Taming Academy

During the first week of the academic year, all first-years enter The Nest alone. No teachers accompany them beyond the first gate.

No magic is allowed. No weapons. No servants. No political rank.

Inside, students wander until an egg responds. The process can take minutes, hours, or occasionally days. A bond manifests differently for everyone: warmth, visions, shared memories, telepathic voices, elemental surges, or overwhelming instinct.

When the bond forms, the chosen egg becomes impossible for others to touch.

Among all the grand structures of the Concordium, none is spoken of with more fascination, fear, and reverence than The Nest. Every first-year student, regardless of race, status, or nation, must pass through it exactly once.

No one forgets the experience.

The Nest stands apart from the main campus on a circular island in the middle of Lake Vaelor, connected to the school by four narrow bridges, one from each cultural district. The bridges meet at a single gate of black stone engraved with a warning in every known language:

“You are not here to choose.”

No banners fly above the building. No nation claims ownership over it. The Nest predates the Concordium itself. Some scholars believe the school was built around it rather than the other way around.

The building appears different depending on who observes it.

Humans describe it as: a colossal domed sanctuary.

Dwarves insist it resembles: a mountain carved hollow from the inside.

Elves claim: it is alive and still growing.

Alliance scholars argue: all three are somehow true.

The Nest houses thousands of eggs belonging to magical creatures bonded to the Concordium through ancient rites. Each first-year student undergoes The Choosing, a sacred ceremony older than modern civilization.

The rule is absolute:

The student does not choose the egg. The egg chooses the student. Attempts to force a bond have historically ended disastrously.

Some eggs are tiny enough to fit in a palm. Others are larger than wagons. Some float. Some sing. Some whisper names. Some appear fossilized yet still pulse with life.

No complete census has ever succeeded.

New eggs sometimes appear where none existed before.

The creatures born from the eggs are called Bonds, though that word barely describes them.

They vary wildly in: species, intelligence, temperament, power, lifespan, and physical form. Some are majestic. Some are terrifying. Some are absurd. No race consistently receives particular creatures, which has become a major political issue over centuries.

Every egg hatches within a week of exiting The Nest. Legend says that the longer it takes to hatch, the higher the impact it will have in it's life. Though this theory has never been proven. Hatchlings take about a week to reach adulthood. This speed is due to their magical properties speeding up growth.

Bonds follow their contractors during class, with the exception of them being too big. In which case, the Bond will have to remain outside the class at a safe distance.

Headmaster Vaelor Thorne is a towering man who looks in his late fifties with silver-streaked black hair worn loose to his shoulders and eyes the color of storm clouds before lightning strikes. Deep claw scars rake across the left side of his face — marks earned, not hidden. He dresses in layered dark coats reinforced with scaled leather from creatures long extinct, and around his neck hangs a broken obsidian fang on a chain of iron. His voice is calm, almost gentle, which makes his presence more unsettling. Students say beasts lower their heads when he enters a room. Vaelor founded the Concordium of the Four Thrones after surviving the catastrophic Ashen Wilds Expedition, where twelve master tamers vanished trying to subdue a primordial creature beneath the northern mountains. Vaelor returned alone. He believes taming is not domination, but mutual surrender. Under his rule, the academy became infamous for producing elite tamers capable of bonding with creatures considered untamable, thunder wyverns, abyssal hounds, marrow drakes, and spectral leviathans. Despite his fearsome reputation, Vaelor is deeply patient with students. He never raises his voice during training. The moment he becomes disappointed is far more terrifying.

Unlike most tamers who use verbal commands, sigils, or magical restraints, Vaelor can communicate with creatures through emotion alone. Witnesses claim he can calm enraged beasts simply by meeting their gaze. He fights alongside creatures rather than behind them. Armed with a hooked spear called Griefrender, Vaelor moves with brutal precision, targeting weak points while directing his bonded companion mid-battle without speaking. Across his right arm spreads a network of dark vein-like markings — evidence of an ancient bonding ritual forbidden in modern taming circles. The ritual permanently intertwines a tamer’s life force with their companion’s.

Vaelor’s bonded companion is a colossal drake known as Morvath — a creature believed to be older than kingdoms themselves.

Morvath’s scales resemble cracked volcanic stone glowing faintly from within, as though fire sleeps beneath his skin. His wings blot out moonlight, and his breath carries burning ash instead of flame.

