Dragon Riders Academy

Dragon Rider's Academy is the new training ground and headquarters of the new generation of Dragon Riders (now including Dwarves and Urgals) and the nesting ground of the next generation of Dragons after the Rider War. It is now the home of Eragon and Saphira after they departed Alagaësia with the Eldunarí and dragon eggs for the Eastern Reaches to find a secluded place to train and home the Dragon Riders on the Talíta. It is setting of The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm, which takes place a year after the Inheritance Cycle. It also acts as a trading ground between the Dwarves, Nomads of the land, Wandering Tribes and Dragon Riders, the Dwarves transporting goods by the Edda River, which runs from the nearby Beor Mountains and Mount Arngor, where the academy lies. It is also a further trading point for the Elves, Urgals and Humans beyond the Beor Mountains. It was two weeks of sailing away from Alagaësia's eastern border.

WELCOME TO DRAGON RIDER'S ACADEMY!
At this school, you will be learning side by side their individuals from the other three races (Human, Elf, Dwarf and Urgal) and their dragons, so we wanted to give you some basic information that may be useful as you get to know one another.

You and your dragon partner have been assigned to a winglet of three other Rider students and their parts, each part of a separate race.

''Thank You for being a part of this school. You are the hope of Alagaësia's future. You are the people who can bring lasting peace to this world.''

Staff

 * Eragon "Shadeslayer" Bromsson - Founder and Teacher of Riding Classes
 * Saphira Bjartskular - Founder and Teacher of Riding and Flying Agility Classes


 * Eragon's elvish guards - Teachers in Elven Magic and the Ancient Language
 * Blödhgarm
 * Invidia
 * Yaela
 * Six other unnamed elves.


 * Glaedr-Teacher of the Secrets of the Dragons/Advisor to Eragon and Saphira
 * Eldunarí of the Vault of Souls-Advisors to the Riders
 * Umaroth
 * Cuaroc
 * Valdr
 * Ivarros
 * Belgabad
 * Frenic
 * Opheila
 * Hírador
 * Aeridou


 * Hruthmund - Ambassador and Representative of the Dwarves
 * Skarghaz - Representative of the Urgals
 * Wraithstalker - Ambassador of the Werecats


 * Meokee, She of the Swift Blade and Fjandí - Teachers of Archery Class


 * Thubdra and Gundor - Assistant Instructors and Teachers of Axemanship Class
 * Travor and Harta- Teachers of Mind Class
 * Dakin Ekurinsson and Istalri - Teachers of Magic Class
 * Teka and Jandusk - Teacher of Spearmanship Class

School Locations
The school is built large enough for the largest dragons to walk through easily and has architecture from all the races, blending each into harmonious structures. to show the harmony and unity between every race. The city rival Vroengard, some of the buildings ending up twice as large as ones in Doru Araeba.

The Grand Arena
This arena was built using the energy of the Eldunarí and the expertise of a group of dwarves and is where Riders and Dragons (wild or bonded) may test themselves against one another. It is large enough for dragons of several hundred years of age to move about comfortably in. It is enchanted so that spells have no affect on the arena itself, but does not prevent spells from being cast within it if riders are practicing spellfights. This is so that magic may be used without fear that the arena will come crashing down. The arena is open to the air so that dragons may take flight within it. More than sixty thousand people (humans, elves, dwarves, or Urgals) can be seated here. That arena is also used to host contests, tournaments and celebrations, such as Dragon Night, the Agaetí Blödhren Blood-Oath Celebration, and the Day of Salvation, which celebrates the defeat of Galbatorix and beginning of the new age of the riders, the graduation of dragon rider students or the arrival of monarchs, representatives or anyone of great importance, where the Riders will often host games for the visitor or visitors entertainment, including riders and dragon sky performances, flying acrobatics, wrestling, swordsmanship, music, feats of strength, storytelling, Ghastgar and so many more. Each race has its own skilled performers, and this arena displays the best acrobats, singers, strong-man, fortune-tellers, clowns, illusionists, magicians, fire-swallowers, animal tamers and more.

