Zabereg
A city high in the snowy mountains, the Sarcystle capital is a city of wonder and arcane - solemn in its appearance and people, but nonetheless captivated with the frivolity of magic.
Even the most magically stunted carter in Zabereg knows a few cantrips to keep his hands warm and provide some treats to his horse. Sparks of enchantment scare the stray animals as little children laugh and scream and chase each other. Dancing brooms sweep the floors and animated brushes scrub the plates as the housewife reads from a recipe book suspended in air, using a simple finger twitch to make it turn its pages on its own. But these people are not soft, by any means. The freezing winters and extreme physical labor of traversing the mountains, gathering/hunting for food, and eking out existence in such a harsh existence has made them a hardy people, who are used to death and discomfort, but celebrate life with every breath.
An important thing to note about the people of Zabereg is that their name, "the people of the Alfvén," is not without cause. Alfvén, the elven word for the colored lights that dance high on the mountain (also known as the southern lights or, in our world, the Aurora Borealis), represents the birthplace of the first sorcerers. These sorcerers are perhaps the most revered of all those who make their home in Sarcystle, because they can only be found among the children born in the Alfvén, whose mothers made the dangerous trek to the cliffs above Zabereg to labor alone and have their children be touched by this magical phenomenon.
While many have tried to study it, strangely, in a city of academics and arcane scholars, Zenobia's Table has closed off the peak to all those but mothers who wish to attempt this journey alone. It is seen as a great honor and a sign of favor to be the mother or child born of the Alfvén - for your mother loved you enough to give birth, alone, in the bitter cold, and you were given a magic by the arcane that few understand or have the opportunity to gain. In fact, while it is not a true matriarchy, mothers are deeply revered in Zabereg, and traditionally women are the heads of the household - especially once there are children in the home. Hardly any family is considered complete until they have at least five children.... especially because it is suspected that only three will make it to adulthood, whether through an accident of magical origins, the harsh winters and the illnesses or exposure it brings, or through more sinister causes.
Indeed, caution is needed on the journey to the peaks for the mothers that hope to birth their children in the embrace of the Alfvén; only one in twenty mothers survive the trek, and fewer children survive. The Table, patriotic as their citizens, is loathe to close off this place of magic and potential, despite the risks.
Imagine streets and buildings made of solid ice, carved and polished until you can use the walls themselves to see how your new cape looks with your hat. The Mirror Market is such a place. It's a beautiful, sparkling place filled with arcane lamps in cool whites and blues that glow brightly through the day, into twilight, and settle into a quiet luminescence.
No actual growing trees or flowers occupy Zabereg - or most of Sarcystle, beyond the pine trees - but the floral architecture and gardens of Adura are somewhat mimicked by ice sculptors, known as Zhenskits (pronounced "zen-skeets," a blend of the name of the goddess of the arts, Zheenkeef, and the elven word for frost), who are employed by the various shopkeeps and on a weekly or daily basis come by to touch up or reshape the ice exteriors of the buildings and streets. Some use arcane magic to bring their designs forward, but others use tools and water buckets (though all must use some arcane means to complete their work; to heat the water and melt the ice, or clean away their work station).
