Academy of Arcane Sciences

A floating academy of magic, medicine, and engineering.

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Sitting proudly atop one of the largest inhabited floating islands in the world, the physical manifestation of the campus itself is an icon of what the Academy of Arcane Sciences stands for.

A moving island

Impossible towers turn with precise engineering to cut through the clouds and gently steer the direction of Academy Island as the entire school slowly travels to its next magical field study. Mages use their combined wind magic to turn giant propellers as a navigational aid.

Fields of study

The academy teaches all forms of magic as part of their curriculum and their core classes are essential for use with specialized fields of study.
The campus does not follow conventional teaching methods or follow a strict "course" structure (aside from the fundamentals of magic), instead, students are guided through opportunity to find their calling and are given tuition based on what they wish to achieve.
The Academy has produced many fine magicians, physicians, airship pilots, inventors, architects, and mathematicians - all of which are world-renowned and the best in their field.

Imaginative applications

Students hoping to apply to the academy to specialise in magic and the visual arts are encouraged to seek other establishments unless they can provide a compelling and creative reason for studying here.

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Schools of magic

The academy offers teachings in all 12 recognised magic types (which are paired to form six overarching "schools" of magic known throughout the world).
The Arcane Island periodically sails like an airship to different climates to give students the opportunity to acclimatise to different environments and study magic from other cultures.

Contents

Location

Academy Island

Controlled Territories

• Academy Island

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Vivemic magic

Most students are already familiar with the basics of body magic when joining the academy, but are all given mandatory lessons in medical spells along with safety training - being isolated up on an island means there's no access to hospitals until the next resupply landing.
Toxic magic is studied in greater depth by physicians in training in order to understand it and counter different venoms, pathogens, and afflictions.

Aquaboreal magic

In order to survive on a floating island, an entire faculty is dedicated to aquaboreal magic and teaches students with hands-on lessons in order to keep everyone alive on in such an isolated environment.
Students get to learn how water magic can be used to capture water from the air through condensation spells in order to provide a source of hydration for the inhabitants and plants of the academy. They are taught root magic to enhance the growth of crops in the academy greenhouse that provides food for everyone.

Geoferric magic

Geoferric magic is an essential part of living on a floating island, and the students are taught about the composition of different rocks and how they can be manipulated with earth magic. It needs to be practised back at ground level as reduction of the island's mass would impact on its aerial bouyancy.
Resupplies are needed to restock on samples for practising metal magic, and these projects are almost always part of a project to aid the local communities below to help them with repairs, ironmongery, or new bladed weapons.

Tempest magic

Being up in the sky is the perfect opportunity to learn all about wind magic first hand, and every student has a rota of spending some time powering the giant propellers that help the island move.
The Academy is one of the few institutions in the world that's able to study electric magic at the source during storms.
The tallest towers of the campus (called storm towers) have huge metal rods extending from their peaks so that trained experts can safely guide groups of students into the brief manipulation of arcs of lightning.

Pyrolumic magic

Students are required to learn heat magic in order to help control the elevation of Academy Island. The gasses trapped deep within the rock cause the floating islands to rise when they get hot (which is the origin of the phrase to "heat up") - so it's a group effort to spread out the heat evenly within the core so that it rises at a balanced pace.
The study of light magic has meant that lessons can continue after dark for folks who function better in the nocturnal hours.

Deep magic

As a counterpart to heat magic, cold magic is just as important for the residents of Academy Island. Cooling the naturally floating rock causes it to lower its altitude (you guessed it, this is the origin of the phrase "cool down", too!)
Cold magic is essential for preserving food reserves for the island by freezing them, especially when travelling to hotter climates.
Dark magic is not nefarious, it enables students to manipulate shadows, see clearly in the dark, or conceal objects. It's rumoured that the entire academy can "disappear" if everyone channels dark magic to hide it.