The pinnacle

In the Kirant Archipelago in the south sea lies the city of Acrux, the founding place of The Academy and the center of its power. The vast city now fills the entire island it is built upon and the more powerful mages are constructing private isles that float above the buildings. Among the pointed towers and vast libraries secrets have been gathered and lost for nearly two thousand years, but the true center of knowledge and power lies in the Pinnacle, a spire that towers above the rest of the city, dwarfing even the floating islands.

Purpose / Function

The Pinnacle is the center of power of the Academy and holds the high seat of the Arch Mage. On the lower levels lies the central archives that hold the records of the academy and the history of its actions.

Architecture

The Pinnacle rises 300 meters above the city in the shape of a twisted spike. The material is a stone of a deep purple color unlike any natural found in this region of the world and it is covered in intricate patterns of magical runes made from Kavanite and malded into the walls themselves. From the outside there are no apparent windows or openings of any kind leading merchants and other common people who have sailed past the city of mages to believe it to be a solid spike of rock.
This is not the case however. It is possible to enter the Pinnacle at the base if the correct password is spoken and from the inside the outer walls appear to be made from tinted glass, giving an unprecedented view over Acrux.

History

The city has humble origins as a minor merchant port connecting mainland Khart with the archipelago, and remained so until the coming of Eronin the Wise who realized that this city lies on top of a magical conflux, a positive node in the network of magical flows through the world allowing his spells to be amplified. He therefore established The Academy here and as its influence grew it also grew to dominate the city. When Eronin, died at the venerable age of 253, a tomb was constructed for him according to his own specifications and above it construction was started on the Pinnacle. The construction required the presence of all the most powerful members of the conclave and was a feat of magical cooperation unlike any that had come either before or after.