Skip to main content.

Antfortas Valardin Academy

Posted by Apostate on 12/10/20
Princess Katarina Valardin is generally regarded to be an anomaly among the royal family of the Oathlands. She openly acknowledges that she was born in the Dune Kingdoms of Eurus, and was adopted into the Valardin family. Of late, she has begun wearing the traditional veil of a princess of her home Kingdom, and while few commoners would dare say this anywhere that a noble might hear, there are those who wonder if the massive population of Eurusi refugees within the Compact have influenced Katarina to begin turning away from the Faith and back toward the heretical religion of her birthland. Of course, that's just cruel gossip from uninformed common people.

Standing as a rebuttal to such whispered concerns is the Anfortas Valardin Academy in Sanctum. Spearheaded by Princess Katarina, the Academy serves as a college, a research institute, and salon for philosophical debate, focused on the Law of the Compact and the study of the Sentinel. Speaking briefly at the opening ceremony of the building, Princess Katarina was recorded as saying: "I wish to leave this world as a more just place than it was when I entered it, a place that values justice that much more. Today's students of the Antfortas Valardin Academy will be the lawyers and scholars and disciples of tomorrow, and in turn become the teachers of those who live in the day after tomorrow, and so forth, to ensure that the Sentinel is honored well into the future."

Princess Katarina's speech mostly consisted of thanking various people for their contributions to the Academy: Highlord Princess Alis Valardin, for her approval and donation of land to build upon; Archlector Avary Ashford of the Sentinel, for her blessing on the project and her consultation to ensure that the teachings of the Sentinel are hewed to; Princess Adrienne Pravus, for reaching out to her many, many contacts in the Oathlands and opening doors that would otherwise be that much more difficult to reach; Princess Zara Valardin and Princess Sorrel Thrax, for their generous contributions and even more generous moral support; Legate Bianca Wyrmguard, for her guidance in times of confusion; Marquessa Teagan Blackram, one of Katarina's proteges, for her work in designing curriculums and proper academic practices for the Academy to uphold; Lady Appolonia Blanchard, another of Katarina's proteges, for donations above and beyond the call of duty and her willingness to embrace and uplift a new culture, something that Katarina can personally appreciate; and Brother Felix Meadson, for sculpture and artwork donated to ensure that the Academy is never anything less than beautiful to behold.

The Princess's litany of thank-yous ended with a message of thanks to Messere Verity Locke, who is credited by Katarina with "the inspiration to begin this work, the courage to see it through, and the hope for a better future for us all." Those who attended the ceremony report that the speech ended awkwardly, as Princess Katarina seemed to be trying not to cry while speaking this last note of gratitude.

Prince Antfortas Valardin was Highlord of the Oathlands, slain at Westrock Reach in what many scholars consider the last battle of the Crownbreaker Wars. In modern times, he is perhaps most famous as the father of the subsequent Highlord, Princess Gloriessa Valardin.