Nourítíaní
The Heart of Kankou
Nourítíaní is the largest city in the Sovereign State of Kankou, despite it not technically being the capital. The city has a rich history and a very unique culture, with it's most common ethnicity being Kreolé due to it's mixed history of Native Kankoans and pre-colonial immigrants. The city is known for it's bustling port, seemingly constant political unrest, and the headquarters of the Aspída Lodge.
Before the city was as drastically segregated as it would come to be, it was surprisingly quite integrated. Along with Sequoie and a few other middle-ground locations, the area was settled far before the coming of the colonists, and already had a decent population of which was relatively mixed. The Kreolé ethnicity is an older one than the Colonial Kankoan influence, though in the current day colonial blood is mixed into the Kreolé melting pot as well, pioneers, refugees, and immigrants of other surrounding areas coming to the area over time. Instead of conquering or isolating, these small groups came with no ill-intent and were welcomed into many native settlements and communities as the native culture is one fond of storytelling and taking the new skills, trades, and information that they could get to integrate them into their own traditions, knowledge, and trades and better them.
The mixed Kreolé race is called what it is due to there being no singular absolute bloodline presented above the others– many are unsure themselves how much of any one race is in their blood. However, in general. the race is mostly mixed between human and tiefling, as well as the relatively common incidence of elven blood, including that of less prominent elven representation such as sea elves and drow, and can present with other occasional traits of tritons, halflings, dragonborn, and even old ancestral lineage from satyrs, centaurs, and minotaurs. The Lodge in the early days was founded by and for Native Kankoan– the tieflings being killed off that needed to fight back to live– however the numbers they gained over time were in large part Kreolé members from their home city, urbanites and townsfolk with their fair share of tiefling blood, but also as people with more privilege to use to the cause's advantage due to many looking far more human or elven, thus not being seen as the enemy by the colonists. In solidarity with the natives, much of the Kreolé community not only joined but helped in gaining the grounds for the natives to exist in the city, acting as a sort-of buffer before the colonists could infiltrate the city, take it over in-full, or completely gentrify it. To this day Nourítíaní continues to be mostly Kreolé in it's numbers, with a higher population of tieflings than most other cities, all due to this effort and how strongly it has been defended over time. The city is still under Kankoan rule and subject to the government and the marines' laws and regulations, however those laws are not often totally enforced and the city has never let down it's persistence in showing disdain for the unjust– over the entire span of Kankoan rule thus far the city is known to hold boycotts, to stop trade to nobility, and to demonstrate through protest and eventually what would become riots over time with the increased brutality of the royal marines' treatment of lower class locals.
In 1481 things took an unexpected turn. Nourítíaní, as well as a number of other cities such as Limani Ano, Port'a Dell'oasi and Aivolos, had a growing problem with unwarranted military brutality. The lines between the Katharistís and the Royal Marines were becoming blurry with the amount of random arrests, beatings, and killings happening without any reason other than prejudice and a sense of darwinist superiority. Tensions were rising consistently as the violence against the lower class did, and one evening everything snapped in a few seconds flat. A little girl, only six years old, had wandered from her home near the wall between the two classes in Nourítíaní, on a main street, relatively populated at this time of the day with merchants closing up their shops and stands. No one thought much of it– it was a lively street after all, anyone could assume her guardian would be close by. But straying a bit too far, just close enough to the wall and it's gate to the upper class sector, a marine shot her before she could so much as consider turning around to find her way home. Hell broke loose. Muskets are loud, the entire street heard it, most saw it happen, or at least saw the aftermath– a girl, a six year old girl incapable of hurting anyone or anything, laying in the middle of main street in a pool of her own blood. Her mother wasn't more than a half a mile away. No one really knows who threw the first punch, or swung the first blade, but Nourítíaní had reached a breaking point with that one little girl as the catalyst. The spark to light the barrels and barrels of gunpowder that had accumulated.
