Prol (As in Prologue)
"There is a saying I heard amongst my studies, 'Ignorance is a muck, weighing us down to mire in indecision and in cowardice. Therefore, take my hand, O weary children of man, and feel the aged wisdom from my grasp.' While I would dare say none of us are children, and none of you are purely ignorant, we are sinking in the pond of beginnings, as our nation begins to build. Take my hand then, and let this place, these wise folk, and my own wisdom, teach you and encourage you, so this pond shall grow into a vast river, to carry our kin of tomorrow to glory!" --Kharis Floros addressing the first citizens of Prologos, 817 EEProl, originally titled Prologos, is a small village to the west of Theogony. Known as the Town of Beginnings, it originally served to host various educational organizations to teach the newly free Magnians various skills to not only ease into daily life but also to carry them forward as the country connected with the other lands and people of Edda. In modern times, it's kept that same outlook, although the city has expanded to embrace merchantry as much as the rest of Magnum Opus, and its greatest shining gem is Lege's Cradle, a medical organization that's part modern clergy and part scientific research facility. Most of the people who live in the city are temporary citizens, those who live there to learn new trades, or complete education from previous efforts, and a vast majority of those who are permanently in the city have descended from those who wished to stick around once their education was complete. As such, it's a fast-moving and revolving village, with many of the people who step into its borders leaving a true mark, one way or another.
Demographics
While Prol's proximity to the capital gives it a more diverse population than other cities of its size, most of the people within Prol are native Magnians, meaning that the population is mostly Humans and Beastfolk.
Government
As with all cities in Magnum Opus, Prol is led by an Earl, who makes the final decisions regarding the city and its people's interests. While Prol is on the smaller side, they still must speak with district leads for the main sectors of the city, who are chosen by community vote once a year.
The latest Earl of Prol, Earl Sarnai Engberg, is a unique individual as a Flameheart (technically only half, but they take after their Elemental father appearance-wise), and as an enthusiastic voice for a change of identity for the village, wishing for them to expand and diversify beyond their usual areas of expertise. Most of their predecessors, and those who've lived in the city for generations, are keener to stick to their traditional ways.
Defences
Prol isn't an intensely defended village. During the time of The Border Wars, they had erected a rudimentary wall, but in the years of peace since then, they've since removed it. The largest building in the city, Lege's Cradle, has a low wall around its perimeters, but that's for the defense of patients and necessary personnel. However, there have been a handful of scares in the past where it was used as a shelter.
Industry & Trade
Like many people in Magnum Opus, Prol has a large number of farmers, taking advantage of the land's fertile soil for any number of items, with root vegetables being especially prevalent in the city.
Of course, what Prol is most known for outside of its neighbors is its medical industry, with plenty of healers taking up residence and work in the city, be they magical, practical, or alchemic. One of the few public Witch covens in Edda even have a base in the city, as witchcraft was a heavy influence behind the practices that put Lege's Cradle on the map.
After those big names, there's a large number of training facilities and instructors within the city, both in martial and magical combat and in crafting skills and knowledge as well. This was due to the influence of Prol's founder, and a large part of why it's earned the moniker 'The Town of Beginnings'.
Infrastructure
Prol is nowhere near as cutting-edge as Theogony proper is, and therefore doesn't have as much need for the level of energy production and maintenance. While there are still your standard magic power systems in place, they aren't as refined as the spanning grids of the capital and are able to replenish themselves the standard way: healthy natural land.
The one exception to this is Lege's Cradle, the premier medical facility located in Prol. As the city's biggest claim to fame, and one that has remained on the edge of medical testing and advancements, even surpassing the Theogian Veteran's Hospital at times, it requires a more complex system, which stays limited to the medical center and its surrounding areas, and is supplemented with windmills to provide natural motion to the leylines, which also double as grain mills.
Districts
Despite being a smaller town, there's still a minor amount of division amongst the space of Prol's land, providing us with 4 (technically 5) sectors.
- On the West side of the town, there is the Educational Sector, where most of the training academies are located. Outside of the actual buildings, many of the fields there are also devoted to combat drills, magic experimentation, or other open-air requirements.
- From the North to East sides of the town exists the Farmers Sector. Unlike Theogony, not many farmers actually live in this district, and instead, the large number of buildings are used for storing and preparing food, as well as animal rearing. There also exist many crafters in this sector, which began at first as just simple tradesfolk providing the necessary repairs and equipment for the farmers, but grew to a larger and more widespread caste of tradesfolk over time.