The Great Brom Library
Built by Eragon and named after his father, the Great Brom Library is constantly being added to. The door is large enough to fit a fifty year old dragon, and the high-domed ceiling is almost as tall as the mountains around it. Riders of all species come here to learn about history and pass the time with an epic. This is filled with tales from all the races, including those written by Werecats, Wandering Tribes and Grey Folk, who's knowledge has been kept hidden for centuries and the thousands of books Galbatorix stole and many more besides. Riders are free to donate their own writings to the collection. The dome has a life-sized painting of all of the races, there pictures including dragons of all colours and sizes flying below a starlit sky and a full moon, dwarves mining for gems within a cavern of sparkling colours, humans building castles, bow-welding elves walking through the canopy of a sunlit forest, Urgals — including Kull — wrestling each other and fighting against a sea of warriors in the red tunic of the Empire — the legendary event known as Stavarosk, Werecats — in human and cat form — stalking through the bushes and silvery Spirits floating through a moonlit forest. Even for those with adventure burning in their hearts find a interest in this place, for it also has maps of Alagaësia and lands beyond. Among the thousands of books in each shelf are several copies of A Guide To Alagaësia And Beyond by the Dragon Rider Explorer Amarillo del Bosque Verde.

Dining Hall
The hall is built large large enough to accommodate ten dragons Belgabad's size, plus hundreds of dwarves, elves, humans, urgals and smaller dragons. The ceiling of the hall was covered with candles and is enchanted to look like the sky above. Hundreds of long tables built to hold all of the races stretch across the floor for inhabitants to use at regular intervals. Banners of all size, symbols and colours hang on the walls and a symbols of each race.

Dock
The harbor is the main way of travelling to and from the Academy to Alagaësia, through the Edda River, which streams from the Beors to Mount Arngor, where the academy lies, and is a trading post between the dwarves and the academy, along with the nomads living along the river. The dock also doubles as a market where a rider can find almost anything from fur cloaks for the winter to hair combs made of Fanghur teeth. Much trade is conducted here and exotic goods are unloaded for sale here. Hot drinks, cheese pasties, sausages, spicy rice balls and baked potatoes are readily from the many tradesmen who throng the area. The dock is also a large fishing port, harbouring a huge amount of fish, which is enough to feed both the residents of the academy, trade and feed the dragons easily.

The Hall of Mirrors
This hall is filled with mirrors for the Academy's residents to communicate with their loved ones in distant Alagaësia, the sunlight powers the mirrors and one a exceptionally sunny day, a person can speak through the mirrors without losing a speck of energy.

The Hall of Colours
A disk-shaped chamber with several tiered daises coiled around the centre and many padded benches and alcoves circling the room, continuing up and up until reaching the wall, many of whom housed a glittering Eldunarí, both the 136 who placed their Heart of Hearts in the Vault of Souls and the now-sane members of Galbatorix's vast hoards of Eldunarí. Most of the larger Eldunarí like Glaedr, Umaroth and Valdr rest upon the silk-lined dais while the smaller ones, along with several enormous Eldunarí to large for the dais, like the mighty Belgabad, are arranged in the alcoves and circling padded benches. Piercing the circular wall of the chamber are dozens of narrow lancet windows, which the elves have fitted with pieces of crystal that split the incoming light into flecks of rainbow light, making the north-facing room always bright and strewn with multi-hued shards, both from windows and the Eldunarí themselves, no matter the time of day will dwarf lanterns flicker in their stands. The chambers name, the Hall of Colours, beginning when the dwarves and elves began to call it, a name Eragon agreed with.

Eldunarí Vault
This cavern deep within the side of Mount Arngor is used to keep Galbatorix's still-mad Eldunarí — those who had still not recovered from the decades of spells and mental tortures Galbatorix had enforced upon them and prevents them from hurting anyone with the lashings of their unhinged thoughts.

