VRPI
Long before the reveal of humans among the people of Levis, VRPI was publically looking into the realms and the past to see what they could coerce to the future, what research from beyond the Well they could bring to the people. And the people despised them for it.
One of the few things in Levis that could be truly called a corporation, VRPI was chartered into existence by the Valtor family, who reached out to the kingdom of Solaris and Natare's city council for permission to found the entity that started its life as The Research and Preservation Institute, but would come to be known as VRPI.Structure
The structure of the corporation is defined by roles. Researchers cluster around Tasks, that are overseen by Leads. Leads answer to Department Leads who answer to the Founder - a member of the Valtor family who controls the corporation. Beside this all, lay Security, Custodial, and Resources, each their own Department whose leaders again are overseen by the Valtors - until they are not.
In modern times, it is the Head of Security that runs VRPI, allowing the Researchers to run wild while focussing on the safety of its people. With a hidden Backer supplying the trades needed to 'fund' the research, VRPI has shifted from a spiderweb of creativity to a pure glut of knowledge, and Security will see that glut does not consume them like an ouroboros.
Culture
The original tennets of the company always revolved around bringing the creativity of the strange into the knowledge of the future - with an air of class and sophistication. This can most be seen in their funding of the Sky Terrace - a massive ballroom and balcony for hosting high society events and making the well off and well thought of mages feel exceptional, and likely to help donate their resources and their own research to VRPI.
Internally, the culture was more competitive, the community vibe of Levis set aside to allow the fuel of wanting to be better than your peer, better than the Task in the next room, to fuel the drive needed to bring the towers to greater heights. Even with the shift into the modern day, the culture has not changed, except to add a slight layer of us vs them in their view of the outside world.
Public Agenda
VRPI is publically about bringing innovation and enhancement to the city of Natare through experimentation and the rigor of magical study. They profess that their research into the strange and the absurd is about bringing the next great technology to Levis in a way the conventional ways of the Academy of Natare cannot achieve.
Assets
While their assets across Levis are minimal for now, what they do have is concentrated within the imposing facade of the Crystal Spires. These two large towers are independent from all other towers within Natare, which has always been strange, as most of the multi-story buildings of upper Natare are connected by Sky Bridges. They are connected to their twin but lack the internetworking of the other living buildings of the city.
They own a couple of Dreadnaught, often trading with the Saburra Desert Archive for ancient texts to further work their esoteric needs, though the true reach of Resources is unrecorded outside of the Institute.
Solar Cells
Solar cells are gourds like pitcher plants, filled with culivated ecosystem that produces a stable current differential that allows production of Levis' version of electricity.The pitcher produces this current under the influence of solar excitement, collected through large silver-like leaves that can turn orange and red during the autumn months.
Type
Corporation, Research & Development
Alternative Names
Valtor Research and Preservation Institute, the Institute.
Demonym
Researchers
Location
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Rivals
While the two organisations will work together and send envoys between for group type projects, the ground level reactions are performative civility.
VRPI is heresy
Thank you for reading, feel free to give feedback.
I find it interesting that their internal culture differs so much from the rest of Levis. I wonder if people find it hard to separate their work and outside work personas.
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