The
Arcane Academy of Hermannstadt, also known as
Scholomance, is an
academy located in
Old Hermannstad in the
Transylvanian Fold. It was reopened in the last few years after a complicated process involving the reapperance of the Transylvanian Fold.
The town of Old Hermannstadt was rebuilt over the derelict remains of the old city around
Lake Hermannstadt within the fold, and has primarily been the house the alumni of the institution.
Power Disputes
The reopening of the Scholomance, as well as the reconstruction of Old Hermannstadt, is deeply tied to the politics surrounding it's foundation.
With the
Arch of Solomon being located within the property of the
Zulfir, the family ended up being it's unknowing guardian for centuries. Naturally, the person to ultimately find that the entrance to the Transylvanian Fold had reopened withint he archway was the then resident of the property,
Vasile Zulfir. After
the Council signaled that
Augustine Zulfir, the family's eldest daughter, would be nominated Senator - a move seen by many, including the Zulfir, as a political pantomime to fake sympathy for
eidolurgists in the predominantly
hermetist Council -, the presence of the Arch of Solomon within Zulfir family lands ended up guaranteeing that they would had enough leverage to further raise Augustine to the Grand-Chancellorship of the Arcane Academy of Hermannstadt and to the title of Trismegistus.
While the space within a fold would not be property of the Zulfir, their lands extended around the fold’s only known entrance. Enforcing Council rule right after Augustine's nomination would undermine the image of the Mysterium with adepts of eidolurgy in addition to consuming time and resources. Unexpectedly, the Zulfir offered to waive their property to the Council in exchange for Augustine's chancellorship and promotion of both Zulfir siblings to their current titles of Magister and Trismegistus, as only this way Augustine could be named Chancellor and Vasile be allowed to become Praestes. Refusing to forego all its influence over the fold, the Council quickly appointed
Mayor Svetlana Damyanova, a traditional Hermetist, as mayor of Old Hermannstadt.
The Zulfir siblings responded to this power play in full when Vasile, the younger brother, moved the Zulfir Manor - the House of Sapphires - inside the fold and made it the headquarters of the newly founded
Hermannstadt Historical Society.
Some speculate that the revelation of the Transylvanian Fold had been kept in secret for months or even years by Vasile and Augustine while they awaited the opportunity to leverage it against the Council. Had news of the activation of the archway reached the inner circle sooner, negotiations with a title-less Augustine would have been handled in a very different way.
Asylum for the Infamous
As an eidolurgist, Chancellor Augustine Zulfir openly conducts her administration to welcome any and all schools of magic that feel marginalized by the Council. This has created some discomfort in magical society, but also quickly made a name for the reopened Scholomance, making it surpass most of the other small academies in enrollment requests. As expected, this also attracts a lot of unwanted attention to the academy's alumni, with many being at risk of earning
Heresiarch denominations.
Faculty
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