Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-27966940-20170829004944/@comment-25396609-20170907030136

Name: Wellspring Academy

Name Meaning: The academy was built around a freshwater spring in a cave system in a Mesa.

Location: Outskirts of Vacuo City, Kingdom of Vacuo

Layout: An combat school built in a tunnel system in a stone mesa in the Vacuo desert, with rooms carved into the sides of the tunnel; it is relatively large in size and much of the space is dedicated to training rooms and workshops, as well as housing for staff and students without their own homes; the headmaster's office is located at the rear of the caves. At the heart of the academy is a large common area which has been, through careful excavation, opened up to allow natural sunlight into a large open courtyard. A CCT Relay tower is built in the middle of the fountain to ensure adequate signal strength for the academy; with wired transmitters allowing hard-line access from within the school as the thick rock prevents wireless transmission.

The academy is divided into four wings; connected by the central courtyard.

The north wing is the largest and location of all housing, and is the fall-back point for the academy in case of Grimm attacks. An armory and dust dispensary are kept in this area, as well as reserves of emergency food. The underground water supply provides clean, safe water for the people living in the Mesa and any who are trapped there during attacks.

The south wing is primarily sparring arenas and practical applications classrooms such as weapon manufacturing classrooms, dust labs, and aura training areas (isolated from other portions of the school to prevent collateral damage in the event of accidents)

The east wing is the general studies area and library (currently understocked, but work is being done to expand the collection), where students learn subjects taught in civilian schools; or do book work for their Huntsman specific courses.

The west wing contains the main entrance to the school; as well as the market quarter, where many of the civilians who live within the mesa operate their own businesses.

History: Bruno Ybarra is a Huntsman, he was born in Vacuo as a member of a tribe from deep in the desert but went away to Mistral and attended Haven Academy as he wished to learn more about the outside world. During his time away, his tribe was wiped out by grimm. Upon returning he had nowhere to go, no family, and nothing to his name except the clothes and dust he was carrying with him. He began taking missions, always working, and saving up money. He had no plans, no goals, he just kept working and fighting and learning.

Before he had any idea of a goal, he had saved up a sizable sum of Lien from his constant work, spending money only on food and places to stay had left him with extensive profits. Seeking to rebuild the home he had lost, he purchased the rights to a large Mesa near Vacuo city and started to dig; carving out extensions of natural caves into spare rooms, entire homes inside the Mesa and yet remaining the only resident. He felt alone in his fortress of stone, and sought a way to solve that problem.

Vacuo was a Kingdom but the loose government leaves plenty without homes unaided by the survival of the fittest mentality. It was around this time he reached the center of the mesa and discovered the underground spring for which he named the school. Initially he took in families who could not make ends meet, allowing them to live in the empty homes he had built, when some of their older children began to express interest in learning to be Huntsman, idolizing him for providing their families places to live, he hired other like-minded Huntsman to teach and converted the slowly growing community into a Combat school.

Today, Wellspring operates as something between a small town and a combat school; with many of the orphans and homeless families who had moved to the Mesa never left; either starting family businesses, training as huntsmen, or farming in the limited arable terrain near the mesa.

Community: Though the Mesa is large, living space is limited; leading to a very "small town" vibe, where most people are on familiar terms. The large number of huntsmen and huntsmen to be living in or around Wellspring ensures the peace is kept and the people are safe. Most crimes and conflicts are easily contained, and those who cause too much trouble can be removed from the Mesa by force if necesarry.

Government: As with most of Vacuo, the government is minimal. Bruno, the founder, owner, and headmaster, has executive decision over most things but the people tend to self-govern, kept in check by a heavily fostered sense of cammeraderie. Huntsmen living in the Mesa form an informal police force who deal with criminals and mediate feuds betwen citizens, evicting troublemakers as needed and protecting the people when Grimm attack.