Academia

Academia

As a relatively small country, consisting of eight islands, with little wealth available from with minerals or natural resources, Academia makes the most of its many colleges to justify its membership in the Empire.

Each of the islands is home to one of the bard colleges and almost all the citizens of Academia live in or around a college and so the average education level is much higher than the surrounding nations. On the downside there is practically no other industry above subsistence farming. Academia also has the smallest army retinue of any Imperial nation at just 4 permanent legions (the 29th, 38th, 40th and 71st), although the ratio of army to citizens is actually one of the highest in the Empire.

The native people are collectively known as “Academians” (not 'Academics') but in truth there is really no such thing as a typical Academian, as the populace is made up of immigrants from across the Empire. Academia does not have it’s own language, instead using “High Merebian” as it’s adopted tongue.

Geography

As noted, Academia is an island cluster (or archipelago) and a relatively uninteresting one at that. There are no mountains, although there are a few hills that rise to a couple of hundred feet above sea level. The majority of the landscape is flat grassland, punctuated by small forests. A network of freshwater rivers run throughout the islands which were the may method of navigating the islands before the army built the roads. Resource wise, other than lumber, Academia produces flint, chalk and clay but there is little need for these materials locally.

Economy

As Academia has little in the way of industry, and doesn't provide enough food or materials to sustain its populace, the country imports almost everything. Hence there are regular arrivals of large ships carrying materials and people. These vessels typically take a circular route around the inside three islands, detouring to the outer 5 islands where necessary. Hence it is much easier to travel between the eight islands than might otherwise be expected. The downside is that such a trade deficit means that everything is substantially more expensive than in other countries of the Empire. Only those with deep pockets visit Academia for very long.

Population

The total population of Academia is estimated to be around 100,000 people.

Each college is able to provide for about 5000 students when full. To achieve this a college typically has about 2000 people on their payroll including tutors, ground-staff, security, cleaners, cooks, stablehands and assorted craftsmen. Hence the whole of Academia has a college population of around 60,000, plus another 20,000 army personnel from their four legions (1 legion per 2 islands). Various fishing villages and small hamlets make up the remaining 20,000 population.

Notable Places

Each island of Academia is no more than a couple of days walk across (the largest is about 70 km/40 miles from end to end) and hence any towns that did exist have now been absorbed into the colleges, which function much as small towns themselves. Some people still live in fishing communities around the coasts but these typically have populations of less than 50 people. There are a few farming hamlets near the legion forts, but again the populations of these is small in comparison to the colleges.

Bard colleges

The Bard colleges of Academia are:

• 1. Fochlucan
• 2. Mac-Fuiridh
• 3. Doss
• 4. Canaith
• 5. Cli
• 6. Anstruth
• 7. Ollamh
• 8. Magna Alumnae

Each of the first seven colleges is named after a 'patron' Bard who founded the college, whereas the last is funded entirely by the Empire. Each Bard college charges a 'study fee' of various extortionate amounts. The most 'exclusive' (expensive) being Canaith. The exception to this being Magna Alumnae which has a student body made up of 50% 'scholarships' bequeathed by the Empire. As such Magna Alumnae is looked down on a little by the somewhat elitist 'private' Bard colleges.

The Imperial Library

On the same island as, but separate from, Magna Alumnae is the Imperial Library, a huge complex of book stores, scribing chambers and reading rooms that is free to use by any student of the 8 colleges. A copy of practically every book written since the formation of the Empire is present here. Students from all of the eight colleges head here if their own colleges don't have a copy of a text in stock.

The Tower of the Heavens

The Imperial Library is an amazing resource of knowledge but it is more widely known for it's observatory named 'The Tower of the Heavens'. The observatory is neither a tower nor can it actually see the heavens but thanks to it's position atop of the highest hill in Academia (a mere 500 feet above sea-level), on a clear night one of the clearest uninterrupted views of the night sky can be seen from its viewing platform.

Schools of Magic

As may be obvious, Bards who can cast spells will seek to study at the Bard colleges. However the colleges themselves are not actually magic schools. Anyone wanting to add some arcane magic to their knowledge of history, religion, music and the arts will enrol into both a college AND a magic school, of which there are several around the islands. Those people who are truly 'Bards' therefore tend to come from particularly wealthy families.

Most schools of magic are either owned or regulated by the The Cerulean Chancery, such as the one in Firtalé. A notable exception to this, only because of how awful it is, is The Porvalitar-Sciondorian School of Magicks.