The Glittering City

The Glittering City rises above the sands and sinks far below, held together by magic and the lure of fresh water in the desert. It is a city of mages, of wonder, and of spectacle.

City of Refuge

The Glittering City began as a refuge of mages against the harsh desert storms and away from Teruna's ocean, long subject to superstition. Built in the style of many other Nithi cities, it is surrounded on the outside by step-houses, dug into a mesa above the Tekeburian desert. These step-houses are a refuge from the sun, drawing in cool air and providing much-needed shade and water to those living there. Roads lead in between the houses in a winding fashion, eventually leading to buildings above ground: storehouses, stables, and shops. The city is alive at night, when these places are cooler, but even in the day it is easy to tell them apart from the sandy landscape. Painted walls and fabric canopies stretch between buildings and over roads, draped with lanterns of all shapes and sizes. All roads lead through these shops to the center of the city, where the grandest building waits.

City of Spectacle

The grand Night Temple is the star of the Glittering City, rising up ten stepped levels into a spire at the top. It was built over many years by the hands of the stone-shaping Telan magefolk using material carved from the step-houses. On the second floor is a grand hall whose ceiling extends up all ten levels into an arched dome above on which the spire rests. Each level has a balcony from which one can look down and see the happenings of the hall below. The outside is covered in painted murals acquired over the years, depicting things important to Nitheme and its people: the ten-petal fireflower, the founding of Nitheme, and the six great Ancient Ones who granted the magefolk their powers. Within the temple are many rooms, from libraries to hidden greenhouses in which plants from around the world are kept alive by the power of the Amodoi mages. Among the most sacred of these are the nine Altar Rooms, one for each level except the tenth. They each house six altars, and become more simple the higher one goes.
One of the greatest spectacles of the Night Temple are the waterfalls which run down its sides. In the desert, it is a miracle to wanderers and a haven to the lost. The water is said to be sweet and life-giving, capable of healing wounds and illness. During festivals, the temple is lit up by lanterns of every kind and the waterfalls seem fire-like in the glow. Water taken from the falls at this time is said to be able to bring the deathly ill to health and to cure mortal wounds.

City of Magic

The Glittering City first and foremost is a city of magic, occupied by the proud Nithi magefolk. The Nithi mages are more open with their magic, using it to be seen instead of to hide, like the Mari magefolk. The Glittering City has loose ties with a few Mari settlements, though after the Mage Wars most of them were cut off because of the secrecy the Mari mages desired. Magic is found everywhere in the Glittering City, used to dig wells, light lanterns, and keep cool in the desert heat. The weather-powered Amodoi mages keep the city windy, channeling colder air around the step-houses and the temple.
The magefolk run a complicated infrastructure system, complete with running water and complex healthcare. The city is divided in a way that the types of magefolk abilities are spread out evenly among the step-houses, ensuring a balance of skills and making it easy to maintain the infrastructure required for the city in the desert.