Mythwell
Metropolis: Population 53,208 (62% elves, 18% humans, 9% vesperkin, 11% other races)
History
Mythwell is the capital city of Taungar Valley region of Arak, and home to the highly esteemed Ars Aurum Academy. The city was founded sometime in the late Age of Creation period, and the Ars Aurum Academy was founded within a few centuries afterwards. The Academy was founded by one of the first Archmages of the Sorcerer's Cabal, Laethan Tassarion, an Elven man. The city slowly built itself around the Academy over the next 1,800 years or so.
The city became the most sought after destination for young fledgling wizards and sorcerers to learn to wield magic, create enchanted items, and various other disciplines of magical research and application. The city around the Academy capitalized on the high concentration of magical activity at the Academy, becoming the largest trade hub for magical goods in the world besides the Dwarven city of Greentide. Many of the city’s residents are students of the Academy, and those that aren’t are usually associated with magic in some way.
Government
The city is presided over by magistrate Tordynnar Veverell, a younger Elven man who has lived in the city for centuries prior to his election. The city’s residents have a relatively high opinion of him, though the smaller villages and towns surrounding Mythwell that fall under his jurisdiction do not, as he uses the majority of the city’s resources to develop Mythwell further, largely ignoring the surrounding areas, which lack in protection and infrastructure as a result. This is especially noticeable in towns that provide specific resources, such as the nearby town of Ironglen, which is responsible for providing the majority of Mythwell’s iron supply. Despite the ever present Goblin threat throughout Arak and the bandits who frequent the roads of such poorly protected towns, Tordynnar continues to ignore their pleas for assistance.
The towns that fall under Mythwell’s jurisdiction are Fairfront, Ironglen, Oakenwall, Stonewharf, and Wildrest. These cities pay taxes to Mythwell, which are meant to be used to develop their infrastructure. The rumors of unrest in these towns and talks of revolt are far from a secret, but Tordynnar seems unbothered by whispers of such things.
Economy
Mythwell’s economy is largely based on the trade of magical goods produced by the many merchants and students present in the city. These magical goods can be anything from magical reagents, enchanted armor and weapons, enchanted items, wands, potions, and even clothing. Mythwell has a material goods market as well, though it is not nearly as varied and abundant as the market in the city of Evergarde in the Sudwin Valley region.
Merchants come from all over the world to trade in Mythwell. And with such a large variety of people coming and going, the city also has a dark side to its trade. Cursed items are not uncommon in such a large city. Some may have been obtained unintentionally through bad trade deals. One shop, “Oops! All Enchantments!” is owned by a man who is well known for making such bad trade deals – though he occasionally comes across something very rare. There are those who seek these cursed items intentionally, perhaps seeking to bring misfortune upon their rivals, or to bring upon the death of an enemy without leaving a trace back to them.
A branch of the Sorcerer’s Cabal called the “Aura Assurance Authority” oversees trade imports into the city to ensure quality of goods and to avoid cursed goods, but there are always those who are able to slip through their wards and bring illicit goods into the city.
Notable Locations
[ INSERT CITY MAP HERE ]
Mythwell is a city of magic, mostly due to the presence of the Ars Aurum Academy, a school operated by the Sorcerer’s Cabal, which trains fledgling magic users and then recruits them for the Cabal. The local residents have a much higher degree of magic literacy as a result, and even common shop owners make use of cantrips to add some flair to their shops. The academy itself has seven spires, which many have confused to represent the Seven Sisters, when in reality, they represent the schools of magic taught at the academy. The only school of magic no longer taught at the academy is Enchantment, due to the strict laws against it in Arak.
The academy has many instructors who are led by a head instructor known as a Kembax, who are considered experts in their particular school. The academy may ban Enchantment magic, but there is plenty of magic taught there that is just as dangerous in the wrong hands. The school makes use of Flow Vaults, which are extradimensional rooms that seal to prevent magic from escaping into the rest of the school. Inside these vaults, there are command words that can be activated to summon targets for spell practice and create illusions of certain terrain and obstacles. Once the vault is active, the door vanishes, preventing the students from accidentally destroying it and trapping themselves inside, which has happened a few times in the school’s history, leaving the poor student to die. Additionally, in line with the Sorcerer’s Cabal’s policing of higher order magics, each vault has a limited supply of Flow so that students can only cast magics of a certain power level. Attempting to cast a higher order spell in these chambers will result in the spell fizzling due to the lack of Flow. The Flow replenishes after each spell is cast. This limitation prevents spells higher than 6th level from being cast within.
The city has many attractions, including the Arboretum, a public park where local and foreign flora are grown, and which is a popular location for couples and scholars. There is also the Mythwell Commons, which is a large open area used to host festivals of all kinds and trade conventions, as well as public announcements from the magistrate. The city makes the divide between the poor and wealthy quite obvious with the Moonside Terrace district, an elevated and gated district of the city, home to the wealthiest in the city, guarded by the local Enforcers. Due to Arak’s strong economy, the divide between the poor and wealthy in Mythwell is more due to the discrepancy in access to magic and magical literacy – who would go to the traditional blacksmith who takes days to produce a piece of inferior armor, when the blacksmith with the enchanted hammer can produce it twice as fast?
The city also has its Statehouse, which houses the magistrate, Tordynnar Veverell. It is in this building that he conducts his stately affairs and hosts political guests and events. It is located in the Moonside Terrace district.
Additionally, there are a number of shops of all kinds to be found here, and almost every shop will have goods of various types.
- The Spicy Moustache - This popular tavern in the heart of the market district is owned by a Human man named Zander Hardy, and serves all of the spiciest dishes found throughout Arak. Up until recently, he had a challenge of sorts to any brave enough to try, that anyone brave enough to eat his “Red Pork” dish and finish it could win a prize of 500 GP. However, the extreme spiciness of this dish has driven every challenger away, if not killing them outright. However, one challenger, named Eskall, finished it without issue, and was promptly banned from the tavern.
