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City Locales
DweomerdeepHome to a retired adventuring company of warrior-mages. The fighters of the city are trained here, learning to use their minor magics in conjunction with their skill at arms. The elite warriors earn the title of Golden Blade, and are given the enchanted swords that gave the company its name.
The warriors of Terrail are a bit overshadowed by the full mages, but the fighters do outnumber them. The master fighters are known as the Circle of Blades. Remember that each is a fighter-mage, so they make up for slightly less skilled swordsmanship (level spent on wizard) for a bit of Art to back themselves up.
The somewhat presumptuous title belong'\s to Terrail's only prison. It is located on the east side of the Hall of Golden Blades, a large square granite building surrounded by smooth columns, giving it a cage-like appearance. This look has inspired most folk to refer to it as simply the Cage. Within its thick walls are held the law-breakers of the island, many of whom could not be contained by an ordinary guardhouse. To counteract the magical abilities of many of the convicts, numerous unusual means are used. Among these are continuous antimagic field effects, cells which exist in a demiplane of their own, chains of spellbinding (see below), and the more mundane methods of both gagging and immobilizing the hands of the prisoners. The jail is run by the Golden Blades, with heavy assistance from the Tower mages to maintain the enchantments.
Clerics of the god and goddess of magic are given equal respect in Terrail. The leadership of the church alternates yearly between the highest-ranking priests of the two faiths. Healing is given to all citizens free of charge, though guests and visitors must pay. The clergy also provides free healing to the surrounding communities several times a year by the lower-ranking clerics. The priests are the alchemists of the city, and brew many strange and potent potions, as well as crafting magical items. The temple is funded by the city itself, allowing the priests to apply their energy to helping the people of Terrail, rather than worrying about money. Surprisingly, the clerics of the city actually devote their time into helping, though they are also deeply involved in magical research and development. They do have income from the healing they perform and the potions and magical items they sell, which augments their official salary, and lets them purchase the costly components their creations require. When Terrail was founded, a delegation of Waterdhavian priests of Mystra and Azuth approached Leyrin Runestaff. They asked to build a temple in the city, and their request was granted almost immediately, with one condition. The Archmage requested that the clerics, in exchange for the city funding the temple's necessities, would provide all citizens with free healing. The clergy accepted, and moved in quickly. They selected the eastern portion of the city, and consecrated the grounds. With their own magic and that of the Builders (the mages who constructed the basic structure of Terrail ), they formed a temple of white marble. It was imbued with powerful defenses against divination and intrusion, but remained open to worshippers of all neutral and good deities. Assisting the defense of the church is a unique sort of watchghost known as Aethyries. They were among the most powerful and devout clerics of the two gods, and in death offered to serve their master further. Most of the time, they are in a dormant state, dwelling with Mystra or Azuth in their godly realm, but if an evil entity or object of sufficient power enters the holy grounds, they are awakened. They can cast spells as they did in life, as well as being able to resist most forms of attack and slay with a touch, and will manifest and aid the clerics of the temple with all their powers. There are currently three Aethyries; Ferith Arged, a former High Priest, servant of Mystra; Lystra of Shadowdale, a powerful priestess of Azuth; and Gredeon Synrad, a deeply spiritual elven Mystran cleric.
This is the central office of commerce in the city. All shops are run by its members, but basic training is done in the House itself. The Masters of the Crafts work and reside here, and their services bring in huge sums of money. The vast majority of the city's citizens are craftsmen, blending spells with skill for anything from construction to cooking to music to running an inn. Shopkeepers are given a great degree of independence, and their businesses are their own except for a tithe to the House. The House gives several presentations a year, in which the greatest works of craftsmanship are displayed to a select group of connoisseurs. For any other purchasing of their talents, a buyer must approach the Master himself and bargain with him.
