abus-emporium

[abus-emporium]

The empire of Ûrduinë

After coming up with Idhurin I wanted to find a reason why magic-users might be persecuted or banned in this world, giving some reason for their flight to the city. I pictured a great cataclysm caused by magic that would turn the world against it. So here's the story of the apocalypse:

In the olden days, three hundred years ago, the continent was green, lush, and prosperous, more populated, more connected as well. Great empires reigned over sweeping swathes of the continent. Magic was widespread in those times, mages formed an erudite class of savants, they were knowledgeable in the sciences, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, and, of course, the arcane. Magicians were also used in war, first mostly to help the soldiers, but later they would become soldiers themselves, and war-magic grew. It became more and more varied, and more and more powerful.

The war began like many others, two empires were supporting different sides in a conflict between minor kingdoms, except this time things didn't stay there. As the war dragged on other empires joined, more and more soldiers were invested, more and more deaths were counted, but the war didn't end. As a last ditch attempt one of the empires launched all of its magical arsenal in an ultimate assault. But it wasn't enough. The "ultimate assaults", the "last ditch attempts" kept coming, again, and again. The brutality and chaos of this struggle, and the sheer amount of magic used, were pulling on the arcanic weave. Mountains crashed into soldiers, lakes of flame cremated them on their feet, hurricanes and storms blew them away, carnage, apocalypse. And then, in an instant, only an instant, the battle ended, the weave had tore. The sands started flowing, the soldiers melting, meteors flying, the continent cracking. Thus was born the great desert, thus were born its inhabitants, thus was the face of the world forever altered.

In the aftermath, many empires and other realms fell, others managed to survive, although not unscathed. A witch-hunt began, mages everywhere started being blamed for the cataclysm, the practise of magic was banned. This elimination of the erudite class led way for the rise of the clergy as a replacement. They would save the libraries that had belonged to the mages so as to keep their knowledge. They would come to take roles that used to be filled by mages, especially the role of advising rulers, thus replacing an institution based on knowledge and ability by an institution based on faith.

The cataclysm, and the following societal reshaping, led to a new status quo, that of distant, separate, isolated realms grouped in regional bubbles often dominated by a single power.

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The cataclysm changed many things, destroyed some, created others. It destroyed fauna and flora, it destroyed many peoples' way of life, cultures and histories, it destroyed the old order. It created the desert, the chasm, the mountains, it created the creatures, the new order, and in a small part of the great desert, in the east, it created the springs. A constellation of scintillating water sources where the empire of Ûrdunië takes its roots. This myriad of oases flow into each other, forming great rivers interwoven with each other. These providencial waters create a small strip of hospitable land in the midst of the searing desert where the empire began.

It is said that the shimmering waters flowing out of the springs possess magical properties, giving the Ûrduinish their characteristic appearance. Their silver hair and cerulean eyes make them seem quite mystical, and their build, height, and strength make them formidable foes.

Ûrduinë grew and grew, until it could leave its native riverside and venture to the lands outside the desert. Their expansion was swift, these new lands were quickly integrated, new settlements established, and the population swelled. However subsequent expansions would be more difficult as surrounding lands were already controlled by other realms. Undeterred the empire marched on, some would submit and become vassals, those that did not would be conquered.

Ûrduinë is a very martial society, the army being in control of most internal and external affairs. The emperor, of course, emanates from this nigh absolute army as head general, members of the imperial family usually obtain high-command positions as well.

The emperor names governors for each province, they are often lieutenants or generals tasked with levying the population of their provinces to add to the standing army, in addition to administering the provinces.

The lands recently conquered do not have the same status as the provinces, as they are far more turbulent they are administered as recent conquests and under occupation, until the population is deemed pacified enough to warrant the rights given to fully-fledged provinces.

The main and most powerful Church of the region was formed after the cataclysm, in the communities that formed around the sources. After the rise of Ûrduinë this Church would supplant preexisting Churches as it was adopted as the official Church by the empire. With its dominance in the region Ûrduinë would also bring its Church to supremacy.