The Aspída Lodge was a pivotal figure in the massacre that followed and carried on, worsening and going quiet on and off, hostile and dangerous for ten whole years. The Lodge was the only faction in the city, with the exception of some leftovers from ships and a few local smiths, with significant arms and means of protection, making them essential to anyone's survival. The marines were not supposed to hold back, according to orders from the top, and from what was insinuated and what it looked like, another extermination seemed eminent. Nourítíaní had caused too many problems in the eyes of the nobility, and thus the scale between the beneficial cheap labor, tax, and trade of the lower class with the demonstration, the uproar and the noncompliance with noble rule became too weighted in the latter. They had no quarrels with eliminating the entire lower city– a good 90% of the city's population at least– as a factor all together. Knowing they didn't have military power, knowing they were nearly all civilians without any say in the matter, and given no time to flee or relocate, the royal marines, rather than storming the place from the wall, started with the naval bombardment first and foremost, blocking off trade, blocking off resources, and worst of all blocking out the primary means of escape.
Unexpectedly by the marines and nobility, they weren't completely wiped out. In fact, especially in secret their numbers were far higher than predicted for an attempted annihilation of the demographic. A percentile was wiped out, but not enough to halt the effort completely. Hope wasn't very high in the realm of defeating or defending forever. Most hoped for a successful plan to flee. With no solid leaders, no outstanding structure to the mass of mercenaries known as the Aspída Lodge and civilians alike morale was low. That is until a young, seemingly god-sent Hydra became a player. It didn't take long for the young woman calling herself by the simple mononym "Hydra" to completely take control– she happened to appear during one of the more hostile periods and brought herself immediate attention for her lethality in battle, along with her companions, some of which bringing to the table fighting styles and magic never seen before by most locals, and definitely unexpected by the royal marines.
That all changed yet again when a particularly successful day came to a close. Many had returned to their residences and an effort to rebuild was blossoming within the protected area. Though, as most slept and others planned for the days ahead, disaster struck. In a spontaneous bombardment a great fire consumed buildings and ships along the bay– the royal marines had launched a full scale assault in the dead of night with cannons and flaming projectiles from their battleships. The Lodge and the rest of the city could deal with up-front fighting decently well at this point, but the fire was a whole different beast. The rest of the night was spent not retaliating, but simply trying to put out the fires before they could spread to the rest of the city or hurt anyone. And once that was taken care of it was inevitable that a massive clean-up operation would have to take place in order to regain what they'd lost.
Hydra was absolutely furious. As soon as dawn broke and the major parts of the fire were put out, she stormed her way through to the upper class sector as if it was easy, those who got in her way would be cut down, those who were smart stayed out of her way in fear. Her three loyal, but somewhat panicked over this sudden bold choice, companions followed behind as backup and, frankly, to make sure she wouldn't do anything irrational. Those hopes were shattered as she kicked down the doors to the Duke De'Angelo Sarafina's office chamber and stuck a blade to his throat, demanding he stop the tirade or watch her eliminate every troop he has until there's nothing left. Terrified, but holding onto stubborn dignity, Sarafina agreed– but under certain conditions. He laid out what was essentially an armistice. She stop attacking the troops or the upper class and have her people stay in their designated location, and he would call off all his forces from the area. Damien, a companion, standing by the door with the other two, spoke out in question of that agreement rhetorically, "doesn't that include law enforcement and emergency aide?" and of course, he was correct. Hydra was not happy with this, considering it an extremely low blow to simply not provide anything to the civilians who's homes and businesses he'd just burned down, and, well, the law enforcement wasn't really doing anything to begin with, but it was still unheard of– if a serial killer went loose that could threaten both sectors, or a major robbery occurred in a bank owned by nobility in the upper sector, there would be nothing to counter it at all, even in ordeals which threatened themselves. Somewhat of a subtle scorched earth policy.
She signed. After speaking with her companions for a minute, weighing out the options or what she could bargain for she did, in the end, sign. She did, however, ask for one more detail in the armistice– that the Aspída Lodge be decriminalized. Not that it was previously actually a crime syndicate or terrorist group, but the Nourítíaní government considered them as such. He thought about it briefly, then agreed. What the thought process would come to be around that agreement would be the concept that, in keeping the Aspída Lodge around in the lower sector as a paramilitary police force of sorts, especially under the new, efficient rule of Hydra, they would deal with any threats coming from the sea or from within the city itself before they could even get to the wall. It was a hypothetical protection for the upper class as well, and without paying a dime for it nor expressing solidarity with the lower level. An extremely sleazy move, they'd come to realize, but with the carnage and the years and years of fighting, some dignity had to slide in order for it to finally end.