District of the Stars
Below the palace of Zenobia's Table is the District of the Stars, an upper class province filled with the most accomplished of the magicians in Sarcystle. Do not be fooled by the unilateral power held by the Somas - their neighbors are keeping a close eye on what they vote for and when, and the Somas are aware of the scrutiny of their fellow mages. No one would move to anger someone they have dinners with almost once a month, if not more, and could very easily sink their trade deals in Mercercle with but a word to the Council of Six. These streets are built from white stone, carved in elegant spires and peaks, all reaching towards the heavens as if to scrape against the Alfvén - though of course they are still a far reach. It is an apt analogy, strangely enough. For as much as the rich and well-to-do of this district would love to claim the children born under the Alfvén as their kin, it is more often the case that poorer families are the ones willing to risk the harsh and deadly conditions of the peak. Because it is forbidden to take anything beyond yourself and what you can carry with you, the mothers of the wealthier classes often balk at such a danger and sacrifice. One of the items that these women are reluctant to give up are the arcane zombi. Created through enchantment, and after the creation of the first zombie servants (from which they get their name), these creatures are easier to maintain and far more aesthetically pleasing. In fact, they are not creatures at all, neither are they like the warforged - they are more like automatons, though without a free will or intelligence. The most complex of the zombi can appear to be alive, but at the end of the day they are limited by the will of their creator. The District of the Stars has the most zombi out of any district within Zabereg, though they can be found running errands almost anywhere. Frostfall Square
In the eastern section of town, under the stars and Alfvén, there is the frozen lake, surrounding by a stone-paved walking path with gently falling snow all about it. Zabereg is a southern town, so it is no surprise that there is snowfall, but what makes Frostfall Square unique is that the snow is artificial. Instead of a fountain with running water in the midst of it, iron beams crisscross over the park like an open air greenhouse, and from each band of iron, snow falls softly down onto the ground. All of Zabereg is enchanted to clear the snow off the streets, but should extra help be needed, zombi and undead servants will be sent out to deal with the excess. The frozen lake, cared for by the Zhenskits, is an ice skating rink. Most children learn how to maneuver across the ice before they are much more than four years old, and the large hills, covered in artificial snow, are also used for skiing, sledding, and hiking. Frostfall Square butts up right against the Brume-Mine Caverns, and many who enjoy the bracing cold and stitch in their side from good exercise will find their way into these caverns. Brume-Mine Caverns
Accessible from many areas in the city, the Brume-Mine Caverns are elaborately carved and decorated public walkways. Allowing the eastern and western halves of the city to cut a three day trek into a twenty minute walk through the caves, the Brume-Mine Caverns are made of ice and stone, lit with arcane braziers that give off just enough warmth to allow travelers to unbutton their coats and remove their scarves, but not enough to melt the icy artwork and columns, though some would say that just a break from the bitter wind already makes them feel ten degrees warmer. Restaurants, stores, and stands are not permitted to set up within the caves, but buskers (artistic and musical) will often settle down at the edge of the paths to try and earn a bit of coin before the guard comes to shoo them away. All along the caves there are also small gardens, protected from the harsh elements and with special rocks known as flouromite, enchanted to give off warmth and light and normally used in place of electricity and fire to keep residences comfortable, used to encourage these public gardens to flourish. They cannot often offer delicate flowers, but the herbs and hearty vegetables are often welcome additions to a diet filled with salted meats. There are also community areas: gazebos carved from rime, and stone benches lining the pathways. No one lingers long in the Caverns, but if you're willing to brave the crowds, the Caverns are some of the most comfortable ways to travel Zabereg. Pillars of the Moon
Schools are very, very common in Zabereg, but most of the specialized ones are housed in the Pillars of the Moon, so called by the large columns of white marble that pulse with the same colors as the Alfvén that surround the province. The pillars are named after each of the major schools of magic, with one last massive one in the center of the district that is named after Zabereg. These columns are enchanted to protect the city from the uncoordinated, unrestrained magic of the students
Different Areas of Zabereg
The Mirror MarketImagine streets and buildings made of solid ice, carved and polished until you can use the walls themselves to see how your new cape looks with your hat. The Mirror Market is such a place. It's a beautiful, sparkling place filled with arcane lamps in cool whites and blues that glow brightly through the day, into twilight, and settle into a quiet luminescence.
No actual growing trees or flowers occupy Zabereg - or most of Sarcystle, beyond the pine trees - but the floral architecture and gardens of Adura are somewhat mimicked by ice sculptors, known as Zhenskits (pronounced "zen-skeets," a blend of the name of the goddess of the arts, Zheenkeef, and the elven word for frost), who are employed by the various shopkeeps and on a weekly or daily basis come by to touch up or reshape the ice exteriors of the buildings and streets. Some use arcane magic to bring their designs forward, but others use tools and water buckets (though all must use some arcane means to complete their work; to heat the water and melt the ice, or clean away their work station).
