Thentia

"Place is full of pointy heads and boffins, either to trying to turn you into a sponge, blow you up, kill and resurrect you or convince you "arcania" can bring low the Gods. Normally this isn't mutually exclusive and all happened to me on one drunken occasion."

_{Saramonus the Pure}

Thentia is small walled city state in the North Moonsea that is renown for its liberal attitudes to magic and the Colleguim of Arcane Arts that governs the city. Established as small research outpost to explore the ruins of the X'aros Dominion, it became a shelter for refugees and scholars first fleeing the oppressive grip of The Zhentarim⁣⁣ and The Church of Bane⁣⁣ and now the machinations of Hillsfar⁣⁣ and Mulmaster⁣⁣. Today, this influx has helped build the Collegium, the greatest academic & magical institution in the Moonsea and its various Colleges lead the way in advanced magical research, theoretical & practical. Even usually forbidden magics, such as dragonic & necromancy, are allowed, if not within certain parameters.

The city's existence is caught between Melvaunt⁣⁣ and Mulmaster's proxy war; Melvaunt sees the city as within it's sphere of influence and acts as its sponsor in exchange to access to magics to fuel its industries, Mulmaster wishes to expand its reach & reclaim the many escaped "dissidents" that fled there. This led most recently to the Two Hundred Day War.

Government

Thentia is run by the Collegium which is described by scholars of government as bureaucratic, archaic, chaotic and almost impenetrable to anyone not already embedded within its structures. Technically, the Collegium is only responsible for the city's academic institutions, yet their power and reach covers every aspect of the city.
Legislature power sits with the Council which is made of mainly representatives of the varying Colleges, the more powerful the college the more delegates, but also includes a range of independent nominees from different backgrounds and outside the Collegium. Meetings are often chaotic, the agenda bordering random with discussions ranging from the academic to crisis aversion and sessions can last two hours to days at a time. Various sub-committees and boards are established by the Council, whom report to and act on its behalf, again varying greatly in power and importance.
The many and often conflicting decrees from the Council aren't always binding or enforceable, acting more as guidelines and suggestions. The city's districts and colleges have a strong degree of independence to run their own affairs, including their own decision making bodies and power structures, each as complex and different as the last. As a result, the city more or less governs itself.
Executive power sits with the Board of the Mages; made up of twenty of the most most powerful and influential magic users in Thentia. Here is where the true power is wielded, cutting through the Collegium's bureaucracy where needed and bringing the various Colleges in line. The Board's power is absolute and far reaching, able to impact other mages and institutions across the Moonsea and beyond if necessary. Though the Board meets regularly to discuss important issues, it often chooses to use its power sparingly and when it does, with as little fanfare as possible.

Defences

On the face of it, Thentia looks poorly defended. Though surrounded by a wall and treacherous terrain making an advance on the city difficult, the small city has no known militia or military or navel force aside from the few guards paid to man the walls and gates and a token few ships in its employ.
However, this hides Thentia's real strength; its magics. The walls are strongly enchanted with a range of magics both offensive and defensive whilst the city itself is covered by powerful force fields generated from the White Eye and the Sun Tower. The Collegium itself has hundreds of accomplished mages, sorcerers and artificers at their disposal, some of whom have the power to turn armies back alone. Combined with the farseeing powers of the White Tower, the Collegium has the ability to scout and prepare for any danger well before its arrival.
Though the city has the power to defend itself, it is unknown how well its mages would fare outside its walls nor how well the city would fare if victim to a protracted siege.

Guilds and Factions

The Collegium is made up of several rival colleges and schools, each of whom represent a different element or focus of magic. Titled "Colleges", each has seats on the Collegium's council and access to facilities, funding, staff and other resources based on their relative contribution. Though the Collegium is technically made up for thirty nine different colleges (a number that fluctuates every year) there are five major institutions who make up the bulk of the Collegium in terms of funding, research and, ultimately, power.

• College of Life, Nature & Horticulture - A college whose power lies in the development of life magic, they are experts in healing, plants and potions though they also dabble in experimenting with other creatures and improving the body. Are mainly found in the Dawnguard district and their Garden of Tortoga.
• College of Arcania History and Anthropology - A College focusing on the history, and specifically their extensive magical powers, of the dead empires of the X'aros Dominion and more recently the Valirichkt Host. The first official college from which their discoveries the Collegium and wider Thentia was born, their work continues to support the other Colleges and much of Melvaunt's technological power can be traced back here. Their offices can be found in the Arcania Museum to which they sponser.
• College of Alchemy, Practical Substances & Metallurgy - Focus on using magic to power industrial and alchemical processes. With a directly link to Melvaunt, they excel in fashioning & empowering metals, include the design of Iron Golems. Highly experimental and often dangerous, the College has been fined heavily in the past for various city & district wide disasters.
• College of Divination & Seeking - their focus is the finding of "truth", both literal and figurative. Masters of finding, they seek to uncover the secrets of creation itself but for now settle for the skills of pre and far sight. Based in the Tower of the White Eye, their intelligence is invaluable to the Collegium as well as other powers who pay for the privilege.
• College of Thermology & Necromantic Studies - focus on the study of transference of life energies and by extension, death and undeath. Based in the Silent Quarter, they are one of the smaller colleges and aid to have liches and vampires amongst their number and often employ death constructs to assist them. As such they are viewed by many still with some scepticism if not fear.

The only other Faction to have a public and permanent presence in the city is the The Zhentarim. As in all the other major population hubs, they have set up a recruitment post, offering their mercenary and mercantile skills to the highest bidder. Though Thentia was once the only city not their control during the Zhentarim reign, this has not stopped them providing their expertise and competing with other adventuring guilds to assist in the city's many expeditions.
The other factions do not have an official presence, however it is unlikely that the The Harpers are not active within the city.

Type

City

Inhabitant Demonym

Thenians

Location under

North Moonsea

Related Reports (Primary)

• Session 14 – A hard landing in Thentia
• Session 16: A Hero falls