate the past and the truth. If the new generation of students wield this flame, the old generation will live on in their memories. The Great Forge is sometimes shut down when festivals happen. The Job Fair puts the Great Forge out for a week as blacksmiths must prove their work on their own anvils. On Archibald Forvian's birthday, the Great Forge is repurposed to celebrate his life and achievements, making replicas of his weapon.
Grammir by Jarhed
Housing
Housing at Ironforge University is interesting. Many apartments in the city are available, as well as actual homes. They are, however, a good half hour walk from the campus, so many instead live on campus. On campus housing was once just a military barracks repurposed to support students. However, the Violet Vipers Squad of the Dwarven Army contributed money (and has continued to do so) to fund large castle-like structures to serve as dorm buildings. In these castles, one older Dwarf is named King or Queen and has ultimate say over the conduct rules within his or her castle. Professors at Ironforge University have a bit of a rougher time, as they must live in housing at the edge of campus. It includes small, dinky huts and no dining options anywhere near them. It is a sad existence to live in one of those places, so many Professors also own an apartment that they stay in more often than not.Vocal Cave
The Vocal Cave is a cave within a mountain next to Ironforge University. Vocal Performance majors spend most of their time in these caves, outfitted to have the best possible acoustics. They take their classes here, practice here, and even in some cases live here.Campus Police
There are full military facilities on campus that are separate from the Orange Phoenixes. This is related to the Silver Angels Squad of the Dwarven Army, the police force that guards Ironforge. This is where some Silver Angels are posted to keep an eye on the student body and stop anything that happens. It is also where Combat Training and Tactics majors take classes, as it has a full courtyard with training dummies and anything else needed to train.Bal Stadium
A Flingo Ball Arena built in honor of Balrus, Bal Stadium can seat about 80,000 people. It has all of the nets and goals needed for Flingo Ball, and can even have things built within it. Vocal Performance majors are known to do their final performance at Bal Stadium before the entire graduating class.Job Prospects
After graduating, most people will search immediately for a stable job with their degree. All Ironforge University graduates are guaranteed a place in the Dwarven Army if they desire it, with those that study things like Tactics, Combat Training, and Magic Studies even having high rates of becoming Generals. They may also get high ranking positions in society. The head blacksmith of the King is often a graduate of Ironforge University, and even the Dwarven Prime Minister is often from Ironforge University, as they get more votes appealing to this fact.Faculty
Most faculty of Ironforge University are graduates who once studied there. If not, then they are still some kind of expert in their field. Every Professor and figure of authority is the leading voice in their field. Some subjects have multiple Professors who teach it, though this is only for more prominent subjects like Forging, Dwarf Studies, and Tactics. Magic Studies is only taught if the Orange Phoenix General is available to teach a class that semester.Study
Studying at Ironforge University takes about 10 years, as Dwarves have long enough lifespans that this doesn't take much of their time. Higher degress can take anywhere from 15 to 28 years to complete. There are many majors at Ironforge University, which can be read about in the sidebar. Here are some descriptions of the important majors.Forging
There are multiple different forging majors. The general Forging major goes over everything related to a forge, but does not delve very deep into each category of forging. Weapons and Armor Forging are quite self-explanatory, where one learns to forge weapons or armor.Everyday Forging deals with creating things used in everyday society that are made of metal. Things like doorknobs, glasses, etc. Forge Maintenance is a newer major, as it has been noted how dirty forges have gotten, it has become a lucrative business to clean them.
Dwarf Studies
Dwarf Studies is a major intent on finding out every secret of Dwarven Biology while also becoming intimately familiar with Dwarven Culture and History. Many non-Dwarven students take this major to learn more about Dwarves.
Hadur by Jarhed
Religious Studies
Religious Studies focuses mostly on Hadur, the God of the Dwarves. Religious Studies majors often visit the Temple of Hadur to learn more about him and religion as a whole. They normally go on to become Priests and, in some cases, even Prophets of various world religions around the world. However, it has become more tolerant in recent years. Now they teach about all Gods, and just use Hadur as an example. Some Professors are said to still have heavy bias to Hadur, but this is to be expected.Family Studies
Family Studies is a very important major at Ironforge University, where one is taught of the importance of family and how to properly care for one's family. Graduates who get a degree in Family Studies often go on to be housewives or househusbands, a very sacred role in Dwarven society. Family Studies has its own building at Ironforge University, where it has a list on its walls of all graduates who have gone on to become housewives or househusbands. This list is a list of honored individuals who the current students can hopefully one day be like.Tactics
Tactics is a class for military minded individuals to learn the tactics of war and create new battle strategies to be used in future wars. They will often watch Combat Training majors and order them around, testing out their tactics in live combat scenarios. They are also trained directly by Dwarven Generals.Combat Training
Combat Training majors study to get strong and skilled in combat. They make up the general force of the Dwarven Army, but also can sometimes become Generals if they are strong and skilled enough. They work with Tactics majors to create new battle strategies and work out how exactly to fight. Some of them also go on to become Drill Sergeants and train future generations of soldiers.Engineering
Engineering majors learn to build the infrastructure of Ironforge and other places, with more emphasis recently being placed on helping smaller Dwarven settlements farther away from Ironforge get an infrastructure that compares to Ironforge. This major is so prominent because Ironforge has been said to have some of, if not the, best infrastructure in Totania. Ironforge University prides itself on maintaining this and improving it when possible.Necromancy
The Necromancy major was all about raising the dead and other necromantic arts. It was one of the only places one could go in the world to actually learn the basics of Necromancy, as Evity was all about advanced forms of Necromancy. It stopped being offered at Ironforge University when the last Necromancer professor, Thalnik, died. It was ironic, that of all the majors to die at Ironforge University, it would be Necromancy.
Schmeelon Cunkuck by andreaspsillos4
Business
The Business major was not always popular, as business is not heavily prominent in Dwarven Society. Schmeelon Cunkuck's rise to prominence changed this, with his various companies like Vreslo and SelenX being models for Dwarven business. Since then, the Business major has been very popular and has garnered immense repute, as Schmeelon was a Business major at Ironforge University. He does guest lectures, and the Professors that teach the course now are his teachers or his employees, sometimes both.Sports Management
Sports Management is a major for those who wish to manage Flingo Ball teams, or even become a Flingo Ball player. They learn the ins-and-outs of the sport and how to get their team out there. Graduates often either become managers of existing teams or gather their own team to become prominent on the scene.Art of Beards
Beards are a very important part of Dwarven society, and so are the ones that style them. Art of Beards is a major for those intent on becoming Beard Stylists, so that they can learn how to handle a beard in a way that still honors them.Vocal Performance
Vocal Performance majors learn how to sing like a true Dwarf, staying in caves and using acoustics. They also may learn from atop mountains and such. Ironforge University has made sure to make this major a focus to compete with the Bard College. Vocal Performance majors perform at all major ceremonies at the school (graduation, opening ceremonies, holidays) and are often the most celebrated graduates even when they have done nothing.Language
There are various Languages offered at Ironforge University. People are able to major in these languages so they can study them and teach them in the future. The languages offered are:- Dwarvish
- Common
- Elvish
- Draconic
- Gnomish
- Goblin
- Orcish
- Kamejin
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