Girderhead Institute of War

Admiral One-Shot, founder of the Institute

The Girderhead Institute of War is an academy for training air tactics, astrogation, parachuting, and paratrooper tactics. It is the top institute of warfare in the Giff League, and a much sought-after academy for foreigners - though enrollment of them is capped at 10% per year. Most students of the schools get through the study and training in three to four years.

The school was founded by the Girderheads, a family with a long history in shipping and naval warfare. They built the place in the lowest of the floating spires that make-up the Void Steps. In the beginning, schooling was done out of their estate, but as the school gained renown and wealth it expanded across each of the Void Steps.

In the Third Suellk Invasion, the school was attacked, with the illithids either brazen or not thinking that the students of the academy would put up much of a fight. The Battle of the Void Steps lasted three days, with a garrison of 400, mostly students, defeating an illithid invasion force of 4,000. In many of the engagements, up to a half of the attacking ships were captured, with the rest having lost air control from battle damage, and plunging more than 6,000 feet to the broken volcanic plains below.