Kiern Vale Handbook

Chapter 3: Life in Kiern Vale

Education and Literacy in Kiern Vale

The majority of the common people in the Vale are illiterate, meaning they do not receive any formal education, apart from what they learn orally from parents, close family members, and occasionally from community elders. These individuals generally spend their entire lives in or near their birthplace (for example: a young woman who movers to a nearby village after her marriage). They are almost entirely unable to read and write, and at most they possess basic numeracy skills, required for simple calculations needed for payment of goods or understanding the amount of tax they have to pay.

Guild schools

Most of the guilds, mainly in the city of En’mirlor, operate schools to provide basic education for the children of their members. This includes reading and writing in common En’mirin, arithmetic and other subjects needed for the professional training suitable for the specific guild. Those who show more talent than average may be chosen by one of the master artisans, who will take them as personal apprentices. In this role, they are likely to receive higher education in the following years, of the kind that their master believes they need.

Noble estate schools

In several of the larger estates or nearby, notably in Lord Kor Om’thel castle and in Lake Relarn, there are schools which are funded and controlled by the local noble, sometimes with the assistance of others, such as wealthy and influential local families or lesser nobles.

The noble and his hirelings determine what will be taught and at what level, and which children (and sometimes, like in Kor Om’thel, lads or even young adults) will be accepted.

The famous school in Lake Relarn, for example, is mostly kept reserved for young lasses from affiliated families associated with House Relarn and the Red Reflection. This school is almost the only place in the vale where fine arts and traditional En’mirian culture are taught, as well as additional respected languages – primarily High En’mirian and sometimes even Mithrit.

The Blue Courtyard

A famous institution, located within the remnants of an ancient temple of the Celestial Blue Reflection, a day’s walk north of En’mirlor, which was the scene of a brutal battle during the Grey Rose rebellion.

This place has been managed for many years by the former Blue Priestess (“darkened mirror”) Lin’toriel, and is considered the largest and = most diverse school in the vale. Though originally intended for the training of young female acolytes, since the Great Shattering few of its students show talent suitable for such studies, beyond the analytical basis of En’mirian theology and history of the empire.

Today, the Blue Courtyard comprises several different classes, including a basic class that also admits male students, and offers various degrees of learning. However, most of them are apparently more basic than those taught at the “lass school” of Lake Relarn. The students are quite diverse – ranging from privileged daughters of affiliated En’mirian families who study in a manner reminiscent of imperial age acolytes, to boys from local families, who find Lin’toriel’s tutoring quite useful for learning to read and write, and other basic studies at a relatively low fee – mostly paid in agricultural produce and similar supplies.

Private Tutors

Nobles and other wealthy families can invest a considerable amount of money to hire private tutors of various types. These tutors provide the children of those individuals and perhaps their associates, with a higher and better education, including in areas that are typically beyond what can be obtained through other means.

Several esteemed tutors reside in Kiern Vale, some of them scholars from Orm’theril or other lands. The most famous and expensive among them usually live in the estate of the wealthy family who hired them. Others, less known or sought after, occasionally travel – usually from one estate to another. For this purpose, especially if they were hired and require admittance to a remote location, they may hire armed escorts for their travels – including adventurers.

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Created and edited by Gideon Orbach (2017) © All rights reserved. Commercial use and/or any profit-making purpose is strictly prohibited without explicit permission from the creator, in writing and in advance. Noncommercial/personal use with no profit aim is allowed (and even recommended!)