Chetecu'tiki Academy (Cheh-teh-ku-tee-kee)
The greatest training ground for Kinetic Magic and one of the most prestigious Military Academies on Zheng-Kitar
Structure
Unlike the likes of The Ustanan Royal Academy which is quite famous for its highly detailed internal structure, the structure of the Chetecu'tiki Academy is elegant in its simplicity - those at the academy are broadly broken down into three general categories: Students, Faculty/Alumni, and Security. These distinctions are made simply, with badges and simple articles of clothing such as arm-bands or, in recent years, armored pauldrons decorated with a colored stripe serving as identifies of one's grouping. Within these three broad groups, more specific categories exist(And are listed below), but regardless of one's grouping any creature belonging to them adheres to the general laws of the Academy grounds, lives within housing provided on or very close to the Academy Grounds, and are often provided with an escort when leaving Academy Grounds(Except for the Academy Security forces, who serve as their own protection).Structure of the Academy
- Headmaster/Headmistress - The leader of the academy, appointed directly by the High Valkyion of the Kassau Matriarchy - this rank is typically given to retired Kassack generals or commanders who reach old age or suffer crippling injuries on the field of battle yet still wish to put their brilliant minds to the country's benefit. They are beholden only to the High Valkyrion of the Matriarchy as well as her inner council known as The Valkyries, and are afforded full dictatorial command over the Academy.
- Head of Security - The head of the security forces charged with keeping the Academy's students and faculty safe from wild beasts, saboteurs, foreign agents, and any who would seek to do the academy or its members harm. Typically a highly decorated veteran of the Kassau Matriarchy's military forces, though exceptions have existed that have been drawn from foreign mercenary companies or, even rarer, foreign militaries - the only requirement for the role is at least 15-20+ years of real battle experience, and the werewithal to lead a massive security detail to keep an iron-tight watch around the Academy Grounds. They are typically appointed by a joint decision by the Headmaster and the High Valkyrion.
- Support Staff - The faculty who do not teach classes, but work behind the scenes to perform the menial tasks that keep the Academy running such as paperwork, finances, applications, foreign and cultural relations, housing, facility maintenance, and the like. They are held in very high regard because of how integral their duties are to the continued existence of the Academy. More than most other faculty, they are incredibly diverse in terms of origins - they are hired on by internal Academy hiring managers(With final approval given by the Headmaster), and are drawn from all countries of origin, walks of life, species, and genders.
- Teachers - The most critical members of the Academy besides the students, who bring invaluable personal experience into the classrooms of the Academy to teach to the brightest and most eager minds from across the continent. They are primarily pulled from the native barbarian tribes that founded the Kassau Matriarchy and dwell in and around the Guezhan Rainforest, but any may apply to become a Teacher at the Academy so long as they meet the requirements for doing so, regardless of gender. They are given total, absolute autonomy over their lessons and teaching curriculum so long as permanent harm is not done to the students, even moreso than other institutions such as the Umberlight Society and even The Ustanan Royal Academy - which has historically been a huge draw persuading potential Teachers to come to the Academy. They are hired on by the Academy's support staff, with final approval given by the Headmaster.
- Security - The defense forces under the Academy's head of security, charged with the protection of the Academy's students, teachers, and other members. They are typically drawn from the retired military forces of the Kassau Matriarchy looking for a more relaxed position off the frontlines where their bloody skills can still be used(As historically, the Kassau Matriarchy has had a large problem with their military personnel adapting to civilian life), but are also drawn on occasion from a plethora of foreign sources, ranging from mercenaries, Narixian clans, to even retired foreign soldiers and knights. They are a highly elite fighting force that fight constantly against encroaching monsters, foreign militias, and all manner of enemies seeking to plunder the Academy's staff and secrets for themselves.
- Students - The most important and numerous members of the Academy aside from the Teachers, the Students are the bright minds come from all over the continent to learn within the hallowed halls of the Academy. Regardless of gender, they are afforded elite status in the Kassau Matriarchy, and are given special badges to signify their status - especially those foreign exchange students who come from far afield, who are generally afforded personal bodyguards when off-campus exploring the rest of the Matriarchy. Each must generally pay a tuition fee to attend the academy(Though exceptions exist for excellence and/or great financial need), and are given housing on or very near the Academy Grounds to allow them to live in and attend the Academy with little issue.
