The Jade Star
31-01-2007, 00:21
The Tolarian Academy
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/6552/academymainbuildingho5.jpg
Population: 10,000
(Approx 6,000 students
450 teachers
45 Battlemages
16 High Mages, including the Archmage
500 Proctors (non-magical warriors, basically)
1,000 sailors, shipwrights, etc.
2,000 natives (mostly employed in academy services)
Official Language: High Latinian
Exports: Magical artifacts and services, slow-time waters, mages
Imports: Metals and alchemical ingredients, crystals and jewels, students
Current Archmagus:
Alexander Faust
The Place:
The island of Tolaria is somewhat unique as it is inhabited mostly by tropical species, in a somewhat temperate zone. This is mostly due to the strange effects of the sheer amount of magic crammed onto a single dot of land. Most of the island is unspoiled plains, dotted here and there by small houses or research facilities. One point on the southern coast of the island, however, is highly developed, home to the majority of the population, as it includes nealry all of the dorm facilities, as well as the classrooms and laboratories, as well as the Skyship docks.
The main feature of the central academy is the monolithic Archmages Tower, surrounded by the four lesser towers which house the academies greatest minds. It is said that they are far bigger on the inside than they seem on the outside. Other famous buildings include the High Energy Magic building (which change shape every week), the various magical and mundane gardens, and the students cafeteria. Although the latter may be more INfamous.
Tolaria is somewhat unique in that time passes differently in seperate parts of the island. A magical experiment ages ago shattered the temporal structure of the island, resulting in the passage of time slowing down or speeding up in various parts of the island. Some slow time areas can be entered for decades while a few hours pass outside, conversly some fasttime tracts can age a person years in a few seconds.
Naturally attempting to move between these zones unprotected is extremly dangerous to any biological lifeform, usually resulting in hemorraghing, broken bones, nervous system damage and death, depending on what you insert into another timezone. It does, however, produce very pretty sunsets.
To move between timezones one must make use of the 'hydrotemporal transport chambers', which is a fancy name for a system of metal tubes which are filled with water mist infused with fast or slow time, which gradually adapts a body to the timezone one is about to enter. The process takes, on average, a minute or two in moderate zones, and up to ten minutes for the more extreme timezones.
The Academy is the only major city.
'Government':
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/5291/wizards1uv8.jpg
(Archmage center, holding crossbow)
The Academy is run by the High Mages, who report to the Archmage. On the island, the Archmage is essentially God, his will is absolute to everybody except the High Mages, who can protest his actions.
Each dormitory operates under a miniature version of this system, with the 15 most senior students in each dormitory composing a sort of 'student council' which reports to one of the High Mages. All of the Dormitories are highly competitive, although they are not divided along lines of race or nationality. There have been student riots in the history of the academy, but never based upon former nationality or race, usually over issues of Dorm honour.
Military:
In the event of an attack on the island, the first line of defence is the Proctors and various Artifacts constructed by the Academy students and professors. The Proctors are normally a police force, but are equipped and trained to use deadly force if needed. Students usually refer to them by various deragatory terms adopted from their native language, but the High Latinian for 'brick' is the most popular, a refrence to several attributes including their stubborness, colour, and intelligence.
The Artifacts consist mostly of 'clockwork men', machine warriors of various shapes and sizes, usually equipped with a variety of blades and nasty weapons.
The next line is the mages and students. While not fully developed in their magical skills as of yet, most students can conjur a basic fireball which is quite capable of wreaking havoc amoung enemy lines. They can also contribute to the more complex spells which require much magical power. After all, one doesnt conjur a horde of demons to rend an army by yourself.
The Academy also posses ten 'Skyships' of various sizes, equipped with a variety of weaponry, mostly of a magical nature. Half of these are relativly small, designed for scouting the outer edges of the island, but the Metatron and Jade Star are both well equipped ships of war, and the other three are mid-sized and decently armed. They are often used as transports to distant lands for research purposes.
