Wosea Academy

The Wosea Academy of Natural Philosophy and Wizardry
Nestled atop the white cliffs overlooking the delta of the River Wos is the the great stone edifice of the Wizard Academy of Wosea. Much to the frustration of nearly every student and worker at the Academy without dorm rooms the most direct route from the cheap housing at the Docks up to the academy is a seven thousand eight-hundred and fourteen steps of winding staircase switch backing up the cliff. Said climb is made slightly more accommodating by the enterprising shop keepers and vendors who have carved numerous accommodations and even short term hostels back into the sheer cliffs. With the price and thus the convenience rising as one gets closer and closer to the Campus grounds.

The academy grounds themselves are a sprawling campus of arcades, lecture halls, parks, libraries, laboratories and dormitories with the pinnacle being the soaring tower of wizardry. Its air has a constant crispness from the trade winds off the roiling Feathered Sea far below and in general it is a very pleasant and bustling city in miniature all its own.

Every structure's walls interior and exterior are filled, and practically crawling with, elegant Gargoyles; in the form of statuesque warriors and various men, women and beasts of noble bearing. There are amidst the human forms: angels, dogs, snakes, lizards, sphinxes, squirrels, mice, dragons, peacocks and scarab beetles. The suffusion of sculptures and stone masonry continues in fragmented arteries down the cliffs and along the avenues of the more gradual winding roads; all the way back down to the city of Wosea. Every building in the upper yard sports at least one gargoyle and even the poorest districts have their eroded guardians.

The expense in maintaining the living stone works alone is one of the greatest of the campus, this cost has come to exceed even that of research materials or staff salaries. But no Wizard of Wosea would dare suggest they did not "earn their keep". It is said trespassers of all ilk, from thieves to gremlins, survive not a moment within the Academy grounds.

Goblin Town
In Sewers and crevices buried beneath new construction at the base of the cliffs is the Wosea Goblin town. On the whole a vicious lot goblins in Wosea are at least tolerated in the Tannary district, being one of the few beings willing to work for fish guts and offal in such conditions. Goblin Town has a few above ground offshoots in the more industrious parts of the Docks.

Political Landscape
The Stone Mason and Mortician's guild are one of the most powerful political forces in Wosea, their say overturning any other party. It is by the stone mason and mortician's guild that the gargoyles are produced and maintained. After that is the Academy faculty and via them the Council of Wizards, headed by the Archwizardress Lanol the Seer. The academy effectively rules the surrounding lands and sea trade routes of Wosea, including the entirety of the River Wos from it's head waters in the Mountains Indomitable down to the delta and white cliffs at the Feathered Sea Coast. Only after that is the count of Wosea, a near none-entity lord who leans on the political and magical might of the Academy in favor of his own armies and power to secure the county from threats.

Curriculum
It might be surprising but most of the material covered by the Academy has very little to do with magic, mostly consisting of covering trade, architecture, ship design and sculpture. There is a mandatory rotation of classes that each student must attend from the wizard academy to test if they have the 'knack' for magic. With a favoring of catching militarily useful talents such as pyro or geomancy before exposing new students to the more esoteric Schools of Wizardry.

There are also herbalism, agriculture and spirit taming electives available for those interested that consistently have to fight for continued funding, support and lecture space.

Gremlin Bounty
Wosea holds an extensive academy funded bounty fund on Gremlins in general with particularly high bounties on individual Gremlins that have gained infamy in their exploits. This tradition that originally began as a measure to protect the student body and academy staff has trickled down into a common practice among most Wosea residents. Complete with Gremlin Hunts being a popular children's game.