Ys Shard

A large shard and home to one of the great mage cities of Genesis, Ys is located on the coast of Brittany in the Old World. The shard takes its name from the city that serves as its primary feature, but due to the abundance of magical talent available when boundaries were being formed in preperation for the Shattering it's a wideflung territory that stretches to cover several ancient sites.

Climate and Geography

Enjoying the best of the region's weather, Ys is a shard of warm summers and mild winters, frequently soaked in sun along the coast and cooler and mistier further inland. The capital, Ys itself, lies on a vast gulf of scattered tiny islets called the Mirrorsea and seems to avoid storms with an adeptness that suggests magical assistance. Moving inland from the Mirrorsea's edge, agricultural fields and grassland begin to give way to a band of low-lying bogs; the land rises, becoming rockier and covered in increasingly thick forest that's given little ground to any attempts to tame it.

Population and Governance

The population of the shard is mixed in every sense of the word, and not only in terms of its breakdown along racial lines; when taking the ever-changing population of Ys itself into account, it's likely that the shard sports more outsiders than local-born inhabitants. While its numbers are concentrated primarily in the great city, there's still plenty of smaller communities further from the coast that work the land, study various sites of magical significance, or otherwise enjoy the wild beauty and rich resources that the shard has to offer. The ancient forest of Brocéliande lies in the uplands of the shard and serves as home to several shapeshifter clans, and is likely one of their greatest populations in a shard with a major city.
The shard itself is governed directly from the city; the abundance of magic makes communication and quick travel extremely easy, and there's little need for a complex system of leadership. The city itself is led by a council of mages, made up of seven individuals to represent each of the seven disciplines of natural magic. While these representatives are almost always the heads of mage circles specializing in the seat they hold, the only official requirement is that they're considered the most talented of their specialization within the city and experienced enough to weigh in productively on matters being discussed. It's not a fail-proof system, and while the city is largely as peaceful as a city of mages can be there have certainly been occasions where mages have eliminated their competition in order to win a seat on the council.

Capital

YS
The city of Ys is a marvel of magical architecture, sprawling across the shallow waters of the Mirrorsea and built on a combination of natural islets and magically-woven stone. It's organized in a series of great circles and bridges; the innermost rings form the city's center of temples, markets, and craftsmen's workshops, the middle rings are built up with housing for the city's inhabitants, and the outer ring holding the mage circles and the homes of the powerful and wealthy. Magic is on prominent display, tracing the pale rose-colored granite that much of the city is built from with lines and patterns of light. Light is a prominent theme of the city; it's radiant with reflected sunlight during the day, and perches on a sea of reflected stars during the night. Proud and beautiful, it's a jewel of Genesis in every sense and a metropolitan home to inhabitants from every corner of the shards.

Other Notable Locations

BROCÉLIANDE
An ancient and deeply magical forest, Brocéliande's mythos was so pervasive that it endures in memory even in the post-Shattering Old World. It's an ancient home of the shapeshifters, many of whom continue to live in its depths; though elven and human mages will often tap into the place's magic to help magnify their own workings, they do it with a healthy respect of who rules there.
THE MIRRORSEA
The vast gulf or inland sea on which the capital lies, the Mirrorsea is scattered with hundreds of tiny islands. It's relatively shallow and tends to be calm in all but the most inclement weather. According to ancient legends the location is sacred to Fate, who sees via its glassy surface like the mirror it's named for.
AHES CIRCLE
Though mage circles traditionally go by the name of their current leader, Ahes Circle has always maintained the name of the half-elven mage who masterminded the city's construction in the distant past. It's considered the most prestigious Shaper circle in Genesis, and acceptance among its ranks is extremely competitive. Even in a city of wonders, the campus for this circle is a step above the rest.

Quick Facts

Approximate Size: ~2400 sq. miles
Number of Entrances: 3
Capital City: Ys

Dominant Race: mixed
Approximate Population: ~60,000

Type

Territory