The IIL

Djelibeybi is one of the oldest nations of the Disc. It also houses one of its eminents institutions for the teaching of wizardry, i.e., the Institute of Illusionary Learning. Although its orders haven't been recruiting many people of late, it is still well worth it to make the trip through the never ending sands of the Klatchian continent and to the fertile banks of the Djel for getting access to many a quaint and interesting spell.

The Institute lies somewhat north of the Ephebe Gate, along city's main axis, the Avenue of the Pharaohs. The entrance into the building is a grand affair most probably designed to awe the visitors and imprint them with the importance of the institutions and the relative unimportance of the visitor.

One you cross its hallowed bronze doors, you find yourself in the main courtyard of the Institute. In the middle is an impressive and pretty useful fountain for those of us unaccustomed to these torrid regions. To your left you can appreciate the local Library, which while not of a piece as our Morporkian institution, still shines in the light of its magical splendor. In front of you lies Toad Hall, the main building of the complex, which houses administrative and other facilities, and to your right there's another courtyard that leads the way to the classrooms. Notice that buildings tend to be topped with pyramidal roofs so as to channel away excess magic.

The library's collection is decent enough, and includes some of the staple fair you will have become accustomed to in other institutions. Two local jewels do stand out to:  Spelles of thee Oryent, while common enough in Klatch, is difficult to find elsewhere, and includes within its covers the most employed transportation spell for wizards. Ye Booke of Polymorphe deals with the ancient Djelian specialty of transfiguration magic. You might have a hard time finding them, though: the library is very disorienting.

The hall looks pretty much like you'd expect from the outside, but it does have an endearing feature for this hot-but-not-god forsaken place: an air conditioning unit, which makes walking around its flagstones something almost bearable.

The upper floors include the facilities you would expect, like student lounges and rooms for the different local orders (The Ancient Order of the Incarnation of the Dynastic Crescent, The Ancient Order of the Scintillating Scarab and The Ancient Order of the Demiurgical Djinn Diviners). Its most distinctive and accessible corner, though, is a Diplomat's Lounge that is open to wizards from all over the Disc, and brimful of mementoes from every region, so that you may feel at least partially at home. The mishmash of styles is somewhat bewildering, though...

Retracing your steps back to the fountain and now turning in the direction opposite the Library takes you to the southern courtyard, over which looms the Tse-Tse building, where classes are taught. Flamingo Hall is a two level building up some stairs to the west.  It houses laboratories for mid-level wizards, but is still under construction so you can't go in there yet. To the east is an enclosed space that houses the outdoor practice yard. There's also a very useful components shop run by Mit-sin-bibh-khot.

Go into the practice yard to enjoy a not so sightly sight!.  The walls rise high above you, disallowing you the vision of anything but the sky.  The ground is covered in glass-like sand which glitters and gleams in any available light.  There is no one here but a single demon which stands shackled and bound. An exit leads to the west and is wide enough for even the most robust of wizards to make a quick escape.

The inside of the Tse-Tse building has nothing particularly worth noting, and reminds one of the Cloisters at Unseen University. You have mostly empty classrooms and apparatus to test and improve very basic levels of magical skill. It comes with a gymnasium with yet another practice demon and a beginner's grimoire.

So if you're passing by, take the chance to visit the place. You will not regret it! Unless you get too close to the chained demons, though...