Notable Alumni and Faculty
As one might expect from a facility so highly regarded in the fields of Kinetic Magic and Military Instruction, the Chetecu'tiki Academy has a host of extremely notablefaculty and alumni who either teach within its halls or have graduated from its halls and gone on to achieve great and legendary things, affording that much more prestige to the Academy. The most notable examples are listed below, alongside short descriptions of them and their deeds.Faculty
- Rlassa'iluosh'kroma, AKA Lady Ailuoshk - The right hand of Luthriel Tuatha, queen of the Tuatha(The elves of Kassau that rule the Guezhan Rainforest). A master(Though not a grandmaster) of Kinetic Magic skilled in the dual specialties of Water and Fire element Kinetic Magic - one of the only "Steam" Kineticists on Zheng-Kitar.
- Samuel Villaverde - A Half-Elf born in the Kassau Matriarchy who, through his own efforts at a young age, managed to catch the attention of his female superiors despite the sexism and bias inherent in Kassau society with his masterful skill over Aerokinesis - Air-based Kinetic Magic. Upon his graduation from the Academy, he was offered a prestigious role in the Matriarchy's military, but turned it down in favor of remaining a teacher to educate the citizens of Kassau both male and female alike. Famously referred to as "Cloudburst" for his blistering flight speed and legendary victory at the battle of Escajeda Valley, where he ripped the air from the lungs of five thousand Seogharan soldiers who had come to attack the Academy. While not a grandmaster, he is verifiable master of Air-based Kinetic Magic.
- Imelda Velasco - The officially recognized Grandmaster of Aether Kinetic Magic - better known as Telekinetic Magic - on the continent of Zheng-Kitar. Born and bred in the Kassau Matriarchy, she has faced entire legions of warriors from multiple countries and lived to tell the tale - a living legend who has forged her name on the battlefield in blood, sweat, and tears over the course of a decade of constant slaughter. Notoriously masterful in the use of dimensional portals and aether-manipulation to travel massive distances in an instant.
- Lord Tömörbaatar - One of the last living members of the Skybreathers of Khaasin Baatar, named as one of the foremost experts on the legendary Scarlet King's military campaigns and battle experiences. A venerable and aging Dragonborn whose knowledge of military tactics and knowledge borders on the supernatural, and is a teacher many prospective soldiers or commanders come from all over to learn from.
- Varona Gamez - A woman born in the Danzou Theocracy who was freed as a slave soldier by the forces of the Kassau Matriarchy on the field of battle long ago. One of the most decorated Military Generals in the entire history of the Kassau Matriarchy, whose final campaign before her retirement saw her lead the armies of the Kassau Matriarchy alongside Naiara Zaragoza to a victory which saw the capture of the High Pontiff of the Danzou Theocracy and his subsequent enslavement by Naiara Zaragoza - a victory which she was instrumental in. Respected even far outside the lands of Kassau, she is an aging woman with the utmost discipline, honor, and masterful military brilliance.
- Luthriel Tuatha - Though not a constant faculty member per se, the reigning Ríshullae of the Kassau Matriarchy and head of the Tuatha(The Elves of the Guezhan Rainforest) is one of the greatest practitioners of Wood and Poison-based Kinetic Magic the continent has ever seen: easily surpassing even the realm of the grandmasters, and makes infrequent trips to the Academy to teach on many an occasion.
- Jilixia Worldthrone - The most legendary and notable member of the Academy's faculty, the legendary Combustion Queen and sole living daughter of Dahmunara Worldthrone makes a semi-regular habit of journeying to the Academy and teaching classes on Kinetic Magic on occasion, when she grows bored or especially restless. Despite the notoriously rough nature of her classes, they are filled to the brim in seconds each time she declares her intention to teach a semester of classes - the chance to learn from a being considered beyond the realm of mortal skill in Kinetic Magic is an opportunity that, when it becomes available, persuades Kinetic Mages the world over to travel to Kassau to attend her classes.
