The Academy

Contents

1. Overview
2. Key Areas
   1. Hall of Training
   2. Accomodation
   3. Research Institute
   4. Hall of Property Records and Hall of Census Records
   5. Academy Hall

Overview

The Oleander Academy of Technological Innovation - or “The Academy '' for short - is a large walled campus of buildings located within the heart of the Clerk’s Ward, that once served as the Fated’s headquarters. The entire grounds boasts some of the foremost advances in magical and technological innovation: walls of force encase the research area at the heart of the campus, the floors are littered with grounding dust that prevent them from being the target of teleportation and divinations, and the walls of the exam halls are lined with activated psylirium to prevent telepathic bonds and remote communication.

There are a number of buildings scattered across this vast campus, from records buildings to enormous towers of libraries.

Key Areas

Hall of Training

This large, ten story building serves as the site of all training, teaching, and exams that the Thinkers set. The central chamber holds up to 200 students, each within their own isolated ‘examination area’. The walls are lined with activated psylirium, which prevents anyone from communicating beyond the building via telepathy or means of divination.

Twice per week, out of tradition set by the Fated, the first floor auditorium is host to combat challenges and contests of wit, to which an entrance fee is required to observe (it’s a popular entertainment among the nobles). These challenges are often used as showcases to tease the latest technologies or spells being worked on; and tired academics often use the bouts as an excuse to settle their differences. Much debate is being had around the topic of pitting summoned creatures against each other.

Accomodation

The Accommodation for the Academy has been cobbled together from whatever buildings were surrounding the original campus when the Thinkers took over. The whole place has a mish-mash metropolitan style that has no consistency with itself… but fits in perfectly in Sigil. It is in these buildings that the faction houses its members, for a small fee.

• Petitioner’s Row is the most crowded and tightly packed row, housing the lower ranking Students and occasional special guest who comes to stay. It’s a fair walk from the campus, and bizarrely shaped in order to twist the campus grounds around that one family who refused to move out or be moved.
• Scholar’s Hall is essentially one long, snaking building with a number of entrances scattered all over the place. Converted from two entire rows of houses - the narrow street that ran between them now serves as the main corridor that runs the length of the building, extended and knocked through wherever needed to ensure it remains one single building. This place is popular among the more social of the Thinkers. The many parties and initiations held within its halls are a thing of legends among academic circles.
• Freethinker Apartments are a collection of small houses and converted taverns that serve those members looking for a more quiet place to live. It is here that most Professors and the Factol themselves have their residence - each permitted a small, minimal building of their own. They are far from luxurious, but do enjoy a deal of privacy not given to the lower ranks.

Research Institute

Back when the Fated were in charge, this was the original faction dormitory that housed the Fated’s army of enforcers and guards. This building was the focal point for the conflict around here during the Second Upheaval, and as such did not survive.

Upon the ashes of the old dormitory was placed an opaque and hermetically sealed golden cube of force. This now marks the Thinkers’ secret research institute - with only one large, heavily-guarded entrance serving as the way in and out. Only those undergoing an approved thesis or invention and a need for secrecy are allowed access to this building, the contents of which are entirely unknown. Members are sworn to secrecy and never discuss what happens within.

In order to gain access, members must pass a Soulprint test. A Soulprint resembles a small glass sphere upon which a sod’s forehead is pressed against. This latest marvel in arcane innovation is attuned to the Soul of an individual, pulsing a brilliant green if it recognises the Soul. This has a number of advantages over older identification methods. Firstly, should a sod be reincarnated or transplanted between bodies, they will still be recognised. Secondly, no known method of disguise has been shown to be able to defeat it.

Hall of Property Records and Hall of Census Records

The two minor records halls still serve the same purpose to this day, being kept as legacy buildings that help keep the city afloat. A large number of Indeps and Consortium members work these buildings - ex-members of the Fated who were permitted to keep their jobs as a show of amnesty.

• The Hall of Property Records is where a body can learn who owns what in all of Sigil - for how long and for what fees and taxes they’ve been paying. It’s neatly organised and largely unremarkable. Those who work here are laid back and extremely chill.
• The Hall of Census Records is where a particularly sorry batch of sods try to keep on top of the Cage’s fluctuating population. They do a good job of recording any births - even those from the Hive are neatly recorded with enough data thanks to the Athar and their clinics’ superb midwifery. The deaths are a bit more difficult to keep track of, primarily because the Dead tend not to play ball and don't see the point in sharing their records. On top of that, there’s all the immigration and emigration that happens within the Cage, made worse by all the new tourist and trade routes that have opened up. Those who work here are known for their short fuses.

Academy Hall

Previously known as the Hall of Records, Academy Hall is a monstrous tower nearly 30 floors tall. It used to be a warehouse for nearly all moneylending records, tax rolls, debtors defaults, and just about any financial paper in the Cage. When the Fated dissolved and the Consortium arose, they were quick to grab the papers and take them for themselves, relocating everything to their own Headquarters.

By the time the Thinkers took charge of this building it was an empty husk collecting dust. They set to work repurposing it using the upper floors for offices, in addition to setting up their personal Investigative division for cracking down on plagiarism, espionage and academic fraud (some of the more heinous crimes).

Much to the Thinkers’ pleasure, the gateway to the Library of All Knowledge sits near the top of this tower. Having such easy access to the interplanar library of the Naruem and its vast catalogue of information, was the driving reason for the Thinkers snapping up this campus as their headquarters. A winding public route exists throughout the building that allows visitors to make use of the gateway - a Frost Giant called Brigitte Gunnarsmoon oversees the transport of approved individuals to the library.

The Basement of the Academy Hall goes down an undisclosed number of floors, with access to the lowest floors restricted to all but the Factol and a handful of Factors. It is in this basement that the bulk of innovation and creation occurs. Highly complex systems of fumigation and disposal are in place to ensure it remains a safe place to work and that the tinkerers don’t contaminate one another. Why they need a separate, walled-off super-secure research bunker in addition to this is anyone’s guess. Whatever the reason, the Dark of it can’t be good…