Nourítíaní has been rebuilt and cleaned up since the massacres, despite political tensions still being extreme and certain issues still lingering or coming back into the forefront. The Lodge never truly settled with the government and it is well known that Hydra still resents the state of the nation as a whole and, rather than simply centered on Nourítíaní, takes issue with the noble government as a whole, given their apathy, support of extremist behavior and groups such as the Katharistís, and negligence. The lower city is far better off than it was pre-Hydra, given the holes where government funding and protection should be are filled in by the Aspída Lodge. The Lodge's expansion and coming to power brought somewhat of an economic boom after the city's initial reconstruction, as the Lodge provided substancial pay to those who joined and dedicated and brought trade, resources, and necessary organized institutions (hospital services, homeless/rehabilitation shelters and resources such as soup kitchens and drives, foster homes/adoption centers, and various schools) either run or funded by themselves. This did not eliminate Nourítíaní's issues, as the government still holds political control over the area, technically speaking, and as such still takes its share of taxes and is quick to shut down practices it sees as "fraudulent" or "a threat to security".
The city is the biggest trade port and hub for services and international imports and exports in Kankou, the biggest trades and services being primarily merchant shipping, nautical goods and services as a whole, export of Kankoan produce/agricultural goods (especially produce considered tropical or "exotic" by foreign nations such as Luquoia and the Ybeli Empire, mercenary services, fish/fishing goods, and so on). It is also the largest city and state in the country by population despite not being the nation capitol (Limani Ano), the noble court capitol (Kípoli), or the military capitol (Paradísio).
Before the city was as drastically segregated as it would come to be, it was surprisingly quite integrated. Along with Sequoie and a few other middle-ground locations, the area was settled far before the coming of the colonists, and already had a decent population of which was relatively mixed. The Kreolé ethnicity is an older one than the Colonial Kankoan influence, though in the current day colonial blood is mixed into the Kreolé melting pot as well, pioneers, refugees, and immigrants of other surrounding areas coming to the area over time. Instead of conquering or isolating, these small groups came with no ill-intent and were welcomed into many native settlements and communities as the native culture is one fond of storytelling and taking the new skills, trades, and information that they could get to integrate them into their own traditions, knowledge, and trades and better them.
The mixed Kreolé race is called what it is due to there being no singular absolute bloodline presented above the others– many are unsure themselves how much of any one race is in their blood. However, in general. the race is mostly mixed between human and tiefling, as well as the relatively common incidence of elven blood, including that of less prominent elven representation such as sea elves and drow, and can present with other occasional traits of tritons, halflings, dragonborn, and even old ancestral lineage from satyrs, centaurs, and minotaurs. The Lodge in the early days was founded by and for Native Kankoan– the tieflings being killed off that needed to fight back to live– however the numbers they gained over time were in large part Kreolé members from their home city, urbanites and townsfolk with their fair share of tiefling blood, but also as people with more privilege to use to the cause's advantage due to many looking far more human or elven, thus not being seen as the enemy by the colonists. In solidarity with the natives, much of the Kreolé community not only joined but helped in gaining the grounds for the natives to exist in the city, acting as a sort-of buffer before the colonists could infiltrate the city, take it over in-full, or completely gentrify it. To this day Nourítíaní continues to be mostly Kreolé in it's numbers, with a higher population of tieflings than most other cities, all due to this effort and how strongly it has been defended over time. The city is still under Kankoan rule and subject to the government and the marines' laws and regulations, however those laws are not often totally enforced and the city has never let down it's persistence in showing disdain for the unjust– over the entire span of Kankoan rule thus far the city is known to hold boycotts, to stop trade to nobility, and to demonstrate through protest and eventually what would become riots over time with the increased brutality of the royal marines' treatment of lower class locals.