This is the seat of the greatest magic in the city. The Great Library is located at street level, and all of the children of Terrail are taught reading, writing, mathematics, history, and, of course, magic. To graduate, and thus reach adulthood, a person must be at least sixteen years old, and able to work some kind of wizardly spell. Once these prerequisites are met, and the individual is proven to not be of a truly evil nature, citizenship is granted, and he or she must choose to join the Temple, Tower, House, or Hall. Anyone who meets these standards can become a citizen; in this way Terrail is both extremely exclusive-no evil or non-mage citizens-and inclusive-any mage who isn't evil. Even the term mage is used loosely, as sorcerers and bards are accepted. Citizens who decide to pursue the study of magic are taught and live in the Tower. They learn a certain list of spells considered necessary, and become full mages after they become able to work a spell of equal power to a fly spell, and craft a unique magical item. The wizards collaborate with all other groups in the city, complementing the Blades' swords with battle magic, the craftsmen's skills with enhancing enchantments, and the clerics' spells with their own. It is their magic that strengthens the walls, empowers the Orbs, and controls the weather of the region. The goal of the mages of Terrail is to create new magic. A copy of every unique spell and item is kept in the Tower Library or the Vault. The collection is enormous, ranging from minor but inventive cantrips to devices of almost artifact-level power.
Magical supplies aren't cheap, and enormous sums of money are spent purchasing components, books, and even food and clothing for the city's wizards. To some, this may seem to provide the Tower mages with too much, but here's some of what they do to earn their keep.
1. Portals- Riversedge and his students craft portals for anyone who can pay, bringing in a large amount of gold.
2. Weather control- Vernale keeps the weather balanced, providing necessary sun and rain, and averting meteorological disasters.
3. Defense- The mages, primarily Anthalus and Vernale, maintain the wardmist. Additional defenses are built by Rean and his peers, and the Evil-Blocker is always active.
4. Construction- Obviously, wizards built the city. Any new structures are built largely through wizardry, and most deterioration is repaired by Art.
5. Disenchanting- any citizen can come to the Tower to have a malicious spell removes, curse lifted, etc.
6. Spells-for-hire- Money is brought in by selling spellcasting services.
7. Crafting- Buyers can order magical items for their market price (pretty much any item can be made)
One of the stranger structures of the city, this is actually an instant fortress. It was recovered by an adventuring company, Tilverton's Talon, from a goup of bandits who had been hounding travelers. The company snuck into the fortress, slew the bandits, and claimed it for themselves. It served the party as a camp during many adventures, an unassailable safehouse that could be carried along with them.
Today, the Talon is stationary, though it still serves as the group's headquarters. Most of the members are traveling at any given time, but their strongest mage, Kale Imerson, stays there. Quite old, the battle wizard has amassed an extensive collection of maps, legends, and adventuring journals (many of them the Talon's themselves) Kale makes a significant sum dealing with other adventurers, telling them of the sites of dragons' lairs, dark mages' towers, and so on; the stuff of heroic exploits. He advises them on the proper ways to battle the foes they might face, including the specific weapons and magic needed. Kale is a Tower mage, but is not much involved in its affairs. He is a friend of Byraun Harthen, and devotes a portion of his resources to searching for information on the Positive Energy Plane.
Not everyone who lives in Terrail is a citizen. An entire quarter of the city is set aside for guests. Guest status does not require a person to be a mage, but they cannot be evil. Guests include visiting wizards who do not wish to join the Tower's ranks, merchants who deal in magical merchandise, skilled craftsmen who do not work magic, but whose creations can be enchanted, and any diplomats sent to the city. Guests often travel to Terrail to search the Tower Library for new spells, though access is severely restricted by the Tower mages. All buildings in the Guest District are rented, not owned, though many guests have lived there for years. The House of Crafts controls the renting of these edifices, and keep records of who is currently living where. The structures in the Guest District vary greatly. Inns predominate, providing food and shelter to the many visitors who pass through daily. The area near the city wall is the most desirable, but most of it is claimed by the large, sprawling mansions of the wealthy merchants. They have unique styles, having been built with the aid of magic. Some of the truly affluent post guards, but even these are just a token force, not meant to repel any formidable threat. The city guards keep Terrail safe, and few thieves can last long when anyone of even moderate means can hire a wizard to find what was stolen. Those who are successful are almost always mage-thieves, and complement their rouge abilities with cloaking illusions to ward off divination. Anyone caught stealing is treated with great severity, usually warned first, then, if further violations occur, bound by magic to keep them on the straight and narrow.
