In the western part of the city is a large neighborhood. It is this good sized old walled neighborhood that gives the city is reputation for education, wisdom, and enlightenement. It is called The Quadrangles by locals and those of high education. 

The Quadrangles is a set of eight plus one colleges, institutes of higher and focused study. The colleges are all adjacent, filling a large city block, often with alleys or narrow streets between them. They are all built upon the same basic plan, which if you as some of the scholars was based upon early Eiren monastaries. Each is square or slightly retangular three story affairs, with a paved central courtyard. The center of the courtyard has a fountain or some kind of appropriate statuary, and several sets of benches. Each side of a college quadrangle has two to three archways/ short tunnels leading through to the courtyard. Thus the phrase, “Through the arch of knowledge”, for learning something. Classes are entered from the courtyard (either directly or from stairways); offices and deliveries are always from the outside.

The eight colleges are: Letters (literature, history, oratory), Law, Healing, Greater Building (Roads, Huge Walls, large scale things), Dwarvethurgy (metalurgy and mining), Knowledge (mathematics and various physical sciences- such as they are), Thaumatury, Thergical (the basic study of religion ... precursor to higher religious study from various religions),

The rest of the neighborhood supports the Quadarangles. There is much in the way of inexpensive apartments and housing. There are a number of cafes and food holes (tiny places selling foodstuffs out their front windows/ counters).

The quarter is filled with book sellers and scroll mongers. Importers, exporters, and bookbinders all have a home home here. In fact, this is the majority of businesses here. There are several libraries which one has to pay to be a member of. Certain library memberships are included in the price of tuition at given college.

There are a dozen shops of Scribes, Tutors, and researchers. Many a problem can be resolved by simply searching various archives, libraries, and talking with the right scholar. Translators have set up shop here, so you can get papers in any language here. With the presence of translators and foreigners here, as well as free thinkers/ radical, some say the spys hang out here as well.

Note: One College, The School of Architecture (Lesser Building), is not in a quadrangle. It is adjacent to the others in a nearby/ adjacent building. The school nearly failed for psychological reasons, it had no arches. With the installation of faux arch leading to doorways, they now seem appropriate and fit in with the colleges.

There are plans for new colleges, some for certain guilds, in the works. The various organizing groups are working up the funds to buy land and build quadrangles.

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