Nourítíaní Massacres | Sfagí sto Nourítíaní
In 1481 things took an unexpected turn. Nourítíaní, as well as a number of other cities such as Limani Ano, Port'a Dell'oasi and Aivolos, had a growing problem with unwarranted military brutality. The lines between the Katharistís and the Royal Marines were becoming blurry with the amount of random arrests, beatings, and killings happening without any reason other than prejudice and a sense of darwinist superiority. Tensions were rising consistently as the violence against the lower class did, and one evening everything snapped in a few seconds flat. A little girl, only six years old, had wandered from her home near the wall between the two classes in Nourítíaní, on a main street, relatively populated at this time of the day with merchants closing up their shops and stands. No one thought much of it– it was a lively street after all, anyone could assume her guardian would be close by. But straying a bit too far, just close enough to the wall and it's gate to the upper class sector, a marine shot her before she could so much as consider turning around to find her way home. Hell broke loose. Muskets are loud, the entire street heard it, most saw it happen, or at least saw the aftermath– a girl, a six year old girl incapable of hurting anyone or anything, laying in the middle of main street in a pool of her own blood. Her mother wasn't more than a half a mile away. No one really knows who threw the first punch, or swung the first blade, but Nourítíaní had reached a breaking point with that one little girl as the catalyst. The spark to light the barrels and barrels of gunpowder that had accumulated.
The Aspída Lodge was a pivotal figure in the massacre that followed and carried on, worsening and going quiet on and off, hostile and dangerous for ten whole years. The Lodge was the only faction in the city, with the exception of some leftovers from ships and a few local smiths, with significant arms and means of protection, making them essential to anyone's survival. The marines were not supposed to hold back, according to orders from the top, and from what was insinuated and what it looked like, another extermination seemed eminent. Nourítíaní had caused too many problems in the eyes of the nobility, and thus the scale between the beneficial cheap labor, tax, and trade of the lower class with the demonstration, the uproar and the noncompliance with noble rule became too weighted in the latter. They had no quarrels with eliminating the entire lower city– a good 90% of the city's population at least– as a factor all together. Knowing they didn't have military power, knowing they were nearly all civilians without any say in the matter, and given no time to flee or relocate, the royal marines, rather than storming the place from the wall, started with the naval bombardment first and foremost, blocking off trade, blocking off resources, and worst of all blocking out the primary means of escape.
Unexpectedly by the marines and nobility, they weren't completely wiped out. In fact, especially in secret their numbers were far higher than predicted for an attempted annihilation of the demographic. A percentile was wiped out, but not enough to halt the effort completely. Hope wasn't very high in the realm of defeating or defending forever. Most hoped for a successful plan to flee. With no solid leaders, no outstanding structure to the mass of mercenaries known as the Aspída Lodge and civilians alike morale was low. That is until a young, seemingly god-sent Hydra became a player. It didn't take long for the young woman calling herself by the simple mononym "Hydra" to completely take control– she happened to appear during one of the more hostile periods and brought herself immediate attention for her lethality in battle, along with her companions, some of which bringing to the table fighting styles and magic never seen before by most locals, and definitely unexpected by the royal marines.
The Nourítíaní Bay Fire of 1491 | Armistice of Greater Nourítíaní "TALSEI"
That all changed yet again when a particularly successful day came to a close. Many had returned to their residences and an effort to rebuild was blossoming within the protected area. Though, as most slept and others planned for the days ahead, disaster struck. In a spontaneous bombardment a great fire consumed buildings and ships along the bay– the royal marines had launched a full scale assault in the dead of night with cannons and flaming projectiles from their battleships. The Lodge and the rest of the city could deal with up-front fighting decently well at this point, but the fire was a whole different beast. The rest of the night was spent not retaliating, but simply trying to put out the fires before they could spread to the rest of the city or hurt anyone. And once that was taken care of it was inevitable that a massive clean-up operation would have to take place in order to regain what they'd lost.