As the name implies, the Market is where most of the city's trade goes on. Though the Master Craftsmen work at commission from their House, most of the city's commerce goes on in this area, or on the shops lining the Four Ways. Not only the inhabitants of the city trade there; stalls can be rented for traveling merchants or guests. Many minor- to moderate-level magical items can be bought there, though more mundane things are sold as well. Such trade items include rare and/or magical creatures to be bonded as familiars, expensive or exotic spell components, books of arcane lore, spells-for-hire, and ingredients used to construct magical devices or brew potions. This is not to say that all businesses in Terrail are magical in nature; there are inns and restaurants, blacksmiths and weavers and so on, though even the lowest serving girl can work at least a cantrip.
Terrail was founded in an isolated area of the world for a reason: to keep the distracting influences of the outside world from interfering with the development of new magics. While this was a reasonable precaution, it would be extremely difficult for even a city of mages to provide food, raw materials, or even communication with allied. Transport spells only go so far, and sendings are very limited. To counter these difficulties, the wizards did what wizards do-they used magic. The Archmage of Terrail sought out and conversed with the so-called Master of Portals, Jhaurmael Riversedge. The powerful sorcerer was initially uninterested, having grown tired of crafting portals for simple travel between cities. Upon hearing the special requirements the portals would need, he grew intrigued, and finally agreed to construct several. His somewhat arrogant title was made official by the Archmage, and Jhaurmael joined the other Lord Mages. Though he is often absent from the city, studying or creating new portals, he has crafted a portal linking his quarters in the Tower with his house in the Silver Marches. He teaches portal construction, teleportation magics, and instructs the sorcerers of Terrail. The portals in the Gate Court are the products of both himself and his students. They are quite advanced, using an effect similar to that of the Orbs, in that in reveals evil. Anyone of evil alignment attempting to enter a portal causes it to close, and it remains closed for twenty-four hours, unless the Gate mages open it earlier with a special command word. This command word will not function if the speaker is of evil alignment.
The Four Ways are deeply infused with magic. Part of this enchantment reinforces the stone, holding together the octagonal tiles of the roads. The other enchantment is of a more obvious sort; the road glimmers with silvery runes. Every citizen in Terrail is a mage, and all mages have a sigil, an identifying magical mark. Upon reaching adulthood, every young man and woman inscribes his or her sigil upon one of the eight-sided stones with an arcane mark spell. Another spell shields the road to prevent the sigils from being used against their writers, or from being dispelled by some mischievous wizard. The paths still have hundreds of tiles left, but new marks are added almost daily.
Terrail is a city enclosed by a circular wall. The wall was raised by the Builders' spells, and encloses Terrail completely. Only a few illusion-covered openings allow access out of the city, with none granting entry. The four city gates, located at the cardinal points, are left open and constantly guarded by members of the Golden Blades, at least one powerful Tower mage, and temple clerics. The great doors are each forged of iron, drawn from the earth and smelted by the Builders. Each gate is rune-wrought with spells of guarding and strength, resisting physical force and magical attack alike.
