Education:

A useful asset indeed, some argue the most useful one can acquire, nigh impossible to argue against the virtues of more information at your disposal to aid in one's decision-making. Sadly Everwealth does not afford many this luxury, those with aspirations and dreams left with no idea what to do with them likely their entire lives. The Schism ripping our infrastructure apart as-it-did, educational institutions now often cannot be found for miles too many to travel for too many folk of the land with their feeble resources; Most villages and townships built from the ruins of the old world can scarcely afford to sustain enough crops to feed everyone, much, much less afford such amenities as libraries or places to teach children to read. A proper education for what some startingly may believe to be over half the nation a pipe dream from what little the Schism left for us to work with. Reflected in Everwealth's excessive paranoia, mass spread of misinformation, gullible un-educated folk easy to fool into a bad trade; The sour state of education in Everwealth, at the very least suffers as-greatly as Kibonoji and Kathar along its borders, and everywhere else in Gaiatia it would seem, so at-least you can take heart in the fact that, everyone, is suffering. Education in Everwealth is a privilege, not a promise. With nearly half of all settlements lacking formal schools, learning is a fragmented, itinerant affair. While cities may boast modest academies, the rural majority must rely on wandering scholars, literate parents, or sheer luck.   Survival often takes precedence over literacy, and in many corners of the kingdom, a painted sign is more common than a written word. Everwealth’s approach to education is shaped by poverty, infrastructure decay, and an old-world reverence for knowledge long lost in the fires of the Schism. Formal schooling is rare across the kingdom. Where schools do exist, they are typically located in major cities or the wealthier quarters of fortified towns. These schoolhouses are modest, often operated by the Scholar’s Guild or by religious orders. Outside of such places, there is no structured curriculum, and lessons are as varied as the people giving them. In many villages, “school” might mean a once-a-month visit from a traveling educator who exchanges basic literacy lessons for meals and shelter. In others, it might be a parent who knows enough to teach arithmetic alongside farm work. Wealthier families may pay scribes or clerics to tutor their children, but for most, education is functional and focused only on survival. Education is considered "uncommonly available" in Everwealth. Nearly half of all known settlements lack any formal teaching institutions, and the infrastructure needed to support centralized learning is absent or deeply eroded. When distance to education means days of foot travel through dangerous lands, often without guaranteed food or safety, the very idea of school becomes a luxury most cannot afford. Even those who manage to reach a town with a schoolhouse face new challenges: paying for lodging, feeding themselves during their stay, and returning home safely without falling into destitution. Due to widespread illiteracy, visual communication dominates. Most businesses rely on painted signs rather than written names, symbols easily understood by any passerby:

• A flagon means a tavern.

• A bed means an inn.

• A boot for a cobbler.

• A hammer for a smithy.

• A book with a candle (if you're lucky) marks a place of learning or alchemy.

This visual shorthand forms the basis of "everyman's reading," a symbolic literacy that reflects both the inventiveness and the educational poverty of the kingdom.