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Ivy Schools

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The Ivy Schools are one of the factions of Aeroclysm

The most formal of the educational systems is the faction known as the Ivy Schools. Most knowledge in the world of Aeroclysm is either passed down through apprenticeships or around through a community, with "outside knowledge" being a rare and coveted commodity. Trading in skills and tutorship is common whenever a ship arrives, as it is rare that every person on a ship has the same skills as every person on an island.

The Ivy Schools are different. In order to join, you must be old enough to have started puberty but young enough to not be a full adult. The Ivy Schools are actually a number of institutions among different islands, kept in contact through closely-guarded magical secrets. Each one is a self-contained boarding school, which turns out experts in a particular field of knowledge. Many of these are directly practical, but even the more esoteric find themselves in possession of powerful and potentially dangerous knowledge. Due to this, graduates are in high demand among many of the factions.

Spots are not restricted by scarcity as much as by chance. It is more common for teenagers to want to join the Ivy Schools than it is for them to encounter a travel path to get there. However, the Ivy Schools do ramp up the requirements after the first year of attendance, meaning that many students choose to leave once the shine has worn off. Everyone who is of the right age and who has the right opportunity can try to study at the Schools, but only those with real dedication will go on to become graduates.

Ivy School graduates, more than anything, are seen as tenacious. It takes a huge amount of effort and focus to become a full graduate, and so while they are seen as intelligent they are primarily seen as persistent to the point of stubbornness. It is common for them to be correct, at least in their field of study, so in many graduates it can breed a form of arrogance. This goes into the tense and multifaceted perception that the general populace has towards graduates of the Ivy Schools. On the one hand, they are skilled, intelligent, dogged individuals who can change the fates of nations. Many wish to be in their position of power. On the other, they can be exacting, demanding, and arrogant, leading many to resent them and question their credentials.

Their ships are very Mass Effect scifi human, looks like guns, etc