The Gatekeepers, as those assigned to guard the entrances are called, are armed with a potent array of items. Each gate has a small tower at both sides, connecting to the two barracks. The towers are mostly empty, containing just a spiral staircase leading to a large room open to the outside. Several magical items are housed here for use by the mages on watch duty. Among these are a gem of seeing, a set of dimensional shackles, and a wand of hold person. There is also a large chest containing potions of healing, along with several aureate talismans. These tools are strictly for guard duty, and may not be removed from the tower except in an emergency. Guard shifts change every four hours, and no one works more than one such shift a day. Only those of Golden Blade rank or higher are trusted to man these watches, as the gates represent the power of Terrail's impregnability. Duty is not especially difficult for the majority of the time, because all that needs to be done is to make sure that no one entering the city is shrouded in the Evil-Blocker's aura. Any such person is immediately stopped and ordered to leave the city. If they refuse, force is used, and if the individual resists, he or she is subdued, either by muscle of magic, and later teleported to a random location on the shore of the Sea of Fallen Stars. Subsequent offenses are punishable by application of a geas which forbids the offender from retuning, along with intensive mind-reading to discover the reason for intruding.
The island city of Terrail was not constructed in the same way as an ordinary city. Conventional cities grow slowly over time, reaching out and developing as the years pass. Terrail, however, was not the product of coincidence or necessity, but was planned and designed. Careful thought was put into every aspect of the city, and the appropriate enchantments were sought or created to marshal the incredible sorceries common to the city. Terrail is situated on a mountainous isle, one with steep and jagged peaks. The original mages who found the island located the most level open space in the area, and began construction there. For most of the work, magic was employed. The true Builder, the one with the most involvement with creating the physical city was the deep gnome wizard Gerbald Stonespeaker. Gerbald was one of the most powerful mages of the svirfneblin beneath the Silver Marches. Like all deep gnome mages, he was well-known for his skills in manipulating the earth, particularly to create beautiful edifices. Leyrin Runestaff himself visited the gnomes in their Underdark refuge, and offered the wizards both a challenge for their arcane talents and a potential home. The mages accepted, on the condition that a portal would be constructed leading to a site near their own city. It was Gerbald Stonespeaker who led the founding mages in the powerful spells that warped the mountain stone to their will. In addition to the traditional svirfneblin magics of earth-control and stone-shaping, Gerbald applied his own unique spells. These incantations were designed specifically for Terrail, and were taught to the other Builders. Through the efforts of Gerbald and the other Builders, the structure of the city took shape. The vast circular wall of the city was constructed, as were the Tower, the Four Ways, and several of the larger buildings.
The island of Terrail is defended by many means, mundane and magical, novel and ancient. The wardmist is of the latter varieties. For centuries, few beings knew of the existence of the island, despite its relatively large size and high-peaked mountains. Those that did were either mighty in Art, or friends of the great wyrm, Anthalusianin. The reason for the isle's secrecy lay in the powerful but subtle enchantment of the mist. The wardmist rings the island completely, preventing anyone outside of its borders from seeing within. Most people who enter the mist are affected by a subconscious mind-influencing spell which causes them to go around the island. They do not realize that they are circumventing the large land mass, even if confronted by evidence; any realization is eliminated, the memory of it erased. The second property of the magical fog is that it causes any divination cast either to or within it to fail. This enchantment has, until recently, extended to the island itself, thus hiding the fact that an enormous dragon was living on a supposedly nonexistent island.
The powers of the mist are controlled by Anthalus, both by his specific spells and a device he himself crafted. This talisman is one of many such, though all others are far more minor in the manipulation they can cause. The standard amulet of Terrail is a simple silver necklace, adorned with a small disk holding the individual mage's sigil. When worn, it allows the bearer to cast divinations within the wardmist, inures them to the misdirecting effect, as well as granting several additional powers. While within the wardmist, the wearer can invoke its magic to apply either a Silent, Stilled, Enlarged, or Extended effect to a spell he casts. This extends a spell's casting time to a full-round action. If it is already a full-round action or longer, the casting time is not extended. Amulets of Terrail are given to mages of certain ranks. The more powerful charms are variable in their abilities, tending to be tailored specifically for their owner.
