Ars

Ars is known to humans as "the city of demons." The spirits who call it home know it as something far more precious--safety. Due to the powerful anti-summoning barrier built directly into the city wall, no demon can be summoned while they remain within the city's bounds. At least, that's what the Ars Council assures them.
The city is perfectly circular, due to the exacting construction requirements of its barrier. It has a central administrative district, which is also circular, ringed by seven quarters designated for the seven demonic clans. This architecture speaks to the dream of Ars as a refuge for demonic spirits rather than to its reality, as the city is largely populated by Asmodeans, Mammonites, Belphagorians, and the Abaddonic rather than by spirits of all seven clans.

Demographics

Overwhelmingly, Ars is populated by demons, as one would expect for a demonic refuge. However, while spirits can technically survive by eating and drinking raw magic, it is far preferable for them to sustain themselves by feeding off the energies produced by humans (and other mortal animals) living out their lives. This introduces a demographic challenge.
There is a significant human population within the city, all of whom had to petition for the right to live there and meet strict requirements--beginning with an absolute prohibition on summoning and binding magics but expanding out into an agreement to spend significant amounts of time doing activities that generate energy demons can "eat." Ironically, many of these activities are enjoyable, (like the mental exercise of crossword puzzles which sustain Mammonites) and Ars has garnered something of a reputation as an unconventional retirement destination, particularly for scholars.
That said, most of the humans in the city at any one time are there on temporary visas, as tourists. This tourist population is extremely large in proportion to the permanent residents, stabilizing around 10 visitors to every 1 local.

Government

The Ars Council is organized along remarkably progressive lines. It is made up of 100 representatives, who are apportioned out to the demonic clans based on their respective populations within the city. (There is a census every 50 years to determine if the population has changed. As immortal beings, Ars residents consider this annoyingly frequent.) The Council has ultimate legal authority but set up a network of committees and appointed administrative positions that take the lead on various aspects of Ars life, such as the Residency committee that approves or denies human petitions to live in the city.

Defences

Ars's most obvious and famous defense is the powerful anti-summoning barrier built into the city's walls. This takes the form, ironically enough, of a broad metal circle surrounding the city, heavily etched with both runes and seals--much like the summoning circles used by the liquor industry. The circle is reinforced by concrete walls with salt mixed into the formula. There are towers in the wall at each cardinal direction which boast utterly massive watch fires. These presumably serve the same function as candles in traditional anti-summoning rituals, but the Ars Council deputies charged with maintaining the defenses are notoriously tight-lipped about their exact construction, including exactly what kind of metal the basic barrier ring is constructed out of.
Ars is further surrounded by an outer wall that utterly blocks sight of the city's various gates. This, along with illusion magic, prevents those outside the city from knowing exactly when the city's gates are open, breaking the circle and temporarily making the inhabitants vulnerable. The gates open and close for very short, randomly chosen periods of time in the morning and evening to allow tourists to flow between the core city and the tourist accommodations outside its barrier wall.

Infrastructure

Ars residents have created numerous tourist attractions, with each demonic clan focusing on those which will encourage visitors to put off the appropriate kinds of energies they need to sustain themselves. Despite its small population, for instance, the Seitanic quarter boasts several sports arenas and regularly holds dueling tournaments. The Mammonite quarter contains the casinos, and who could forget the legendary Asmodean brothels or Belphagorian restaurants. The Abaddonic spas might seem tame in comparison, but they are just as important to keeping Ars stable.

Natural Resources

Ars's location was chosen very strategically to help protect its residents from a possible siege. There is a much higher than average concentration of raw, natural magic in the city's environment, particularly its water. The Council channels this for residents' use through a complex series of wells, fountains, pipes, and water towers.

Alternative Name(s)

City of Demons

Type

Town

Population

15,000

Related Ethnicities

• Demonic

Owning Organization

Ars Council