Wise Quarter

The Wise Quarter’s streets perpetually buzz with excitement over the most recently published dissertations, academic journal articles, and political backroom dealings. This district, where Absalom’s government and dozens of academic institutions took root, is defined by civic intrigue and institutional learning. The Grand Council Hall often teems with scribes, pages, and lobbyists looking to bend the ear of a Grand Councilor. Nearby businesses cater to politicians’ needs and often adjust their hours based on when the Council is in session. Even some of the boarding schools and institutions of higher learning near the Hall focus on political structures, strategies, and conventions.
However, most of the academic institutions stay far to the west of the governmental buildings where the streets are generally quieter and less prone to marches and rallies. Several all-night tea houses, bookstores, and libraries operate near the various academies, and nearby residences often include furnished apartments or dormitory-style accommodations. Students commonly share rides to the Ivy District to see a show or attend parties. Transportation services in this area are not cheap, but are generally priced so that multiple passengers can share a fee and provide plenty of roomy accommodation.
The academic jewel of the district is the Arcanamirium, one of Absalom’s oldest institutions of arcane learning. Its high towers are a landmark for many travelers on the ground, and its thick outer wall marks the edge of the school and firmly establishes its presence in the district. The school’s fees are expensive and scholarships are rare, so many students work while attending classes in order to keep up with tuition payments. This means low-level magical services are plentiful and accessible within the district, and a few “mage-brokers” have established themselves as agents for those who offer magical services.
In fact, a few of these mage-brokers are willing to commission services that go against the varlokkur, Absalom’s spellcasting judges and ministers, and their list of forbidden spells and magical devices. The varlokkur, and the third spell lord whom they answer to, offer handsome rewards for leads related to these magical criminals—they must, because the Learned Guard charged with protecting the district prioritize the Forae Logos over anything else, including people in the Wise Quarter, which makes them less effective at policing magical abuses.
The Forae Logos is the largest library in Absalom and has existed for over 4,000 years; its establishment is written into the Founding Laws, and the city owns and operates it with the intent of gathering and preserving vast archives of knowledge. In addition to ancient tomes, rumors suggest the Forae Logos also contains priceless magical and historical relics in its well-guarded basement.
In addition to impressive libraries and academic institutions, the Wise Quarter also hosts many museums, most prominently the Avatectura, Blakros Museum, and Gallery Rousa. Numerous smaller museums and galleries speckle the landscape, offering exhibits on countless subjects. Most of the district’s academies offer sizable grants and the promise of skilled apprentices to these museums in order to strike agreements granting students free admission.

Type

District

Location under

Absalom

Included Locations

• Absalom Academy of Law
• Absalom Menagerie
• Absalom Mint
• Arcanamirium
• Avatectura Museum
• Blakros Museum
• Daltus Academy
• Forae Logos
• Gallery Rousa
• Grand Council Hall
• Learned Pig
• Palace of Thirteen Spires
• Primarch’s Residence
• Protectorate Anthology
• Salhar Estate
• Scrivener’s Square
• Silk Castle
• Temple of Sivanah
• Wisdom’s Refuge
• Withrun House

Ruling/Owning Rank

Nomarch

Owning Organization

Wise Council

In the Wise Quarter, virtually everything can be considered political. The Withrun Wraiths ruk team fielding an imbecilic hill giant “student” imported specifically to dominate the league? Politics. Some offended noble posting shills to purchase every copy of the new Eyes on Absalom to prevent the spread of a salacious scandal? Politics. A foreign spy pouring acid in the ear of an at-large member of the Grand Council? Well, some things are politics everywhere. The Wise Quarter draws ideologues and demagogues to argue on intellectual and governmental affairs, infusing a sense of conflict throughout the district. For all the bar brawls of the Docks or scandal obsession of the Ivy District, it’s strident partisans of the Wise Quarter who account for most of the formal duels declared in the city.

Crime Report

The Wise Quarter sees relatively less crime than most of the city’s other districts, but the residents grumble about it a lot more due to the overwhelming sense (and reality) that the Learned Guard is so focused on their primary mission of protecting the Forae Logos that they sometimes miss crime unrelated to the institution. Trade in illegal manuscripts abounds, as does extortion, drug trafficking, burglary, and blackmail. Criminal groups active in the district include the Bloody Barbers, the Silkenhand, and the Smoke Knights.