The First Ring

[magicademymods]

The First Ring The Magic District Unsurprisingly, the district nearest the Gates of Diatu Magicademy is the district most concerned with magic for magic’s sake. Wizardry is on display here more than anywhere else, with magic signs that move or change colors to attract the eye, restaurants that cook with everburning flames, even houses that have doors on their upper floor for people to fly in and out of. The district’s residences are inhabited by staff and faculty who choose not to dwell on campus; visiting wizards, diplomats, and guests of note; and even some students, most commonly in the case of marriage. The shops and stores trade heavily in magic items and paraphernalia, offering Forged goods, books of knowledge and tomes of history, and various things all useful in a wizard’s life. The Thousand Factors Restricted A small and unassuming shop tucked away down a small side street, The Thousand Factors is one of the most well-known and influential stores in all of wizardom. It deals, after all, in Factors -- enchanted wands, ensorceled staves, perfected instruments, chalk made with special powder, and so on. The current proprietor, Linser Archimedon, upholds the values of the shop that have been passed from owner to owner over the centuries, maintaining its reputation and its promises. An item you purchase from The Thousand Factors will do what it says it does, no more, no less. While Diatu Magicademy does not explicitly prohibit students from going to the shop, Archimedon does not brook with people entering with no intent to buy. Students who wander in ‘just looking’ are reported back to the faculty, who then hand out punishments for misbehavior while in town. Given the high prices of the shop, that puts the inside and its mysteries forever out of the reach of most. Gloves At The Table A restaurant that promises a magical experience, Gloves At The Table has a unique premise: your food is not served to you cooked on a plate, but laid raw on your table, a metal slab enchanted to cook food and only food. Meat and vegetables grill to your taste right in front of you, with sauces and drinks served in cups and glasses that absorb no heat at all. The restaurant’s name comes from a style affection that is also a safety measure: gloved hands can rest on the table quite safely as well. The restaurant is generally considered to be of average quality and above-average price, but nonetheless is constantly full of people seeking the novelty of the experience, or the closest restaurant to the Gates. It is a popular place for students to work a few shifts; the pay is all right and the service simple, and the restaurant trusts budding wizards enough to accept them without much fuss at all. The Mytho-Crypto-Archaeo-Zoology Foundation With all the strange things in the Tenscore Kingdom, someone had to decide to study them at some point. Little surprise that happened in Anastara, where the MCAZ headquarters host the organization they tries to do this. The large, squat building looks unimpressive from outside, but inside is half hunting lodge and half magical laboratory. Most people who work here are not wizards, but enough are that their magic provides valuable insight into the studies undertaken. Rumored Locations The Magical Black Market Guildilorn’s Forging ?????????????????? Residential Districts One residential district sits adjacent to the Magic District, the other on the far side of the Temple District, but little enough distinguishes the two. The First Ring districts are for the wealthy and powerful, as evinced by how much space some of the mansions and manors have on this crowded island. Some manors are occupied only a few days of the years, others only on the rare occasions the wealthy noble in question might have business on the island, but groundskeepers maintain flawless lawns and gardens and housekeepers keep the insides spotless. No shabbiness allowed! Whicker Dane Retirement Estate Sometimes, rich old people do not want to huddle up in their manors while their families patiently wait for them to die. Sometimes they want to spend their twilight years in the company of their fellows, enjoying the time left to them. Thus the Whicker Dane Retirement Estate, where a suitable sum gets you a suite in its sprawling four-story manor, and access to all the comforts and amenities within. The grounds offer plenty of opportunity to play ‘sports’ that involve minimal actual effort, the staff will bring food at any hour of the day, and old friends sit by the fire so you can swap stories of the war, the scandal you remember, or just pleasant memories. Students are welcome at Whicker Dane to take a shift running food, carrying things for the residents, cleaning, and so forth. The pay is nothing special, but some savvy students have learned that at least some of the residents are both learned and eager to show off. History, for example, can be a surprisingly easy class if you listen to the right people… The Ascelion Society Restricted The lofty name can’t hide that the ‘Society’ is nothing more than a club for the rich and powerful, where they can mingle in the shadow of Diatu Magicademy (which a number of members once attended, of course). The Society attempts to shroud itself in mystery, but common gossip reports that they simply have a lot of parties and entertainments, and common gossip is not very far off the mark. Students are not allowed on the grounds, and will be ejected as trespassers at the very least -- rumor has it