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The Scholars Guild

Information

The Scholars Guild is the premiere institution for academic development. It was granted a Royal Charter by His Majesty King Bran in SC 276, approving the petition from the nobility to elevated the guild's status; this led to the founding of the Royal University of Lithmore, the only university in the entire Realm and the guild's main office.

The guild is composed of men and women, experts in their fields of study, tasked with providing quality education to those who need it - and can afford it. Thus, the student population is made up of not only the children of the gentry and nobility, but also, those seeking to move up their guild ranks and be academically - and socially - eligible to do so. Essentially, a University degree affords a non-gentry or non-nobility almost the same chance as a gentry or a noble to be promoted to a higher position within his or her guild, making it highly coveted by lower class citizens who wish to improve their standing. It is not uncommon for guilds to pay for a few of their members to enter the university.

Tuition largely depends on what classes the student is taking, which in turn depends on the degree he is pursuing. There is a basic degree, as well as specialized degrees for those who take up a set of interrelated classes.

There are three types of degrees being offered by the University:

A basic Academic degree is given to students who take and pass at least three subjects from the Science or Arts disciplines. This degree is usually pursued by children of the nobility, who do not require a more concentrated degree (involving a greater set of classes) to move up the social ladder.

The University offers specific degrees to the other guilds. These are necessary for their non-noble members to be promoted to the elite ranks; in some way, their academic achievement acts as a leverage, giving them almost the same social standing as nobles. However, the degree does not not completely replace actual experience in their field. The University focus on imbibing within the student the theoretical foundations, and leaves it to the student's actual guild - and the student himself - to put this knowledge into practice.

Troubadours, Reeves, and Knights will likely want to pursue an Arts degree which encompasses such classes as Politics, Etiquette, Fine Arts, as well as Literature and Regional Culture.

Physicians and Merchants can go after a Science degree, embracing the subjects like Astronomy, Physics, and Geometry.

Note that individual classes can be taken by a student, for instance, he can enroll in the university to study Fine Arts only. However, this will not translate into an actual degree.

Sigil

A Torch Over An Open Tome[[

The Royal University sigil portrays a thick book that has been opened in the middle with a torch, lit as indicated by the flames and the five rays emanating from it, right above. The officially accepted symbolism of this is as follows. The book is, of course, the Urthly icon for knowledge and education, and having it opened implies that these values are being pursued by the university. Meanwhile the bright torch stands for truth and intelligence, the two qualities that aid in the mentioned quest. The combination of the book and the torch signify the University's role in guiding the student towards an enlightened, ennobled state of being. A more formal rendering of the sigil places the book and torch in an ornate shield with a wreath mantling; a crown serves as the helm, the upper banner contains the full name of the university, and the lower banner its motto.