A wildly intellectual city of mad science, mad magic, and – above all else – mad summoning. “Above all else” being key here, since throughout its history Il Farore has often been ruled by “whatever powerful creature(s) happen to have been summoned recently”. Revolution in Il Farore is less about peasant uprisings and more about disgruntled mad summoners summoning some larger, more powerful being to replace whatever being happens to have taken up shop in the palace. Needless to say, the city and its surroundings have seen little political stability. Yet throughout its history, regardless of who (or what) has been in charge, much has remained the same: the famous magic universities and libraries keep functioning, and cutting-edge research continues to progress. The city is currently ruled by a council of mages elected by the city’s academic elite; the default state when there are no god-like otherworldly beings nearby.
Anyone who’s anyone in Il Farore lives in the top of a tower; the taller the better. Il Farore’s architecture is very vertically oriented, with massive towers connected at their 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th floors (and occasionally beyond) by an impressive system of sky bridges. Some of the towers are dark, twisted monuments to past demonic rulers; others are buildings constructed of pure light by benevolent (if still potentially oppressive) devas or angels. The city square is dominated by one of the world’s largest statues: Gorbok the Warlord, a half-orc who was accidentally summoned into the city with his horde of ten-thousand, who proceeded to conquer it and demand the construction of his statue, which was completed just before a mighty elder dragon was summoned to replace him. Regardless of the nature of the rulers, their buildings and monuments are never removed unless they are a considerable safety hazard.
Il Farore’s upper-class academics don’t mind a little sacking and oppression now and then; they’re well set up for it. In fact, they’re largely immune to it; many of the towers function like tiny independent nations. They boast strong defensive enchantments and a level of self-sufficiency (magically fertilized window-ledge crops, or a means of summoning all necessary resources to the tower) that allows their inhabitants to simply ignore the outside world should it suit their purposes. The lower class, however, are not so lucky. They are a diverse lot, many having been summoned to the city by various magical means. Their fate has varied considerably from decade to decade, and they have long been bitter about their limited agency. One year they’ll be forced to form an army and march on a neighboring kingdom, the next they’ll be showered with food and riches by a benevolent djinn, the next they’ll be gathering wood from across the countryside to feed the hungry fire elemental, and the year after they might be worked nearly to death building a great monument to Gorbok or Grimbad or Gigglepixie or Ghostwing or whoever the newest overlord happens to be. (They usually have names starting in “G”, for whatever reason.) And all the while, the academic elite looks down from their towers and shrugs. Luckily, the periods between “foreign” rule are quite benign; when the ivory tower elite manages to establish a ruling council in the Palace, they listen to the concerns of the common folk and generally improve conditions in the city. The city is in such a period now – and the commoners are doing whatever they can to keep things that way, including storming the towers of certain wizards and summoners they suspect are planning to summon some power-hungry monstrosity.
A class of people known as the “Outskirters” comprises the lower level working classes that maintain professions and trade routes regardless of the current political climate in the city. These folk make their homes in caves and lake barges outside of the city – though the wealthier among them will have apartments in the city as well. They are the spice collectors, farmers, traders, fishers and crafters who form the backbone of Il Farore’s regional economy when the inhabitants of the city proper are pressed into service building strange monuments or dancing incessantly for Lord Jiggly’s amusement. Now, as a sense of normalcy pervades, the Outskirters are beginning to grumble that the city folk are taking their jobs. The Outskirters are careful not to say it too loudly, but they wouldn’t mind seeing another demon queen or sentient cloud set up shop in Il Farore’s palace, just for a little while. (Of course, the Outskirters aren’t entirely immune to the politics of the city – but so long as the ruling entity isn’t intensely wicked the Outskirters tend to make better money and keep fully employed when the city folk are otherwise occupied.)
A company of Il Farore troops is currently stationed in a hidden garrison near Sola. The brief war with Sola was not caused by some demonic force, but a comedic misunderstanding. And yet, blood was shed, and tensions between the two powers still run high.
For an exorbitant fee, rich people can request one of Il Farore’s ivory tower Summoners to summon them to Il Farore; a remarkably quick and efficient way to travel to the city, should one desire it. But this costs more than just gold: the traveler must tell the summoner their true name, provide the summoner with an image of themselves, and tell the summoner something that only the traveler would know. This is all a powerful summoner requires to summon anyone at-will. The most powerful summoners can briefly bind or command entities and people they have summoned, so this could prove to be a liability – especially for travelers of political importance.
Farori Heritage: A plurality are descendants of the city’s founders: 3rd wave Vasa Lothran and Sunder. Others are diverse summoned peoples and entities, including a significant number of demons, angels, orcs, vampires, devas, devils, centaurs, elementals and pixies.
Population: 4 (70x) - though hordes of people have been summoned to the city over the years, inhabitants of Il Farore are typically (depending on the current ruler) free to leave. When times are hard - for example, forced organ donations or mandatory 24/7 orgies - refugees flee Il Farore in droves.