The Inquisition was started as a mix of popular vengeance, church doctrine, and imperial repression. After the cataclysm, the people blamed it on magic-users, the church used them as a scapegoat, pinning all evils on their back, and the imperial government decided to secure its position by eliminating the risk a magic-wielding share of the population posed.

#worldbuilding #map art #fantasy maps #map #magical #fantasy #fantasy art #art #worldmaker #world of Idhurin

[abus-emporium]

One day, I got this idea of a city founded in the middle of a mountain chain, on the shores of a lake, as a refuge for the world's wizards and other magicians, a haven of knowledge and study away from war, restriction and oppression. So I drew a lake, then the city around it, then I sprinkled some interesting locations, then I remade it in Inkscape, and voilà.

Here's a list of the points of interest, and a bit of lore to go with them:

• the spires:

the council's spire is where the city's governing body meets

the oracle's spire is where the oracle resides, trains their successor, and can be asked to tell the future

the veiling spire is, arguably, the most important of the three, it generates the veil. The veil has two roles: to ensure the city's safety (acting as a barrier that stops people getting in), and to maintain the reliability of magic within the city. Saying that magic is reliable means three things: that it is powerful (you can do almost anything you want with it), that it is stable (the veil cancels out any irregularities), and that it is certain (the veil ensures that magic is spread evenly throughout the city, and acts as a sort of magic battery to tap into if need be)

• the academies: There are three of them in the city, they each offer their own specialized curricula in addition to a common, more general, syllabus. These institutions are where the next generations are educated in the arcane arts, so that they may perpetuate its mastery.

• the great library: Possibly the largest library in the world. Over the years it has gathered an immense amount of knowledge on virtually all topics. If you want some information about anything, start there.

• the guilds: The guilds are unions of merchants and craftspeople who congregate to discuss their trades, prices, practices to encourage or discourage. They also act as specialised institutes to learn specific crafts. They are the center of production and innovation of magical objects.

• Aisling's pantheon: When caretaker Aisling arrived in the city she was dismayed to see that there was no place of worship for the religious to gather in. So she decided to found the pantheon, so that everyone could have a place for their religion.

• the portal: As the city is hard to access, due to both the mountains and the veil, everyone use the portal to come into the city. The portal plaza is heavily surveilled, and before being allowed to leave the plaza one is questioned and searched.

• the grand antiquary: A museum and repository of artifacts, magical and mundane, powerful and ceremonial, both new and old, they are stored there when they are not being actively used or studied.

• the justiciar institute: Justiciars, who help dispense justice, are taught and trained here, they need to master eloquence and investigation so as to be able to plead both defense and accusation during trial. The justiciars are wholly separate from the city garrison.

• the high court: Where justice is conducted, a tribunal of three judges examines all cases. There Justiciars serve as advocates for the accused as well as accusers, on behalf of the city or of a citizen.

• Ariel's hospice: A place for recovery and treatment for all matters of injuries, diseases, ailments, or disorders. More than the center of health for the city, it is also the place where health professionals study and train.

• the granary: Where most, if not all, food is stored and produced. Often magically conjured or duplicated the abundant supply allows the granary to hand out both fresh produce and cooked meals. They also care for the blue forest.

• Stolas' botanical gardens: Full of exotic, magical, and all around interesting plants, this is the place for herbology, botany, and apothecary. They help the granary care for the blue forest.

• the blue forest: Nested in the heart of the city, the blue forest is a link to the feywild. Many feyfolk live there, it is a place of leisure, study, practice of magic, and it serves as a large public garden for all sorts of magical and mundane plants. Some say that the forest was a gift from the first fey inhabitants of the city, a permanent bit of the feywild in our world.

• Astaroth observatory: Situated at the summit of White Peak, the observatory is the best place to conduct astronomy. Thanks to its elevation and remoteness from the lights of the city below, it offers an unprennable view on both the city and the stars.

• Siobhan Fountain: Created by sorceress Siobhan at the founding of the city, it is imbued by powerful magic. Drop something valuable in and maybe, just maybe, you'll be granted a boon.

#worldbuilding #fantasy #fantasy art #art #magical #map #city map #map art #fantasy maps #worldmaker #world of Idhurin