| Type | Academic Institute |
|---|---|
| Head | The Principate |
Contents
Location
The Alchemy Institute is located on the East Island of Paladia, built around and within the Alchemy Tower at the city’s highest point. It occupies a central position in both Paladia’s physical layout and its political and scientific infrastructure.
Description
The Alchemy Institute was founded by the Holdfast family with the intention of establishing Paladia as the global center of alchemical study. It was envisioned as a place where alchemists of all disciplines could study, collaborate, and advance the Noble Science. As Paladia expanded and demand for certification increased, the Institute became increasingly selective, and its original openness gave way to restriction and hierarchy.
At the heart of the Institute stands the Alchemy Tower, once the Holdfasts’ city residence and later converted into academic and residential space for senior alchemists, paladins, and leadership figures. The Tower is permanently illuminated by Orion Holdfast’s Eternal Flame and remained the tallest structure on the Northern continent for nearly two centuries. As the Institute outgrew its original footprint, additional storeys were added using alchemically wrought pulley systems, allowing the Tower to rise further as the city grew around it.
The Tower’s internal structure mirrors the academic hierarchy of Northern alchemy. The lowest five levels, known as the Foundations, house initiates learning basic transmutation and resonance control. Advancement requires annual examinations. Most students leave after five years with certification to join the guilds, while a smaller number ascend to advanced undergraduate, graduate, and research levels. Only a handful ever reach the upper floors and achieve the rank of grandmaster.
The Institute has operated at maximum capacity for decades. Certification is mandatory for professional alchemical practice, and the limited number of admissions preserves both the Institute’s authority and the guilds’ economic dominance. This system creates persistent tension: guild families seek guaranteed placement for their heirs, while uncertified alchemists are relegated to low-paid factory labor. Repeated attempts at reform resulted in riots and labor strikes long before the war.
Architecturally, the Institute is richly decorated with alchemical art, mosaics, and structural symbolism. Its halls, faculty floors, and laboratories reflect centuries of accumulated scholarship, prestige, and political power.
Relevance
During the war, the Alchemy Institute becomes the headquarters of the Resistance, serving as the primary defensive and strategic center on the East Island. Its elevated position, infrastructure, and symbolic importance make it a natural stronghold. The former faculty boardroom is converted into the war room, where military strategy is coordinated using detailed maps of Paladia, its islands, and the mainland.
Because the East Island contains the city’s most critical infrastructure and ports, the Institute bears significant pressure as the Undying attempt to seize control. Despite this, it remains one of the last areas held by the Resistance.
After the war, the Alchemy Institute is seized and repurposed by the Undying, who rename it Central. The Alchemy Tower remains structurally intact but is stripped of its cultural and historical identity: murals, portraits, gilding, and decorative alchemical art are removed, leaving the interior brutal, exposed, and utilitarian. What had once been the symbolic and intellectual heart of Paladia is converted into an instrument of control.
Notable Locations
| Alchemy Tower | The central structure of the Institute and its historical core. Once the Holdfast family residence, it later housed senior alchemists, paladins, and leadership figures. The Tower is permanently lit by Orion Holdfast’s Eternal Flame and contains the academic hierarchy of the Institute, from the Foundations to the highest research floors. |
|---|---|
| Resistance Headquarters War Room |
Located within the former faculty boardroom, this space serves as the strategic center during the war. A large tiered map of Paladia dominates the room, tracking territorial control and active combat zones. The Council of Five convenes here during the conflict. |
| Crowther’s Office | The personal office of Jan Crowther, located on a faculty floor of the Institute. The room is cluttered and functional, with maps of Paladia and foreign nations covering the walls. |
| Helena and Lila’s Room |
Shared quarters within the Institute during the war. The room reflects the contrast between Helena’s controlled precision and Lila’s chaotic off-duty behavior, frequently cluttered with armor, weapons, and paladin equipment. |
| Hospital | During the war, the Undying systematically destroyed Paladia’s field hospitals and civilian clinics, leaving the Alchemy Institute as the only functioning center for medical care. In response, large sections of the Institute were converted into hospital wards to treat the wounded. |
