The Nawunax Valdacmith School for Necromancy

Education and Purposes

The school itself has multiple roles, rather than just educating a single group or grade of students. Instead, there are levels to its work, beginning with:

1. Training mages in the basics of necromantic arts.
This includes youth programs for young mages with an interest in necromancy who are still learning and developing their tactics, as well as early education for mages preparing for the Magic College.

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2. Internships
The Magic College internship program has long been considered dangerous and flawed, and while many Grand Wizards and professors alike have sought to fix it with mandates, banning certain organizations or limiting the internships, it still leads to danger because ultimately, there aren't many safe options. With the creation of institutions like the Nawunax School, the Magic College hopes to provide options out of harm's way to not endanger their students, but still fulfill the internship requirements.   Interns aid professors at the school (or the headmaster), get resources for classes there, and grow in that particular art alongside graduate students. They also lead many of the youth classes when other educators aren't available, and can go on field missions under the school's watchful eye.

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3. Post-graduate studies for Magic College graduates
When Magic College students graduate, the opportunity is opened for them to do post-graduate studies in one of these specialized schools. This allows them to focus the more generalized education of the college into their particular technique and studies, using the resources and knowledge of the college for their personal work and growth.

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4. Research into necromancy
The faculty and graduate students are constantly working to learn more about the necromantic arts, pushing the boundaries of what is known (and, in some cases, what is considered ethical elsewhere). When the schools were founded, Rhoziros Nimphonker said to the headmasters:

"I don't want you to think just because something may be questionable, it's wrong. If it improves our knowledge, if it pushes us forward, if you think it's right... I want you to try it. That's what these schools are for, after all."

— Rhoziros Nimphonker

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5. Supporting the staff of the Magic College of Zephys

One note that Rhoziros Nimphonker had first observed while studying at the Magic College, and was radicalized on when he became a professor there, was that they were criminally understaffed. There were around ten permanent faculty members in the school, and while Draqiroth Lealred and Ardar Tilrak (the two Grand Wizards he worked for before assuming the position himself) did bring in outside help to occasionally lessen the burden, it was not enough.   Therefore, one of the first things Rhoziros sought to do was expand the faculty of the school, and giving them an institution to help run alongside it was the perfect method in his mind. This way they had another job, but when they had the free time or were needed to teach a class in the college itself, they could be called upon to help teach classes, wrangle students, or assist in any Magic College business.

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Curriculum

Unlike the Magic College itself, the Nawunax school (and most other schools in this program) are not focused on the curriculum itself, but instead exist to aid in the growth of mages. There is a curriculum only when it comes to pre-collegiate studies for young mages, as they learn the basics of necromancy, how to use it, and when it is to be used.   These classes have special instructors as well, be it the tenured faculty or graduate students, helping get hands-on experience with doing necromancy regularly and explaining it to young mages.   When it comes to higher-level courses, especially graduate work, the curriculum is thrown out the window. There are milestones they must achieve, including thesis papers and projects to show their growth and attempts to grow the field itself, but the rest of their time there is dedicated to experimenting, growing as a mage, and helping the school itself.  

Headmistress

The Valdacmith School was the first to have a headmistress appointed, even though it was the third to be approved and built, because Rhoziros knew it would be led by his friend and advisor, Altora Shinebright.   Reasons for Altora being chosen above all other candidates are debated by political analysts and historians. Some say it was solely because he knew her and trusted her to get the job done, while others say the animosity Evitians showed to him led to a refusal to pick other qualified candidates from Evity (or their refusal to accept the position). As Altora sat on the Noble Council for Evity, perhaps it was to curry favor with the Evitians by bestowing a high-ranking position on one of their leaders. Maybe it was to make up for killing her grandfather and destroying part of the village he'd lived in. Or perhaps Rhoziros just wished to challenge a mage he saw great promise in.  

Graduate Students and Staff

The staff of the Nawunax school is made up of necromancy specialists from all around the world, though it isn't as robust a faculty as the other schools. This is largely due to the animosity between Rhoziros Nimphonker and the village of Evity, where most Draconian necromancers reside.   There are, however, corpses on staff. Some necromancers from previous eras are resurrected to help teach, as well as non-necromancer professors who are familiar with the art, or serve more as the demonstration itself than someone who can demonstrate how to perform the acts.   The remainder of the staff is made up of former graduate students who have completed their study, proven themselves notable enough in the field of necromancy, and shown themselves to be capable of educating others. This allows many grad students to continue research they started at the school, as well as their resources and connections, while holding down a steady job and guiding the next generation.  

Naming and Controversy

There was considerable controversy around the choice for this school's name (along with others). While it was considered bold and egotistical to name the alchemy school after himself, it was downright absurd to name the necromancy school after a monster like Nawunax Valdacmith.   Valdacmith, the fifth Grand Wizard, is likely the most infamous necromancer in history, but it is hatred and fear that keeps him in the minds of the world, as he tormented and tyrannized the Draconian people and wouldn't die no matter what was done to him, reviving himself until finally his body and remains were completely erased.   Rhoziros and the team he'd assembled to pitch the school (including Altora Shinebright) insisted that it wasn't about the terrible things Valdacmith had done, but instead about the breakthroughs he'd made in the field of necromancy, and honoring important (even controversial) Draconian figures for their achievements. After all, if they were to get into the negative actions performed by those they were naming schools after, the morality of Kilprax Ildial would take months to debate, and it would not end well.   There was a belief, in the Noble Council, that the inclusion of Valdacmith was meant to distract from the naming of the bardic institution after his friend, rival, and predecessor, Ardar Tilrak, who was also a controversial figure following his death. Shifting the focus to Valdacmith allowed Ardar's school to be quickly approved with little argument.