Incubation Chamber
This chamber's structure is almost exactly like that of the Hall of Colours, save its small canals of molten lava and water, which warms the young dragonets within their unhatched eggs and its enormous size. Next to each of its windows is a sapphire-eyed dragon statue that are positioned so they look like they are watching over the hatchlings. The room is full of light and air from windows and skylights, most of which are barred — especially on the lower levels — so none of the crawlers or new fliers could fall out. Much of the floor is covered in black and gold rugs and toy weapons are scattered around the enormous room, blunt spears and dented shields leaning haphazardly against balls and attack dummies. The upon walls are covered climbing structures like fake rocky outcroppings and platforms while the lower wall are scattered with small caves and the trunks of enormous trees containing many hollows for dragonets to live in. The highest levels, closest to the ceiling, are designed as space for flying practice — longer spaces to cross with each leap, ropes to catch on mid-flight, obstacles to practice swerving around. Here the biggest dragonets can stretch their wings to showed off new moves and duck through obstacles hanging from ropes, the roof the tree branches or slumbering in the tree's canopies.

Feldûnost Fields
The grazing ground of the dwarves giant goat Feldûnost, these lush fields are the grazing grounds of not just tamed Feldûnost, but also wild members of the giant goats that seem to have immigrated from the foothills of the eastern side of the mountains into this land and now feed on the many abundant fields of these lands. Dragons are forbidden to prey on the domesticated Feldûnost, although several do sometimes prey on the wild ones.

The Brightsteel Hill
This is an entire hill filled of brightsteel ore near the Fells abr Shur'tugal that the riders make there unique weapons out of with the help of those who have been taught by Rhunön or by the master elf smith herself, who occasionally visits the Academy. It is very huge and has huge quantities of Brightsteel, as well as it's own personal forge for those who wish to built or have their weapons built in seclusion. Deloi, Eyddrslytha, Haina, Vindr, Domia, Togira, Flauga, Lifeld'letta, Manin, Varda, and various other Rider Swords were made here.

Grand Hall
A place of meeting, this hall can house the entire academy. The roof has a enormous hole where dragons can fly in or out. However, the dwarf-constructed mechanics allow four enormous walls to come together as a enchanted glass roofed tower without a crack or a blemish. There is also several staircases where riders can go to the balcony over looking the Hall or to other areas connected to the hall. The hall is decorated with shields, swords, paints and fire-proof tapestries. Enormous trees wind up towards the roof like pillars a carving and plants wind across the walls. Several canals of fresh water also empty into pools located around the edges of the school like waterfalls. There are also slabs of rock and fire-proof pillows are also located at regular intervals for the dragons to sit and listen comfortably while their riders can sit of the carpeted floor or on the soft chairs built often ear the several enormous fireplaces.

Lookout Towers
Tall poles with white canopies on top dot the outer areas of the Academy, especially near the living areas. The Riders take turns to sit on top of them and keep watch over the sea for any oncoming danger. This often also act as a detention for misbehaving students and survival tasks for all protégés, sentries by perching in the towers and alerting the Riders of any unknown ships entering their waters.

Viaduct
This viaduct is constructed of red stone, and extends all the way down to one of the streams that extend from the Edda River. It is connected to a Courtyard at one end and is connected to the left long viaduct tower and the right long viaduct tower.

Hospital Wing
Students who suffer mishaps during the teaching are sent or brought to the hospital wing for treatment. The hospital wing is well equipped to deal with all manner of magical and mundane injuries, from broken limbs to regrowing lost bones.

Armoury
The Armoury is a corridor adjacent to the Grand Hall. There are a large amount of suits of armour on all kinds and shapes on exhibition in this corridor.

