General

Morgrave University is the most notorious institution of higher learning in Eberron, situated within the upper districts of Sharn. While it presents itself as a prestigious centre of scholarship, its reputation is built equally on brilliance, recklessness, and barely-concealed opportunism.
Where other universities preserve knowledge, Morgrave hunts it.
Ancient ruins are plundered in the name of research, relics are studied regardless of consequence, and ethical boundaries are treated as suggestions rather than rules. The university is as much an engine of discovery as it is a factory for chaos, responsible for countless breakthroughs - and just as many disasters.
Among scholars across Khorvaire, a common saying persists:

“If it’s forbidden, dangerous, or lost… Morgrave has already sent students to die retrieving it.”

Geography

Notable Regions

• The Grand Lecture Halls – Vast chambers where renowned (and infamous) professors deliver lectures that often blur into demonstrations of dangerous magic
• The Restricted Archives – Heavily warded vaults containing cursed tomes, forbidden histories, and partially translated relic texts
• The Artifact Vaults – A labyrinthine storage network housing recovered relics—many poorly understood and inadequately contained
• The Morgrave Museum of Antiquities – A public-facing collection that showcases only a fraction of the university’s holdings

Geographical Features

Morgrave is embedded into Sharn’s vertical structure, occupying multiple interconnected towers. Hidden sublevels extend downward into sealed chambers, some of which are older than the university itself.
Rumours persist of:

• Sealed vaults that no longer appear on official maps
• Entire wings abandoned after “incidents”
• Secret passages used by faculty factions

Major Cities and Settlements

• Entirely contained within Sharn

Common Races

• Humans (dominant academic class)
• Gnomes (particularly in historical and linguistic studies)
• Half-elves (notably from House Phiarlan and Thuranni)
• Warforged (increasingly present as researchers or subjects of study)

Culture and Politics

Morgrave is defined by competition masquerading as academia.

Major Powers

• The Board of Trustees – Wealthy patrons who fund expeditions and expect results
• Department Heads – Rival scholars controlling resources, students, and research agendas
• Expedition Sponsors – External financiers, including dragonmarked houses and private collectors

Professors frequently:

• Sabotage rival research
• Publish incomplete findings to claim credit
• Send students on deliberately dangerous expeditions

Students are expected to prove themselves not just intellectually, but through survival.

History

Founding and Early Days

Morgrave was founded not by scholars, but by wealthy opportunists seeking prestige and access to ancient relics. Its early success came from sponsoring expeditions into Xen’drik, bringing back artefacts no other institution dared pursue.

Expansion Era

As its reputation grew, Morgrave became a magnet for ambitious scholars willing to risk everything for recognition. Entire departments were formed around dangerous fields of study, including:

• Giant civilisation ruins
• Dragonmarked prophecy
• Planar anomalies

Recent Events

• A surge in artifact-related catastrophes, including partial planar breaches
• Entire student expeditions vanishing in Xen’drik
• Whispers of a hidden faculty cabal controlling the most dangerous research

Society

Morgrave students are unlike those of any other institution.
They are:

• Treasure hunters
• Linguists decoding lost languages
• Magewrights experimenting on unstable relics

Failure is common. Survival is celebrated.

Graduates of Morgrave often become:

• Renowned scholars
• Infamous relic dealers
• Or cautionary tales

Religion

Faith at Morgrave is secondary to knowledge, but several deities are commonly acknowledged:

• Aureon – patron of knowledge and arcane study
• Olladra – invoked by those relying on luck more than wisdom

Religious belief is often practical rather than devout, especially among students heading into lethal ruins.

Trade & Influence

Morgrave’s true currency is information and artifacts.
It maintains ties with:

• Dragonmarked Houses
• Private collectors
• Governments seeking ancient power

Many recovered relics never reach public display, instead disappearing into private hands or sealed vaults.

Threats

• Unstable magical artifacts
• Faculty rivalries escalating into sabotage
• Secret societies manipulating research
• Planar incursions caused by experimentation

Travel

Based on 8 hrs walking per day with Exhaustion Level 0

Quests

NPCs