DeVere College of Bardic Arts
One of the many homes to a bard.
There is a place where the wandering souls of the Bards (and beyond) have come to call a home away from the road. This is an establishment where students or bard guild members can rest their head, relax in the tranquility of The Hot Springs next to the castle. A space where creative beings can capture their muse upon one of the many gardens surrounding the college. Come for a tour following the path 1 east, 2 south, 1 west, 1 south, 1 up, 3 north, 1 east, 1 south, 1 east, 1 south, 1 east, 2 north From The Dancing Destrier in Xalious Village.
Main Hall
After finding your way through the Topiary Garden it would only be fitting to come upon a prestigious looking establishment in the same style as all of Schezerade, enabling all it's decadence; marble forming the entirety of the large building accented with gold and platinum. The front double door is welcoming for all shapes and sizes that are the citizens of Lithrydel because even though Schezerade tries to be exclusive for avians, the college is accepting of all. Upon entry, you'll experience eager students practicing their many talents and bustling about trying to get from one class to the other. Once immersed, the eyes might be stolen by the gaping cathedral ceilings above, spotted by gold and platinum in which encircle mini glowing stones to mimic the night sky, but beauty is not what the ceiling is for; the acoustics of it carries one's voice in the most pleasing fashion. This main hall is quite vast with a large open kitchen, dining area, table game zone and in the center is a large fireplace with various pieces of furniture with bookshelves that hold a plethora of song books or poetry books.
At the entrance to the college, there is a grand staircase that goes up to the mezzanine which overlooks the main hall below and doorways to each classroom. In the northernmost spot of the main hall, there is a staircase that leads down next to the kitchen which leads to the dorms. There is also a large glass door to the north east of the hall that ushers out to the courtyard which has a little pond, a patio where students can converse or have their meals and little pathways that explore secret parts of the gardens, but there is also a greenhouse for one of the classes and a maze.
Professors
Each of the renowned scholars teach classes at the college and dedicate their time to help others discover their own passion. Every professor has taken an oath to nurture and protect to the best of their own abilities while structuring the hearts of their students.
To The Pointe
A marvelous classroom dedicated to dance with a tall wall to wall mirror along one side of the room with a balance bar and plenty of open space for practice. A few opulent pieces of furniture line the back of the room so students don't have to sit on the hard marble floor to put their dance shoes or ballet flats on.
String Theory
A simple oak door that is unlocked with the professor’s key and upon entry the view is less than glamorous, just a few instruments propped up on racks around the room, a customary teacher's desk, a sofa with a jacket tossed over the back as well as a few student graded chairs, bookshelves, the works excluding a single piece that stands out in the center of the room. A beautiful, beaming pylon shard that hums faintly with a trio of levitating shards buzzing around it's orbit. The teacher’s desk is specially made and only opens at the pull of the Professor and all of the other desks are removed from this space to allow for a variety of lounge chairs or sofas for the students. You can tell this space is not a usual classroom and oak storage lockers carve out a space within the marble walls so students may store their precious guitars there if they wish. Another impressive feature is the ceiling as some sort of beautiful mural is depicted, but it was curved and arched in such a way that carried notes miraculously.
Performing Arts
This high-elf is well read and practiced in the Performing Arts and speaks with a thick accent that we would associate with Irish. Most students can find that their classes take place outside whenever the weather permits as her classroom overlooks the courtyard and gardens. Processor Valios could easily be one of the favorites among the staff as she’s quite lax and outgoing while eager to share her knowledge of playwrights and lost scripts.
Fantastical Creations
Being a pure four foot four Elf, this professor secretly struggles instructing the drow, vampire, orc, and undead races for he’s seen a few things in his day and he usually tries to steer away from the more ‘evil prone’ races. Professor Noetal’s knowledge is vast and for this he’s highly respected which makes his cold and calculated demeanor more tolerable. It’s a wonder how a stiff like this is able to help others tap into their creative muse and get all of it out onto canvas!
Horticulture & The Voice
Professor Shurzuf is a half-orc that is proficient in drums, but shines in Horticulture & The Voice. His classroom has become overwhelmed with different plants and flowers which helps his colleague Professor Wittley. His projects or tests are more of a performance kind and he makes an effort to steer away from ‘orc’ preconceived notions on their intelligence. Students who opt to attend his classes become rather attached to him and have given him the nickname of Professor Zuf (Zoo-f).
Applied Potions
Professor Wittley is the Applied Potions ‘scientist’ where she tries to apply chemistry and potions to help bards further their talent. Potions of charisma being used before playing a song, an amplifier potion, or a formulation to make an instrument irresistible to the ear; you name it - she’s tried it. Professor Wittley is quite the eccentric one and many students are cautioned to be prepared for anything in her classroom. We should count our lucky stars that the college is made of marble and nearly everything in the professor’s classroom which she shares with Professor Shurzuf is impervious to flame.
Interpretation 101
Brennia teaches this course herself where students delve into deep debates on songs, poetry, and scripts in order to voice their own opinions on how the creators were aiming to make people feel. Getting down to the root of it all and helping those find their muse, but sometimes they just sit and paint. Dean Cadenza is an adequate teacher, but at demands of running the college and the current political state of Schezerade is spreading her a bit thin as of late.
Courtyard
Off the northeastern exit of the main hall...
Through large paned glass doors, you step out onto a stone deck that overlooks the courtyard, but it is not without a bit of vines growing along the walls and a couple large old trees somehow planted in the two centers of the courtyard. The front half seems to be dedicated to painting and recreation as there are some lounges, easels and tables about if some of the students decide to enjoy their meals outside on nice days. There is a tranquil little pond which has a couple of benches to relax under the cover of an old willow tree. The back half has an old storage warehouse that used to be Brennia's campaign office, but has been turned into a greenhouse for Professor Zuf.
Traveling Coach
This simple looking mahogany carriage looks normal from the outside behind the group of six flying horses and just by a glance one might assume it was a carriage for avian dignitaries or something. As a student or professor (since those are the only ones frequenting the carriage) you would enter the coach via a turn of a gold and platinum handle which gives off a sort of magical hum at the request. Up the step ladder and through the threshold you find that this isn’t some average carriage after all as it seems you just stepped into a living caboose (like a train). The walls are lined with panels of mahogany wood and windows are draped heavily in dark velvet curtains in the front of this area, but adequate light is given off by firefly sconces. Plenty of couches and armchairs follow a minibar. Further down the long caboose there are six double-berth compartments containing a total of twelve soft feather-beds, heavy light blocking curtains for privacy, footlocker storage and their own touch activated firefly lights. Simply luxurious and efficient to which we would associate to any popular musician’s tour bus.
College Dormitory
Down the staircase next to the kitchen.
Traversing your way around and around in the winding staircase until you find yourself in more carved out of marble opulence, but you find the music playing above does not reach down here. The landing of this area is occupied by a fireplace, sofas and furniture where all the poets and playwrights may practice in peace. Your attention can easily be taken by any of the long corridors to the north, east, south and west with amazement at all of the doors for each of them are decorated uniquely to the individual occupant. Each wing is labeled Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass. In each room is their own small washroom within a well lit room which holds a plush bed, seems the life of a bard student is quite alluring to be taken care of so well.