The campus

The Autarkia campus is an ongoing project. The original structures were based on an abandoned fishing village on the sandy coast, but classes were moved further inland, into the crater of an extinguished volcano, to avoid risks related to hurricane season and seismic tsunamis. Most buildings within the college are carved into the mountainside, often using grottoes once carved by early inhabitants of what was once a human colony, before intense volcanic activity drove them out of the Fire Islands. A scar of that elemental turmoil, the Conflux, still lies beneath the campus, its magic bound to uneasy slumber.


Access to the campus can happen in three ways: through sea, though it is a dangerous voyage through the Fire Islands chain; through air, for which the college is building up a makeshift port for airships; and through a gate tied to the Lion’s Arch transport hub. The gate operator can usher in visitors authorized by masters of the collective, and this is the main access point to the campus itself. As security is always a staff concern, the campus has powerful defenses.


The campus currently comprises a library, four large classrooms, study rooms, a commissary, a cafeteria, a hatchery, an arena and a grove, as well as the vault and the hall of spells. It is also home the collective's dormitory.

The library

The library, under its stern Charr supervisor, is a tightly run environment, subject to strict rules: no talking, no snacking, no spellcasting. The Ravenstride study room contains books widely available to the public, such as primers on magic, encyclopedias and historical records, as well as a few novels, all kept under the librarian’s watchful glare. Librarian’s Alley, after the fountain contains more specialized magical tomes only available to senior students and above, with the most notable items being essays on magical specializations. More precious tomes, available to graduate students and staff only, are kept under lock and key by the librarian, either in his office or in the hall of spells, both of which are heavily warded. Many of these documents have been penned by staff or been made available as in-universe resources for students.

The classrooms

The classrooms are on one of the northern mountainous plateaus overlooking the campus. There are four, and each is used to teach a specific type of class.

The Charms classroom is a place of serene study, designed to foster focus. Individual tables allow each student to take notes or practice independently. 

The Artifice classroom contains a central hearth for melting metals, several workbenches and some of the college’s rare Asura and jadetech consoles. 

The Herbology classroom is a place of lush life, designed to study various points in the cycle of life and death, collect components and study the theory of alchemy. 

The Conference Hall is designed for more magisterial classes, with benches arranged in a semicircle and a central raised platform for the speaker to occupy.

Study rooms

There are study rooms throughout the college, generally designed for group study, though some are individual. They need to be booked at the signout sheet in the Ravenstride study room.

The commissary

The commissary is right next to the library. Run by the Asuran shopkeep Juxx, it sells various goods students may need, from soap to roasted coffee beans, tea leaves and dried jerky for snacking. This sometimes causes raised eyebrows from the librarian, who does not like students buying something in the commissary and then consuming it anywhere near his precious books. But Juxx's most interesting items are alchemical components, rare essences of wood, arcane reagents and tomes on magic that students can purchase to experiment with magic! All items available for purchase have of course been vetted by former headmaster Venici, who grumbled his way through the list and banned 74% of them. His grandson, Niccolo Venici, has a small job at the commissary, where he offers to provide special-order items from Lion's Arch to those with the funds.

The cafeteria

Moby Mori’s cafeteria is on the other side of the college’s great chasm. A squat, square building, it serves hot food and drinks to students and staff, though anything alcoholic is nominally prohibited to students, but authorized for graduate students and staff, provided they are of the requisite age.

The arena

The arena lies south-east of the main campus. Hewn from one of the volcano’s lesser craters, it is a place where dangerous spells such as hexes or fire magic can be used without fears of permanently damaging the structures. With a lot of open space within secure confines, it is favored for classes involving a lot of mobility or student dueling. 

The vault

The vault occupies part of the collective’s eastern side, consisting of several excavated caverns with magically reinforced pillars and heavily warded walls. They contain various tomes of magic deemed to be too dangerous for students, or items created or contained by masters of the collective. Access to the vaults is strictly prohibited to students, and is one of the collective’s greatest restrictions.

The college grove

The grove lies to the north, beneath the dormitory. It contains thirteen rare essences used in staff-making, from the well-respected Queensdale Oak to the Ekku and the Rin Maple. They are planted in magically rich soil and regularly hydrated by water magic. They provide some of the rare components used in spellcasting, alchemy and artifice throughout the collective.

The hatchery

The hatchery lies south-west of the main campus, near the docks, and is where various creatures are kept by caretaker Hrofgir Aeskilson. Several watering points, insect clusters, patches of grass and wheat, algae and other such commodities keep the animals well-fed, hydrated and happy, until they are called for as mounts, companions or sometimes even protectors. 

The hall of spells

The hall of spells lies in the northernmost part of the Autarkia campus, and is only accessible through a portal that requires a staff key to operate. It contains a large shield generator, and a small library. It is designed to be a place to experiment with especially potent spells, though it is sometimes opened to students for classes involving the use of the shield generator or lots of space.