Whisrik

Written by Trickfall

"Visitors always question what the allure of our city is. It calls to them from across the world, our magnificent city of the mist. An air of mystery shrouds Whisrik from centuries of illusory magic, and deep feelings of emotion stirs equally from enchantment magic. Some may say this is a city of wonder. Others may say this is a city of hearts. I say both are correct, this is a city of adventure!" - Duramn Fairmont, harbormaster of Whisrik

Demographics

Whisrik is a somewhat diverse city, accommodating different species of humanoids native to the jungle territories. Due to Shimestire's secluded location in Magnus, humanoids native to other lands are not common and will cause surprised, curious, and wonderful reactions. Stirians are welcoming to new things and seek to provide a comfortable atmosphere for all. However, there is a bias for the strange; the stranger one is to a stirian, the better treated they tend to be. The following is a list of player humanoid species and their general rarity in Whisrik using the following terms from most common to least common: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Very Rare, Exotic, and Unknown.
The list is as follows:

• Dwarves - Common

• Elves - Common

• Halflings - Common

• Humans - Common

• Dragonborn - Rare

• Gnomes - Uncommon

• Half-Elves - Common

• Half-Orcs - Rare

• Tiefling - Common

• Aasimar - Exotic

• Firbolgs - Unknown

• Goliaths - Very Rare

• Kenku - Very Rare

• Lizardfolk - Exotic

• Tabaxi - Uncommon

• Tritons - Rare

• Bugbears - Exotic

• Hobgoblins - Unknown

• Goblins - Very Rare

• Kobolds - Rare

• Orcs - Very Rare

• Yuan-Ti Pureblood - Uncommon

• Gith - Unknown

• Changelings - Very Rare

• Kalashtar - Rare

• Shifters - Uncommon

• Warforged - Exotic

• Tortles - Common

• Aarakocra - Rare

• Genasi - Unknown

• Centaurs - Exotic

• Loxodons - Rare

• Minotaurs - Exotic

• Simic Hybrids - Very Rare

• Vedalken - Unknown

• Kaythids - Exotic

Government

The settlement and the country is ruled by a council of fifteen grand wizards who form the Drongo Parliament. More information regarding the magocracy can be found in the Shimestire article, while more information about the Drongo Parliament can be found in its respective article of the same name.
The crimes and punishment of Whisrik can be found here for reference. Laws in Shimestire are based on the Divine Laws of the gods to some extent, but are primarily subject to Natural Law from the perspective of a country unjustly subject to slavery and torture for generations by a demonic lord. Punishments in Shimestire serve to correct an individual's actions through rehabilitation and moral study. Stirians follow the philosophy which states, "what is done is done, and forgiveness must be earned." Punishments also vary by the intelligence and magical capability of the accused; the more intelligent or magically gifted you are, the more likely you will receive a harsher punishment. There is a deep respect for magic in Whisrik and all of Shimestire, and betrayal of that respect and responsibility is frowned upon by the Drongo Parliament.
To determine whether the accused is guilty or not, the accused and the accuser are stripped of their possessions, bound to a wooden pole, gagged, blindfolded, and levitated into the courtroom. This is to ensure no magic is cast during the hearing from either party. There, they are subject to a jury of witnesses and their fellow peers. The judge, who is normally a wizard of law, uses magic to cast spells upon the two parties in order to learn the truth. Representatives of the parties are present only to defend them from potential harm and to question their opponents. Any evidence that is relevant to the case is presented by a representative from the Whisrik Guard. The judge will only speak at the start of the court hearing, when all parties have said their piece to allow the jury to debate, and to determine guilt.
Recognize that, in accordance to the rules of Dungeons and Dragons, this country's "alignment" is considered chaotic good, and actions antagonistic to this alignment is considered a criminal act if it does not explicitly say so here. Also, each listed crime has a relative severity, and depending on the nature of the crime, the punishment could be decreased or increased.
Misdemeanors:

• Trespassing; 200gp fine

• Petty Theft; Returning the stolen property or paying for its value and a 100gp fine

• Assault; A formal apology between both parties and a 50gp fine

• Disturbing the Peace; A public apology/shaming and a 50gp fine

• Public Lewdness; A public apology and a 25gp fine.

• Selling Shoddy or Adulterated Goods; A removal of their merchant's license and a 400gp fine

• Impersonating a Guild Official; A formal apology to the affected guilds and a 300gp fine

Felonies:

• Riot; Four weeks of hard labor and up to two months of rehabilitation

• Inciting Riot; Six weeks of hard labor, a debate concerning the riot with the Student's Guild, and up to three months of rehabilitation

• Piracy; Three weeks of hard labor and up to three months of rehabilitation

• Rape; Six months of hard labor and up to two years of rehabilitation

• Destruction of Property; Two weeks of hard labor, payment equal to the market value of the object to the family, a fine of 600gp, and two weeks of rehabilitation

• Theft; Returning of the property or payment equal to the property's value, a fine of 500gp, and one month of rehabilitation