But what makes their bond legendary is not Morvath’s power. It is trust.

Vaelor never chained him. Never broke him. Never claimed ownership.

During the Ashen Wilds Expedition, Morvath nearly killed Vaelor after being driven into a frenzy by hunters. Instead of fighting back, Vaelor remained beside the wounded drake for three days in a freezing canyon, refusing to abandon him even as the creature tore apart everything nearby.

On the third night, Morvath lowered his head beside Vaelor and allowed him to touch his brow.

Vaelor himself only says:

“A creature follows strength for a season. It follows understanding for a lifetime.”

| Professor Cedric Valemont | Human | Tall and lean with silver-streaked black hair, sharp amber eyes, and long aristocratic fingers usually stained with ink. He carries himself with rigid posture in dark military-style coats trimmed with gold embroidery. A faint scar crosses his jaw, giving him a stern, commanding presence. | Gravewing Roc — A massive black-feathered bird with silver eyes and immense wings. |

| Magister Elira Thorne | Elf | Graceful and statuesque, with pale skin that seems softly luminous under candlelight. Her long white-blonde hair flows to her waist, often threaded with crystal charms that glow when she casts magic. Her violet eyes and elegant movements make her appear almost ethereal. | Moonveil Serpent — A luminous silver serpent spirit that glides through the air like flowing water. |

| Commander Garrick Hale | Dwarf | Stocky and immensely powerful, standing shorter than most teachers but wider across the chest than two students combined. His braided auburn beard is decorated with iron rings engraved with beast-taming victories. His arms are thick with muscle, and his heavy boots echo through the halls long before he arrives. | Magmahide Boar — A hulking boar-like beast with obsidian tusks and molten cracks beneath rocky skin. |

| Captain Rowan Drake | Human | Broad-shouldered and heavily muscled from years of combat training. He has cropped dark hair, weathered tan skin, and numerous scars across his arms. His voice is rough and booming, and he usually wears sleeveless training gear that reveals intricate tattooed runes along his shoulders. | Ironfang Direwolf — An enormous gray wolf with scarred fur and iron-like fangs. |

| Scholar Mirelle Voss | Elf | Slender and refined, with copper-red hair braided tightly behind pointed ears. She has calm emerald eyes and delicate features, though her composed smile can feel intimidating. She dresses in layered robes lined with silver symbols representing ancient companion bonds. | Crystal Lynx — A sleek feline with translucent fur and crystalline claws. |

| Lady Vivienne Castell | Human | Elegant and poised, with dark curled hair styled flawlessly and piercing gray eyes that miss nothing. She favors fitted noble attire with high collars and jeweled gloves. Despite her beauty, her expression is often cool enough to silence an entire classroom instantly. | Ivory Peacock Drake — A proud draconic bird with pearl-white scales and feathered wings. |

| Archivist Lucien Kael | Half-Elf | Thin and slightly hunched from years spent over dusty tomes. His ash-brown hair falls messily around narrow blue eyes that constantly seem distracted by calculations. Arcane markings glow faintly along his wrists whenever he teaches advanced runic equations. | Rune Moth Swarm — A colony of glowing blue moths covered in shifting sigils. |

| Professor Selene Briarwood | Elf | A woodland elf with bronze skin, moss-green eyes, and long curly dark hair decorated with feathers and dried flowers. Though slim, she has a surprisingly athletic build from field research expeditions. Her robes smell faintly of herbs, rain, and old forests. | Verdant Stag — A majestic forest stag with antlers wrapped in flowering vines and moss. |

| Ranger Talia Ashford | Human | Sun-browned and athletic, with windblown sandy hair tied into a loose tail. Her sharp hazel eyes constantly scan her surroundings like a hunter’s. She wears practical leather gear layered with survival tools, animal charms, and weathered cloaks from years in the wild. | Stormclaw Gryphon — A swift gryphon with tawny lion fur and storm-charged eagle feathers. |

| High Arcanist Dorian Vale | Elf | Tall even by elven standards, with long midnight-blue hair and striking golden eyes that shimmer unnaturally when channeling elemental magic. His robes are adorned with floating gemstone fragments that orbit slowly around him. His hands are slender but marked with glowing burn scars from elemental experiments. | Aether Phoenix — A radiant phoenix wreathed in shifting elemental flames. |

| Master Artificer Brennick Forge | Dwarf | Thick-bodied with soot-dark skin and a dense black beard braided into multiple sections. His mechanical prosthetic left arm constantly clicks and hisses with enchanted gears. He smells of metal, smoke, and forge oil, and tiny sparks often flicker from his gloves while he lectures. | Forgeback Tortoise — A gigantic tortoise with a furnace-like shell resembling a mobile forge. |

Human Students: Often ambitious, political, competitive. Many are noble heirs, officer cadets, or bureaucratic prodigies. A lot of them are also arrogant and tend to pick on those they deem to be of lower class. Commoners tend to lay low due to the difference in class, although some with undeniable talent tend to rise the highest.