- The Imaginary Weasel - This taproom, owned by a Vesperkin woman named Ruby Manyfinger (who has a normal amount of fingers), has a variety of magical drinks that can do anything from induce hallucinations to giving you strange abilities. They have a reputation throughout the city due to several incidents involving patrons streaking through the city, claiming to be chasing a “cheeky weasel”, before they are dragged to the local jail to sober up.
- The Masked Peacock - A fancy inn run by an Elven woman referred to as Madame Lira. The inn has a reputation for shady dealings and insisting that its patrons wear ballroom masks.
- The Cowardly Prince - A very old inn that has existed since the time of Arak’s monarchy. It got its name from housing a runaway prince who was sworn to marry a lady he did not love, so he found a remote inn and paid the owner quite a handsome sum to never speak of his whereabouts and to deliver him food and necessities discreetly. Owned by a Human woman named Ermin Hornraven, who is known for her discretion regarding her patrons.
- Smitty’s Smithy - The largest smithy in Mythwell, run by an Elven man named Smitty. He is the go-to smith for large orders for Mythwell’s militia, but his specialty is custom enchanted armor. His prices for custom work can be rather steep, but the quality of his armor is unmatched in the region.
- Agatha’s Draughts - An older Human woman named Agatha runs this small, beaten up potion shop. She specializes in enhancement potions. Unfortunately, most of her business comes from men looking for “marital aids”, but she is a talented herbalist and potion maker who has some strong elixirs capable of making a weak adventurer as strong as a giant, pushing your senses into overdrive, and even making you quicker to react to danger.
- Bruno’s Bodega - A general store run by an Elven man named Bruno. The store has a bit of a musty smell and looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in a while, but he has every manner of general item you can imagine. If you’re really generous, he may let you look at his private stock, where he has some items he’s not supposed to, including things that go boom.
- Oops! All Enchantments! - A shop operated by an Elven man named Emrys, who seems to have a bad habit of making deals with swindlers and ending up with junk goods. However, he has a few genuine magical items for sale at any given time.
Culture
Mythwell is full of a rich culture, not only focused on its academic and magical side – there is also a vast selection of exotic foods available throughout the city. There are street vendors all around the city selling foods from around the world. One of the most popular local foods is a Dwarven dish called Skollbarken – though many street vendors add Emberberry to theirs due to Arak’s love for spicy food; an addition most Dwarves would gag at.
Much of the city places a high value on education due to the academy, and you can occasionally find instructors from the academy giving free lessons in the streets, teaching visitors to the city their first cantrip, or explaining how magic works. They hope that by doing this, they can spread knowledge of magic throughout the world and de-mystify it for folks who live in more rural, remote towns by having merchants bring this knowledge with them.
Mythwell also has its own unique holidays and festivals, such as the Night Market, which occurs on the last night of every month, where vendors will save their most rare goods for this one night, in the hopes of ending the month with a big boom of business. There is also the Grand Invocation, which is a tournament that takes place in the Mythwell Commons for one week in the middle of Aellen where students from the academy will participate in magical duels to test their skill. It is very popular both with the residents and visitors who come from far and wide to see the games. Finally, there is the Aurum Reprieve which takes place during the first week of each month. During this week, no magic is permitted in the city except in cases of emergencies, and students are encouraged to pursue other trades and interests to keep them well-rounded. Those who perform magic during this week are shunned, and even penalized in classes at the academy. These rules only apply to the students of the academy, but other residents practice the tradition, believing it to be a wise habit.
Religion is varied, as with most settlements in Aellorah. However, there is a particular concentration of those who follow Aellor and Lys here. Aellor does not typically have churches, so the temple in Mythwell is primarily utilized by followers of Lys, though all are welcome. Lys’ widespread worship bleeds over into the city’s daily life. Many of the city’s storefronts and street decorations involve purple lilacs and yellow marigolds, her favorite flowers. You’ll also see purple petunias and occasionally lilies of the valley, which are Aellor’s favorite flowers. Lys’ followers tend to flock to the Arboretum in the beginning of the spring, planting flowers for her and spending a lot of time among the varied flora present there. The temple offers healing services free of charge as much as possible, though due to the population of the city, they can only do so much.
Defenses
Although a city like Mythwell has an incredibly high concentration of magical talent present, as well as a large reserve of Enforcers, the city has a history of facing threats, both from monsters and enemy countries. Though Arak has enjoyed a long period of peace due to its establishment of a democracy, there will always be a need for protection.
Unlike some cities which place many residential homes on the outside of the city walls, Mythwell’s 40 ft. tall, 20 ft. thick walls fully contain every building that is a part of the city besides a few stables. Mythwell’s founders did not believe that poor residents should be subject to an attack simply because they were of “lower birth”, which was a progressive idea for the time.
Due to the presence of so much magical talent, Mythwell’s magical defenses are second only to the cities of Reshyk. The city’s gates have an advanced magical lock on them that can resist a tremendous amount of force, and have massive bars as a last defense. The city walls are thick, but the outer wall’s bricks have been reinforced with a flux of an alchemically altered form of quartz. There is also a barrier that can be activated, forming a dome around the inner city to protect from ballistic weapon attacks. One of the most formidable defenses of the city is its offense, in the form of not just its many wizards and sorcerers, but creatures that are summoned outside the walls to attack the enemy and turrets on top of the battlements of the walls that emit arcane projectiles such as magic missiles. And on top of all that is Mythwell’s large reserve of Enforcers, who are each trained in basic magic.
Comments