Post by The Designer on Feb 15, 2007 22:30:15 GMT -5
THE ARCANE ACADEMY
That's right, the giant of the Magical World, the Nexus of all sentient life on Earth, magical or not.... It is The Arcane Academy, also known as The Hidden Academy or The Forbidden Academy.
The Academy began it's existence during the 13th century, when a lone mage by the name of Sivelos the Silver-Handed, a legendary magician of certain circles, created the academy. A giant in the magical world, he called upon hundred, if not thousands, of favors to construct the Academy, and the city surrounding it. After a few years of construction, the Academy was set up and flying high in the sky, fueled by countless magical artifacts, all of which are located deep below the Academy today.
Magic Styles: The Academy is truly a nexus of the magical world. It specializes not in one area, as thousands of teachers have skills in dozens upon dozens of magic styles, making the Academy a melting pot. In short, the Academy does not specialize in one area, and instead has a very large area of expertise.
The Military:
Anyways, the Academy is basically the number 1 in the world, followed closely by it's allies and what not. While the Order does boast a much, much higher number than the Academy, none can dispute the level of it's influence as well as the diversity and skill of it's military. The Military is composed of five soldier types, Students, Security, Tracers, Teachers and Soldiers. Soldiers are volunteers who have gone through rigorous training and gained skill on par with to a Mage-level magician. It has been said a single Soldier has the skill to easily kill 10 mundane soldiers without breaking as sweat. Currently, they are divided into Air, Ground, Sea and Special forces. Special Forces are soldiers who's area of expertise lies within magical or odd places, like a different dimension or space for example. Usually, Special Forces are the Elite version of Soldiers of the Ground, Sea and Air divisions. However, most if not all Soldiers are in reserve, used only during the most dire of situations. As such, that's why there are so many soldiers within the Academy, Soldiers are rarely called upon, and it is the easiest way of learning magic without a long commitment.
Security acts as sort of the Military Police, making sure the military remains in line and in order. The Tracers act as the special field agents and spies of the Military, gathering info or even carrying out assassinations.
The Students, however, are the elite of the military. While soldiers are trained in the ways of war, Students, while taking on simple and easy classes, are trained all their years within the Academy... to become both savants and warriors capable of defending their knowledge. In sort, the Academy is also like a Military School, and while much more lax, expects a degree of skill and proficiency on the battle field from all of it's students.
If the Students are the elite though, then it's the teachers which are truly the cream of the crop. While many students can indeed face down a Teacher, it is not wise to do so.. For teachers posses some crazy skill. All staff members of the Academy are required to be able to fight, and when all gathered, they truly form a monstrous force capable of bringing down nations.
Furthermore, all Military Personnel, be it Student or Soldier, have been taught how to survive in the field using magic... As in replenish supplies, provide treatment, etc, so that money for upkeep is not much of a problem.
The Head of the military is The Head Master, and below him are the Heads of the Tracers, Staff and Security, as well as other assorted people. The Head Master has also been referred to as the Head of the Soldiers and students, as it is his duty to lead them into battle. However, many students have been advocating to be able to select their own leader. Regardless, the Head Master is the undisputed leader of the Military, and de facto leader of the entire Academy and the City of Babylos...
TOTAL NUMBER OF MILITARY PERSONNEL: 2,510,000
Number of Soldiers: 1,500,000
Number of Students: 500,000
Number of Security: 200,000
Number of Tracers: 200,000
Number of Battle-Teachers: 100,000
Number of Others (Mercenaries, mechanics, etc): 10,000
TOTAL NUMBER OF MECHANIZED FORCES: 30,000
Tanks: 10,000
Aircrafts: 11,000
Small Water Crafts: 8,000
Large Water Crafts: 600
Mobile Floating Isle bases: 400
Factions Within the Arcane Academy:
There guys are the most well known and respected groups, their ubiquitous presence in always in the lives of the average citizen.
The Security: Mostly composed of Arch-Mage and Master Ranking Mages, The Security guards and protects the academy, but soon protected the isle itself. Much like the Staff, they are different though. While the Staff deals with the academy building and the students, the Security deals with the Entire Floating City. Think of them as a Military-Police.
The Staff: The Staff is a group which is like The Security, but still different. The Staff only allows for Arch Mage and Master Ranked spell casters to enter it's group. The Staff's main concern is to protect the Students of the school and the school itself, much like the security. However, The Staff are the ones who organize response forces to deal with Ruptures and monster attacks. Finally, they are the teachers of the Students and Soldiers.
The Tracers: Serving as the third group within the Academy, the Tracers have two jobs. First, their job is to scout across the world and find magical interferences from renegade mages, criminals, monsters, etc to keep the Arcane Academy secret. Their other job is to erase the existence of those they discovered, making sure no one knew they ever existed and whatever the renegades did. However though, don't think of the Tracers as the Agents of the Academy, for the Agents are the Students. Instead, all these guys do is just keep the Academy a secret; Think of them as the Academy's spies and clean up crew combined. In times of military crisis, they're called upon as field agents.
The Teleporters: A sub branch of The Tracers, Teleporters are specialized Tracers who deal solely with the transportation of students, soldiers, tracers, etc. They are skilled with vehicles, and have been trained to drive every single mode of transportation known to man. Also, they are skilled with actually teleporting people, and when working together in large groups, can transport a person from the U.S to Japan. While obsolete thanks to the intricate portal system set up, Teleporters are still valuable as soldiers for their ability to transport people rapidly and efficiently.
While the Tracers, Staff and Security (And to a small extent, the Teleporters), are well known groups, there are also more esoteric groups within the walls of the Academy that the average citizen might never near of.
NOVA: Nova is a group dedicated to the revival of the lost arts of humanity. They stress the importance of human culture and genius in the light of the "Absolute Truth" of magic. They're a master of New Symbology, Wordology, Alchemy and other arts to which one can reflect their culture and beliefs in. The total number of Nova is said to be roughly more than one thousand. The goal of this group is a change to the order of things, trying to instead focus more important to the human's reaction to magic rather than magic itself.
The Underground: Keepers of the lower side of the Academy, these mages are the Arch Mages which protects the underside from all sorts of horrors which lays in the dark. It is commonly thought that this is an Off-shoot of Special Soldiers. The numbers are relatively unknown, but it is thought that at least 100,000 of the Special Soldier's finest guard the Labyrinth of the Academy. This has lead to be among the world's finest combatants, as the constant creatures that lurk beneath provide ample first hand combat training.
The Agency: A small off-shoot of the Tracers, the Agency acts as a governing body for the various Earthside field agents. Once a month, the Agents within a region gather to discuss important events, share occult knowledge and what not. The Agency is merely a network, not any full fledge group or anything. However, that doesn't stop Agents from gaining reputation and claim to represent the Agency.
The Lancrescent Family: The Lancrescent family is a huge rich family of the Academy, who don't stutter when it comes to intervening in the Politics of the Academy. Their vast sums of money allow them to place high ranking teachers within the Academy, which allow them to spread their influence. It has been said the Headmaster and the Lancrescent family have butt heads more than once. Recently, the Lancrescent family has gone into lethargy, for reasons known.
The Order of Knowledge: A particularly knowledge-inclined group within the Academy, the Order of Knowledge seeks to unravel the secrets of the world, trying to learn as much as they can. Traveling the world from corner to corner, these savants can be seen going through ruins, experimenting with a new spell, or doing other deeds to learn more of the world. There are around ten-thousand members of The Order of Knowledge.