History of the Royal Lapurisian Academy of Higher Arts

This article is a WIP!

“Ralighic yui Sor dax Lapurusiana”

Following the Great Praxiun War (1078-1160 PX), King Kalistos founded the Royal Lapurisian Academy of Higher Arts (RHALA/The Royal Academy) ushering in a new era of standardised, curriculum-based education. The academy academy funded through a unique financial collaboration between Crown and Military since it’s inception in 1IE.
RHALA was intially heralded not only for it’s academic excellence but also for the institution’s fostering of social connections and lasting friendships amongst the nobility of Lapurisia. Today, the Academy acts as a beacon of scholastic excellence aspirational for all the youth of Lapurisia, regardless of social class. Although the majority of alumn descend from Lapurisia’s nobility the academy accepts students from all walks of life, so long as they can pass the dreaded Bectium Tests.

Founding - 1IE

King Kalistos Ipenseer's victory in the Great Praxiun War had convinced him of the need for a strong foundation of intelligent and decisive individuals supporting the Crown. These individuals needed schooling beyond the offerings of private tutorage and within the social complexities of a scholastic environment held to the high standards of Laprusia’s finest educators.
Funded by the Crown and the Military, experts from all over the Empire were recruited and requested to develop an academically rich curriculum more suited to the skills of university-level students rather than the age range of 14-21 years old. Nevertheless, the development of critical thinking and analysis was a top priority, with innovations of intellectual accessories such as the “Debate Club” and student-run weekly newspaper to this day.
Alongside a rather gruelling set of scholarly studies, a stringent athletics program was designed by top military training experts. This program and complimentary meal plan would keep the students in top shape throughout their time at the academy and prepare those who moved on into positions of military leadership for the higher-level training programs.

Open Admissions - 126 IE

Although first an exclusive school focusing on the premiere Lapurisian nobility from the Centriscus Galaxy, in 126IE applications were opened up to the entire Empire through the Bectium Tests. Now the Academy promotes of sense meritocracy within which any young person can attend the Academy so long as they have the determination and honed talent required.
The Bectium Tests always ensure that each yearly cohort is representative of the Empire, this affords for the Academy to act as a beacon for intra-Empire unity. Throughout the Ipenseer Era, the Academy’s traditions have been brought to the forefront of historical moments, from coronations to solar alignments. A students time at the academy is marked with a sense of celebrity, with students often placed center stage at media events, acting as unofficial absaddors of their home-world cultures.

Expansion and Renovations - 312 IE

As instantaneous digital media became more prevalent across the Empire, so did the presence of the Academy in popular culture. With the student body quickly representing the idealised citizen. Many alumn reached the top ranks of Lapurisia and eventually gave in to demands for exclusive interviews. With so much media attention on the Academy, new school rules were introduced to ban active students from participating in such interviews without involvement of their personal tutor.

In addition, the campus was secured and expanded to include a range of facilities such as a pool, dedicated boarding block and library. This allowed the academy to keep all of it’s activities on site. The public train from Cerillion to the Academy was further secured with retinol and fingerprint identification being implemented to access carriages destined for the Academy.

The Royal Academies System - 347 IE

As the yearly pool of applicants grew the low acceptance rate began to damage morale and ideas of meritocracy. Although RLAHA will always be known as "The Royal Academy", today there are nearly 100 Royal Academies across the Lapurisia.
These academies, funded by the Crown, follow similar scholatic principles to RLAHA but take students aged 8-13 and 14-18. These academies are highly regarded and titled after their location, for example "The Royal Academy of Orisa". Such academies act as unifying points across the Empire for various Solar Set clusters, maintaining a sense of cultural cohesion and meritocracy.
The Royal Academies have intensive entrance examinations, however, due to the calibre of the Bectium Tests and their coverage in popular media the entrance requirements for the Royal Academies are less widely known.

RLAHA Today

The campus has undergone many changes since it's founding nearly 600 years ago. Even with the high-tech science labortories and heightened media interest, the heart of RLAHA has remained true to King Kalistos' vision to produce the best of the best to serve the Empire. With it's remote location and special agreements with media outlets, the Royal Academy has been able to protect it's students from media invasion with the pupils able to easily wander around the nearby city of Cerillion in their green cloaks with little interference. Although some may stop and stare at the students from time to time they are citizens of Lapurisia just like everyone else.

Founded in: 1IE by King Kalistos

Located: Northern Cerillion, Kalitos

Motto:
"Ralighic yui Sor dax Lapurusiana"
Motto in English:
"Determination of Self and Empire"

Academic Affiliations: The Royal Academies of Lapurisia, Bectium Trinity

Relationship with the
First Royal Battalion

Once a year the First Royal Battalion meets with the Academy, initially such visits were ceremonial but in the past century have transformed into a sporting spectacle allowing both groups to put their physical limits to the test.
As the Military funds the Academy the First Battalion was historically deployed to check on student development and scout potential candidates for their ranks. The Academy would host a banquet on Theoy-rai and invite their guests into Castle Temple.
After Temple, some informal duels were set up between the Upper Form and the Battalion. Soon the duels transformed into tournaments and other events were inspired alongside such as the annual obstacle course.
Initially, only one military journalist covered the event but quickly the festival drew in crowds, media and more as the best of the best of Lapurusia were on full display.
Today, the sports festival is covered by nearly 100 journalists and residents of the Central Solar Set are permitted to visit the campus during this event. The unique event demonstrates the close relationship between the Military and Royal Academy since it’s founding in 1 IE.