Alumni
- Gabriel Arencibia - A man born as a slave in the Kassau Matriarchy that attended the Rin'hi Trials and earned admittance into the Academy's Military Instruction program, and earned such top marks he graduated with flying colors with the personal approval of Naiara Zaragoza herself during the graduating ceremony. Currently serves as one of the only Male Commanders in the Matriarchy's military.
- Emelina Kalawai'a - A Yatsimoan Human who graduated the Kinetic Magic program and would go on to become the officially recognized and currently standing Grandmaster of Water Kinetic Magic(AKA Hydrokinesis, Cryokinesis).
- Jaxton Carter-Pierce - A man who needs little introduction, the legendary hero who leads The Five Knights of Fairchilde attended the Academy as one of its many foreign exchange students as part of a first-wave deal of exchange students made between the Kassau Matriarchy and Shaoshu Empire. Graduated with flawless marks(A first for the academy), and earned every medal the Academy could bestow at the time.
The Rin'hi Trials
One of the core institutions of the Kassau Matriarchy, the legendary Rin'hi Trials were established long before the Chetecu'tiki Academy was opened to the public as a means by which any citizen of Kassau, even the Grava or the somewhat oppressed males of Kassau, could rise up and prove their worth. Held biannually on the Academy Grounds, these infamous trials are notoriously rigorous and designed to test the body and mind both - the trials are divided into the Warrior's Run(Designed to test martial combat and physical fitness), Commander's Gambit(Designed to test mental prowess, tactical knowledge, and adaptive thinking), and the optional Atlus Tourney(Designed for testing magical aptitude). These trials are not merely available to the citizens of the Matriarchy, however - any citizen or slave of Kassau from the highest royal to the lowest Grava(Slave) has the right to invoke their right to attend the Rin'hi Trials(And similarly, owners of slaves are required by Kassau law to inform their slaves of when the trials are upcoming), where(With the exception of slaves) their lives are assured to not be lost during the trials as punishment for failure. Purely made to be a test of aptitude on the grandest of scales, the Rin'hi Trials are held over the course of a week and exist to allow anyone a chance to have their potential noticed and skills recognized by the country at large and sometimes even by visiting foreign dignitiaries and emissaries, who have on occasion taken those who show promise in the trials back to serve in their homelands. With everyone from the High Valkyrion and ruler of the Kassau Matriarchy, her personal council known as The Valkyries, to the Ríshullae who leads the Tuatha (The elves of the Guezhan Rainforest) all attend the trials as observers alongside foreign agents from a host of countries which have historically ranged from the likes of the Shaoshu Empire, Coalition of Nine, to even the Highland Clans of the Astaran Republic - giving a suprisingly large audience to those who participate in the trials, even men. Though slaves must risk their lives to participate(And all others, their dignity), the potential for upward movement in the country is massive for those who can hack it in the notoriously brutal trials.Purpose / Function
Built originally as a monastic temple by ancient Seogharans who were fleeing the River Valley many thousands of years ago, the Chetecu'tiki Academy(Historically known as the Chetecu'tiki Temple) has existed as a bastion of knowledge and learning - a place to safely train the next generation in whatever skillset the temple's current owners see fit to instruct others on.
While its original purpose has changed significantly in the centuries since its construction and since it changed hands from the Kingdom of Seoghar to the Tuatha of the Kassau Matriarchy, Chetecu'tiki Academy stands as it ever has - proudly in the jungle-crested Guezhan Mountains that loom above the Rainforest below.
Alterations
Though the foundations of the original Chetecu'tiki Temple are rumored to still exist and be accessible in certain hidden places around the Academy grounds, for the most part the entire temple had to be rebuilt at some nebulous point centuries ago after its near total destruction in what is believed to have been a natural disaster of some kind. As such, with its reconstruction handled primarily by the Tuatha Elves of the Guezhan Rainforest, the Temple has taken on a subtle but gorgeous blend of traditional Seogharan Temple Design full of pagodas and eastern aesthetics with the natural look of the all-wooden buildings "grown" by the elves of the Guezhan Rainforest.