• Robbery; Returning of the stolen property or payment equal to the stolen property's value, a 1000gp fine, and four months of rehabilitation

• Selling of Illicit Goods; Revealing the identities of criminal contacts and up to one year of hard labor and rehabilitation

Capital Crimes:

• Murder; Up to ten years of hard labor and rehabilitation

• Conspiracy of Treason; Up to three years of hard labor and rehabilitation

• Terrorism; Up to twenty years of hard labor and rehabilitation or divine banishment

• Bribery; Up to one year of hard labor and rehabilitation

• Counterfeiting; Up to five years of hard labor and rehabilitation

• Impersonating a High Councilor; Up to four years of hard labor and rehabilitation or magical banishment

Defences

The city uses a mixture of magical and physical barriers to maximize its effectiveness and its aesthetics.
A major natural defense for the city are its cliffs. The city is raised so high above the ocean that attacks by sea are difficult and coastal raids are nearly impossible. The cliffs, once carved into the visage of Abraxas, is now carved into the profiles of three of the most acclaimed High Councilors in the history of Whisrik: Flight in Winter, Lucatiel Broadfield, and Vaxisthix of the Bleak Caldera. These larger than life carved profiles prove difficult to ascend into the city, and the sheer smooth stone walls which surround the city makes it more difficult to climb from the sea. To reach the top of the wall from the seaside, one must climb up 350 feet of smooth granite rock. The one weakness from this side of the city is the port, which uses a magical water system to ascend ships from the sea and into the artificial port within the city.
From the ground level, these smooth walls stretch 40 feet into the air. They are adorned with parapets from which archers and mages may fire projectiles safely. There are false doors just below the parapets which house either cannons or dragon's breath, a magical defensive siege weapon that emits a 60 foot long line of intense alchemical fire. Oil may be poured from the walls or through the murder holes above the gate. The gates have an inner door and outer door made from heavy greatwood and reinforced with steel. If the outer door is breached, then while the inner door is attacked, murder holes will spring open from the roof and walls, simultaneously covering the invaders in oil and lighting them aflame. The doors are also magically locked during an invasion with multiple symbols designed to stun invaders who attack the doors.
Watchtowers surround the city in the eight available cardinal directions for every 3 miles up to 12 miles away. Each watchtower has 2d4 guards stationed within, whose only goal is to light the beacon fires which can be lit from four each corner within the tower. The lit beacons will notify the next tower if something is wrong which will lead them to light their tower, creating a line of fire pointing to the general direction of the disturbance. This also creates a ring community of watch towers three miles outside of Whisrik, which acts as a weak and preliminary line of defense for the city, designed to observe the invading force's tactics before the siege.

Industry & Trade

Whikkets primarily trade in exotic jungle goods and minerals found no where else in Magnus. This includes what many would typically think of jungle goods, such as coconut products, palm oil, and jungle woods for example. Whisrik's minerals include diamonds, rare earth metals, and the exotic mineral called Abalyte. Abalyte is a mineral that acts as a conduit for mana. It is incredibly powerful when used sparingly by supercharging spells. Large amounts, however, could "infect" a creature to become a mana-based life form temporarily, and dying once the creature is out of reach of Abalyte or can no longer consume magical power. Abalyte can become inert when used in this way, which renders it nothing more than a pretty opaque white crystal with green flecks.
Whisrik manufactures a variety of goods, enough to ensure Shimestire's independence. Clothing, furniture, ceramics, silver, these are just a few examples of what is made in the country. Whisrik receives imports from within the country to fabricate items for export, and sometimes they will send out raw shipments in bulk to those who would accept them, like Arvaise. Stirian silks are among the finest luxuries in Magnus, and for a good reason, too, for a country whose leaders formally wear versatile robes.
The animal trade is also a prevalent market in Whisrik. Right or wrong, animals are extracted forcibly from their habitats and traded to those who can afford them across the continent. These creatures are all considered exotic and highly valuable to many of the wealthy, since Shimestire is so secluded beyond the Spine of Magnus and it contains the only jungle in the continent. Fell goods are another growing trade as colonial Whikkets expand into fey territories. Jungle fey have an entirely more beastial culture compared to the more spiritual forest fey of the north. Their uniqueness and exclusivity makes their products highly coveted, but at an unknowing cost to the native fey of Shimestire.

Infrastructure

When Whisrik was liberated, many important pieces of infrastructure had already been created, such as roads, courtyards, aqueducts, and an underground power grid system fueled by arcane energy. These were set in place by the enslaved humanoids of Whisrik by order of Abraxas in order to make the work necessary in Whisrik flow more efficiently. That work involved mines and arcane experimentation. Those systems retain their demonic architecture and style. Somewhere within the city lies a dormant weapon that the original four Wayfarers used in order to destabilize the magic shield surrounding the city Labyrinth where Baphomet ruled over Magnus in order to reach him. The fate of the weapon has been lost to time, but it is believed that it has never left Whisrik.
Since the fall of Abraxas, Whisrik has expanded their infrastructure systems to include schools, clinics, parks, sewers, funeral homes, portals, disaster detection and prevention, light weather control, criminal deterrence, treasuries, arcane communications, magical and scientific labs, greenhouses, and monuments. Many of these facilities operate through the use of magic items and/or magical employees. Although Shimestire is generally a practical country, the idea of using magic that is generally considered amoral is frowned upon. For example, the use of necromancy to create an unstoppable work force of undead. While doable, families often don't want to see their deceased loved ones working themselves beyond death. The schools of magic are all highly respected and there are few taboos regarding the schools.

