1. Organizations

Atur Academy

University

The premiere school of necromancy on the continent, Atur Academy teaches both “externalist” methods that rely on Mabaran manifest zones and more common “Siberyan” magic. Headmaster Orthik “the Grim” maintains exacting standards—even during the war, the academy fought tooth and nail to keep enrollment down, eventually compromising by setting up affiliate programs to train the larger mass of necromantic magewrights needed to maintain Karrnath’s reanimated legions.

The school has stood the test of time, dating from before Karrn the Conqueror. Headmaster Orthik attained lichhood 200 years before the rise of Galifar and has served as headmaster for the majority of that period, only occasionally taking a sabbatical and temporarily turning over leadership. He relies on donations to feed his soul vessel, but there are enough Seekers who are willing to give themselves over at the end of their lives that his continued existence has never been a major concern.

While Atur Academy does have a conjuration program, it does not make pacts or otherwise traffic with fiends, despite allegations by foreign tabloids. Summoning circles are highly restricted and are used almost exclusively for knowledge acquisition; some secrets can only be pried from malefic spirits of Mabar or other planes. The most common deals are actually with angels of Syrania; the Throne of Death and its servants are well known to the scholars of Atur Academy.

The school’s actual necromantic studies have traditionally been focused on rituals; long-term animation relies on gemstones to hold its magic. Battlefield necromancy (a la ray of sickness) only came into prominence with the outbreak of the Last War; prior to the war, the idea of direct magical duels was thoroughly mocked as Aundairian foolishness (battles between necromantic creations have always been the acceptable way to resolve disputes). Today, battlefield manipulation of life and death is begrudgingly understood as a magical necessity. 

Source: Cultures of Karrnath

A small arcane institute is located in Atur, Karrnath’s City of Night. Though the city is best known for the Crimson Monastery (its great temple to the Blood of Vol), the Atur Academy has trained wizards, sorcerers, and other arcane spellcasters for centuries—it has just done so rather quietly. Even in Karrnath, whose armies were bolstered by animated skeletons and zombies during the Last War, the teachings of the Atur Academy are not always met with acceptance and understanding. The masters of the academy are necromancers and warlocks, and the lessons they pass on to their students concern the darkest lore—the magic of the dead, of negative energy, and of demonic binding.

Joining the Atur Academy

In contrast to the Passage Institute, the Atur Academy is quite exclusive. The heads of the academy look for students they believe have the potential for true greatness, and indeed a few of the greatest spellcasters in recent history were graduates of Atur. The cost of attending the academy is a barrier to many, though a candidate who can’t afford to pay but secures the patronage of a respected spellcaster can hope for a scholarship to defray the cost of tuition.

For all its sinister air and questionable practices, the Atur Academy is first and foremost an institution for the study of magic, and it takes that mission seriously. At some level, the heads of the academy seem determined to prove that an interest in the darker side of arcane magic does not necessarily mean that one is corrupt of character or possessed of an inferior intellect.

Atur Academy Benefits

Once a student has earned a place at the Atur Academy, she is treated as a valuable member of that community. The academy maintains a spacious building in the City of Night (not far from the Crimson Monastery) that has comfortable dormitories, an excellent refectory, large classrooms, and well-appointed laboratories.

Beneath the academy building sprawls an extensive network of dungeons, including passages leading to old catacombs and areas designed for practicing conjuration in relative isolation.

Source: Player's Guide to Eberron

Morgrave Miscellany

Based in Karrnath within what outsiders call the “City of Night”, Atur Academy specializes in mystical studies shunned by other institutions. Atur is a stronghold of the Blood of Vol, and the Academy has no equal when it comes to the study of necromancy. While its coverage of other schools of magic is unremarkable, its researchers develop necromancy and transmutation spells that others would consider to be horrifying, and its vaults are said to contain tomes and scrolls of many spells forbidden during the reign of Galifar.

All characters that are members of this organization.