The Rousseau Boarding Academy

For every nation, securing the future of the ruling class ensures the longevity and prosperity of those in power. In Coast Haven, the heirs of merchant families- both major and minor- play an invaluable role in the eventual continuation of trade, and thus the very roots of the land’s market economy. The education of these children is therefore paramount.
The Rousseau Boarding Academy was established to fill this exact need. A prestigious boarding school populated with the finest tutors and seasoned trade professionals from both Coast Haven and the lands beyond, families were encouraged to send whichever children they deemed worthy of the chance to become the next head of house. Behind the academy walls, they would receive proper and comprehensive education to better prepare them for their responsibilities within a sprawling, trade-based nation.
Established in 1139 near the central hub of Septufas, the first incarnation of the academy was a pale imitation of what it would become. The invention of one León Rousseau, the school’s creation was an ill-conceived scheme to gain favor with the inner circle of merchant families, whilst simultaneously siphoning information of their business from the children. Upon enrolling several students, the heads of families soon caught wind of the true intentions behind the school. And amongst themselves, they came to a unanimous conclusion: they would fund the academy.
Over the decades, the merchant families would go to great lengths to ensure the growth of the Rousseau Boarding Academy through donations and a distant guiding hand. By the time that Queen Luiza de la Borrasca came to power in 1188, the property size, accommodations, and quality of education available in the institution were far beyond what they once were. Once children were enrolled in the programs available, they would be sure to receive the knowledge they needed. Record keeping, planning trade routes, business management, and everything beyond. All valuable topics.
But perhaps the most important knowledge traded behind these walls was secrets.
Any head of a merchant household would agree that there is more to running a successful business than numbers and economics. The families needed heirs who could compete with others. Who knew how to gather information. Who knew the art of subterfuge and how to get what they wanted. And so, the Academy was to provide a space for the children to experience a microcosm of the world they would soon grow into. Coercing family secrets from one another in between lessons, writing to their parents to report such findings, and slowly learning the arts of spying and thievery along the way. As the cycle continues itself, new leaders within these businesses rise with a prime understanding of the cutthroat methods necessary to perpetuate their family’s wealth, as well as Coast Haven’s economic prosperity.

Type

School