Shimmerwind

Metropolis: Population 43,827 (100% dwarves)

History

Shimmerwind is the capital city of Reshyk, and home to its King, Rangrim Felbor. Despite being the country's capital, Shimmerwind was the last settlement in Reshyk, and was built downstream of the Shimmering Slopes, which is where the city gets its name. The city's name refers to the frequent ice storms blowing down from the mountain range that glitter in the sun. The Shimmering Slopes are also where Aellor's Wellspring resides. The city was built as a testament to Dwarven knowledge and to study the Wellspring to grow closer to Aellor.

The city was founded by King Rangrim's ancestors in the latter half of the Age of Creation. The Felbor family were originally scholars studying the Wellsprings and wanted to establish a new settlement in a more convenient location than Rimelight, their home, to study it. The Felbor family was responsible for many discoveries that paved the way for the key discoveries made by Riswynn Jendor and other famed artificers that led to the development of what is now Runetech. Due to their perceived dedication to Aellor and the Felbor family's strong leadership in the newly established Shimmerwind, they were able to unite the formerly divided city states of Rimelight, Greentide, and Neverfall under their leadership, which led to the establishment of the Felbor royal family, which has persisted ever since.

Shimmerwind became a beacon of knowledge and the pursuit of magical innovation, with the establishment of institutions such as Hat'aellor, and the Runesmith College. Hat'aellor is the name of Reshyk's grand library, home to all of the collective knowledge the Dwarves possess. The library, operated by an organization known as the "Veskim Nul", maintains the library and searches the world by sending their agents, called "The Empty", to find knowledge wherever they can that is missing from the library and to return it to them to be integrated. Hat'aellor means "knowledge of Aellor" in the Aurum language, and the library boasts a collection of every known book on the subject of magic. One of the first Runetech devices created was created for the library to use -- this device, called a "Flowscribe", allows the knowledge contained within a book, to be transferred to the mind of the one wielding it, or to a "Flow Chronicle", which is another Runetech device created to store knowledge, like an archive. These Flowscribe devices are used by The Empty to scour the world for new knowledge. The library is funded directly by Reshyk's monarchy.

The Runesmith College was founded around the time the first Runetech devices were created to be a place for Reshyk's best and brightest to learn and innovate. The college is funded by the monarchy and has no tuition, seeing the innovation the college's members provide as valuable enough to be worth the investment. Riswynn Jendor got her start here, and developed technologies such as the Flow Condenser while funded by the college.

Government

Reshyk's government is a constitutional monarchy, meaning that supreme power is given to the King, currently Rangrim Felbor, who makes his decision with the advisement of his Chamberlains, who aside from their civil and administrative duties, also hold public forums for the people to make their concerns known. It is in many ways similar to the democratic process of The Commonwealth in Myr, with the exception that the King is the sole possessor of the power to codify new laws. The Felbor royal family considers this a sacred duty and an honor, and there have been very few instances where they have abused this power -- though nobody is perfect. No matter what decisions are made, the King cannot please everyone, and must act by the will of the masses. There are dissident factions which believe King Rangrim does not have Reshyk's best interests in mind, but the majority of Reshyk's people see him as a model Dwarf.

The monarchy has a constitution that was established by the first generation of the Felbor royal family. The constitution has many laws, but there are 7 tenets that are vital for the monarchy to operate free of corruption and in Reshyk's best interests. Those tenets are:

1. Each ruler shall abdicate the throne to the most suitable heir upon their death, or once their heir has reached their third century and has completed their education.
2. Each settlement in Reshyk shall elect a Chamberlain to represent their will to the throne.
3. Each ruler shall adhere to the advisement of their Chamberlains when establishing new legislation.
4. Each ruler shall defend Reshyk to the best of their ability and pursue all avenues to protect the knowledge of the Dwarven people.
5. Each ruler shall prioritize the pursuit of knowledge and the protection of knowledge which is hazardous for the glory of Aellor.
6. Should the people of Reshyk ever determine that the ruler's judgment is corrupt or faulty, that ruler shall abdicate the throne to their heir, or if no heir has been produced, the Chamberlains of Reshyk shall hold an election to determine Reshyk's new ruler.
7. Should a ruler ever be forced to abdicate and an election must be held, the Grand Chamberlain shall act in their stead until a new ruler is elected. If the Grand Chamberlain is found to be unfit, then Reshyk's Chamberlains shall assume the role.