Guilds and Factions

Whisrik is host to a variety of different guilds and factions all vying for different goals under the same adventurous umbrella. Listed below are the guilds of Whisrik accompanied by a short description of who they are and what they do:
Rose-Eyed Crows. The thieves' guild of Shimestire who specializes in the art of thievery. They do not kill, they simply steal, no matter how protected something may be.
Whisrik Guard. The guards of Whisrik and her surrounding territories. They are the most elite members of the Stirian Guard, tasked to be ever vigilant against all forms of crime, both magical and physical.
Student's Guild. The mage's guild of Shimestire who focuses on the study of the magical anomalies throughout the country. They are primarily focused on fey magic in recent years, but they have an extensive library on demonic magic in Shimestire and a few other countries.
Souflavenn's Guild of Culinary Arts. The cooking guild of Shimestire who primarily focuses on magical applications in their cooking technique. They have an affection for all things bread and many of their members specialize in the art of baking.
Beauvont Colonial. The settler's guild of Shimestire who focuses on the unique challenges of settling in the stirian environment. Although heavily supported, they are finding difficulties providing aid for the other settlements of Shimestire as well as claiming safe territory within the country.
Shimestire Agriculture. The farmer's guild of Shimestire devoted to the agricultural challenges which plagues the country. They focus on researching ways to enhance the difficult farming of fruits and vegetables in Shimestire, ways to protect livestock, and provide a forum for the farming community.
The Abalyte Coalition. The mining guild of Shimestire who is devoted to the challenges miners face each day. They primarily focus on the means of mining different minerals, the study of the land and newly discovered geodes, and ways to protect oneself while delving underground.
The Wayfarers. A new guild created for the exploration of the stirian frontier. It's so fresh, its guildhall is in the basement of its founder, Makotiel Felmann.
Guild of Native Herbology. The nature guild of Shimestire who focuses on the study and preservation of the natural world. Their studies have paved the way to better understanding of how the stirian ecology functions as well as advancements in medicine.
Rikett's National Party. The nationalist guild of Shimestire who focuses on the advancement and preservation of stirian values. They have garnered a lot of support for their policies in support of the fey natives' lands and their desires to grow stirian resource collection.
Drongo Magocracy. The magical council of wizards who are specially tasked to serve the interests of the country. Each of the fifteen most intelligent wizards have their own affairs and opinions to include in their decision making. This often leads to debates that could last for days. The longest debate in the parliament's history stretched on for three years. It was a decision concerning what the country's national bird should be, and, at the time, all of them were avid bird watchers. They eventually decided on the Bird of Paradise.

Architecture

A typical Whikket home has walls made from mahogany with a granite brick foundation that covers half of the ground level of the building. Houses are typically two-storey homes where two different families live on each floor or one family lives on the top floor and their shop is on the ground floor. The architecture style is flamboyant french. Nature plays a great role in the architecture of Whisrik, challenging architects to build with nature or become inspired by it. In this way, the new flamboyant style flows with the old demonic architecture style that still covers the majority of the city. Only certain areas were changed to make the city safer or better aesthetically.
Angelic adornments are placed on structures to ward away additional evil and are normally enchanted to come to life if evil were to reveal itself. Light magical effects are also permanently enchanted into buildings to give pleasant visual and other sensory effects. Magic courses through these buildings to provide a variety of benefits not found anywhere else in Magnus, such as cooler air and hovering in wealthier homes.

Geography

The city sits at the top of a downward sloping peninsula 350 feet above the ocean. The tip of the sloped peninsula makes it 200 feet above the ocean before it becomes a sheer drop into the waters below. Whisrik appears to spill out over the granite cliffs, apparently fusing with the cliff side. The cliff side bears the visage of the three most prominent members of the Drongo Parliament's history which is detailed in the "Defences" section. Behind these profiles is an extended community built within the side of the cliffs. This community has roads, lights, fences, shops, housing, and the mines/prison. There is, what appears to be, a sheet of glass over the community where the stone profiles ought to be. This allows the community to enjoy ocean views and creates an illusion to those looking toward the cliffs from outside. The tall peninsula has a short tunnel large enough to contain twenty galleons, which will often set anchor here awaiting transportation into the Whisrik port. The city is mostly flat with a slight downward slope travelling west. Surrounding the city is grassland and tropical forests with vibrant vegetation hugging the smooth granite walls and buildings within the city.

Alternative Name(s)

Old Palermo

Type

Capital

Population

~20,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Whikkets

Owner/Ruler

The Drongo Parliament

Owning Organization

Shimestire