Currency:
Tolaria has no official currency, as it has no internal economy. It does have large stocks of gold, which it uses where simple trade will not work.
Economy:
The Academy's income mostly comes from two sources. First and foremost, exports of magical items which command an impressive price in most places. These include the 'slowtime water', which helps to slow the aging process and can extend a normal humans life into the centuries if taken daily. Other exports include magical weaponry, services and assistance in developing magical items and structures in other nations, and various transport services.
The second source is the 'contracting' of mages, generally for use in wars. While Tolaria has been neutral for...well, pretty much forever, it is often involved in wars.
Persons of Importance:
Archmage Faust:
Arguably one of the best summoners of the age, Faust has displayed a talent for bringing into being (temporarily, at least) creatures which normally take half a dozen mages to summon and maintain.
In charecter he is usually described as 'spry', indeed, his morning jogs have become somewhat infamous. It is said that his jogging route is often almost totaly clear of people at roughly 5am, which is when he usually sets out. Most people dont recognize him when he isnt in his robes of office or lacks his pointy hat.
He is usually on good terms with national leaders, on a first name basis with quite a few. He is known for his generosity during meetings, his habit of drinking a Tolarian-based Gin known as 'Winkles Old Peculiar', known for its ability to fell a cow at ten paces.
High Magus Kaima Vanima
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/9790/1169258181017sp8.jpg
One of the most skilled mages in the Academy next to the Arch Mage, Kaima is known for her mastery of two, normally conflicting, schools of magic. She is both skilled at fire magic, the projection of heat, offensive abilities and so forth, and at 'green' or 'forest' magic, dedicated to the summoning of beings, healing and assisting allies. This has manifested itself in her personality, which can be both caring and aggressive at the same time.
Her manner of speech is odd, apparently a habit aquired on some unknown land in the distant East.
She is known for her ability with languages as well, apparently developed in response to the ArchMage 'Not having any truck with that damned foriegn lingo.'
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/6552/academymainbuildingho5.jpg
Population: 10,000
(Approx 6,000 students
450 teachers
45 Battlemages
16 High Mages, including the Archmage
500 Proctors (non-magical warriors, basically)
1,000 sailors, shipwrights, etc.
2,000 natives (mostly employed in academy services)
Official Language: High Latinian
Exports: Magical artifacts and services, slow-time waters, mages
Imports: Metals and alchemical ingredients, crystals and jewels, students
Current Archmagus:
Alexander Faust
The Place:
The island of Tolaria is somewhat unique as it is inhabited mostly by tropical species, in a somewhat temperate zone. This is mostly due to the strange effects of the sheer amount of magic crammed onto a single dot of land. Most of the island is unspoiled plains, dotted here and there by small houses or research facilities. One point on the southern coast of the island, however, is highly developed, home to the majority of the population, as it includes nealry all of the dorm facilities, as well as the classrooms and laboratories, as well as the Skyship docks.
The main feature of the central academy is the monolithic Archmages Tower, surrounded by the four lesser towers which house the academies greatest minds. It is said that they are far bigger on the inside than they seem on the outside. Other famous buildings include the High Energy Magic building (which change shape every week), the various magical and mundane gardens, and the students cafeteria. Although the latter may be more INfamous.
Tolaria is somewhat unique in that time passes differently in seperate parts of the island. A magical experiment ages ago shattered the temporal structure of the island, resulting in the passage of time slowing down or speeding up in various parts of the island. Some slow time areas can be entered for decades while a few hours pass outside, conversly some fasttime tracts can age a person years in a few seconds.
Naturally attempting to move between these zones unprotected is extremly dangerous to any biological lifeform, usually resulting in hemorraghing, broken bones, nervous system damage and death, depending on what you insert into another timezone. It does, however, produce very pretty sunsets.