The Clock Tower
Within the tower, lies the dwarf-made mechanism that run the antique clock, a masterpiece of dwarven work. There is an courtyard at its base, and at the top is the clear glass dial of the clock. There is space between the clock's movement and the dial for a person to either repair the clock or to stand and look out over the courtyard. There are five bells in the clock tower of various sizes; these bells appear to be made of copper as the bells are rather oxidized.

Statue of the First Rider Pair
In the very center of the academy-city is a statue of a dragon, white as the snow caps of the Beors, and larger than Saphira by two, who had been called Bid'daum, and standing next to him is a blonde haired elf, who was Eragon's namesake and the first of the Riders, holding a purple egg in his hand.

Vault
Built into the statue is a hidden door that led down a long winding staircase. At the bottom of the staircase is a tunnel leading to two tunnels, both protected by hundreds of spells, leading to the Eldunarí Vault that housed the still-mad Eldunari of Galbatorix and a room many of the treasures from Galbatorix's castle that Eragon and the Elves thought were too dangerous to let become common knowledge, even among the riders, including scrolls filled within knowledge so dark and dangerous they were purposefully forgotten and objects so powerful they could no long be kept in the hands of men. Also among the treasures are hundreds of Rider's swords that the elf Rhünon had forged that have still not found the correct welders. Like the Vault of Souls, one had to speak their true name and be of pure heart in order to gain access to this secret chamber.

Rider Living Quarters
The rooms in which future riders live are large enough to accommodate their dragons for decades to come, each made for two/three riders. Unoccupied rooms are white, but a spell is embedded in each room so that when occupied, the color would change to a mix of colors that match that of the rider's dragons. The rooms are arranged in curving circles, each with four room entrances, four dragon caves, a stairway large enough for a dragon to walk up easily that leads to the group's personally lounge and the training grounds and miniature greenhouse and a archway that leads to the main corridor, which are made for the organised groups of four rider students, one of each race and their dragons. Each room also automatically makes itself to reflect the Rider and Dragons personality, made out of one large room. However each Rider's quarters always has its own library, fireplace, cabinet filled with food, small balcony and a huge low-rimmed bowl set in the floor and lined with soft blankets where a dragon could sleep comfortably, which is located in the bedroom. The side of the room facing outwards always takes the form of the tree-houses of Ellesméra and like the elven tree-houses, their temperature can be adjusted to the owners convenience. Each room has a enormous screen which can be easily pulled outward to reveal a hole large enough for a dragon to fly into. A large oak tree is located in the center of the room like a pillar in every quarter. The lower branches spread into the room across the ceiling, interweaving with the rafters. The dragon caves lead to a sleeping cave that's interior a low-rimmed bowl similar to the one in its rider's quarters, a lake for swimming, a exit to the open air that can be closed with a screen similar to the rider's rooms and a tunnel leading to the riders quarters. The entrance to the circular main quarters that lead to the rider's quarters also has a plaque with the name of the riders group on it above. Each entrance to a rider group's quarters has the groups name on its door.

Outer Locations
These parts of the academy are located outside the school's walls, but are constantly used by Riders, although not all are allowed to be used by Dragon Rider youths or are just part of a far greater area.

Fells abr Shur'tugalar
These are one the mountains connecting to Mount Argnor that the Riders are often trained on in the ways of wilderness. Hidden by its mountain brethren, it is a place known to only the riders, the nomads and the land. There are many interesting creatures lurking within the forests of these mountains, whose name means "Mountains of Dragon Riders." These mountains aren't very tall, about the same height as the mountains of the Spine, where Eragon grew up, while many of its brethren tower above a distant Arngor. It has not had much known history, but the history that is know circles around one event that stands out in the history of these mountains, a climactic battle during the Ra'zac War, when a Ra'zac army invaded the land and attacked these mountains. The riders retaliated by fighting viciously, and, despite being were outnumbered by many, the dragons were worth three Lethrblaka, and, after three days and night of blood, the riders finally emerged triumphed.

