Morgrave University

http://keith-baker.com/magical-education/

http://keith-baker.com/ifaq-university/

At the heart of Sharn’s Morgrave University is a sharp dichotomy: On the one hand, it is known as a nexus for scholars wishing to study Xen’drik, thanks in large part to Sharn’s proximity to the secret continent. Its collections of artifacts and scholarly works about ancient Xen’drik and the Dhakaan Empire are unparalleled. In many ways, it lives up to the shining vision of its founder, Lord Lareth ir’Morgrave, to be “a beacon of knowledge shining from the tallest towers of the city.”

On the other hand, the university’s reputation is tainted by allegations of smuggling, treasure hunting, and profiteering. Many priceless relics recovered from Xen’drik or Dhakaani ruins have disappeared from the university vaults and found their way to the black market or into the hands of the Aurum. It’s an open secret that some scholars, professors, and even students at the university have ties to smugglers and thieves. All these allegations, too, have ties to the university’s founding: Lord Morgrave himself is said to have made his fortune selling Dhakaani artifacts on the black market, and some have claimed that the true purpose of the university was to help him build his fortune through such questionable means.

Allies. The academic world is relatively small, and people at any one university tend to have connections at others. You might parlay such relationships into assistance from academies and institutions, such as the following organizations:

• Flamewind. The sphinx Flamewind isn’t officially affiliated with the university, but she lives there and spends much of her time in its libraries and museums. As a scholar of the Draconic Prophecy, Flamewind often poses strange questions and sends adventurers on obscure missions.
• Library of Korranberg. The Library of Korranberg boasts the greatest collection of learning in Khorvaire. Its prestige means that people associated with it often look down on their colleagues at Morgrave University, but they still celebrate the two institutions’ common purpose of pursuing knowledge. If Morgrave’s own libraries are insufficient for the task at hand, your group can probably find help in Korranberg.
• The Twelve. For many scholars of magical studies, the idea of pursuing their research under the auspices of the Twelve is a cherished dream. Some faculty members at Morgrave have had the opportunity to do just that, and many others have nurtured connections to the Twelve in an attempt to secure that honor. Those connections can give your group access to powerful magic and the other resources of the Twelve.
• Wayfinder Foundation. Morgrave maintains extensive connections with the Wayfinder Foundation—an exclusive guild for adventurers, which funds expeditions to distant locales. Should your group needs a grant or resources from the Wayfinders, a letter of recommendation from someone at Morgrave carries some weight.

Enemies. Morgrave University has few true enemies but many rivals. Despite the friendly ties among academic institutions, Morgrave occupies the low end of the prestige scale among academic bodies, so its faculty tends to look for opportunities to steal glory from its academic peers. Beyond rivalries with allied organizations, Morgrave openly competes with the following group:

• University of Wynarn. Foremost among Morgrave’s rivals is Aundair’s University of Wynarn, whose administrators have been known to refer to Morgrave as an “institute of learning, relic hunting, and grave robbing.” The University of Wynarn is ancient—the first university established in the Five Nations—and more prestigious than Morgrave. It sponsors many of the same kind of expeditions and can boast many great discoveries, yet, somehow, Morgrave is more famous, and that stings many among the university’s staff.

With a university as your group’s patron, you gain the following benefits:

Compensation. The university pays for the work you do on its behalf. The nature of your employment influences how you are paid. On average, the university pays each member of your group 1 gp per day, or enough to sustain a modest lifestyle. Or you might be paid a bounty for each ancient artifact you bring back from your adventures and give to the university.

Documentation. Each member of your group has identification papers that include your affiliation with the university, which carries some clout in academic circles. The university also secures documentation, letters of introduction, and traveling papers for you if your work requires them. Finally, if your adventures take you to Xen’drik, the university secures the necessary letters of marque issued by the king of Breland, which grant you permission to explore the ruins there.

Research. Research might be part of your group’s job, but your patron has abundant resources to facilitate it. You can call in a favor to delegate the work of researching lore (a downtime activity described in the Player’s Handbook or Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) to a colleague, contact, or research assistant. You’re responsible for covering all expenses occurred as part of this research, and the DM determines the success, failure, or other possible results.

Resources. Most universities have extensive libraries and museums, which you have access to. You can call in a favor to gain access to resources that are generally not on exhibit—dangerous relics or possibly magic items, spellbooks, and the like. Additionally, the faculty of your university might make it possible for you to consult with experts in various fields—so long as you can coax them away from their work.

Training. Because you’re associated with the university, you receive a discount on any education you wish to pursue. When you undergo training as a downtime activity (as described in the Player’s Handbook or Xanathar’s Guide to Everything), you pay only one-half the normal cost, assuming that what you are studying is something the university teaches. Training in languages, musical instruments, and other tools might also be available, at the DM’s discretion. In addition, you can gain proficiency in the Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion skills by this method, as if you were learning a language. A character can only learn one of these skills in this way.

