Baletier

Despite Velend's harsh reputation, it is home to Baletier, the most prestigious academic institution in Esai. The city surrounding the academy is eponymously named, as all stores and businesses mainly service the college. Located to the south of the capital Siegelind, Baletier Academy serves to educate the gifted and wealthy of Velend and the world at large. The greatest minds of the world have historically studied there.

Even before the Godswar, the study of the arcane arts was considered taboo in Velend. Baletier was the exception to this rule. The great wizards of old would often end their careers as professors and researches here, finding that many powerful leylines of magic flowed through the area. Arcanists of all varieties would arrive to further their craft, some young as 10, some pushing into their centennials. If one wished to pursue collegiate studies in Esai, Baletier was the most renowned academy to do so.

After the war, when magic left the world and Velend's treatment of the divine became intloerant, Baletier remained steadfast in their mission. While all of the arcanists who led the school had lost their magic, their knowledge remained. Many work in secret, hiding the knowledge of the past from the prying eyes of the government, securing details of their craft in books and scrolls for future generations. Teaching the arcane arts is now illegal of course, and almost all magical artifacts were taken and destroyed soon after the war. The magical barriers that kept the academy mostly safe from Sifor's rays have since faded from lack of upkeep.

The current Dean of the college is a high elf, Traren Cravelur, who took over as Dean a few years after the war. Chosen by the High Antitheot, Traren exemplifies the values of the current autocracy. He enforces severe penalties on unauthorized arcane research. Some say that there are some underground organizations that still produce at least theoretical research without the knowledge of the Dean.

Today most of the students of the academy come for more traditional schooling in religion, maths, and the sciences. Students still travel from all around to study there. Those of particularly high aptitude can attend for a nominal cost, while they wealthy and dull can often attend at a premium. Still, the rigors of the academy apply to all, and many cannot withstand the overwhelming workload. Those that do not wish to attend on a full time basis can still access the academy's massive libraries and research apparatuses that the school owns. Many secrets are said to be held within the academy, many ancient and powerful mysteries that are still waiting to be fully explored.