These tenets define how Reshyk's ruler must act and cannot be modified or removed by any ruler. In addition to the Chamberlains, each King has an advisor known as the Grand Chamberlain who is appointed by the Chamberlains to unify the people's will to bring to the King and to act in his stead should he die without a suitable heir until a new King can be elected.

As the Felbor royal family has persisted since the monarchy was first established, the rules of succession are a bit ill-defined, and nobody is certain how an election would be held to determine a new King if the current one were to die without a suitable heir, which some worry will eventually cause a civil war if they do not decide before such a situation arises. Currently, King Rangrim is married to Queen Talra Duril, and has two sons -- the oldest of which is currently the heir to the throne. The oldest son's name is Torgar, and the youngest son's name is Gilgrim.

Economy

The economy in Shimmerwind is strong because of the academic pursuits of those at the Runesmith College, and also the revenue generated by the enchanted items produced by the various tradesmen that are sold in Greentide. Unlike every other country in Aellorah, except perhaps Gothir, Reshyk does not tax its people. The wealth that Reshyk's citizens generate belongs to them. The one exception is Greentide -- which provides taxes from its residents as well as its tradesmen. This is because the magical industry Reshyk has cultivated is incredibly lucrative due to the foreigners who come to Reshyk seeking its goods. Internally, much of Reshyk does not charge very much of its citizens for goods and services so as to allow the wealth to be put back into the economy in other ways.

Many of Reshyk's citizens use their additional wealth that they gain from not having to pay taxes to fund the infrastructure of their communities, giving each community a unique aesthetic, as the infrastructure of each settlement uniquely belongs to the people. The local Chamberlains will gather input from their people and create project proposals which are then funded by the people, so the projects that get completed are the ones that attract the most interest. Occasionally a joke project will make its way through the pipeline, showcasing the humor of the residents.

The monarchy's goal is to eventually reach a point where money is a thing of the past for its citizens and only used for foreign trade. Many of Reshyk's people believe money has become a way to divide people and create competition instead of cooperation. This is the reason so many of Reshyk's citizens collaborate to develop their communal infrastructure.

Runetech has lit a fire in the Dwarven people, seeing it as one of the final steps for them to achieve the utopian society that they have been working towards for so long. The Runetech industry has been the primary focus of the Dwarven people for nearly a millennia, and it is ubiquitous throughout Reshyk.

Notable Locations

At the heart of the city lies a grand building with decorative columns on the front face flanking the entrance. The Royal Court is the home of King Rangrim and where he holds an audience with the Grand Chamberlain to hear his people's issues. This is also where official royal decrees are carried out and where some special events are held, such as feasts where special guests are treated -- in particular, those responsible for creating new Runetech. King Rangrim enjoys holding demonstrations of promising new Runetech devices here. The court itself is quite large, enough to host 250 people with enough room left over for performances. Private chambers lie on the second story while service personnel are in chambers surrounding the court.

There are also a number of businesses around the city that residents recommend to visitors:

• Runesmith College - The Runesmith College is the best school in all of Reshyk in the art of artificing. The college is responsible for many of the rapid Runetech innovations that have launched Reshyk into a new age of their own in the last millennia. The school is funded by Reshyk's monarchy and has no tuition fees. Students who stand out are often invited to the Royal Court to demonstrate their creations and dine with the King. The school was founded near the beginning of the Restoration period, on Aellen 1, 56 RE. The famed Riswynn Jendor once studied here. The term "Runesmith" is synonymous with Artificer and is a more colloquial term.
• The Foundry - This large factory is the source of the majority of the mass-produced Runetech found throughout Reshyk. It produces an enormous variety of items and employs more than 60% of the Runesmith College's graduates as artificers. Their goods are shipped all over Reshyk to support the growing infrastructure and quality of life. The Foundry is also responsible for the gathering of Flow energy from Flow Generators around Reshyk, in particular ones placed around Aellor's Wellspring, and converting the energy into Flow Cells for use.
• Hat'aellor - The grand library of Reshyk that houses all knowledge the Dwarves have collected and recovered. Operated by the Veskim Nul, an organization which considers it their sacred duty to gather all knowledge on Aellorah and catalog it. They do so by sending their agents, The Empty, out to gather books and other sources of information from around the world. The Empty use Runetech devices called Flowscribes to absorb knowledge from books, which can temporarily be stored until they can transfer the information to a device known as a Flow Chronicle. The Flowscribe can also be used to copy knowledge directly to the mind of the one holding it, allowing someone to instantly learn something. However, this transfer can be extremely taxing, and those that do this tend to forget the information rapidly after a few hours, so it is not used often. Copies of the library's Flow Chronicles are regularly created and distributed to hidden bunkers throughout Reshyk to preserve their knowledge in the event of catastrophe. The Veskim Nul are directly funded by Reshyk's monarchy.
• The Grand Amphitheatre - This public forum has seating for 10,000 Dwarves and is where large events are held. The amphitheater hosts everything from plays, to concerts, to large scale unveilings of new Runetech, and other cultural shows. Behind the seats are a large wall of ice that looms over the seats and the stage itself. Those who are intimidated by the looming ice shards are often teased with folk tales of a concert that was being performed in the amphitheater over 1,000 years ago where one of the shards fell and killed the entire troupe of performers and shut down the amphitheater. However, this story is merely a local legend created to scare new performers.
• Runeguard Academy - This esteemed academy is responsible for the training of Reshyk's local policing force, known as the Runeguards. The Runeguards employ a variety of crude Runetech devices to make their jobs easier. Most of the Runetech they employ is to stop crime in Greentide, but some is for defense of the city from monstrous threats which do not warrant the usage of Flow Stingers, which would be a waste of Flow energy. There is minimal crime in modern Reshyk, so Greentide is where many Runeguards are stationed, but there is still a respectable contingent stationed at each settlement.
• The Relieved Librarian - An inn and tavern owned by a Dwarven woman named Amber Redfist and her husband Thoradin Norakk. Amber manages the inn while Thoradin deals with the tavern patrons. Amber is a retired member of the Veskim Nul, where she served Hat'aellor for over 300 years before retiring. She has numerous stories of her travels and the secrets and lost knowledge she recovered. Her husband, Thoradin, was once a Runeguard in Greentide, but aged out and now brews a variety of ales for his patrons. He enjoys sharing tales of his time in Greentide and all the strange people he met.
• The Queen's Convenience - This general store owned by Morgran Ironback carries any kind of simple adventuring or traveling gear you could possibly need, as well as food supplies. Morgran is somewhat unpopular with the artificing community because it has been noticed that he charges more when Runesmiths visit his shop, and is in general somewhat rude. He does this because he wanted to be a Runesmith when he was younger, but didn't have the magical talent to learn artificing, and was ridiculed for it by his peers, and is bitter about it.
• The Regent's Reagents - This boutique owned by a Dwarven woman named Orla Skandalor sells ingredients for alchemical and magical formulas alike. If you're looking to do some good old-fashioned magic, or need some Ironcap mushrooms from a vendor who actually takes the time to safeguard them against combustion, Orla will have everything you need. She comes highly recommended by the locals, and some residents of Shimmerwind think she knows more about alchemy than the Veskim Nul themselves.
• Royal Runecraft - Can't afford Runetech, or want traditional magic items that are compatible with your Flow Cells? Royal Runecraft has cheap enchanted goods that can meet a variety of needs for much cheaper than you would find on other continents. The cheap prices are a combination of Runetech overtaking traditional magic in the market, and also because traditional magic is so much simpler to the Dwarves of Reshyk than the rest of the world that creating such items is trivial. The owner is an Ashenfolk woman named Nola Strakeln, who is the sister of Ferrek from Ferrek's Filamentory in Greentide. Some of the locals who are more superstitious avoid her store because of the old tales about Ashenfolk being evil revenant Dwarven spirits, believing her enchanted goods will bring a curse upon them. However, Nola is a friendly enough woman for an Ashenfolk.

Culture

Shimmerwind's magical industry is the heart and soul of the culture that is so prevalent in the city. With so much infrastructure and industry funded by the monarchy, Shimmerwind is unequivocally the magical capital of the world. With nearly every street corner lit by a Runetech lamp, and nearly every resident having a few Flow Cells to put to their own use, there is not one corner of the city that does not radiate Flow.

The Runesmith College is one of Reshyk's crowning achievements. Those that study at the college go beyond traditional arcane magic and learn the mechanics of Runetech, which involves employing machinery that is driven by magic. Artificers of Reshyk before the advent of Runetech explored the potential of steam-powered machines, but found that Flow was not only a more renewable fuel source, but allowed greater flexibility in the possibility of applications of the technology. With the invention of Flow Condensers, steam power was abandoned entirely. The college offers the best, and arguably the only, education in Runetech on Reshyk. Students of the college are held in high esteem by the residents of the city, and are given discounts at the city's shops -- although the few Ashenfolk that live in the city are not fond of Runesmiths and though they are not rude, they see Runetech as blasphemy. Each year, graduation ceremonies are held at the Royal Court, where King Rangrim invites all graduates to dine with him and tell him of the latest discoveries and show off their projects. King Rangrim seems genuinely excited for this day each year. Graduations for the college are held on the last day of Aellen.