The Bid'Daum Mountains
Named after the first Eragon's dragon and the first dragon in a rider-dragon pair, these mountains rise farther higher into the sky than any known in the world, outdone only by the Beors. The dwarves especially love traveling to these mountains and have excavated many gems from them.

The Vrael River
The Vrael River, named in honour the Elf Rider of Umaroth and the leader of the Riders just before the rise of Galbatorix's Empire, it cuts through Du Fells Shur'turgal and into Vervada Lake. The water is unnaturally cold, though dragons enjoy swimming here. The water is also crystal clear. The shores are an excellent place to practice magic and enjoy oneself.

Vervada Lake
Vervada Lake, named after Saphira's mother, is located near the southern end of Du Fells Shur'tugalar and is connected to the Vrael River. Its depth is unknown. The lake is freshwater, and large catfish can be found here. This is a favorite spot for dragons to practice their sparring.

Du WeldenRaudhr
"The Red Forest", as it is sometimes known as is a large forest that lays at the base of Du Fells Abr Shur'turgalar. It is named after the colour of the exceptionally tall trees that inhabit it. Crows, rabbits, red deer, red wolves, black bears, and a number of other more bizarre creatures inhabit this wood. Despite it being a very calming place to sit and think, the vast majority of these woods are unexplored. Dragons and Werecats, for reasons unknown, are especially drawn to this place. However, people should be cautious, as magic has altered some creatures in strange ways and not all are friendly. Many small, unnamed paths lead from the main track to small huts built within the many clearings and glades that dot the forests or built on the lower parts of thick-trunked trees. These huts have been built as refuges for travelers and riders in case of storms or high winds and often are named after words of shielding and protection in the Ancient Language, their names including TIEKAT, MMURD, TONOD, SYAS, FFO, EINRADHIN, BLÖTHR, DOMIA, BRAKKA, GATA, THRYSTA, HUILDR ÄTHR, BÖLLR, EDOC'SIL, EITHA, GÁNGA, SKÖLIR and VARDO.

The Swamp of Misfortune
Located on the southern edge of Du WeldenRaudhr, this ominous bog is full of fog and echoing sounds. Few are brave enough to venture here. A few unfortunate dragons have landed here and couldn't fly out. They needed to be helped out. Ravens can be heard calling to one another in the trees, though they are never seen. The ground is unstable, and one false step will send you sinking through twenty feet of marsh. Hints of enchantments of unknown intent are in the air, some positive, some possibly negative. However, the outer area of the swamp is quite safe and many travel to it for its wide range of rare herbs like mandrakes and frost lily and its mushrooms, which includes Blood Ring, Dwarf Shield, Fricai Andlát, Inkcap, Navelcap, Russet Tough-Shanks, Spotted Cort, Spotted Deceiver, Deadlyius, Staghorn and Sulfur Tuft. Its rivers are also usually safe and can be used to find wide clearing of herbs and potion ingredients.

The Split Rivers
The river that is made by the connecting Az Ragni and Edda Rivers comes all the way to Fells Abr Shur'tugal. It splits in two and goes around the mountains, and then joins to make one again. These rivers are very wide, so dragons and humans love swimming in the clean, crisp, clear water.

Edda River
The farthest eastern river in Alagaësia, the Edda is a river that stems from the Eldor Lake and lead to Ceris. It then continued east to where Âz Ragni flowed into it. It eventually wends beyond the Beors and into the Eastern Reaches wending past Dragon Riders Academy located next to Mount Argnor and onwards. It also acts as a trading ground between the Dwarves, Nomads of the land, Wandering Tribes and Dragon Riders, the Dwarves transporting goods by the Edda River.

The River Tor
Extending from Vervada Lake, the Tor runs up to the frigid northern lakes, running past the western edge of the Academy. The riverbanks are shaded by trees and smothered with sweet-smelling violets in the spring. If you wish to escape from the sometimes bustling academy or meditate in peaceful tranquility, you will find refuge beside the Tor