Defenses
Though originally its' defenses were modest at best due to its nature as a secluded mountain temple, the Chetecu'tiki Academy has had its defenses significantly upgraded since its acquisition by the Kassau Matriarchy - more robust walls to keep out monsters, magical enchantments to ward off damage to the structure and foundation, as well as cleverly hidden watchtowers in the surrounding Mountains and Jungle above, around, and below to form an early-warning network against attack and assault.
Additionally, the security staff of the Chetecu'tiki Academy are its most formidable defence - the elite soldiers tasked with defending the Academy and those who call it home are all veterans of at least a decade of constant war, trained to slaughter and kill in the most effective ways as possible, with most having grown up in the Rainforest and Mountaintops; knowing the terrain like the back of their hands, able to track down an ant in a monsoon, through driving winds or whipping hail.
Tourism
Many come from all over to visit Chetecu'tiki Academy - not only those who come in the hopes of attending the Rin'hi Trials or those who come hoping to be accepted into its halls as a student, with many coming all across Zheng-Kitar to get a glimpse of building whose history goes back thousands of years, and to glimpse the beautiful Forest Elven Cities that lie below the Academy on the Jungle Floor.
Founding Date
4446 ASK
Alternative Names
Terra Madre, The Vice
Type
College / Academy
Parent Location
Owner
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
A Legacy of Excellence
Founded on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Kassau Matriarchy, the now-reputable Chetecu'tiki Academy was founded by Naiara Zaragoza's Great-Grandmother, Soraya Zaragoza - conquerer of the Seogharan city of Najmah and second High Valkyrion of Kassau. However, in truth, this is somewhat incorrect - the Chetecu'tiki Academy existed even before the founding of the matriarchy, but was instead a reclusive temple given to the Forest Elves of the Guezhan Rainforest by the Kingdom of Seoghar, where their own kinetic knowledge and military training was taught to the next generation. However, on the 100th anniversary of the Matriarchy's founding, the Academy was opened to the wider public and to the continent at large - and quickly rose to become one of the foremost Military Academies on Zheng-Kitar. In a very short period of time, despite its relative recent opening, the Academy proved itself to not only be a contender on the world stage in the field of Kinetic Magic, but one of the foremost and prestigious places of learning for those seeking to master it, beating out even the likes of the Umberlight Society and The Ustanan Royal Academy in such an area. On top of this unparalleled excellence in the field of Kinetic Magic, it has also quickly gained a reputation as pound for pound one of the best Military Academies on the continent - easily matching(And some argue exceeding) the likes of The Ustanan Royal Academy for one incredibly simple reason: no other nation on the continent can claim to have been waging a war for the better part of two consecutive centuries against no less than three nations as the Kassau Matriarchy can. With the very best teachers whose experienced has been earned after decades on the frontlines of war most bloody and brutal, the Chetecu'tiki Academy's reputation is one of absolute excellence - despite the poor reputation of the Kassau Matriarchy, students from across the continent and beyond make the journey to the Matriarchy and deep into the Guezhan Rainforest to study in classes taught by the masters of Kinetic Magic and Military Tactics and Strategies, drawn by the allure of the academy's legendarily rigorous live-battle simulations, a plethora of real, applied combat experience, and an elite staff of teachers drawn from the very best of the best. Such is the Academy's reputation that commanders and Kinetic Mages from other countries have come to study in its halls, to learn from the Academy's professors and faculty in the ways of Kinetic Magic and Military Strategies and Tactics - all in the hopes of earning the honor of graduating from the legendarily famous "Terra Madre" as one of the chosen few elite, part of a brotherhood of excellence. Though many of Kassau's detractors have scoffed at the idea of a country offering up its military secrets to foreign countries in such a droll place as classrooms, the Matriarchy scoffed and responded simply in their famously brutish way:"Knowing our tactics is one thing. Stopping us is another thing entirely."
Comments