Dwarven Students: Usually older than everyone else due to long apprenticeships. They dominate engineering, metallurgy, architecture, and runecraft.

Elven Students: Rare and highly selective. Many specialize in magic, philosophy, medicine, astronomy, and ecological shaping.

Alliance Students: The most diverse: merchants, pirates, inventors, scholars, refugees and self-made geniuses.

They tend to adapt fastest socially.

The Emberclaw Trials (middle of autumn): The Emberclaw Trials are the academy’s brutal opening tournament, designed to test whether new and returning students have strengthened their bond over the summer. The arena is transformed into a living wilderness filled with shifting terrain, roaming creatures, collapsing ruins, and elemental hazards. Students compete in pairs with their bonded companions against other students in elimination battles. At the conclusion of the Emberclaw Trials, students receive their Field Rank for the semester: Iron Rank — Unstable or inexperienced tamers Bronze Rank — Reliable combatants Silver Rank — Advanced synchronization Gold Rank — Elite student tamers Onyx Rank — Rare prodigies

Moonlight Festival (early spring): The coldest night of the year is celebrated with the Moonveil Festival, a rare peaceful event where students honor the emotional connection between tamer and creature.

The academy grounds are illuminated by floating lanterns carrying written vows between tamers and their bonds. Many creatures participate in rituals unique to their species:

Wyverns perform aerial dances above the courtyard, spirit beasts manifest glowing constellations in the sky, sea creatures fill the lower canals with bioluminescent light Students exchange carved talismans said to strengthen trust between bonded pairs. The final ceremony involves entering the Mirror Basin, a silver lake beneath the academy cliffs. If a bond is genuine, the water reflects both souls as one silhouette.

If not… the reflections separate.

Many students fear this tradition more than combat tournaments.

Grand Combat Tournament (late Spring):

The Crimson Fang Gauntlet is the most feared event in the academy.

Unlike the Emberclaw Trials, this tournament is pure combat. Students enter rotating battle arenas designed around extreme environments:

• Frozen caverns
• Volcanic pits
• Flooded ruins
• Storm platforms suspended above the sea

The tournament allows: -Direct creature-versus-creature combat

• Tamer participation in battle
• Team synchronization techniques
• Ancient combat relics

In the final rounds, students may challenge higher-ranked opponents regardless of year.

The academy gathers to watch these matches, including nobles, military commanders, beast collectors, and illegal taming syndicates seeking talent. Final Ranking Assignment

At the end of the Gauntlet, rankings are revised into Dominion Titles, representing battlefield capability:

• Fang Initiate
• Warfang
• Dreadfang
• Kingsfang
• Apex Fang

Students who achieve Apex Fang status are granted an audience with Headmaster Vaelor and may attempt a second passage into The Nest, though obtaining a second egg has been proved to be much harder the second time.

Closing Festival of the School Year: Held on the final night before graduation season, the Night of Hollow Stars is equal parts celebration and mourning. Thousands of pale lanterns are released into the sky for:

• Fallen tamers
• Lost companions
• Broken bonds
• Graduating students leaving the academy

During the festival, creatures roam freely beside their tamers without commands or restraints. The academy believes this night proves whether a bond exists beyond training.