The origin of the wardmist is shrouded in mystery, but rumors persist that Anthalus conjured it using spells acquired from "Old Lord Memory," the mist dragon otherwise known as Thalagyrt. Contrary to the standard reliability of rumors, this is true. The two dragons are longtime allies, each interested in unusual magic and both content to be left alone. Over the centuries, Anthalus has aided Thalagyrt in battle, and vice versa, but the true bond between them could be considered the amazing cooking skills of Anthalusianin. The mist dragon is well-known for loving new and savory foods, and Anthalus has researched many unique culinary spells just for his friend's delight. Anthalus relies on Thalagyrt for early warnings and random advice, trusting him to determine what information is useful or needed at any given time. While Thalagyrt provides this service, made easy due to his extensive system of agents scattered about Faerun, he will not actively fight to defend Terrail, though he might appear if Anthalus himself was in danger. The two find little time to meet physically, as Anthalus's duties as Archmage keep him quite occupied, but they use various magical means to communicate.
The island of Terrail was the domain of Anthalus Wyrdcrier long before the first mage arrived. For the most part, the dragon was absent from his isle, traveling Faerun in various guises. He maintained his library and hoard on Terrail itself, guarded by the wardmist and other defenses, such as glyphs and impeding devices. Since the city's founding, there have been substantial changes. The tunnels and caverns are now home to many different creatures, each with its own reason for its subterranean dwelling.
When the deep gnomes of the Silver Marches came to Anthalus call, they had several requests for their services. First among these was a portal connecting near their former home, allowing them to keep up communications with their brethren, and assist each other if needed. Another condition was that the svirfneblin could create a separate underground area for their people. After the initial construction was completed, the gnomes began to work on their own haven. With the assistance of their allies from the Elemental Plane of Earth, along with their own unique enchantments, the cave systems of the gold dragon were modified to fit their needs. In the memory of lost Blingdenstone, they molded stone into a small city-beneath-a-city. A decanter of endless water (one of many) supplies the Forgotten Folk with fresh water, and the community has a prosperous mining arrangement, probing the earth for precious metals and rare gems. They have also worked out a deal with Baergan of the Uppercity (their term, of course) to provide such substances as spell components, for a hefty price. The settlement, known as Celdignen, is the largest of the areas used for living spaces, and houses about a hundred and fifty deep gnomes. Some of these have come from the lesser-known areas of the Underdark where their kind dwells, augmenting the size of those from the North.
It is a requirement for all applicant mages to create one unique magical item. The nature of this object is decided by the crafter, but must be of a permanent nature (no potions, wands, ect.) and be completely original. With the plethora of enchanted devices, both in the city and outside, it can be difficult to come up with a new idea, but every Tower wizard has done so. The fruits of their labors lie beneath the Tower, in what is simply known as the Vault.
The Vault houses a strange collection of talismans. It holds a very diverse assortment of objects, each with its own powers and many with an adventurous history. When a new device is created, it is presented to the Lord Mages and the Archmage for inspection. They ensure that it functions correctly, as well as confirming its originality. If it passes, a copy is made, and that copy is placed within the Vault. Funds for the duplicate are drawn from the Tower's resources, and are gladly supplied for new magic. The contents of the Vault are extremely wide-ranging. Shelves overflow with everything from simple swords to draconic golems. The structure is octagonal in shape, lined with a long shelf. There lie the smaller devices; amulets, rings, bracers, and so on. The center is devoted to the larger items; suits of armor that walk and talk, thrones that float along the ground, and many others. The full contents of the Vault are known only to the Archmage and Lord Mages, but it is Numeana who is the true mistress there. The Gilded Scabbard is contained in the Vault, as are numerous other creations now common in Terrail.
