Shining Lands, The

The Shining Lands is the collective term used for three of the cities surrounding the Golden Waters. These are: Durpar, Estagund, and Var the Golden. The Shining Lands are mainly know for their technological prowess. And, by being the emblem of mundane progress in a magical world, they became a refuge for those often frustrated by the lack of science into the world. Those cities are known for their excessive wealth and capacity of staying outside of any forms of conflict, often by throwing large sums of gold at the problems that would come their way.

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Baseline information in regards to the Shining Lands can be found here.

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Modifications to the actual lore include:

All 3 cities share a ruler, who is democratically elected. But, for now over 200 years, no one has gone against the only person that shows up and eventually ends up winning by default: Andrew Ryan .

The 3 cities are linked by a network of rail cars, greatly reducing the travel time between them.

Estagund is the City of Trade. People from all over Faerûn come to those large affluent markets to try and get pecuniary gains.

Durpar, while also being reliant on trade and export, is known for its large magnificent mansions harboring the Golden Waters. Only the richest of Faerûn can afford such expensive property. It is often the central hub for lodging travelers coming to the Shining Lands. Is is also known for its large variety of high-end shops.

Var the Golden was once a land known for its agricultural prowess. The wheat fields for which it was known had been, for as long as anyone could remember, providing the Shining Lands with an extravagant and stable source of income. That was until 809 after the Great War, when the land was drowned under the crash of the greatest Tsunami ever recorded. For approximately 400 years, the city would then become to be known as Var the Drowned, a sad, desolate and mostly flooded land where no one lived. That is until the massive grounds of Var the Golden were eventually elevated in 1300 (see lower), becoming the large floating metropolis that it is now.

960s and 970s after the Great War:

A young prodigy from the Estagund Academy of Science, Jack Lebeau , brings forward an innovative project allowing the exportation of products over the lands without the use of magic. This mundane invention, using only the power of steam, proved to be a tremendous asset for the Shining Lands' economy. This first invention provided Jack with enough money and subventions to further his researches, and with enough popularity to grant him access to the highest echelons of society. This new status quickly allowed Jack, an already charismatic man, to become a beloved socialite, a man of the people and the face of success. This is during that time that the writers start referring to him in many books as ''Handsome Jack''.

In 967, Jack launches Monarctronics .

1011 after the Great War:

Grand Opening of the Gnome Depot by Jacques Dépôt. One of the rare businesses dealing in magical objects in the area.

1300s after the Great War:

Monarctronics has been the biggest enterprise in Faerûn for a while now, and Handsome Jack has expanded his empire in many sectors. He has also become one of the most trusted figures in the East and has an hand in all aspects of the Shining Lands' management.

Magic is seen as ''outdated'' and a general sign of intellectual incompetence. An exodus of mages leaves room for the massive arrival of numerous scientists from all over the land.

1300 is deemed ''The Year of Rebirth'' by Jack, as he unveils his latest invention. A gigantic device that now keeps the grounds of Var the Golden aloft. In front of the puzzled, but amazed, looks of thousands of bewildered citizens of Durpar and Estagund, Var the Drown was suddenly no more, as the very ground was lifted up by an unknown and mysterious technology.

In 1301, the construction Monarctronics' headquarters begins in Var the Golden. Soon, more and more businesses join and Var quickly becomes a large metropolis with the tallest buildings anyone has ever seen, thanks to a Monarctronics steam-based invention allowing fast transportation between the different levels of said buildings.

In 1308, the Estagund Academy of Science becomes the second most sought-after technological and mundane school, as The Academy opens its doors in Var the Golden, financed entirely by Monarctronics .

1485 after the Great War:

The Orphanage for Lonely Souls, located in Durpar, is burned and the head mistress is found in her office with a bullet between her eyes. Eye witnesses and a testimony from one of the kids that lived in the orphanage confirms Billy ''the Kid'' (a 15 year old who had lived in the orphanage) as the murderer. He is now looked for all over the continent, but mainly in the Eastern Countries. The City of Durpar offers 100 gold pieces to people with information about his whereabouts. Jack Lebeau , behind the name of Monarctronics , offered an additional reward of 1000 gp and an invitation to join him in one of his reknown banquets (full of the most influential people of the Shining Lands) to anyone could bring Billy ''the Kid'' back to justice.

1492 after the Great War:

All flyers regarding Billy ''the Kid'' disappear seemingly overnight. A handful of people in Geldaneth know that this is the result of a forced deal between Billy's party, Bar-To-Go, and Dirk Von Diamond . Von Diamond would have used his connections with the wealthy people of the Shining Lands to honor his agreement with Bar-To-Go.

1494 after the Great War:

On the last day of the year 1493, Jack Lebeau , known to most as the richest man in Faerûn, has his yearly New Year's ball. A lot of influential people from all over the continent usually come to party and celebrate yet another year. But this year, a handful of adventuring parties have been invited, including the Golden Company . Halfway through the night, Jack invites all of those groups into a secret meeting where he offers a hefty ransom to anyone who could open four mysterious vaults in the astral plane, which launches a race into space between all contestants. Eventually, the Golden Company discovers that this objective was in fact a ploy from Lebeau to lock away the four Arcane Crystals that provide magic to the material plane. With the help of other parties named Vox Machina, Bardcamp, Valor's Call and Cloud Committee, the Golden Company was able to put a stop to his plan and execute Jack Lebeau. To the public, a party of thugs named ''Crash Mob'' is the one responsible for the murder, since the Golden Company assumed their appearance during the attack. Only a few know that Crash Mob actually died in a Spelljamming Ship battle in the Astral Plane. It is later revealed that Blasta, a member from the Golden Company secretly obsessed with taking revenge on Jack Lebeau, had traveled from the future and organized Lebeau's downfall with the help of Bel Bezos, a member of the Shining Lands' committee. Shortly after Lebeau's death, Bel Bezos is elected as new leader of Lebeau's enterprises and becomes the new economical powerhouse of Faerûn, being credited for the invention of the Warforge, secretly created by Blasta.

1600 after the Great War:

Bel Bezos founds a magical delivery company called Azamon, which allows him to thrive even more as a financial leader and political influence.

1672 after the Great War:

Elon Tusk, leader of a rapidly growing technological company, hires a band of mercenaries to assassinate Bel Bezos. After a lengthy heist into Azamon's headquarters, the party eventually succeeds in killing Bezos, whom is discovered to have been an ancient gold dragon posing as a man for centuries. The party eventually dies to the security lockdown following Bezos' death. Except for Doug, a dim-witted Goliath who barely makes it out alive, alone. This feat of evasion was only made possible because of a mysterious crown he wore, that allowed a powerful ancient elven princess to overtake his conscience. He eventually collects the reward from Elon Tusk, who is now free to become the new figurehead of the Shining lands.  Doug retires to the countryside with his newly given warforged-dog pet, forever carrying the guilt of leaving his group behind when they needed him the most.

Type

Metropolis