Stairusen

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Stailrusen (Alternately: Stairusen Academy, Stairusen School, and Stairusen Asylum) was a school widely regarded the first organized school of magic in the Known Worlds.

History

In A.Y. 3414, an archeological dig uncovered a remarkable find. Very little of the original structure and grounds remained: just a foundation and the remnants of a few outbuildings. But indications at the site suggested it once covered hundreds of acres.

While digging in the foundation, research unearthed a series of well-preserved store rooms and vaults, including a records room which quickly became the most important piece of the find.

The records, as well as a collection of books and other writings, revealed the true nature of the site. It was a school, and not just a university (as had been determined at other, older sites), but an actual, organized school of magic specifically for youngsters (with students beginning as early as age 9).

Detailed student records only covered a 14-year history, but the school was believed to be in operation for several centuries. The writings found revealed further details about the life and times and daily goings-on of that era.


Controversy

Stairusen is widely regarded as the very first organized school of magic (university-like 'schools' for adults predate it, but they were not nearly so organized and taught a variety of subjects), but its highly-organized nature that has given some scholars cause to doubt. The school had mass-printed textbooks and a decidedly complex and established structure, despite housing only a few hundred students.

Further, it was not some private institution, catering only to the societal elite. It was indicated that students from every rank of society studied there. While the records do not indicate transfers, most historians believe Stairusen may have been one of many such schools, designed to supply wizards to the towers of the area.