Cultural Influence: 11 Il Farore’s history, politics, and creatures certainly capture the imagination. And sometimes a few essential internal organs. Il Farore dictates most of the standards, traditions, and fashions of the magical world. Otherwise its cultural contributions are sporadic, and mostly involve large statues and bizarre architecture.
Il Farore’s most notable contribution to the arts came thirty-two years ago when it was briefly ruled by Queen Serena Soulspark, a High Muse. She inspired the populace to do nothing but produce wondrous works of art and literature. Her legacy remains – both in terms of the incredible paintings, plays, and sculptures – and in terms of the magnificently carved tombstones of the many thousands who starved to death while completing their masterpieces.
Economic Influence: 10 If it’s magical, then there’s a good chance Il Farore has it – or has cornered the market on it. At least, until the political climate changes. Il Farore is a lucrative but volatile, high-risk market. Merchant Houses make sure to hedge and diversify if trade routes or merchants’ guilds involving Il Farore are in their portfolio.
Military Influence: 12 Il Farore’s military influence is, like so much of what it does, highly sporadic. There’s little to stop it when its armies are being led by avenging angels or burning demons. But at present it is governed by a simple council of summoners, and they have little taste for war. They still maintain a small standing army, and just ended a brief and inconclusive war with Sola.
Il Farore’s rank and file are a poorly trained and disorganized draft army that only fights effectively when led by a highly charismatic or psychic being. There are some special-forces units comprised of professionals (such as the battlemages secretly stationed in Sola’s territory, and a small carpeteer commando unit) but they are not very numerous for a city the size of Il Farore. Il Farore’s military might is derived primarily from its roughly two dozen very powerful battle mages, who can summon and bind powerful entities to fight for them. However, these beings can never stay bound long, and this strategy can backfire spectacularly; in fact, this is one of the primary means by which demons and the like can assume rulership of Il Farore.
Defense: 12 “Defense” is a tricky statistic to measure; Il Farore has long given up constructing walls around the city or the palace, since summoned beings always find a way in. Plus, with mages who can summon powerful defenders, walls feel rather superfluous (though they probably would’ve saved the city on a number of occasions; for example, from an invasion by the Muwangan Military Gans a few generations ago). The towers of Il Farore’s great summoners, libraries, and magic academies are protected by layer upon layer of enchantment and reinforced plating; they are effectively immune to whatever is happening in the rest of the city. Thus conquering MOST of Il Farore is not as difficult as it should be – but conquering ALL of Il Farore is effectively impossible. But (unlike in Sola) defenders (generally just a rich summoner and his servants, per tower) rarely harry the occupying army from their well-protected towers inside the city; they simply start summoning food using magic instead of take-out menus, and act as if nothing has changed.
Il Farore Cultural Stats: (an average of all classes; differs by class and year-to-year)
Government: Rule by the Summoners; powerful magic users. Historically, also rule by powerful summoned entities such as demons or elementals.
Most Common Criminal Acts: summoning illegal demons, excessive collateral damage during research
Justice: Minor crimes incur only a fee, but severe crimes = magical experimentation.
Climate: dry mediterranean
Nights: Citizens work very odd hours. City is illuminated by sickly, flickering, unearthly magics.
Food: xxxx
Clothing: xxxx
Festivals & Holidays: xxxx
City Appearance & Architecture: Towers. Towers for days. Skybridges, too. And BIZARRE statues and monuments. Very vertically-oriented.
Common Sounds & Smells: xxxx
Governance Building, Iconic Structures & Landmarks: The Palace (name changes with ruler), Tower of Spirits, Tower of the Elements, Tower of Summoning, Arcana University 4 (universities 1 through 3 were destroyed), The Grand Orrery, Library of Kalranthis, the False Palace, Monument to Gorbok, Grimbad's Visage, Lord Jiggly's Hall of Dance, The Writhing Shadows, the Pillar of Light, Ghostwing's Grave, Soulspark Palace of the Arts.
Districts, Sectors, Zones, Regions, Wards, and other big places: The 1st-5th Tiers (elevated walkways), Towershade (Center-City Ground Level), Arcane District, Library District, Monument Circle, the Great Pentagram, Farore Docks (Lake docks), Skirters' Docks (transient; move across the lake during problem times in the city), Southport Road (south of the city; portage route linking Lake Farore with the Ocean) Jasmine Hill, The Serena Stones (world’s most elaborate graveyard).
Produces, Exports: Magic items, luxury goods, flying carpets, dyes, medical tools, salt, lorebooks, herbs
Demands, Imports: gemstones, grains, leather, paper, financial products, stone, alchemical reagents
Satellite Cities & Towns: xxxx
Highly optional game-related or story-related material:
Important People: xxxx
Plot Hooks:
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There is a curious cave not far from the city; a gaping maw at the base of a mountain that rises from a nearby sea. This is known as the Cave of the Banished. It is an entrance to the Underdeep and, more importantly, many of the creatures who are banished or exiled from Il Farore are drawn to this place. Everything from pixies summoned by novice dabblers to arch-demons and demigods summoned by Master Callers seem drawn to this place, regardless of alignment.
