Home of the illustrious
Kaierian Warrior Elves, the
Tethinrhim Academy of Archery and
Advanced Military Tactics serves as one of the most prominent schools of
specialty within the Santharian Kingdom. Since its
establishment long before the memorable reign of
Santhros, "The King of Charity", the
exclusively-elven institute was nigh legendary
for the striking army it housed and trained within the mystifying confines of
the Auturian Woods. Despite the opening of the
training facility to the public by the elven
ruler, the Rónn, decades after allying his people to
Santharia, the curriculum taught by the
Kaierian elves has remained the
establishment’s highest piece of undisclosed information. It is, however,
strongly suggested that primordial methods, such as the Iteh, a
Kaierian training practice,
remain as the foundation of the syllabus.
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Image description. An elven student of archery is awarded a
master's bow. Picture from
the game Mystical
Empire™, used with friendly permission. Illustration
drawn by Quellion. |
Description. A
colossal stone threshold defended by a massive Earthen Statue, denotes mutually
the entrance of the
Kaierian
sanctuary and the crux of the ample city of Sillena. Following the cliché,
Sillena arranged itself in an austere mold of straight roads traversing at
flawless right angles.
Despite its rigid structure, Sillena offers a warm, homely atmosphere,
emphasized by its primarily female, lower class population. Sincere grins remain
stationary upon youthful facades. An odd mixture of cottages and homes sculpted
of trees line the stiff infrastructure, each decorated with plump house-wife or
littered with young children.
The interior of the school is equally more humble in its appearance, shaped like
a standard military camp, rather than an elaborate palace. Rustic barracks line
the perimeter of the area, forming a ring around the central administrative
building, staff lodgings, and training grounds. Each is outfitted with a small
porch, connecting the doors to each individual four-man room, and is sheltered
by a rickety roof made of the bark of the ordinary
urban tree.
Between each residence are small archery ranges, each with two targets made of
dried grasses and old cloth. Unfortunately, due to their inconvenient size,
these miniature ranges are utilized for individual practice instead of division
use. Larger ranges, which are commonly indistinguishable to their smaller foils,
can be found within the center of the camp, acting as a barrier between staff
and student dwellings.
At the heart of the Academy, protected by the out-lying barracks, vast expanses
of ranges and hundreds of warriors, is the school’s central building. This
structure, which towers over the rest of the camp - barely shy of breaking the
thick canopy overhead - not only acts as an administrative building, but
accommodates the numerous sessions in tactics and strategy. The Grand Hall, an
open expanse to the tip of the ceiling, is by far the most magnificent piece
inside the entire edifice. Lined with precious marble, the beautiful opening was
designed with the purpose of fortification. Overlooking the stretch of hallway
are a series of balconies, inaccessible except by a stairwell at the end of the
expanse, designed to provide archers a distinct advantage over incoming ground
troops. Though this defense mechanism has never before been used, as the camp
has never been breached, it is said the hundreds of defenders are able to deluge
attackers with arrows, making it nearly impossible to move without being struck.
With the eradication of enemies upon joining the
Santharian Kingdom, the structure has donned a new function of a hub of
student social life.
Function.
The
Kaierian
Academy has been, since its founding by the elven
Rónn, a disjointed extension of the capital used for the training and housing of
the municipality’s significant population of guerrilla warriors. It is suggested
by legend that, before the public opening of the Academy, the barracks were
connected to the main body of the Riá. In order to protect
his people from their wretched
Avennorian neighbours, the Rónn ordered the pathway sealed by the Druids and
its entrance hidden
Thus, the fort was quickly transformed into a school, open to the public
regardless of race. Unfortunately the limited space of the confined Academy
compelled the warriors to regulate their broad spectrum of applicants through a
meticulous selection procedure. This contemporary arrangement necessitates all
candidates to endure a minimum of five (human)
years of martial education from an accepted Institute and to have graduated “é
chó artáj” ("with great honor") within their relevant divisions.
Location. The Academy’s
entrance, a massive stone portal at the threshold of foreboding catacombs of
tunnels, can be found within the heart of the
Tethinrhim
city of Sillena. The village, seated upon the outskirts of the
Auturian Woods,
is nestled between Manthria’s Morak Ridge and the
elven
capitol, the Riá.
An avid belief in isolation and the foreboding heart of the
Auturian Woods
have kept the exact location of the feature unknown, even from those who attend
the Academy. However, scholars have been able to approximate, based on
eye-witness accounts of the school’s interior and the Grand Portal that the
institute lies within the unwelcoming heart of the forest’s core, veiled from
sight by the massive trees and heavy underbrush.