Hydra was absolutely furious. As soon as dawn broke and the major parts of the fire were put out, she stormed her way through to the upper class sector as if it was easy, those who got in her way would be cut down, those who were smart stayed out of her way in fear. Her three loyal, but somewhat panicked over this sudden bold choice, companions followed behind as backup and, frankly, to make sure she wouldn't do anything irrational. Those hopes were shattered as she kicked down the doors to the Duke De'Angelo Sarafina's office chamber and stuck a blade to his throat, demanding he stop the tirade or watch her eliminate every troop he has until there's nothing left. Terrified, but holding onto stubborn dignity, Sarafina agreed– but under certain conditions. He laid out what was essentially an armistice. She stop attacking the troops or the upper class and have her people stay in their designated location, and he would call off all his forces from the area. Damien, a companion, standing by the door with the other two, spoke out in question of that agreement rhetorically, "doesn't that include law enforcement and emergency aide?" and of course, he was correct. Hydra was not happy with this, considering it an extremely low blow to simply not provide anything to the civilians who's homes and businesses he'd just burned down, and, well, the law enforcement wasn't really doing anything to begin with, but it was still unheard of– if a serial killer went loose that could threaten both sectors, or a major robbery occurred in a bank owned by nobility in the upper sector, there would be nothing to counter it at all, even in ordeals which threatened themselves. Somewhat of a subtle scorched earth policy.
She signed. After speaking with her companions for a minute, weighing out the options or what she could bargain for she did, in the end, sign. She did, however, ask for one more detail in the armistice– that the Aspída Lodge be decriminalized. Not that it was previously actually a crime syndicate or terrorist group, but the Nourítíaní government considered them as such. He thought about it briefly, then agreed. What the thought process would come to be around that agreement would be the concept that, in keeping the Aspída Lodge around in the lower sector as a paramilitary police force of sorts, especially under the new, efficient rule of Hydra, they would deal with any threats coming from the sea or from within the city itself before they could even get to the wall. It was a hypothetical protection for the upper class as well, and without paying a dime for it nor expressing solidarity with the lower level. An extremely sleazy move, they'd come to realize, but with the carnage and the years and years of fighting, some dignity had to slide in order for it to finally end.
Nourítíaní has been rebuilt and cleaned up since the massacres, despite political tensions still being extreme and certain issues still lingering or coming back into the forefront. The Lodge never truly settled with the government and it is well known that Hydra still resents the state of the nation as a whole and, rather than simply centered on Nourítíaní, takes issue with the noble government as a whole, given their apathy, support of extremist behavior and groups such as the Katharistís, and negligence. The lower city is far better off than it was pre-Hydra, given the holes where government funding and protection should be are filled in by the Aspída Lodge. The Lodge's expansion and coming to power brought somewhat of an economic boom after the city's initial reconstruction, as the Lodge provided substancial pay to those who joined and dedicated and brought trade, resources, and necessary organized institutions (hospital services, homeless/rehabilitation shelters and resources such as soup kitchens and drives, foster homes/adoption centers, and various schools) either run or funded by themselves. This did not eliminate Nourítíaní's issues, as the government still holds political control over the area, technically speaking, and as such still takes its share of taxes and is quick to shut down practices it sees as "fraudulent" or "a threat to security".
The city is the biggest trade port and hub for services and international imports and exports in Kankou, the biggest trades and services being primarily merchant shipping, nautical goods and services as a whole, export of Kankoan produce/agricultural goods (especially produce considered tropical or "exotic" by foreign nations such as Luquoia and the Ybeli Empire, mercenary services, fish/fishing goods, and so on). It is also the largest city and state in the country by population despite not being the nation capitol (Limani Ano), the noble court capitol (Kípoli), or the military capitol (Paradísio).
Demographics
Lower Nourítíaní
| Ethnic/Racial Demographic | Prevalence Ranking (Most to Least Common) |
|---|---|
| Kreolé (various mixed races, most commonly mechanically considered variant human or variant tiefling) | 1* Majority |
| Native Kankoan (tiefling) | 2 |
| Human (mixed origin, Colonial Kankoan, Ybeli, Luquoian, Elmsbraean)
|
3 |
| Half-Elf (mixed origin, Ybeli, Luquoian, Elmsbraean) | 4 |
| Drow (primarily Duul'so) | 5 |
| Moon Elf (primarily Ybeli) | 6 |
| Sea Elf (primarily Kankoan from off the west coast but occasionally Ybeli) | 7 |
| Halfling (primarily long-time immigrants dwelling in and around the Kankoan state of Eliones with origins in as nomads or from Elmsbrae or Iris Creek) | 8 |
| High Elf / Wood Elf (primarily Colonial Kankoan, Elmsbraean, Luquoian, or Ybeli) | 9 |
Government
The territory is technically controlled and owned by the Sovereign State of Kankou, headed by the Duke of Nourítíaní, Duke De'Angelo Sarafina, but the government benefits and structure are only for the most part existent within Upper Nourítíaní (otherwise known as Noble/Colonial Nourítíaní, Anóteros Nourítíaní, or the slang term used by those in the lower region, "Anótíaní"). Most law enforcement, structure, and other resources for city functionality and betterment in Lower Nourítíaní (otherwise known as Chamilós Nourítíaní or the local slang, "Chamilaní") is run, enforced, and funded by the Aspída Lodge as a sort-of para-government.