To move between timezones one must make use of the 'hydrotemporal transport chambers', which is a fancy name for a system of metal tubes which are filled with water mist infused with fast or slow time, which gradually adapts a body to the timezone one is about to enter. The process takes, on average, a minute or two in moderate zones, and up to ten minutes for the more extreme timezones.
The Academy is the only major city.
'Government':
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/5291/wizards1uv8.jpg
(Archmage center, holding crossbow)
The Academy is run by the High Mages, who report to the Archmage. On the island, the Archmage is essentially God, his will is absolute to everybody except the High Mages, who can protest his actions.
Each dormitory operates under a miniature version of this system, with the 15 most senior students in each dormitory composing a sort of 'student council' which reports to one of the High Mages. All of the Dormitories are highly competitive, although they are not divided along lines of race or nationality. There have been student riots in the history of the academy, but never based upon former nationality or race, usually over issues of Dorm honour.
Military:
In the event of an attack on the island, the first line of defence is the Proctors and various Artifacts constructed by the Academy students and professors. The Proctors are normally a police force, but are equipped and trained to use deadly force if needed. Students usually refer to them by various deragatory terms adopted from their native language, but the High Latinian for 'brick' is the most popular, a refrence to several attributes including their stubborness, colour, and intelligence.
The Artifacts consist mostly of 'clockwork men', machine warriors of various shapes and sizes, usually equipped with a variety of blades and nasty weapons.
The next line is the mages and students. While not fully developed in their magical skills as of yet, most students can conjur a basic fireball which is quite capable of wreaking havoc amoung enemy lines. They can also contribute to the more complex spells which require much magical power. After all, one doesnt conjur a horde of demons to rend an army by yourself.
The Academy also posses ten 'Skyships' of various sizes, equipped with a variety of weaponry, mostly of a magical nature. Half of these are relativly small, designed for scouting the outer edges of the island, but the Metatron and Jade Star are both well equipped ships of war, and the other three are mid-sized and decently armed. They are often used as transports to distant lands for research purposes.
Currency:
Tolaria has no official currency, as it has no internal economy. It does have large stocks of gold, which it uses where simple trade will not work.
Economy:
The Academy's income mostly comes from two sources. First and foremost, exports of magical items which command an impressive price in most places. These include the 'slowtime water', which helps to slow the aging process and can extend a normal humans life into the centuries if taken daily. Other exports include magical weaponry, services and assistance in developing magical items and structures in other nations, and various transport services.
The second source is the 'contracting' of mages, generally for use in wars. While Tolaria has been neutral for...well, pretty much forever, it is often involved in wars.
Persons of Importance:
Archmage Faust:
Arguably one of the best summoners of the age, Faust has displayed a talent for bringing into being (temporarily, at least) creatures which normally take half a dozen mages to summon and maintain.
In charecter he is usually described as 'spry', indeed, his morning jogs have become somewhat infamous. It is said that his jogging route is often almost totaly clear of people at roughly 5am, which is when he usually sets out. Most people dont recognize him when he isnt in his robes of office or lacks his pointy hat.
He is usually on good terms with national leaders, on a first name basis with quite a few. He is known for his generosity during meetings, his habit of drinking a Tolarian-based Gin known as 'Winkles Old Peculiar', known for its ability to fell a cow at ten paces.
High Magus Kaima Vanima
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/9790/1169258181017sp8.jpg
One of the most skilled mages in the Academy next to the Arch Mage, Kaima is known for her mastery of two, normally conflicting, schools of magic. She is both skilled at fire magic, the projection of heat, offensive abilities and so forth, and at 'green' or 'forest' magic, dedicated to the summoning of beings, healing and assisting allies. This has manifested itself in her personality, which can be both caring and aggressive at the same time.
Her manner of speech is odd, apparently a habit aquired on some unknown land in the distant East.
She is known for her ability with languages as well, apparently developed in response to the ArchMage 'Not having any truck with that damned foriegn lingo.'