A group sponsored by a university might look very much like any other adventuring party, with a range of diverse skills and capabilities. The only significant distinction lies between characters who are scholars and those who are more traditional adventurers. Consider some or all of these roles for characters in your party:

Field Researcher. The academic in your group might also be a character with plenty of training and experience in the dangerous life of an adventurer. Sometimes called tomb raiders or grave robbers, such characters know that groundbreaking work requires firsthand experience with the creatures, cultures, forces, and histories being investigated, and the best way to get that is in the field. This role is similar to the Scholar, but the Field Researcher is armed with combat-oriented spells that supplement the knowledge-focused capabilities of the Scholar, preparing them to face those who guard the world’s greatest secrets.

Financier. Whether they’re hunting for grants or seeking donations from wealthy philanthropists, the Financier seeks the funds to pay for academic expeditions. Such characters might know their ways around ballrooms, boardrooms, and seedy taverns, willing to do whats necessary to get what they need. Those in this role often exude Charisma and might be adept with the Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion skills. Bards and rogues make natural academic Financiers, as do those with the charlatan and noble backgrounds.

Research Assistant. Whether their seeking to graduate, get published, or make their academic mark, the Research Assistant’s fate is likely tied up in the success of another scholar or a specific project. Alternatively, the Research Assistant might just be along for the ride, helping a professor merely to pass a course. Regardless, such characters might come from any class or background and could have skills gathered from experiences far outside the academic sphere. While there are certainly legitimate Research Assistants who honestly pursue their studies, this role might suit characters without academic interests.

Scholar. Likely possessing a high Intelligence score and a focus on learning and research, the Scholar in your party might represent the academic emphasis of the university. This character is often a noncombatant, a professor or student the rest of the party protects. Alternatively, they might live a dual life, shedding their academic persona as soon as they’re off campus grounds. The Scholar might also be a nonplayer character, or the role could be filled by a player character whose spells and training don’t include combat. A wizard whose spellbook is filled with utility-focused spells makes a fine Scholar, as might some clerics and monks. In any case, the sage background is an obvious choice for the Scholar, with acolyte and hermit also providing fine alternatives. Proficiency in skills such as Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, and Religion often proves useful for this character.

Decide as a group, in consultation with your DM, what kind of work your group does for the university. Consult the Scholarly Missions table to determine what sort of adventures you undertake.

Scholarly Missions

Academics live and die by their reputation. Some stand as embodiments of their fields of expertise, others might be considered con artists who stigmatize whole academic fields. Roll on or choose an option from the Scholarly Standing table to determine what other people think about your research.

Scholarly Standing

With a university as your patron, you are part of a sprawling bureaucracy—maybe deep in the tangles of it or, more likely, lingering at the edges. Wherever you sit in the network of colleges, administrators, and faculty, a single person serves as your primary point of contact, someone who has a significant impact on the nature of your relationship with the university. Reference the University Contact table to help determine who manages the relationship between you and the university.

University Contact

Morgrave University is not the most reputable institution in Khorvaire. It lacks the resources of the Library of Korranberg or Wynarn University, and many claim that its archaeological activities are infested with smugglers and treasure hunters. While the university lacks the clout of its peers in Korranberg and Aundair, it is much more accessible to young adventurers who have yet to build a reputation.

In the past, most nobles were educated in the colleges of Zilargo or Aundair. When Lord Lareth ir’Morgrave established his university in the city of Sharn two hundred sixty years ago, he claimed it would be “a beacon of knowledge shining from the tallest towers of the city, illuminating the forgotten secrets of the past.” While many city elders applauded Morgrave’s work, he had his enemies. Morgrave was said to have made his fortune selling Dhakaani artifacts on the black market, and some claimed that the true purpose of the university was to assist him in his treasure hunting. Suspicions aside, Sharn’s proximity to Xen’drik has made Morgrave University a nexus for sc holars wishing to study the secret continent.

The Master of Morgrave University is the oldest heir of the Morgrave line. Currently the university head is Larrian ir’Morgrave (N male human, aristocrat 2/expert 5), a scholar who has spent decades studying the civilizations of ancient Xen’drik.

Morgrave University struggles to establish its academic reputation, and the sages and scholars on the faculty always watch for an opportunity to prove themselves. That said, Morgrave’s reputation for corruption is well deserved. Many priceless relics recovered from Xen’drik or Dhakaani ruins have been “stolen” from the university vaults, only to find their way to the black market or into the hands of the Aurum. Master Larrian has vowed to put an end to these acts of smuggling and profiteering, but so far he has done little to back up his promises.

Some people at the university do have ties to smugglers and thieves, but many of the Morgrave scholars truly believe in their work. A few of them have connections with the Library of Korranberg, the Wayfinder Foundation, and the Twelve. Obviously these ties are not strong enough to get the one of them a post at a more prestigious institution, but an adventurer might be able to get a letter of introduction from one of the Morgrave sages.