The University of Arcane Sciences

The University of Arcane Sciences is tucked away in a mostly magical section of London. While it doesn’t hide that it is a university, anyone who tries to apply is investigated to confirm their ties to the magical community before being admitted. Other buildings are spread throughout the city depending upon their department (for example, the magical law department is near Parliament).

Students at Arcana are accepted for a specific concentration, whether that be a specific type of magic, a language, history of magic, or magical law to name a few. Masters and Doctorates are also available, mostly in a research capacity. Tuition to Arcana is subsidized for those who are in a low-income bracket and taking courses essential to the betterment of the magical community.

Background
It was 1977 when a book entered the Doué le Jardin Academy & Preparatory School, darkness seeping from it like a wound. A grimoire, it was called, a primer on dark magic and the evil deeds that went with it. The hands that brought it to the school were surely evil and the future it held was surely evil as well. An omen, they called it.

Three dead, four wounded.

It took years, but the culprit was finally found. An unknown mage living on the outskirts of society in London, surviving on rats and potions brewed in the darkness of an abandoned warehouse eighteen years after the destruction of Doué. He brought down the roof on a team officers that day. A killer, they called him.

Two dead, five wounded.

A body was found in central London six months ago in the shadow of the University for Arcane Sciences, puzzling magical and mortal authorities alike. The body was well-preserved and prepped for burial, but had been dead for years. Symbols carved into his skin were thought to be lost to the darkness of time, his burial shroud made of shadows and starlight. Impossible, they called it.

One dead, burnt to ash.

But when the mark began appearing on the bricks of Arcana’s buildings, they noticed; when a student awoke from a fitful sleep with it branded on their chest, they noticed; and when more will be dragged into the shadows, they will notice.

One dead, many more to go.