Institute of Arcane Study
| Institute of Arcane Study | |
|---|---|
 | |
| History | |
| Founded on | Tamingazin, Otaria, Dominaria |
| Founded | After the fall of the College of Lat-Nam |
| Status | Unknown |
| Membership | |
| Members | Alligarius Timni, Arlen, Kitrin Weidini, Oesol |
| Information | |
| Colors |
  |
| Species | Humans, Viashino, Giants, Elves |
The Institute of Arcane Study is a school of magic in the center of the Valley of Tamingazin, part of the Otarian continent on Dominaria.[1][2]
Description
The Institute of Arcane Study is located at the summit of a lone basalt mountain in the center of the Valley of Tamingazin. The entire top of this stone tower is covered in a crazy quilt of buildings. They range in size from tiny huts to huge soaring structures. Their styles are as varied as their sizes — dark wood walls, windows of colored glass, towers of clean white stone, domes of burnished metal — all crowded together in no apparent order. In the narrow space between buildings, gardens cover every available foot of ground. Despite the cool weather at the top of the tower, the gardens are verdant and choked with ripe fruit and brilliant flowers. At the very center of the tangled mass of structures stands a dark pyramid carved from the same black stone as the tower on which it stands. It looms over the other buildings like a thunderhead rising above the plains. Together, this creates the most beautiful place in all the valley, like something from fairy tales. The pyramid alone was large enough to swallow a human settlement, Farson Hold, entirely and leave plenty of room for expansion.[1]
History
The Institute was founded by refugees from the College of Lat-Nam after the latter was destroyed in the Brothers' War, which means that it is the longest-lasting academy of magic on Dominaria, easily outlasting the likes of the Tolarian Academy, the School of the Unseen, the City of Shadows and the Conclave of Mages. The institute's main purpose is to study magical artifacts. They interact very rarely with the people below them on their mountain unless provoked, and they are largely pacifistic.
However, a notable exception happened with the Betrayal of Tamingazin around 4100 AR, when Aligarius Timni left the Institute to join Tagard Tarngold in conquering the city of Berimish, then after being brainwashed by the Suderbod ambassador Ursal Daleel, he betrayed Tagard and was directly involved in the king's assassination and the subsequent theft of several artifacts, including the Magewall Hub, from the institute. Aligarius then enabled the attack on the Valley of Tamingazin by the Suderbod's Hemarch and his forces, before being able to flee the mind-controlling substances he was being fed, and being part of the effort that stopped the army's advance. Aligarius was brought back to the institute, but his fall from grace was a heavy lesson for the academy to learn.[1]
Notable members
In-game references
- Referred to:
References
- ↑ a b c Mark Sumner, The Prodigal Sorcerer, November 1995
- ↑ Flavor text for Prodigal Sorcerer (Limited Edition Alpha)