The famous Magical Academy of Ximax (also called the "Institute of Magic" or the simply "School of Magic") harbours eleven towers, five of them form the Outer Circle, six the Inner one. In the center of the Academy the Orb of Ximax is located, an immensely powerful sphere of magical energy.

TOWERS OF THE OUTER CIRCLE

• The Tower of the Guard
  This tower is the only entry into the School. It also contains the Great Library of Ximax, repository of all the knowledge the magi have accumulated (and are willing to disclose). This tower is the only "classic" tower, with the battlements and structure made so famous by the dwarven Archmage Ungur Firehands.

• The Tower of Metamagic
  This tower is formed of crystal, with alternating colors shifting through it. This Tower's shape is constantly shifting, but the center always remains a rod of uruyant.

• The Tower of Life Magic
  This tower is covered by vines and trees, leading some to wonder what the tower was before covered with life. The tower, shaped like a titanic tree, is reputedly operated almost entirely by Redbark Brownies.

• The Tower of Summonings
  This tower is formed of smooth bands of black and white stone around a massive hand, a hand holding a gargantuan Voidras sphere. This tower houses the demonologists as its only permanent residents.

• The Tower of Mental Magic
  The tower that houses the Mentalists is shaped like a violet pyramid with a glittering crystal on top of it. The Eye of Venora, as the crystal is called, is the main scrying device of Ximax, and it is through this instrument the Mental Magi retain their mago-political influence. The Illusionists also reside here.
   

TOWERS OF THE INNER CIRCLE
AND THE SHIELD DOME

These six towers are arranged in a tight circle, with walls of mystic energy tightly binding them together. On the inside of the Circle rests one of the Wonders of Santharia: the Tear of Avá, the Uarná'ésh-dél, the Orb of Ximax... Call it what you will, this immensely powerful sphere of magical energy is the heart of the Institute, and the entire City of Mages was built up around this phenomenon. The only mortal beings allowed to enter the roiling energies within the Orb are the Archmagi, during their induction and meetings of the Conclave. It is rumored that the Orb is truly a place where the energies of the Gods can be focussed; where the line between the Dream and Night is blurred, and it is the only place where mortals may reach the divine - or so it is told...

The Towers of the Inner Circle can be described as follows:

• The Tower of the Shadow
  This black, chill obelisk is the home of the Warpers of the Night, among whom are the Necromancers and their dark brethren. It is rumored that the Black Tower is the only place on Caelereth mirrored in the Underworld precisely as it is. Its defense is fairly benign, if having your own shadow rise up and paralyze you is seen as benign.

• The Tower of the Sea
  A tower shaped of sapphire and ice, this tower houses the Elemental Magi of Water. It is shaped like an icicle defying gravity, and growing upwards. As its shield, an intense chill will overcome the enemies of the Blue. This tower, like its three brethren, will grow or shrink as Ahm and Soor collide at the Orb of Ximax.

• The Tower of Earth
  Shaped like a miniature mountain, the Brown Tower is the lair of the Earth Magi. It is also the home of all dwarven magi to come to Ximax; despite spellcasting discipline, the dwarves keep their own together. Those who are not deemed worthy to enter this Tower are swallowed by the earth, up to the legs if lucky.

• The Tower of the Skies
  A tower formed from wind-carved rock in the deserts of Aerullian, the Yellow Tower is unique in that none but the wind-workers can enter. The Tower is surrounded by fierce winds, and actually levitates above the ground. Legend says that when the Tower falls, Armageddon will be at hand.

• The Tower of Flame
  Two intertwined pillars of crimson granite and ruby shape this chaotic tower, the home of the Fire Magi. This tower is the work of the first Red Archmage, Grar the Powerful, the leader of the Volkek-Oshra tribe of orcs. In his honor, the Red Tower's archmage has always been of the Volkek-Oshra, though the regent is a different story. The Red Tower's dull glow can be seen throughout Ximax, a constant reminder of the nearness of chaos in all the works of magic. In the reverse of the Blue Wards, this tower causes unbearable heat to descend onto those near it without an errand within. This, together with the Daughters of the Flame, an elite caste of orcish war mages that are enough on their own to kill anyone's interests in the tower, may deter unwanted visitors easily.

• The Tower of Light
  A sabre of pearl and ivory, this tower's radiance causes acute pain to the impure who view it; such are its defensive wards. This tower is the home of the Energy and Light Magi, who suffer none but their own inside its walls. This tower focuses the Orb's power of Ahm and counterbalances the Black Tower's concentration of Soor.[1]

• The Shield Dome
  A field of intense magical power rests over the center of the Inner Circle, the result of the efforts of the founders of Ximax to shield the effects of the Orb from the surrounding area. Even the few emissions that leak through the nearly impenetrable shield are enough to magnify the sorcerous powers around the Institute by an extreme amount. The Eleven Towers are for the most part made to contain and concentrate these energies, to be wielded by the Archmagi of the respective Orders during their reign. See also the Eleven Staffs of Ximax.

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Footnotes

[1] The Twin Towers, as the Black and White are called, are of nessecity always perfectly matched in power, as it is believed that should one gain power over the other, the resulting cataclysm within the Orb would annihilate the entire peninsula of Ximax. Since even the Coór-corrupted within the Black Tower wish to retain existence, they hold to the mandate of the Archmagi on this. [return]