Seven Towers University
The skyline of Vantam is dominated by eight magnificent towers of the most prestigious magic academy and academic institution in the world. Research at the university is responsible for some of the world’s greatest advances in magical technology, and applied arcane sciences are becoming more mainstream thanks to the boom in Mythricite mining that has opened doors never thought possible.
Experts in arithmetic are keen to notice that there are 8 towers, despite the University and surrounding district's names. This is because until 1047, the study of Necromancy was illegal, and the 8th tower was built but not officially recognized. This was a bit of sarcasm aimed at the law, the founders claiming that ignoring the existence of necromancy was just as foolish as ignoring the existence of the tower itself.
Magic is not the only field of study honored at STU, and traditional academics are rigorously taught. Most notable figures in Vantam, whether practitioners of magic or not, have an education earned in the Seven Towers.
Tuition at STU is not cheap, but in Vantam a degree in magical studies is the only path to prosperity. As a result, people go to great lengths to secure the money for an education, and often find themselves deeply in debt or indentured to a research corporation after graduation.
Purpose / Function
As an institution, STU is dedicated to magical research and innovation. Each of the eight towers is dedicated to a single school of magic
The College of Defensive Arcana and Abjuration
Here, students learn to defend themselves from threats both mundane and arcane. This school is falling behind many of the others, as weaponized magic outpaces defensive applications. The college is having a funding crisis as more attractive schools soak up all the grants.
The College of Dimensional Manipulations and Conjuration
Conjurers study the art of magical creation, as well as piercing the barriers between planes to travel through them, or to allow otherworldly beings to pass into the material plane. Physical distance becomes irrelevant to the graduate of this program, as they learn to move instantaneously to any point in the world they can envision.
The Tower of Tomorrow's Eye
For those who wish to see into the future, or into the present without regard for distance or physical location, the Tower of Tomorrow's Eye is just the place to enroll. Divinations of all kind bring students the gift of knowledge, though what they see may not always be to their liking.
The School of Energy Manipulation, Transference, and Evocation
It's not all fireballs and lightning bolts in the tower of evocation, but that's a large part of it. This school enjoys the highest enrollment rate, as many young casters are enthralled by the overt power of evocation, but many transfer to other schools when they begin to understand the weight of what such power can do to others when it's used.
Severlund's Polymorphic Institute
The tower of transmutation is a popular school with plenty of prospects for graduates looking for a stable career after graduation. It is considered a practical art compared to the others. It is not without flair, however, for who wouldn't want to turn their worst enemy into a squirrel from time to time?
Glamorous Glamers, a Journey Through the Illusory Arts
There is a lot of money in illusions, but it is a fiercely competitive field. Those magicians looking to get into entertainment often apply for the school of illusion, but only a few are accepted. Of those few, even fewer achieve the same levels of fame and fortune of the world's biggest arcane artists.
The School of Mortal Studies and Necromantic Applications
It was a long, hard-fought battle to legalize the study of necromancy in Vantam. Royal law still declares its study and use are banned, and tensions between Vantam and the Royal Court have grown increasingly hot after the FoRA passed and the tower was dedicated. There is a lot of money in necromancy, and blooming industries have driven enrollment through the roof in recent years.
The Charming Institute
Enchantment is a subtle and poorly understood art and many who practice it are shunned by greater society. This is the most highly regulated practice of magic, and manipulation and control of the mind is looked on with well-earned suspicion. Still, a skilled enchanter finds themselves in high demand after graduation, even if their social prospects suffer for it.
Architecture
Each of the 8 towers is designed of magically shaped and reinforced stone meant to represent the school of magic it is dedicated to.
The tower of Evocation appears to be a column of swirling flames rising into the sky.
The Tower of Conjuration is a pillar of solid stone conjured whole from another plane.
The Tower of Divination is an ivory structure covered in carvings of eyes, sometimes they look about and blink.
The Tower of Transmutation appears to be layers of countless materials, each fading into one another, always shifting and becoming new.
The Tower of Necromancy appears to be carved of a single immense bone.
The Tower of Enchantment is a confusing swirl of shifting colors. Those who stare too long swear they can hear the thoughts of some otherworldly being.
The Tower of Illusion appears entirely different every day, and there are even rare days where it is entirely invisible to the naked eye. It has never looked the same on two different days.
History
For much of the university’s history, research and practice of necromancy was banned by royal decree. However, there have always been 8 towers. The eighth tower was officially dedicated to “medical study”. Once FoRA passed, legalizing all arcane research, the tower was rededicated to the school of Necromancy. Though official records are difficult to obtain and closely guarded, it is an open secret that research into the formerly forbidden field was being conducted long before this.
A Mural Depiction of STU by Nathan Ondracek
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