The central event is the March of Echoes, where graduating students walk through the ancient stone corridor beneath the academy while illusion magic displays memories from their years at the Concordium. Some laugh. Some cry. Some discover memories they do not remember living. At midnight, Headmaster Vaelor extinguishes the final flame in the courtyard and gives a speech.

| Monday | Imperial History & Continental Politics | Arcane Fundamentals |

| Tuesday | Martial Conditioning | Bond Training (Theoretical) |

| Wednesday | Runic Mathematics | Natural Sciences |

| Thursday | Diplomacy & Cultural Conduct | Bond Training (Practical) |

| Friday | Survival Studies | Elemental Theory |

| Saturday | Workshop Rotation | Bond Training (Practical) |

| Sunday | Rest / Optional Clubs / Companion Care | Free Study |

| Monday | Tactical Strategy | Applied Magic Systems |

| Tuesday | Bond Training (Practical) | Engineering or Alchemy Rotation |

| Wednesday | Political Structures & Law | Field Navigation |

| Thursday | Advanced Weapon Disciplines | Bond Training (Theoretical) |

| Friday | Interracial Command Exercises | Magical Ecology |

| Saturday | Bond Training (Practical) | Research Workshop |

| Sunday | Rest / Arena Events / Guild Activities | Free Study |

| Monday | Continental Economics | Companion Combat Integration |

| Tuesday | Bond Training (Practical) | Crisis Management |

| Wednesday | Advanced Rune Engineering or High Magic Studies | Intelligence & Counterespionage |

| Thursday | Expedition Logistics | Bond Training (Theoretical) |

| Friday | Military Command Simulations | Interdisciplinary Research |

| Saturday | Bond Training (Practical) | Independent Specialization |

| Sunday | Rest / Political Forums / Mentor Meetings | Free Study |

| Monday | High Council Seminar | Advanced Statecraft |

| Tuesday | Bond Training (Practical) | Senior Thesis or Grand Project |

| Wednesday | International Negotiation Exercises | Companion Mastery Studies |

| Thursday | Bond Training (Theoretical) | Strategic Warfare & Peacekeeping |

| Friday | Crisis Tribunal Practicum | Legacy Research |

| Saturday | Bond Training (Practical) | Apprenticeship / Field Assignment |

| Sunday | Rest / Noble Assemblies / Graduation Preparations | Free Study |

At the geographic and political center of a continent shared by humans, dwarves, elves, and a loose alliance of mixed nations stands a school unlike any other: a place designed not merely for education, but for diplomacy, survival, and civilization itself.

The Concordium of Four Thrones The school is called The Concordium, though its formal title is The Imperial Collegium of Accord and High Learning. It was founded after a devastating continental war nearly shattered all four powers. Rather than sign only treaties, the rulers agreed to create a neutral institution where future leaders, mages, engineers, diplomats, and generals would grow together before inheriting the world.

The result is part university, part fortress-city, part political experiment.

Location: The Concordium is built at the exact meeting point of four territories:

The Solar Empire of humans to the south

The Stoneveil Kingdom of dwarves beneath the western mountains

The Elarion Kingdom of elves in the eastern forests

The Free March Alliance, a confederation of mixed-race republics and city-states to the north

The school itself occupies neutral land called The Crowned Vale, governed independently under ancient international law. No army may enter without unanimous consent from the four powers.

Four colossal roads lead to the campus: the Imperial Goldroad, the Deeprail tunnels, the Silverwood paths, and the Marcher Canals.

Every arriving student literally walks in from a different civilization.

Human District: Massive marble forums, domes, military courtyards, banners, libraries, and senate-like halls. Human architecture emphasizes ambition and visibility.

Dwarven Foundations: Most of the lower campus is underground:

heated stone corridors, forge-laboratories, rune reactors, subterranean arenas, and seismic train systems.

The dwarves designed the infrastructure, meaning the school can survive sieges, earthquakes, and magical catastrophes.

Elven Spires

High above the central grounds rise living towers grown from silverwood trees. Bridges woven from living branches connect observatories, botanical laboratories, and arcane sanctums.

The elves shaped the magical ecology of the campus itself:

trees glow at night, rivers purify themselves, and wildlife coexists peacefully within the grounds.

Alliance Quarter: The newest district is chaotic but vibrant: cafés, guild halls, experimental workshops, newspapers, music plazas, and multicultural neighborhoods.

This quarter changes constantly and often clashes aesthetically with the ancient structures around it.

Purpose of the School

Officially:

education, diplomacy, magical research, engineering, economics and development through bonded creatures.

Unofficially: the school exists to prevent another continental war.

The rulers know something dangerous: students who become friends are less likely to become enemies later.

Beneath the school lies something ancient.

Older than the empire. Older than the dwarven kingdoms. Older than the first elven forests.

The founders built the Concordium there intentionally. Above this ancient Evil. Some believe the school’s true purpose is not peace between nations, but preparing the continent for whatever is sleeping below.