Althea: The City of Quills
History and Overview
More a town than a city in terms of size and population, Althea is nonetheless counted among the eight city-states as a place of great significance on the Coast.
Founded in the aftermath of the Coast War of the 970s, as a collaborative effort by representatives from all six city-states that existed at the time, it is a living testament to the Coast's rejection of Territorial dominion of magic.
The city houses - and is, quite literally, built around - a great magical university where teams of accomplished sorcerers and artificers can perfect their arts, a scientific research facility created to advance mankind's understanding of both the natural and magical world, and the greatest archive of written works the world has ever seen. Books from all over the world, from in and out of the Sea, have been gathered into a single collection: fiction, nonfiction, works of reference, and well-preserved tabloids from ages long past can be found among the archives that weave throughout the breadth of the entire city. Despite measuring barely a kilometer across, Althea is enclosed by stone walls and towers in the manner of a fortress. Built upon a sheer cliff face overlooking an exposed deep zone known as The Well, its location was carefully chosen to maintain security and isolation. The city relies heavily on cumulative subsidies granted by the other city-states in exchange for knowledge, but the quality of life there is remarkably high. The implementation of leading-edge technologies both mundane and magical mean many processes such as waste disposal, sanitation, and food preparation are either fully or partially automated, and medical services and other sundry goods are made available to the public free of charge. Small businesses and specialty shops do offer all of the above in a more private and personal setting, and are often preferred by those who can afford them over mass-produced, "standard issue" food and goods. While multiple languages are supported in Althea, Long serves as its lingua franca for academic and business interactions. In the last hundred years it's become common for people who are familiar with each other to speak in a hybrid language of words and forms intermixing two or more tongues that they both know. The Tou currency traded in Ashimachi, Kansujian, and Xinyuan is used there, with financial matters citywide overseen by a branch of the Ashimachi Central Strategic Reserve Bank. Given its aforementioned remoteness and exclusivity, tourism is practically nonexistent and immigration to and from Althea is strictly controlled. While academic and business ventures are allowed, they must be preceded by a written request several months in advance stating one's goals (or the goals of one's party) along with an agreement to have one or more Sentinel escorts accompany them so long as they remain within the city limits. Immigrants seeking to become residents of Althea follow a similar routine, whereby they are required to provide proof that they possess knowledge and/or skills that would benefit the city. Additionally, they must come alone - families established outside the city gates cannot be moved there. A strict limit of three children per family is in place for citizens, which is enforced through mandatory magical sterilization thereafter monitored as part of routine health exams.
While all of this may seem excessively strict, it's important to bear in mind that Althea is a uniquely purpose-driven place: no one moves there to "settle down and start a family." Those that qualify for immigration enter the city knowing they will be pressed into some service of varying importance during their time there. To that end, Althea has made arrangements with all seven of its fellow city-states to invite a certain number of qualified scholars from each every four years - long enough for the prior class to receive their undergraduate degrees and decide if they wish to stay or depart. The invitations are of equal number across the board, in order to avoid any one city-state from being overrepresented in academic hierarchies on the Coast. By far the most famous thing in Althea is Atlas University, a world-class educational facility whose graduates' credentials are highly sought after in and out of the Coast. The university campus occupies nearly a quarter of the total area of the city, the rest divided between public facilities and residential districts. It doubles as a research and development facility, where accomplished scientists are able to join together with like minds in exploring the limits of the world. Prior to Maqqia’s founding Althea was the northernmost city-state, intentionally constructed near the Threshold and somewhat disconnected from Coastal waterways in order to prevent it from being too accessible. Normally this would lead to complications in the delivery and retrieval of supplies, books, and other sundries but it is, as previously mentioned, the foremost center of magic study in the Coast; transporting goods via Sorcerous Workings may seem outlandish in any other setting, but in Althea it is par for the course. The entire existence of the city revolves around Atlas University and its operations, and therefor its municipal government - headed by a Governor who leads a team of three delegates, all decided by popular vote - is actually subordinate to the university's leadership. Although the Arch Dean has little to no involvement with the day to day affairs of the city, decisions that impact the city invariably also impact the university and so none are made without their approval. Security within Althea is handled by the Sentinels, elite guards recruited from among native-born Altheans and both trained and managed by a detachment of Shielded Faith Conservators. Those looking to travel outside the city walls can hire a member of the volunteer Ranger Corps to guide and defend them as they traverse the Dry Pines region.
Additional Info
Head of State: Arch Deacon Kyran Alcazar
Founding Territory: None
Language(s): Multiple
State Religion: None
Theme Song: Nuages - Dreams
Founding Territory: None
Language(s): Multiple
State Religion: None
Theme Song: Nuages - Dreams
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