District of the Stars
Below the palace of Zenobia's Table is the District of the Stars, an upper class province filled with the most accomplished of the magicians in Sarcystle. Do not be fooled by the unilateral power held by the Somas - their neighbors are keeping a close eye on what they vote for and when, and the Somas are aware of the scrutiny of their fellow mages. No one would move to anger someone they have dinners with almost once a month, if not more, and could very easily sink their trade deals in Mercercle with but a word to the Council of Six. These streets are built from white stone, carved in elegant spires and peaks, all reaching towards the heavens as if to scrape against the Alfvén - though of course they are still a far reach. It is an apt analogy, strangely enough. For as much as the rich and well-to-do of this district would love to claim the children born under the Alfvén as their kin, it is more often the case that poorer families are the ones willing to risk the harsh and deadly conditions of the peak. Because it is forbidden to take anything beyond yourself and what you can carry with you, the mothers of the wealthier classes often balk at such a danger and sacrifice. One of the items that these women are reluctant to give up are the arcane zombi. Created through enchantment, and after the creation of the first zombie servants (from which they get their name), these creatures are easier to maintain and far more aesthetically pleasing. In fact, they are not creatures at all, neither are they like the warforged - they are more like automatons, though without a free will or intelligence. The most complex of the zombi can appear to be alive, but at the end of the day they are limited by the will of their creator. The District of the Stars has the most zombi out of any district within Zabereg, though they can be found running errands almost anywhere. Frostfall Square
In the eastern section of town, under the stars and Alfvén, there is the frozen lake, surrounding by a stone-paved walking path with gently falling snow all about it. Zabereg is a southern town, so it is no surprise that there is snowfall, but what makes Frostfall Square unique is that the snow is artificial. Instead of a fountain with running water in the midst of it, iron beams crisscross over the park like an open air greenhouse, and from each band of iron, snow falls softly down onto the ground. All of Zabereg is enchanted to clear the snow off the streets, but should extra help be needed, zombi and undead servants will be sent out to deal with the excess. The frozen lake, cared for by the Zhenskits, is an ice skating rink. Most children learn how to maneuver across the ice before they are much more than four years old, and the large hills, covered in artificial snow, are also used for skiing, sledding, and hiking. Frostfall Square butts up right against the Brume-Mine Caverns, and many who enjoy the bracing cold and stitch in their side from good exercise will find their way into these caverns. Brume-Mine Caverns
Accessible from many areas in the city, the Brume-Mine Caverns are elaborately carved and decorated public walkways. Allowing the eastern and western halves of the city to cut a three day trek into a twenty minute walk through the caves, the Brume-Mine Caverns are made of ice and stone, lit with arcane braziers that give off just enough warmth to allow travelers to unbutton their coats and remove their scarves, but not enough to melt the icy artwork and columns, though some would say that just a break from the bitter wind already makes them feel ten degrees warmer. Restaurants, stores, and stands are not permitted to set up within the caves, but buskers (artistic and musical) will often settle down at the edge of the paths to try and earn a bit of coin before the guard comes to shoo them away. All along the caves there are also small gardens, protected from the harsh elements and with special rocks known as flouromite, enchanted to give off warmth and light and normally used in place of electricity and fire to keep residences comfortable, used to encourage these public gardens to flourish. They cannot often offer delicate flowers, but the herbs and hearty vegetables are often welcome additions to a diet filled with salted meats. There are also community areas: gazebos carved from rime, and stone benches lining the pathways. No one lingers long in the Caverns, but if you're willing to brave the crowds, the Caverns are some of the most comfortable ways to travel Zabereg. Pillars of the Moon
Schools are very, very common in Zabereg, but most of the specialized ones are housed in the Pillars of the Moon, so called by the large columns of white marble that pulse with the same colors as the Alfvén that surround the province. The pillars are named after each of the major schools of magic, with one last massive one in the center of the district that is named after Zabereg. These columns are enchanted to protect the city from the uncoordinated, unrestrained magic of the students
Places in Zabereg
The Mirror MarketDistrict of the Stars
Frostfall Square
Pillars of the Moon
Type
Capital
Owning Organization