Defences
Chamilaní (Lower Nourítíaní) is primarily defended by the Aspída Lodge. Anótíaní is primarily defended by the Kankoan Royal Marines. Because of Nourítíaní's divide making it so that most of the coastline/major hubs are within bounds of Chamilaní, foriegn threats are almost always dealt with by the Aspída Lodge, conviniently leaving the Marines with less work. Anótaní mainly only deals with internal "threats" such as breaking segregation laws or protest/demonstration by those from Chamilaní.
The divide of Nourítíaní is a wall that is not particularly tall, but is highly monitored by arcane wards and alarm systems, making it so that in order to enter the region one must present a means of identification and/or pardon, invite, or proof of business of some kind in order to enter through the Royal Marine-guarded gates. During the day (most days; when riots, protests, or other events as such occur then the These gates are armed with alarms/defenses when night falls and the system functions so that only citizens of the Upper Nourítíaní area may enter, using an identification card to pass through the gates without alarm, which must be done in under thirty seconds after verification– comparable to a modern day gated community, but with a greater, more militant emphasis on security.
The identification cards citizens own count as common magic items for the reason of their functionality as the key/trigger for a uniquely developed spell. These cards are an example of a key/trigger for the spell specifically, and are generally referred to as "passkeys". he card holds the user's true name amongst other information, and the true name on the card must match with an officially registered* citizen and must also match the user presenting the card's true name in order to gain entry. Though it is primarily a secret from the public how exactly this spell is casted and with what exact components, there is unspoken knowledge within the upper walls that that the process derives from a kind of fey process or ritual, especially prevalent in the usage of true names.
The spell is called Superior True Registry– the name of the spell when casted at 7th level or higher (7th level: up to 1 square mile of area, 8th level: up to 10sq miles of area, 9th level: up to 50sq miles of area), where as when it is casted at 6th level (up to 100sq feet of area, duration 6 hours or until dispelled/broken within that time) it is simply called True Registry. Each citizen with an identification card applies by giving at least a drop of blood (one essential component of the spell) which is then delivered to central defense for "processing", in which, each sample of blood is applied to a "Register" which is, in actuality, a heavily guarded large crystalline board made from a slab of pure malachite. This board is organized, each smudge of blood with a name written below it. Due to the majority of the area being nobility or of noble descent, the board is organized alphabetically by family name rather than each individual name (for example, finding someone with the name Callista René Florencía would be done by finding the Florencía family section under "F" and finding the name within that grouping.) The Register is, in technicality, one of the components of the spell– five malachite stones are placed around the premises of a structure, wall, or barrier, equally spaced out. Blood samples from each creature to be allowed within the bounds of the structure, wall, or barrier must be smudged/marked upon one of the stones, along with the true name of each individual written or said aloud at the same time as placing their blood, thus correlating the two. The creatures added to the Register are allowed entry through the barrier.
Alternate versions of this spell, such as the one being used here, can have "keys" or triggers for entry in which up to three (known) restrictions can be made. In this case, the identification card held by the individual must match their true name and blood tied to the register. This is for increased security, but also for certain allowances or restrictions– in this case, if an identification card denotes certain individuals as "court", which applies to such positions as duke, admiral, general, or viscount, then they are allowed to bring as many individuals as wanted through the barrier regardless of registry so long as the cardholder states the number of individuals before entering (this is meant to make sure no others can be let in without consent by slipping in with a crowd).
