Bridges Encyclopedia
From PatchworkWiki
Extract from the 'S' section
Sulian Battlement, accorded the courtesy title 'Magister' is known as the father or pioneer of the field of elemental physics, the entry began. Coming from lowly origins he began his academic career at a charity school (cf. education), funded by business concerns on High Island during a period of great instability (cf. Wars of Attrition). At the time the principals of personal achievement and were still being established on the island and were not yet followed by all the citizenry of the time. The charity schools of the time did not have the best academic record but, due to the politics of their patrons, were at the forefront of the new ideas of meritocratic advancement. Accordingly the young Sulian and his contemporaries adopted these philosophies as their own. His academic performance was, by all reports, of a high level but only approached genius in the field which he was to make his own.
Even as a youth he believed it was possible to harness elemental forces to a device that would yield power far beyond what was thought possible at the time. Winning a scholarship to a higher learning institution (cf. Academy of Science) he began to put these ideas into practice. He collected around him a research group of like-minded students (cf. Temmic Lothaven, Gatran Elaby, Madra Corovian) whose talents in the fields of physics and construction were to bring them to the forefront of the new field. Elemental physics (cf. elemental physics) was to prove one of th most significant scientific discoveries of the time and it was Sulian's research group who developed the Elemental Ring (cf. elemental ring) from which came a host of engineering and construction applications in addition to the provision of cheap and easy available power firstly for High Island and later for the totality of Bridges (cf. War of Unification).
While still in his twenties Sulian was lauded for his achievements as the 'Father of elemental physics' and gained great power and influence according to the meritocratic principles by that point operation across society. Completion of his dissertation thesis was a formality since by that point he had already served as research leader and military consultant at the academy. With his full professorship came an academic stipend which was more than generous. But it was his role as chair of the new 'Matrix' corporation that enabled him to purchase property in High Island and start a family, marrying another pupil from the charity school at which he began his career.
Now in his thirties, Sulian continues to pioneer advancements as the sole practical elemental physicist in Bridges and participates in discussions among the Council of Stakeholders (cf. Council) in addition to his role as Founder of Matrix Industries and his teaching and research duties at the academy. He is widely regarded as a classic exemplar of the principles that govern society today.