that the Society is so close to the Magicademy and so secretive so as to make students wish to earn enough money to apply to it and taste the forbidden fruit. The Ice Creamatorium This graveyard-themed ice cream parlor offers daily specials like Cadaver Cream, Death and Burial While Your Family Mourns by Chocolate, Ghost Salt and Pepper, and S'morture. Splits are served in miniature coffins, sundaes in urns. Tip the employees and they administer last rites to you. The portions are generous, the prices low, and the quality off the charts, so the owners remain perpetually baffled that business isn't better. Rumored Locations Old Lookout Tower The Containment Pond ????????????????? Temple District Though the belief that any magic is by the direct will of the gods has long since faded from all but the most perversely stubborn Eaither wizards, religion has on the whole been on an upswing for decades. Very few people in all the Tenscore Kingdoms have no patron god to which they pray. Fortunately for the Sundered, wizards (and students) are known to be fairly irreverent lot, so atheism or agnosticism along them is tolerated with gentle pity rather than scorned or shunned altogether. So once a week much of the city files in to their temple of choice for services, and the whole city seems to lapse into a fitful doze for a morning. The Temple of Raida The largest and most magnificent temple in the city belongs to the greatest god in the heavens. Raida is the goddess who stands above all others, her mission one of simple and warm omnibenevolence. As such she is a very popular choice for worship, and not coincidentally, a very safe one who asks little of her followers… save perhaps a tithe, which takes us back to ‘largest and most magnificent’. The Temple of Raida is made of imported marble and granite, trimmed in gold and silver, and preserved with spells from skilled wizards so that the building looks as new as the day it was built. The inside is no less opulent, its rugs thick and its tapestries magnificent, with pews of expensive hardwood and altar arrangements flush with gems and precious metals. All are welcome, even worshippers of other gods (or none at all) who might need solace, sanctuary, or simple peace and quiet. Some students find the temple a surprisingly good place to study, the more so since the temple maintains its own library and allows all to use it. Of course, even the most cynical student might find themselves in here come the lead-up to exams. The Temple of the Anvil Dedicated to Oberison Gruvfe, god of crafters, the Temple of the Anvil would likely have little influence in Anastara if not for the magical art of Forging. But the city is so magical that it inspires faith both in those sincerely impressed by Forging and those whose livelihoods depend on such magics. Curiously, the Temple of the Anvil has virtually no magics within it -- in keeping with the teachings of Oberison, which hold that any material creation should not be kept for selfish gain, but used or sold, lest the creator stagnate. For the same reason, the Temple is humble and not in the least pretentious, coming off as solid and workmanlike. The priests of Oberison also tend to field practical questions as often as spiritual, and are well-renowned for being down-to-earth and sensible. This has not made them unpopular among students, whom the priests welcome even if they’re not of the faithful; craft and creation are prayers to Oberison whether or not the creator believes, and the priests also figure they’re much better off guiding budding wizards rather than letting them go astray. Machalabie The first and oldest temple on Ascelion, Machalabie is at the heart of the Temple District because the other temples grew up around it. A large block of stone crudely shaped into a keep, Machalabie speaks of an ancient time when temples doubled as fortresses. It is as much a historical legacy as it is a holy place, the more so because no one knows who it was initially dedicated to. Currently the priests of Kudras of the Night Sky have offered the strongest historical proof (or bribes) to stake their claim, but different gods have come in and out, lasting anywhere from ten to fifty years before being ousted. Consequently, Machalabie doesn’t feel much like a temple in the traditional sense, but within its quiet halls and cavernous rooms, it carries a feeling of peace and tranquility. Some have even described the difference as stepping into a whole other world, though wizards have sworn over the years that they’re mostly sure that’s probably not happening. Whatever the case, Machalabie is undoubtedly hallowed. The Dragon Cavern Dragons are nemeses of humanity, true, but they are also ancient, powerful, legendary, and apparently aren't all that bothered by being dead. Little surprise, then, that some misguided fools would come to worship them. A small shrine, barely a gazebo by any standards, mostly conceals a staircase down into the caverns below the island surface. Crude and unfurnished, this is more of a meeting place than a true temple, but nonetheless its use is increasing these days... Rumored Locations Machalabie Catacombs The Temple of the River Windrider’s Temple ?????????????????? Main Community  Network Community  OOC Community Premise  Rules  Game Guide and FAQ  Reserves  Applications  Taken Magic  The Six Houses  Diatu Magicademy  NPCs  Familiars Anastara    (First Ring    Second Ring    Third Ring) Adventures  Classes and Student Teaching Hiatus/Drop  Suggestions and Feedback