When it was realised that supernatural beings needed a safe place to learn and train against the rising hordes of the Immaterium, the Nocturnal University was founded in Rome, 342AD, by the original vampire Adamus Nocturnus. The school was originally only for adults.
The vampire lord Nocturnus used his significant powers to forge connections to the various different planes of existence, including the dreamtime. Thus, the first people reached the Australian Aborigines, a very old, spiritual people who’d already had numerous conflicts with Immaterial demons. The aboriginies immediately formed the Australian Nocturnal Academy at around 400AD, in what is now central New South Wales. The vampire Nocturnus also managed to pass his knowledge on to other races, such as the Incas, Aztects, Maya, native American Indians and various African tribes. These peoples also began to build up their defences against the Immaterium, but due to major conflict between different cultures and tribes, they were slower to come together to create proper schools. The Africans actually formed the second school, which was later assumed to be the oldest of the Nocturnal Academies.
A few hundred years later, just before the fall of Rome, it was realised that the original Nocturnal University was no longer large enough to accommodate the many supernaturals who were flooding into it from all over Europe. These supernatures were fleeing rising tides of possessed hordes of barbarians as well as trying to hide from the growing number of Christians, who saw their kind as evil.
Nocturnus gathered a circle of his most powerful mages and raised an island into the sky. He shrouded it with clouds and set it adrift. He vowed that it would never touch the Earth again and always be a safe haven for supernaturals.
Thus the Nocturnal University has been floating around the Earth ever since, concealed within a giant cloud. The vampire Nocturnus is believed to be buried somewhere deep inside. No-one knows exactly where.
The supernaturals who elected to stay behind moved as far from Rome as they could get and eventually ended up at the very edge of the Earth, in Siberia, Russia. However, this turned out to be too remote for some supernaturals, and they decided to return to Europe to form another enclave of their own that was a bit closer to their original homes.
The Chinese Academy was created around 450 AD by supernaturals who decided to split from the group that was returning to Europe. They met up with Chinese supernaturals and decided to establish an academy together.
The Swiss Academy was created around 500AD. It is located in the Alps and has become one of the most prestigious of the academies.
As supernatural populations started to grow, it was realised that more academies were needed.
The Indian Academy was established around 1100 AD. It is located in the Himalayas.
The North American Academy was formally established after the mysterious massacre at Jamestown, believed to have been caused by an extremely powerful escaped demon. Supernaturals teamed up with Indians to create this school. Initially it was located on the East Coast, but as this became increasingly populated, it was moved to a more remote location in Montana.
The South American Academy was created after the invading Spanish armies, supported by powerful demonic influence, nearly destroyed the Maya, Aztec and Inca cultures. Surviving supernaturals from these peoples realised that they had to band together to survive. The demons were eventually exorcised, but the Inquisition followed hot on their heels to convert the new world. Realising these fanatics would not listen to reason, the supernaturals were forced to flee. They eventually settled in a Brazilian desert to form the permanent school. This was around 1650.
The African Academy had already been in existence, located in Kenya. But it was an informal, open-air school. A more permanent establishment was created in 1670 to help supernaturals fleeing from demonically possessed slave traders, far more powerful and evil than human traders. Disguised as normal human slave traders, these supernatural traders specialised in the hunt and capture of weres and vampires. They used anti-Magick shackles obtained from the Inquisition.
All Academies were linked through the Astral Plane, at first by clearly marked paths that still took many days to travel, then by shorter, more accessible portals. Only individuals and small groups could travel through these. As the schools grew in size and power, permanent glamour spells were employed to hide them from prying eyes. Over time, as the schools became more established, their teaching methods were formalised. Initially students were taught by parents, friends and relatives, but it was soon realised that proper teachers were required. Supernatural educators had to gain formal qualifications at university. Since there weren’t nearly enough positions at the Nocturnal University, supernaturals were forced to enter daydweller institutions and work under cover.
Meanwhile, the ancient Australian Academy had been receiving a steady influx of supernaturals from the north. At first, run almost exclusively by Aborigines, it was an outdoor school with no buildings. But as the number of foreign nationals increased, permanent structures were created. The aborigines began feeling like they were being pushed out, and retreated to tribal lands located only a few kilometres away. By the 1700s the Australian Academy had become more like a European outpost, and it began to be viewed as little more than a poor provincial cousin. Some of the older Academies didn’t even consider it a real school.
Initially all the Nocturnal Academies enjoyed good relationships with each other. They traded knowledge, teachers and students. But gradually rivalries started to form. Some schools started to think they were better than others because they were older and more established. The only thing that kept them united was their hatred of the Immaterial demons, and their need to stay hidden from the daydweller world.
But the demon god Abbraxas had been focussed on the Siberian Academy since its creation. He had tried insidious methods to break in, using small imps and tentacles, but was thwarted each time. Unfortunately the school’s mages did not realise they were actually dealing with the self-styled “god” of the Immaterium. They thought the attacks were unrelated. Which suited Abraxas fine. He was able to formulate his master plan by actually spreading his massive, ancient form out across the Immaterium so in that alternate realm he was actually encircling the entire school. He attacked from all directions at once, utilising every weak point he could find.
Again the Russians thought they were being attacked by individual creatures. Still, they had never faced off against such a massive horde and sent for reinforcements.
But before help could arrive, Abraxas swallowed the entire Russian Academy tearing it from the Materium and into his own bleak, lifeless world. On the Materium there was a massive implosion and flash of light that killed and flattened trees for kilometres around. This incident became known as the Tunguska explosion of 1908.
When the supernaturals from other academies arrived, the Russian Academy was gone as though it had never been. Everyone thought it had been destroyed, all the lives within lost forever.
Another Russian Academy was established a few kilometres from the site of the old one.
During the seventeenth century it was realised that the Nocturnal University and all the Nocturnal Academies needed a centralised governing body to control the hiring and firing of teachers. The Nocturnal Council was created and representatives from each continent were chosen and voted in. Initially it was meant to be a completely fair and unbiased system, but as always the supernaturals’ enormous egos got in the way, and some groups ended up with higher representation than others. Thus when a vote was held as to where the Nocturnal Council would be located, a the majority of reps voted for Geneva.