- In the South of the town lies the Residential Sector. Due to the small nature of the town, there isn't much of a divide in class status from housing alone, but the western end has more single-family homes, and the eastern side has larger manors, both for multi-family living spaces, and the more opulent citizens.
- In the center of the town lies Market Square. Even if the town is a smaller size than most, it's still a city of Magnum Opus, and therefore trade and merchants reign supreme. This sector has seen increased prosperity as of late, thanks to the recently elected Earls' wish of diversifying the town's specialties.
- At the far southeast of the town, past the Residential Sector, lies Lege's Cradle, and a handful of similar medical buildings nearby. Technically there exist no more than 15 plots of land that make up this "sector", but due to the importance of the hospital and its unique energy grid system, it's counted as distinct from its neighbors.
Guilds and Factions
While there are plenty of minor guild chapters in the city, due to it being home to dozens of beginner schools, there aren't many notable guild names within the city. There are two exceptions, however, since the Pan-Eddan Medical Research Society has a chapter in the city, as is to be expected, and there's a Mercenary Guild whose main hall is within city limits: Venomtips. While not particularly famous, they have been reliable protectors and handymen for the village.
History
When The Exile's Din was finished, and Theogony became the capital of the nation, the Wiseman Kharis Floros didn't stay in the to-be epicenter of progress and magic, despite numerous pleas from their cohorts to do just that, but instead decided to wander. They wandered all over the new land of Magnum Opus, from the islands in the south to the marshes of the east, to the tundra of the north. As they wandered, they noticed one similar trend for this budding nation: No one really knew where to start. Many of the people exiled to the lands, rather than being displaced natives, were convicts, undesirables, and rebellious nobles. No one exactly knew how to begin their new lives as not only freemen but an entirely new nationality at that.
While their time in the rebellion had taught many folks necessary skills, there was still much confusion, and while Magnum Opus had allies, the first few years were challenging. This led Kharis to take one final mission. They gathered educators and wise folk from around Magnum Opus and even called upon allies from afar from their previous travels as a Sage to take residence in the new city, the village of Prologos, later shortened to Prol.
Following its creation, the village sent out messengers far and wide across the country, offering its services and knowledge to any who sought to truly gain the know-how to start anew, on a path they fully chose for themselves. Not only did this work, giving thousands of Magnians the power to choose their future, but also convinced many to stay in the fledgling Village, making it a permanent spot on the map.
While originally intending to continue journeying, Kharis decided instead to stay in the Village, and advised its earls for many decades, before they took their final journey to the Eddan Summit in 954 EE, the tragedy of which would not only end their life but the lives of so many. Nonetheless, the city of Prol has continued and still stands behind Kharis' original intent: giving those who need it a proper beginning to the tale of their life.
Points of interest
Alongside Lege's Cradle, there are a few notable locations in the village, but most of those are notable for specific kinds of people looking for such places, but there are still a couple of general key locations.
Grace Archives, for example, is a humble library in the Educational Sector that holds many limited edition books, many of which can't be found elsewhere, with a selection first curated by Kharis Floros themself and made even more robust over the years.
There's also Travail Field, a park to the north of the town that not only is a lovely and well-maintained location to feel the breeze but also has a central pavilion built with acoustics in mind, so bards playing their songs there will be heard throughout the park, letting the sound travel along.
Architecture
Prol follows in the footsteps of Theogony when it comes to its basic housing: wood frames, a soft clay plaster, with the natural bright stones as support along with iron reinforcements, although Prol has much less flat roofing and many aesthetics of the city favor green and yellow hues in their design, matching the flora around it.
Geography
The land around Prol is mostly flatland, full of grassy plains. There's even a wide patch of Sunflowers near the town, that on certain days of the year take on various bright hues. The land is also well known for the grain that can be found, and some of the medicinal herbs that grow under the shade of these taller reeds.
Maps
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Map of Prol (Simple)
A map, generated by the Medieval Fantasy City Generator by Watabou, representing the city of Prol This is intended to be temporary, as I hope to use it as a baseline to put in more detail later, but that might be a bit.
Founding Date
817 EE
Founders
Alternative Name(s)
The Town of Beginnings
Type
Village
Population
8,150
Inhabitant Demonym
Prolians
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
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