The release of Pathfinder Lost Omens Rival Academies is fast approaching! You met the first three schools a few weeks ago, but the Convocation has called many schools to the borders of the demon-haunted Sarkoris Scar.
There are three more schools responsible for setting up the Convocation and gathering guests from across Golarion. Each of them brings its own exhibits, teachings, and traditions, along with a competitive spirit the hosts hope will stick to scholastic debate or hunting Sarkoris’s remaining demons.
Magaambya
Magaambya Campus by Sandra Posada.
When human civilization clawed its way out from the Age of Darkness thousands of years ago, the Magaambya was one of the first flickers of light. Founded by Old-Mage Jatembe and his Ten Magic Warriors in the jungles of the Mwangi Expanse, the school still embraces their legacy as the Inner Sea region’s oldest school of magic.
The school has recently begun to take a more active role in the wider world. Magaambyans see the Convocation as part of that broader effort, an extension of their teachers’ efforts in offering aid to the scattered Sarkorian people and helping gather their stories.
All five of the school’s branches of study are represented among the Magaambyan delegates. Although the school sees these branches as part of the same whole, the branches take on very different roles in the Magaambya and at the Convocation. The storytelling Uzunjati branch is the best known outside the school, but Emerald Boughs are prepared to navigate social situations while Tempest-Sun Mages gear up to fight a different continent’s demons.
Tree of Stories by Sandra Posada.
Magaambyan students have set to growing a symbol of their teachings to remain on the Convocation grounds long after their masks and artifacts are returned to their homes. Although the tree might look out of place in the north’s harsh winters, the stories told beneath its boughs know no seasonal boundaries.
The Uzunjati presence at the Convocation can be felt strongly in other ways, as they pass on their stories and the magic contained within them. They even return a tale of old Sarkoris, brought to life by that story and their magic, as a gift to their hosts.
But all five branches of the Magaambya do share a common teaching in the wizardly School of Rooted Wisdom. Beyond the shared teachings of Old-Mage Jatembe, each branch has grown from it in a different direction over the millennia, whether exploring the theory of magic as a Cascade Bearer or the boundaries of the physical world as a Rain-Scribe.
Monastery of the Unbreaking Waves
Monastery of the Unbreaking Waves by Sandra Posada.
As one of the Houses of Perfection, the Monastery of the Unbreaking Waves seeks enlightenment and martial inspiration in one of the elements. In their case, it is the flexible and unyielding progress of water, flowing around and wearing away all obstacles.
For centuries, only three Houses of Perfection stood in Jalmeray, representing air, earth, and fire. The Monastery of the Unbreaking Waves had been destroyed by one of its rivals and pulled into the sea by a great tsunami. It’s only recently that their teachings were returned to the surface with the help of the Pathfinder Society. Although still rebuilding toward its original heights, that history has brought this monastery to the Convocation to prevent such a tragic loss from repeating itself.
Beyond this philosophical connection with the elements, each House of Perfection learned many of their techniques directly from the genies associated with their element. In the Unbreaking Waves’ case, they learn from faydhaan, who are known for their diplomatic nature and flexible thinking.
Swordmaster Ganhil by Renan Maurilio and Resurgent Maelstrom Magus by Mirco Paganessi.
As the buildings and membership of the monastery are rebuilt, so are its techniques. Recovered ancient scrolls, once thought lost forever beneath the waves, offer a foundation to rebuild on, but new blood and ideas are revitalizing the school’s curriculum.
The core techniques of the Unbreaking Waves are still practiced by monks, empowering themselves with understanding of water and breath. Always metaphorical and philosophical, the waves can also become crushingly real in the hands of an experienced monk. But, even among the order’s traditional monastic practices, new blade stances and techniques aim to challenge their old rivals among the Monastery of Untwisting Iron.
The new approaches can be seen most clearly among those studying the Resurgent Maelstrom. Combining faydhaan spells and techniques with mortal ingenuity, a magus can use the power of water to turn any tool into a weapon and embrace their transience by shattering them against their foes.
University of Lepidstadt
Lepidstadt Campus by Sandra Posada.
The University of Lepidstadt, despite being at the forefront of medical and technological advancement, is not always well regarded in its native Ustalav. Many would call it a home of graverobbers and monstrous experiments, although the medical students find the results quite educational.
The university students, even those focusing on less controversial fields of study, find the Convocation a breath of fresh air. Certainly, the Kith are noisy and the Magaambyans may have uncomfortable questions about what exactly is inside the Lepidstadt exhibit, but the constant pressure and automatic judgment is lessened. Sadly, it can’t last forever, and eventually the students will have to return to their dimly lit halls and sinister rumors.
Some students have an additional cause to celebrate. The university once accepted Sarkorians fleeing the demons who overran their land, although Ustalav at large was by no means welcoming, and many descendants of Sarkorian refugees among Lepidstadt’s delegation are able to visit their ancestral homeland for the first time.
Cheris Nefritius-Sincoth and Lepidstadt Surgeon by Mirco Paganessi.
Law, theology, and even wizardry are all taught at Lepidstadt, but it’s best known for medicine. Lepidstadt surgeons are among the best in the world, both as healers and in theoretical understanding. They attribute this to the hands-on experience of dismantling cadavers and practicing on volunteers. Whether the newest techniques can be used to open an enemy’s veins or stir dead flesh to a parody of life is a question best left for campfire tales.
The School of Science has also begun to make a name for itself, although it’s beset with its own controversies. A number of Stasian coils, covered with arcing electricity and interacting with subtler occult energies, have been smuggled into the school for experiments. The most recent breakthroughs involve using those coils to treat glass, creating a variety of gadgets that can drive off otherworldly beings or steal away part of a target’s aura.
Perhaps their most complicated work is their exhibit, a scientific and occult marvel that takes the shape of a heavy cabinet spiked with Stasian coils. The electricity, through shapes and symbols and a crackling voice, seeks to answer questions posed to it. Although even the Lepidstadt students aren’t necessarily sure what’s inside it, they do ask that people stop trying to exorcize it.
School Stories
Convocation Conversation by Sandra Posada.
Each school, whether a sponsor or an uninvited guest, is introduced by one of their own in Lost Omens Rival Academies. So, whether you’re wondering what it’s like to take classes at the Academy of the Reclamation or want to know why the Sihedron Spires were late for the party, you can find out right from the students themselves.
This extends into the rest of the book, including guides to Mendev and Sarkoris for attendees who leave the safety of the Convocation grounds. Even as a player, you should be able to sit down and read cover-to-cover without running into the secret answers to questions your character wouldn’t even know to ask.
Or you might flip through to see what spells and feats your school teaches. No judgment there! Obviously, all this studying should teach characters how to do new things. There are new archetypes, spells, feats, items, and character options for the schools. Whether a character is attending the Convocation or dropped out to chase adventure, you’ll find some new options for them.
Wrap it all up with a bit of GM advice at the back for running a Convocation campaign, like how to reward forming bonds with other schools, and you’ve got yourself a whole package. I hope you all enjoy it when it comes out on March 5th!
Landon Winkler (they/them)
Developer
The Rival Academies (Part 2)
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
