Prophet

"In the valley of the mind..."

Along the southern coast of the Gulf of Middle Hariel in Hariel Minuta stands the large town of Prophet... much less a place than a state of mind. Home to the renown and equally controversial Shalinasti Center for the Psychic Mind, as well as the mysterious Forbidden Repositorium of Aquillux. Gothens come from around the world to study at the preeminent center for psychic advancement to unlock the latent potential within their very minds. Further, the development of psionic "magic," or magic-like (adjacent) abilities sprung from the collective unconscious, is a key tenant of the center. The center is run by the preeminent psychic researcher, Master Scholar of the Ordo Animo, Resnik Feshni, a man himself cloaked in as much mystery as the center itself. He is assisted by the Master Polymath and Altimar Scholar, Esshir Halastera, who considers herself a "reformed witch" and "Phrenic Mistress," and who seems to have showed up out of nowhere (her true past is a thing of much speculation). The Forbidden Repositorium, though not officially in league with the psychic center, houses many "relics of the mind," many acquired by Resnik himself. The contents of its aisles and shelves are considered to be of great danger to the untrained mind... the sort of things that could drive one unintentionally insane. Though the two distinguished institutions are the biggest draw Prophet has to offer, their respective masters are not the rulers of the town, nor do they have much say in its internal operations. That job falls to the constantly beleaguered Lord Meltrane Garabond, the elected lord mayor of Prophet. Meltrane has no affiliation with either the institute or the library, but has many opinions about the people who frequent both. The officials of the town maintain an uneasy peace with the scholars within their own walls. As people from all walks of life and all regions around the globe frequently come and go, security is one of the more frustrating aspects of daily life for Meltrane and his various appointed officials. Not to mention the fact that the town has essentially outgrown its boundaries, and is now forced to grow "up" instead of "out." Infrastructure is constantly an issue. Of additional concern is the Head Librarian of Aquillux, an illithid (mind flayer) known as Master Xilxiznyath. To date, the outer being has proven to be a trustworthy ally and fully up to the task of keeping the secrets of the library safe and secure. He is assisted by the elderly human scholar, Regius Jonim Reschard. The two seem to have developed quite the friendship, it would seem. Prospective students make the pilgrimage to Prophet each quarter term, with dreams of being selected for "psychic study and improvement." Of the hundreds of prospective candidates, only twenty are chosen each session. Obvious psychic potential does not seem to be an obvious means of selection by the scholarly admittance panel, rather the professors pride themselves on being able to unlock potential in even the most unlikely student. What means they in fact use to qualify applicants is a mystery to even the ones who are eventually chosen.

PSYCHIC POWERS

Though psychic phenomena often replicates many of the effects of arcane and even divine magic, it falls outside of the purview of any regulatory board, such as Hex Chain, and thus is feared by the uninitiated. For this reason, most psionically inclined tend to stay south of The Throat, where odd powers are accepted to a far greater degree. The Shalinasti Center prides itself on developing the full potential of the psychic mind, and it is said that graduates of the program are able to perform amazing feats, with only their minds. The full extent of these feats is currently unknown, but as of now only a few incidents have roused any cause for concern. On several occasions, students have found themselves embroiled in something akin to a "psychic duel," with enlightened mind striking out against enlightened mind. These fights are not condoned by the professors, but have generally ended with nothing worse than a few bad headaches. However, on one such occasion, a student was found dead, his brain "crushed," after a duel between third year students. There is not much more information about the incident, as the school quickly performed their own investigation and sealed the results.

Demographics

It's hard to get a general consensus of the populace of Prophet, as students from all races and classes constantly rotate through the city gates. A rough estimate hold that the population is regularly roughly 65% human, 15% elven, and 20% mixed other.

Government

The town is run by a Lord Mayor, the current one being Lord Meltrane Garabond. Garabond maintains a cabinet of advisors who handle the day-to-day activities of the town. However, none of these advisors, nor Garabond himself, have much influence over the operations of either the Center or the Library.

Defences

Prophet is protected by two private forces. The first is directly hired by the town itself, and consists of a company of sell-swords roughly 200 strong. The second is comprised of psychic students who specialized in the offensive mental arts, and who've dedicated themselves to protecting both the center and the library. These students fluctuate in number, but tend to hover around twenty protectors for each of the two institutions. In times of conflict and war, Prophet relies upon the forces of Varuum for protection, as the town is a vassal to the The Grand Hassir of Varuum.

Industry & Trade

The primary export of Prophet is its graduates. Its primary import tends to be forbidden relics, and the library houses a good number of artifacts from the lost age of Lumeria. Beyond this, the town both grows much of its own food, and imports from Varuumae Corona, that which it cannot provide for itself.

Infrastructure

Prophet has grown at a more than steady rate in its relatively young existence, and the infrastructure is constantly fighting to keep up with the population swings. The surface area of the town has been fully exploited, and thusly most new expansions require a building "upward," creating new structures of sometimes exceptional heights (for a town, that is).

History

Prophet was established just under a century ago, and is thus a fairly new development. It was founded by graduates of The Tower of Light who didn't quite fall into the arcane areas of study. These students realized that the curriculum of The Custodians was too restrictive and didn't provide much for explorers of the mind. Thus, these students and their successors searched for a place to establish a new school. They happened upon the struggling town of Prophet, to which they offered enough monetary support for the town to revitalize itself. It was a deal the residents and leaders of the town couldn't refuse. To this day, they still chafe under the invisible yoke of their "patrons," and this growing disdain is no more apparent than with the Lord Mayor himself.

Architecture

The buildings range from the small wood and clay structures that house the non-psychic residents and some small businesses, to the grand and opulent towers of the Psychic Center and the Aquillux Repositorium. The disparity is not lost upon the common folk of the town.

Geography

Situated along the coast of the Gulf of Middle Hariel in Hariel Minuta.

Natural Resources

Farms along the verdant fields surrounding the town, as well as fish and related foods from the sea, provide the residents of Prophet much of what they require to be self sufficient.