This spell lasts until dispelled or until the malachite stones are destroyed or otherwise forcibly removed, or until the barrier, structure, or wall is broken through completely, thus breaking the boundary. In Upper Nourítíaní, the spellcaster is the head Magi of the court, thus they are the only one capable of dispelling directly. People who have died or been evicted from the region have their blood cleaned off the Register– if an evicted person still holds a card, it is then defunct and does not work due to no longer being connected to the Register.
Some who visit the city are curious as to why the wall isn't very high or imposing and is relatively nonchalantly guarded. Locals know that the arcane boundary is the reason.
The divide of Nourítíaní is a wall that is not particularly tall, but is highly monitored by arcane wards and alarm systems, making it so that in order to enter the region one must present a means of identification and/or pardon, invite, or proof of business of some kind in order to enter through the Royal Marine-guarded gates. During the day (most days; when riots, protests, or other events as such occur then the These gates are armed with alarms/defenses when night falls and the system functions so that only citizens of the Upper Nourítíaní area may enter, using an identification card to pass through the gates without alarm, which must be done in under thirty seconds after verification– comparable to a modern day gated community, but with a greater, more militant emphasis on security.
The identification cards citizens own count as common magic items for the reason of their functionality as the key/trigger for a uniquely developed spell. These cards are an example of a key/trigger for the spell specifically, and are generally referred to as "passkeys". he card holds the user's true name amongst other information, and the true name on the card must match with an officially registered* citizen and must also match the user presenting the card's true name in order to gain entry. Though it is primarily a secret from the public how exactly this spell is casted and with what exact components, there is unspoken knowledge within the upper walls that that the process derives from a kind of fey process or ritual, especially prevalent in the usage of true names.
The spell is called Superior True Registry– the name of the spell when casted at 7th level or higher (7th level: up to 1 square mile of area, 8th level: up to 10sq miles of area, 9th level: up to 50sq miles of area), where as when it is casted at 6th level (up to 100sq feet of area, duration 6 hours or until dispelled/broken within that time) it is simply called True Registry. Each citizen with an identification card applies by giving at least a drop of blood (one essential component of the spell) which is then delivered to central defense for "processing", in which, each sample of blood is applied to a "Register" which is, in actuality, a heavily guarded large crystalline board made from a slab of pure malachite. This board is organized, each smudge of blood with a name written below it. Due to the majority of the area being nobility or of noble descent, the board is organized alphabetically by family name rather than each individual name (for example, finding someone with the name Callista René Florencía would be done by finding the Florencía family section under "F" and finding the name within that grouping.) The Register is, in technicality, one of the components of the spell– five malachite stones are placed around the premises of a structure, wall, or barrier, equally spaced out. Blood samples from each creature to be allowed within the bounds of the structure, wall, or barrier must be smudged/marked upon one of the stones, along with the true name of each individual written or said aloud at the same time as placing their blood, thus correlating the two. The creatures added to the Register are allowed entry through the barrier.
Alternate versions of this spell, such as the one being used here, can have "keys" or triggers for entry in which up to three (known) restrictions can be made. In this case, the identification card held by the individual must match their true name and blood tied to the register. This is for increased security, but also for certain allowances or restrictions– in this case, if an identification card denotes certain individuals as "court", which applies to such positions as duke, admiral, general, or viscount, then they are allowed to bring as many individuals as wanted through the barrier regardless of registry so long as the cardholder states the number of individuals before entering (this is meant to make sure no others can be let in without consent by slipping in with a crowd).
This spell lasts until dispelled or until the malachite stones are destroyed or otherwise forcibly removed, or until the barrier, structure, or wall is broken through completely, thus breaking the boundary. In Upper Nourítíaní, the spellcaster is the head Magi of the court, thus they are the only one capable of dispelling directly. People who have died or been evicted from the region have their blood cleaned off the Register– if an evicted person still holds a card, it is then defunct and does not work due to no longer being connected to the Register.
Some who visit the city are curious as to why the wall isn't very high or imposing and is relatively nonchalantly guarded. Locals know that the arcane boundary is the reason.
Founding Date
Unknown, estimated between 0-100AE
Alternative Name(s)
Greater Nourítíaní
Type
Large city
Population
between 200,000-146,000 (c.1498)
Inhabitant Demonym
Nourítíanite
Owning Organization
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