Ríven (Ree-ven)

Head Gúpali

Overall direction, final say on curriculum, hiring tutors, and representing the Lyceum to town councils and visiting dignitaries.

Star Council 

Four to eight elders: Elder Gúpalis, a Nimari peacekeeper, a Rasen peacekeeper, and an Forcer rotating every few years. 

Approves major changes (e.g., adding a wilds field program, hosting castles envoys for debates).

Elder Gúpalis

 Lead key areas: 

 Letters & Record-Keeping 

 History & Ethics 

 Cultural Studies (Nimari/Rasen) 

 World & Wilds 

 Mentor Lower Gúpali along with overseeing the exams.

Lower Gúpali

Teach Year 1 and Year 2 classes, supervise field outings, run basic drills in respectful travel and public speaking. 

Often recent Ríven Rúwien or skilled kin in training.

Scribes and Clerks 

 Maintain archives of student work, town records copied for teaching, maps, and clothing diagrams. 

 Keep the Ríven's ledgers, donations, and supply inventories.

Caretakers and Tenders 

Oversee buildings, courtyards, and teaching materials. 

  Often double as quiet observers during student debates and mediations, reporting serious concerns discreetly.

Core Belief: Knowledge is not just power; it is responsibility. 

Ríven prizes:

Steadiness over brilliance – a calm, thoughtful student is valued more than a dazzling but reckless one.

Listening before speaking – students are trained to hear all sides before deciding.

Respect across difference – especially Nimari/Rasen lines, gender expressions, and social status.

Reading the world – not just books, but clothing, posture, tone, and the moods of the wilds.

Customs:

Morning recitation of the axiom: Steady minds leads to balance. 

Students keep personal journals to reflect on choices, misunderstandings, and what they observed in others’ attire and behavior. 

At the end of each year, there is a open unveiling:

Year 1: short readings and simple role-plays. 

Year 2: debates and travel plans. 

Year 3: full mediations and cultural presentations.

To provide reliable, non-zíno general education to young people from Nimari and Rasen. 

To teach:

  How to read and write, count, and keep records.

  How to respect the wilds and their beasts, traveling with minimal disturbance.

  How to recognize and honor cultural, gender, and status signals in clothing and conduct, to avoid insult and foster understanding.

  How to think clearly about law, history, and consequences so future conflicts are less likely.

Publicly, the Ríven presents itself as:

  A neutral ground where different peoples and social ranks can be educated together. 

  A lead to other paths: zíno study, craft halls, trade houses, or civic service.

Buildings & Grounds

A modest stone main hall with classrooms, a small archive, and an assembly space. 

Open courtyards for debates, recitations, and clothing demonstrations. 

A small gallery with:

Displays of Nimari and Rasen clothing, arranged by gender presentation, calling, and status.

Maps of local wilds and settlement regions.

Collections:

A library of copied texts: histories from both Nimari and Rasen perspectives, travelogues, disputes and rulings, basic healing and practical guides.

 Teaching tools:

 Clothing diagrams and mannequins. 

 Maps, slates, simple measuring tools. 

 Sample ledgers and council records (with names altered).

Support:

Regular stipends and in-kind support from the town council and local families (grain, materials, occasional coin). 

Occasional donations from grateful merchants, mediators, and guides who were educated there.

Assets:

A small but respected network of rówiens placed in councils, trade houses, and guide companies, who quietly support the Ríven's reputation and needs.

1203 Váren Láron – Founding

After a period of tension between Nimari and Rasen, a joint initiative is proposed.

A vésen where children of both learn shared basics: reading, counting, law, and mutual respect.
The first Head Guide establishes the motto: “Steady minds lead to balance.”

1300 Váren Láron – A Sense of Doubt

Some families resist sending children, fearing their customs will be diluted or mocked.

The Ríven survives by focusing on practical benefits:

• Better trade math
• Reliable record-keeping
• Rówens can serve as clerks

1500 Tháren Láron – A Beastly Encounter

The First Wilds Incident

A journey of rúwas to the wilds’ edge goes poorly. They misread signs and startle a beast.

No one is killed, but the land around a nearby path becomes tense and dangerous for a season.

In response, the Ríven creates a Respectful Travel curriculum and invites experienced guides as guest instructors.

2692 Sáren Láron – Cloth Doubt

The Clothing Mishap

A visiting Rásen Liege takes offense at a student’s careless imitation of their formal attire.

This sparks debate over whether the Ríven should teach clothing and gender/status signals.

The Star Council decides to make it a central subject:

Clothing galleries are expanded

Students must show proper forms of address based on attire

3505 Sáren Láron – Acceptance
Recognition by the Burg and Castle’s Councils

Many scribes, clerks, and peacekeepers are Ríven Rówiens.

The councils begin requiring a Ríven education for certain duties.

The Ríven gains a reputation as a steadying influence during disputes.

3910 Sáren Láron – Current Tidings

The Ríven is the primary vésen for Línasha, respected by both Nimari and Rasen.
Rúwas are beginning to leverage their understanding of clothing, status, and records.

Typically 40–80 Ríiven rúwas at a time, with 6–10 Gúpalis. Rúwas split roughly evenly between Nímari and Rásen.

The Ríven occupies a modest gónima in Línasha.

The Ríven uses Celestial Craft in simple, practical ways. Classrooms use water clocks, sundials, and sound‑based automata instead of zíno. Students learn to read Raelen Tarin water clocks and Silara sundials. They follow the melodies of chime devices and use these skills for travel, record‑keeping, and legal timing. The archives are lit by crystals and built with stone that holds and releases heat. It shows how natural forces can support careful work. Celestial Craft is a humble art of water, light, and stone at the Ríven. It teaches observation, timing, and responsibility. Celestial Craft always serves the vésen’s focus on records, law, and safe movement through the wilds.

The Ríven maintains cordial relations with Burg and Castle’s Councils, trade houses, and guide companies, mostly through its rówiens.

• No deliberate mockery of clothing, gender presentation, or status signals.
• No reckless travel into wilds without a tutor’s permission.
• Students must keep journals and present them during reflections.
• Disputes should be brought first to a tutor, then (if needed) to the Council.