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THE
ART
SCHOOL
OF AMES |
The School of Ames is located
in the elven town of Fullwanooth on the
continent of Nybelmar and is essentially what its
name states, a school of Knowledge. It is best known for its vast library and
its skill in teaching languages. It is also known upon the
continent of Nybelmar for its performing and fine
art courses.
Description. The
School of Ames was founded in 1418 by Jalei Ames, a local artist who catered to
the wealthy, and a small gathering of his pupils. Ames believed that anything
could be taught - inherent skills not being thought as necessary for learning a
trade. Since the School's establishment, this mission has proved to be true.
The pupils that attend come in relatively unexperienced and leave with a good
technical grasp in their field of study.
Another unique aspect of the School of Ames is that there is no graduation.
There is no true graduate system as people come and pay to take classes and
receive a written acknowledgement noting their completion of the course. If
they want to learn more they must pay for more classes. Those that are
respected by their teachers may receive various titles from them, but that is
all.
There were two additions to the main body since its inception - the Fine Arts
wing (teaching many different manners of the use of clay and brush to create
art) was added in 1498 and the Theatre (for musical and thespian endeavors) was
added in 1522. The school has been pondering the addition of a
magic wing to its campus, but many arguments
have been raised concering it.
The school is built upon level ground in the town of Fullwanooth. There is only
one entrance - up the three steps and into the rotunda. To the left is the fine
Arts wing and to the Right is the Theatre. The Theater itself has its own
entrance for performances where it takes in revenue from the public, but this
entrance is closed during school hours.
Forward through the Rotunda leads to the Gardens, a parcel of land meant as a
common ground for all students during their tenure. It is well manicured and
showcases the local flora and fauna. Beyond the Gardens is the oldest building,
the Library of Words. This is the original building built in 1418, and houses
the the collection of texts and maps that the School of Ames prides itself
upon.
Location. The School of
Ames is located on the continent of Nybelmar, in the
elven town of Fullwanooth, just north of
Latharan Unagom and southeast of Fallaerion Affaenath, residing in the
flatlands before the foothills of Sharkion Zhararath.
People. The Town of Fullwanooth itself is an unstable territory, considering so many races converge on the town and use its resources, it can at many times be unbridled chaos to the traveller's eye. The School of Ames is seen as a rarity, a relatively stable area, though the school itself has a fair share of horror stories regarding the townsfolk, merchants and travellers and their treatment of the facility. - Races you might encounter at the School of Ames are the following:
The
Humans
Many of the people who attend the School of Ames are
human - that race is known above all for its
insatiable hunger for knoweldge.
The
Dwarves
Dwarves participate in the School quite a bit
more than one would expect - the exchange program with the
Kavogerim Library keeps
dwarven pupils and text in attendance.
The
Elves
Elves attend the school from time to time for
personal enrichment, but the school is not recognized by any
elven tribe as a true place of knowledge due to
its mission practices.
Coat of Arms/Sign.
The school itself has no coat of arms, just a simple symbol used to designate
attendees of the School of Ames, past or present. The symbol is shaped like an
oval, and within that oval there isn an open book with a brush and quill over
the center. Beneath the book the word "Ames" is written. This symbol is also
carved in reverse on the rings of the educators of the school, for wax seals and
class diplomas at the end of courses. Another ring (with design in forward) is
offered to longtime attendees for a price.
Climate. The school,
as well as the flatland foothill areas enjoy mild weather and gentle breezes on
average days. But when the weather decides to turn sour, the town becomes just
as messy as its unconventional inhabitants.
In heavy downpours during the winter and early spring, the grounds can get
saturated and make a mess of anything that decides to get too close to a mud
puddle. Students have been known to disrobe and wash their garments in
washbasins and troughs after travelling to the school in the foul weather.
And in the late spring and throughout summer, the temperature can rise to
amazing heights, making the town unbearable.Only by retreating to Latharan
Unagom can one take refuge from the heat - by either cooling off from the
breezes off the lake, or swimming in it.
Flora. The Gardens in
the center of the school grounds cater to local flora - while the flatlands
offer little in true variety, the groundskeepers are adept at cultivating the
grasses to the point where it seems perpetually spring within the Gardens. The
Gardens do attract people not in attendance at the School - for purposes of
harvesting the flowers, and it is a fair nuisance from time to time.
Fauna. The building
makes a great home to town vermin - empty classrooms and tomes of great
thicknesses are large benefits to rats, stray
felines and even birds and dogs. Some of the vermin are only mildly feral, it is
not uncommon to have a feral local cat steal your lunch if you are unattentive.
Resources. The
dwarven
Kavogerims
Nomli and Vomli UrchaEnn were known
to have an extensive library themselves, and it is rumoured that the
dwarves who tend their Library and School now
have an exchange program - swapping texts and knowlege, even teachers from time
to time to keep their respective schools interesting for its pupils.
Myth/Lore. Jalei
Ames was an artist himself, skilled in the art of portraiture and his minor
talent in deciphering the human personality
made him a desired artist to the wealthy. Soon he had a whole gathering of young
folk who wished to learn his style for their own profit and Jalei, ever the
thinker, formed the School of Ames in Fullwanooth - what he regarded to be a
good setting for encouraging the creative minds of his students as well as a
place for his pupils to establish their own trade.
The school is also rumored to be haunted: In 1602 "Dry Waters" the play written
by Achimus Tork, a human bard studying there,
was performed onstage in the School of Ames' Theatre. Achmius was the lead
character - a plains-dwarf guide
who had suddenly lost his water-sense
during a caravan excursion.
A scene called for the head Caravan male (to be played by a gentleman whose name
is lost in history) to to attack the dwarf.
But rather than the actor coming on stage and acting the scene, a woman called
Red Pannis (a known prostitute with a terrible temper and a frequent "muse" of
Achmius) stormed the stage in a similar garment and actually attacked Tork,
without any of the actors taking notice. - The scene went off without a hitch -
Achmius died onstage to a standing ovation. Red Pannis later killed herself in
an inn.
It is said that Achmius Tork (known around the school as"Dead Tork") wanders the
halls singing with his lute, leaving ghostly trails of blood in his wake. He
also frequents the Theatre, acting out the motions of the play (though
fortunately never the Death Scene). It is said he acts onstage in the hopes that
his real acting will gather applause.
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