Baron Henryk's College of Navigation and Sea Magicks

On the seaward end of Tempelwijk by the entrance to Manaanshaven, Baron Henryk's College of Navigation and Sea Magicks is one of the Old World's premier centres of learning. Since 1947 IC, it has occupied the buildings and grounds of the former palace of Baron Henryk's mother, the Contessa Esmeralda Cioppino of Miragliano, remembered to this day as "La Donna Grossa" for her generosity and her girth. After her death, the Baron endowed the University and donated the palace to it, with the charge that it become a "centre for the study of the Sea and sea travel, for it is through Manaan's realm that Marienburg's true future lies".

The traditional three-year curriculum is much like other universities on the continent: students finish with a MPN degree ("Magister Philosophiae Naturalis"), having studied the core subjects of Rhetoric, Logic, Grammar, Music, History, Classical Old Worlder and Astronomy.

But it is in the realm of advanced studies that Baron Henryk's leads the Old World. In cooperation with the guilds and temples of Marienburg, the University has pioneered research work. Doctors use the facilities of the Great Hospital of Shallya to teach medicine and surgery, the Inns of Court train new lawyers, and priests of Haendryk lecture on the new science of Economicks. Foremost among these, though, is the study of Navigation and Cartography, the late Baron's two great passions. Navigators licensed by the Marienburg Brotherhood of Seamen and Pilots must have passed the exams at Baron Henryk's. Because of the high standards of the Brotherhood and the University, Marienburg-registered navigators are in demand across the Old World. Even Sea Elves from Sith Rionnasc have lectured here.

Baron Henryk's also supports research into applied sorcery, with an emphasis on magic useful to mariners and the merchant trade. Not only does this include Elemental and Illusion magic, but the dangers inherent in travelling about the world make battle wizards a desired commodity, too. The Directorate, through grants made via the 'Change, ensures that there is plenty of funding for training wizards loyal to Marienburg, not to mention theindividual Houses of the Ten. Demonology and Necromancy are of course forbidden, and the temples keep an eye peeled for the first signs of forbidden research.

Student life at Baron Henryk's revolves around studies and status - life is a constant struggle to keep up grades and appearances. All this involves money. Not only must students pay their instructors, who share a portion with the University, but they group themselves into various clubs and fraternities based on interests, social class and - most importantly - the cash one they have to spend. Money is thus a frequent problem for students, especially for those who come on a scholarship from middle- or lower-class families. After all, how can one be expected to show up to the Academy of Drinkers & Duellists, perhaps the most foppish of the University's societies, wearing last year's lace collar? Sadly, it's not uncommon for desperate young scholars to engage in questionable or downright illegal schemes to get a few more guilders.

Baron Henryk's College of Navigation and Sea Magicks often sends journeys of exploration to the corners of the world. Through the Wasteland Geographical Society - a University-sponsored fellowship of explorers, sea captains, scholars and anyone who has an interest in foreign places and the money for a membership fee — the College's knowledge of the wider world grows each year. Adventurers needing to avoid Imperial entanglements for a while might well consider signing on for that expedition to find Prester Johann's lost Sigmarite kingdom in the Southlands.

Source

 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st ED -- Marienburg: Sold Down the River
 * pg. 93
 * pg. 94

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