The Library is the greatest repository of magical knowledge in Terrail. It contains a copy of almost every spell written or gathered by the Tower mages. The entire ground floor of the Tower of Rising Light is devoted to the more minor spellbooks and the books containing the relatively harmless information. That is where any citizen may enter and read, learning new cantrips or small spells or studying about magic in general. The three higher floors hold the more dangerous tomes, those which contain potent spells or potentially deadly hints about the Art. Those floors are open to the apprentice mages as allowed by their teachers. Full wizards can read anything there, but guests have access depending on their authorization, usually determined by magical means. The true treasures of Terrail lie not in the public sections of the Library, or even those used by the Tower mages, but in the clandestine chambers beneath the Tower known as the Archives. There are the most powerful books of spells, containing magics of enormous strength, as well as instructions for creating objects of' dire power the and some of the most well-kept sorcerous secrets in Faerun. Access to the Archives is severely restricted, allowed only to the Lord Mages and a very few outsiders.
As an island city, Terrail's trade is done in large pat by ship. While the more delicate, expensive, or rare items are transported via portal, bulk products are seabound. Unlike most large cities, Terrail does not have docks within its borders; instead, the ports are some distance from the city. Named after the founder, Leyrin, the docks are spacious but bare, meant for simple practicality. At any time, there are about three to five large ships docked there, with many smaller vessels scattered here and there. On the whole, the Landing is the most normal place on the island. The only unusual facets of this area are a solitary white dome, and a curious, ramshackle tower. The dome is recent, having been constructed only five years ago by a group of moon elves, sea elves, and humans. It is a shrine to Deep Sashelas, the god of the sea, and represents the burgeoning worship of the elven god, both among the sailors and citizens of Terrail. This development is seen as a threat by the clergy of Umberlee, who view any aquatic deity as a challenge to their capricious goddess. This dome is a simple edifice made of white marble. A round column rises from the center of the inside, forming a bowl which contains holy water. Aerdele Dsrel, the highest-ranking priest of the sea god, uses this pool for scrying, aiding the sailors by searching for sea monsters, pirates, or other oceanic dangers. There has been talk of making an additional temple in Terrail itself, dedicated to Deep Sashelas, but the established administration is hesitant to disrupt the current balance of power in the city.
The second oddity of the Landing is a lone, crooked tower. It serves as the island's lighthouse, the top of the spire projecting a magical light out into the sea. The tower is controlled by a simple activation sphere, manipulated by the mage assigned there. The resident wizard changes monthly, and the mage is required to assist the sailors in an emergency. This much is known about the lighthouse, but the truth goes deeper. The tower (which has come to be called the Cracked Lantern) was once the home and working place of the archmage, Leyrin Runestaff. It was here that Anthalusianin's apprenticeship took place, and where the Builders met and planned the construction of Terrail. After the city wall and the major buildings were finished, the tower was abandoned. Few know of its history, but only the Council are aware of its greatest secret: it is the final resting place of Leyrin. Upon his death, Leyrin was cremated, and his ashes were mixed with holy water blessed by clerics of Azuth and Mystra. The remains were interred beneath his former home, hidden in what was once his laboratory. Anthalus placed a marble bier there, with a sacred urn within the bier itself. Upon the surface itself is an illusion (created by Anthalus with a permanent image spell) of the wizard, honoring his memory without providing the opportunity that his body could be used against Terrail. The mage currently assigned at the Lantern, Selne Jurev, has no idea of the laboratory's existence, but should she find it, there are still several talismans, components, and belongings once owned by Leyrin, although his spellbooks have been moved to the Tower.
Aside from these two items, the Landing is basically a long arc, unadorned by any magic greater than an enchanted lamp. Cargo is transported from the ships by ordinary methods; wagons, horses, ect.
Due to the misdirecting qualities of the wardmist, ordinary ships cannot sail to Terrail. Only someone wearing an amulet of Terrail can act as a guide, so the Tower assigns several minor mages to fill that position. For a small fee, any ship can be led to the island. Exiting is easily done; just enter the mist, and it will direct the ship away from the island.
