The head of the Shepka River is at the vast lake called Mountmirror. The lodge house where the river springs from the lake is Priozhevsky, as much a library as a city. Aspiring Oric alchemists and wizards travel here to learn the lessons of their ancestors’ academic research. The stacks rival Louvain’s Library of the Gate, but their collections are a stark contrast. An Orian would call the Library of the Gate a collection of frivolous, flowery prose written by Alley poet-bards. Priozhevsky books are the meat and potatoes of solid Oric knowledge.
When the doors open in the warmer months, resident students venture out to conduct field research. Even in summer, academic work is ongoing within the walls as well. While they roam, they rent out their homes in the house to visiting scholars. Priozhevsky farms the rich riverland, but the city largely depends on the outside support of incoming students housed within. Recently, how- ever, delving caravans have also become frequent guests in the dormitories.
The longtime batko of Priozhevsky is a veteran of the Arnerian Storied Histories League (see page 165), an ursine named Oleg the Bold Doctor. Decades spent in the arena have wrecked his knees, but he remains a brilliant academic. Now settled back home from the Causeway, this beloved bear directs medical research within Priozhevsky as his contribution to the lodge.