School of the Ceaseless Flame
Anything burns, if you really put your mind to it.Among the most warlike of the Imperial Schools of Wizardry, the Ceaseless Flame has found its purpose on the many battlefields faced by Lagash. In a world where humans and the other mortal races are smaller, weaker, and more fragile than so many other species, fire - great, raging quantities of fire - is the equalizer. Faced with an array of enemies that include hordes of undead and wild spirits, ravenous giants and spellcasting Kraken, the Ceaseless Flame see only fuel to be fed to the bonfire. If a citizen of Lagash was not born with claws or scales, then let them make their own with steel and fire.
Doctrine
True to their name, the Ceaseless Flame focuses almost exclusively on Fire magic. Although it is an element with a multitude of application both subtle and wondrous, the Ceaseless Flame focus on its most obvious and destructive capabilities. It is a common belief that the disciplines of the Ceaseless Flame are reckless pyromaniacs, unable or unwilling to control their worst and most violent impulses... And like most common beliefs, it is wrong. The Ceaseless Flame teaches that it isn't just a matter how how much fire you apply to a problem, but where and how - though many are certainly in favor of also adding 'more fire'. Wise pyromancers of the Ceaseless Flame are expert tacticians and capable of wielding fire to devastating, precise effect - famous for incidents where one of its kind incinerated the leader of a mind-control mob in it's very center without even scorching those who stood around him.At least, not with that spell.The School of Ceaseless Flame leave civic duty or the wonders of the universe to others. Theirs is a martial kind and their graduates can be found in perhaps the greatest number out of all schools in Lagash's armies. As a result, they've found a great sense of camradery not only with each other, but with many of the other battle-wizard and mortal soldiers of Lagash's armies, many who owe their lives to a well-placed bolt of fire. They've become infamous for their on the spot recruitment of new students from promising soldiers they meet on the battlefield. It's the sort of thing that other, more aristocratic schools would turn their nose down on, but are wise enough not to do so with any of the Ceaseless Flames around. Off the battlefield, the School's wizards are a potent force in the empire-city's arsenal, capable of raining fire on distant target as far as the center of the Iron Ocean. They can, and sometimes do, bless the armies they follow with more beneficial spells; but given the choice, they'll go for incineration. Despite their reputation, many also go out of their way to learn at least enough Astral magic to form Communions during battles.
The School
The Schoolof Ceaseless Flame is a soot-covered bulwark of a building, more akin to a military school than a magic one. With a focus on practical application of magic, they've traded a great deal of theoretical spaces for areas where mages can practice with their most devastating spells... Without destroying parts of Lagash in the process. At least, no usually. Unlike most other schools, which has all manner of buildings clustered around it, the area around the school walls are barren and scorch marked. Homes, stores, markets, and gardens instead form a ring around it from a safe distance, much to the complaint of students who have to trek the distance and back. In addition to the school grounds, the Ceaseless Flame retains a large, secondary camp just to its north, home to its man-at-arms and martial servants. Where many schools find magic to be the only defense they only need, the Ceaseless Flame has found that a shield certainly doesn't hurt when the arrow starts flying. Many graduates from the school go to battle with their kin guarded by a cadre of the school's warriors, wearing the finest arms and armor the school can afford. The champions of such guards are often exceptional warriors and heroes, sometimes blessed with minor relics like Weapons of Sharpness. The Ceaseless Flame has only four towers, one in each cardinal direction. At any given time, at least two of its arch-magi occupants are away on some battlefield or overseeing some sort of destructive experiment, delegating much of the day-to-day of the school to lesser mages.The Rivalry
The Ceaseless Flame and the Caged Fire are and have always been rivals. Both are dedicated to fire, but with diametrically opposed approached to their art. Despite outside appearances, it is a rivalry both schools enjoy and even cherish. Both schools encourage their students to compete against those from the opposite school, just as their rulers are engaged in a grand game of politics about the Emperor's favor, though some suspect they'd continue just the same even without him. Even better, the other schools cannot seem to imagine a rivalry existing without hate and at various point in time try to exploit it for their own gain. Every time it looks like the others might've caught on, the Ceaseless Flame and Caged Fire stage a dramatic looking confrontation with a miraculously low number of casualties or valuable properties destroyed, and the game goes on.
by Rawpixel.com (Freepik)
MOAR FIRE!
You've been accepted into the school for having the correct attitude to all things :D
Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.