One of the most popular holidays in Shimmerwind is tied to a Wellspring anomaly that manifests once per year on the same date -- the 17th of Lysten. On this date, an icy blue, teal, and yellow aurora appears a mere mile above the landscape throughout all of Reshyk, including Greentide. The aurora, called the Nightveil, is not only hauntingly beautiful, but has the effect of soothing all pain in those that gaze upon it. The Nightveil has a bit of a chaotic movement pattern, with wisps of magical energy streaking off in different directions. There is a lot of activity outside on this day despite the still freezing weather, with artisans selling clothing inspired by the chaotic, colored magical fabric in the sky. The anomaly has existed since the time of The Upheaval.

Although Rime Rush is popular in Greentide, it does not have a presence in Shimmerwind. Instead, many of the locals enjoy playing "Telego". The game involves two teams of either one, two, or three players each, equipped with wands of telekinesis. Each team has a tower loosely constructed from light stones. Each team's goal is to knock down their opponent's tower. Each team constructs their tower before the match and must try to construct it in a way as to be sturdy and have multiple support structures to avoid collapsing easily. The players then use their wands to fling stones at their opponent's tower to try to knock it down, and also to defend against their opponent's stones. This is a very fast-paced game, and it is fairly common for the players to take a stone or two to the face or other body parts. The wands used are powered by Runetech, allowing for speed and power of manipulation without limitations to its usage. It is a very popular game, and gathers large crowds in the Grand Amphitheatre.

Defenses

Shimmerwind irrefutably has the most advanced and secure defenses in all of Aellorah. The walls of the city, composed of Glacierium, have Flow Lancers mounted at every tower which have been modified to be capable of toggling between full power and low power, comparable to a Flow Stinger. There are Flow Generators throughout the city that power various Runetech devices that, in an emergency, can have their power rerouted to generate a force field in the shape of a dome above the city. Unlike Mythwell, which requires the city's spellcasters to funnel their Flow reserves into their force field to maintain it, the Flow Generators maintain it without requiring maintenance. The barrier is capable of withstanding a much more fierce assault than the one in Mythwell.

The overwhelming firepower mounted around the city is there for good reason. Besides just defending themselves against anything foolish enough to attack them -- the concentration of Flow energy produced and stored here attracts threats from beyond. The Voidspawn that manage to slip through the cracks in the Seven Sisters' defenses seek out sources of Flow on Aellorah, which more often than not leads them to Arak or Myr. However, despite Reshyk having only a single Wellspring, their ability to store that energy means that Shimmerwind and Greentide are like large beacons showing the Voidspawn where to go. The Flow Lancers on the walls are capable of destroying most Voidspawn in 2-3 shots. Occasionally, something more powerful will touch down, but it has been centuries since the Voidspawn were a serious threat to the Dwarves. The Flow Lancer's full power is only used while the Voidspawn are still in the air on their approach. However, once they touch down, the power must be dialed back to avoid destroying the city. The Dwarves forbid the interference of the Sentinels, despite their divine edict.

There is a standing Runeguard contingent of over 2,000 members ready to defend the city, though most of the Runeguard in Shimmerwind are in training at the Runeguard Academy to eventually be posted at other settlements. Only about half of them are permanently stationed. The Runeguard are equipped with the most advanced handheld weaponry available to the Dwarves.

Crime

Crime in Reshyk is nearly non-existent -- at least, the kinds of crime found in other places. Due to the post-scarcity society Dwarves enjoy, there is really no point to steal, and even before this was so, Dwarves rarely stole to begin with. Those that do steal do so out of compulsion or for the thrill of it rather than needing it to survive. Murder is present anywhere you go, and Shimmerwind is no different, though it is much less of a problem in Reshyk than in Arak or Myr. Minor crimes like thievery will usually earn you a fine or perhaps a beating, whereas crimes such as murder can earn you a hefty prison sentence. The only crime in Reshyk that carries a guaranteed death sentence is treason.

There are a few different dissident factions present in Reshyk whose agenda varies from believing the King to be weak or an oaf, to actively seeking to kill him. It has been years since an attempt was made on King Rangrim's life, but the threat still exists.