The Stadium District
The Arcanar Guild, Rym's only true organization of wizards, has been a part of the city sinse its construction. Officially, they are backed by the Tamaran Empire, though in recent years their role has dwindled from defense and construction to entertaining the idle rich with pyrotechnics and endless pleasant weather. Like the rest of the city, the guild has grown complacent and hedonistic, charging outrageous prices for their services...everything from teleporting goods across vast distances, to putting out fires, to granting illusionary fantasies. Even membership is stunningly expensive, restricted to all but the richest, most intelligent, and best connected of canidates (known as 'Pledges').
The campus is very secure and highly secretive, even of its non-magical studies. Living statues and other guardians are scattered about grounds and throughout the topiary maze that surrounds the main guild spire. In addition, the wizards monitor many key points through the eyes of their guardians, allowing them to keep track of everything from unwanted guests to students cheating on their exams. The surrounding grounds are protected by an ivy-covered wall (the ivy is yet another enchanted defense) and are accessible by means of a pair of canals. The south canal separates the body of the campus from the Arcanar observatory, and allows the city's coach boats to move from the inner to the outer ring. The central canal, which ends in a wide circular pond, is the main entry used by students and visitors. It is surrounded by six marble towers, the homes of the six Arcanar guild council members. They may only be approached in matters of the utmost importance.
The Grand Imperial Coloseum
Roughly twice the size of a football field, the topiary maze that surrounds the main guild tower is used to keep out the dim-witted. The maze's complexity is often augmented by illusions, which takes it from difficult to maddening and prevents all but the most serious of petitioners from reaching the office of the registrar. Pledges must, of course, navigate the maze in order to apply for membership. This process also prevents lineups. The maze's hedge walls are composed of an alchemically modified flora that is virtually immune to blades or fire, and regenerates if damaged. At any given time, there may be as many as a dozen petitioners wandering through the maze trying to reach the main guild tower.
The main structure at the heart of the labyrinth is composed of a wide marble plaza and a great, golden-capped tower. The main spire is nearly a hundred feet high, composed of eight levels, each in turn split into libraries, laboratories, and various private studies belonging to the tenure-holders. The plaza is generally as far as most petitioners ever get before their requests are buried in forms and beaurocracy, whereas the actual members are allowed free access to various levels of the tower depending on their seniority. The higher levels contain the secrets of greater magic, with the uppermost reaches reserved for the six arch-wizards that command the guild. Even more haughty and aloof than their peers, the guild council shuns all but the most important state functions, prefering to observe from a distance through various scrying devices.
The Imperial Beastiary
This is where the bulk of the guild wizards learn their trade, most of which is grounded in mundane, non-magical principles. Within the various study and lecture halls, alchemy, planar dynamics, metaphysics, and a host of other subjects are taught by those who wish to one day learn the mystic arts. There is actually very little magic here, nothing more than simple parlor tricks designed to keep the students' interest. Many do not graduate, becoming little more than amateur sages and philosophers, while others will eventually progress to the rank of 'Pledge' and move on to learn the true art of magic.
At any given time, there are roughly two hundred students attending classes here. Most are expected to live on the grounds and pay rent, though some of the most promising apprentices may be offered residence with a guild sponsor, who tutors the student personally. The student, in turn, often acts as a scribe or researcher for their sponsor during this period of apprenticeship.
After graduation, novice wizards are often loaned out to perform mundane magical tasks until they can accumulate enough money to advance through the ranks of their guild. Each new level of study involves a higher learning fee, more expensive texts, and more time-consuming studies, and many wizards burn out early. These 'magicians' often become little more than fortune tellers or entertainers, and are generally looked down upon by formal members of the guild. Some will even have their magical potential permanently destroyed for certain violations, such as the teaching of banned or illegal spells.