A town surrounded by fog all year round as it is built in a valley along the river
Torches often fail to ignite due to the damp air and the College has developed 'liquid fire', a flame that emits heat that isolates the surrounding damp air and forms a film of water that can be held directly in the hand without burning.
However, if the liquid fire is scattered on the floor, the water film will break and it will go out.

Here is our night watchman, Panoril, slacking off while on duty at the back door of the college.