Of course, many of the beings summoned are either banished directly to their home dimensions or destroyed outright – but those who are simply thrown out of the city seem compelled to journey here. Perhaps these out-worlders can see that the cave offers them a way home – or perhaps they are pulled along by puppet strings of some unfathomably powerful entity that dwells deep below the maw of the mountain…
The Mountain is guarded by the Keepers of the Banished; an entire Muwangan Gan which is dedicated to making sure that creatures only go IN to the Cave of the Banished, not OUT.
Muwanga is a city carved from the heart of a great mountain, overlooking a vast and bountiful savannah. From a distance it appears to be a city of beautiful domes and spires rising from a mountaintop – but visitors quickly notice that nothing is built here; it is carved. Inspired by good dwarven engineering principles, the city’s founders tunneled into the mountain and planted the seed of a city deep in its heart; a thousand years later, the mountain (now slightly shorter) has sprouted windows, parapets, towers, domes, walkways, staircases, and more – all elaborately carved from the living rock
Though Muwanga is heavily engaged in international trade and is by no means isolated, it strictly adheres to customs and social structures that seem alien to foreigners. Muwangan civilization is organized into strict Gans; orders that are something like a hybrid between castes and guilds. People can choose which Gan to be a part of, and are discouraged from entering the Gan of their parents (who are almost certainly from different Gans). They may even change Gans throughout their life – though this is not a decision to take lightly. Most Gans consist of only one gender, or are subdivided by gender into separate sub-Gans. (For example: the Military Gans are subdivided into Warriors (men) and Archers (women)). However, gender change is allowed, so long as it is total. There is no room for anything in-between, poorly-defined, or half-way in Muwangan society.
In the distant past, the Gans were hereditary and there was no freedom to change one’s role. But much of Muwanga’s cultural heritage was lost during the Weeping Years two centuries ago, when Muwanga was oppressed under a legion of infernal demons summoned by neighboring Il Farore. The revered leader who united Muwanga’s shattered people in driving out their oppressors preached freedom; freedom to choose one’s destiny. This message stuck, and has become an essential part of Muwanga’s culture – yet it coexists with the ancient tradition of rigid Gans. Thus the current system: a Gan defines one’s identity, yet one is free to choose (and even re-choose) a Gan for themselves.
Despite the Gan-focused social structure, hereditary lineages are still tracked, and genetically related family units are still important – though for adults bonds to family are typically less important than bonds to one’s Gan.
Foreigners are treated reasonably well, but are only given full respect as a fellow person if their trade or expertise aligns with an existing Gan of Muwanga. For example, an accomplished carpenter would be thought of as an honorary member of Muwanga’s Carpentry Gan, but an archer who claims to be a man might not be given due respect, since all archers are of course women. Muwanga is especially suspicious of summoners and other arcane magic users – partly because they do not align with any Muwangan Gan, but mostly because the summoners of Il Farore have caused Muwanga all manner of trouble throughout the years. (They have returned the favor; Il Farore has been occupied by the Muwangan Military Gans on more than one occasion.)
The cities and settlements of the surrounding savannah have a similar Gan system, though the Gans of Muwanga do not always align with the Gans of their satellites. For example, fishers in Muwanga are women, while in Booru they are men, and in Tasneem there is no Fishers Gan.
Muwanga has an entire Gan (one of the few mixed-gender Gans, and universal among all the humans of the Savannah) dedicated to keeping watch over the Cave of the Banished.
Muwangan Heritage: 2nd wave (Sunder)
Population: 3 (55x)
Economic Influence: 9 Muwanga can seem economically laid-back, but it is a surprisingly productive and efficient place. Its robust, structured economy means that it is not reliant on trade, yet key exports like pumice, spices, gorgeous feather dresses, ivory, and masterwork hunting bows keep the city’s coffers full of gold and gems. But the city is a bit on the smaller side population-wise, so it’s not an essential cornerstone of the international economy.
Cultural Influence: 8 Muwanga’s culture is distinct and often misunderstood – but its art, sculpture, and musical instruments are in high demand. Muwangan bass harps are finding their way into the orchestras of Alba and New Harmony, its feather dresses and shutter shade spectacles show up more and more frequently in Fortuna’s fashion shows, and its carvings and masks are on display in nearly every international art gallery. (Curiously, masks are not a part of Muwangan culture, and are only made for export.) But it still feels “other” to many foreigners, and its stories and songs have not caught on outside the Savannah.
Military Influence: 7 Muwanga’s Military Gans are well-trained and strong, but during peacetime they’re more like a Hunting Gan; hunting for meat to share, or protecting farmers and herders from wild beasts. Muwanga is not militaristic or expansionist, though it has been in the past. Muwanga has conquered Il Farore on more than one occasion.
Muwanga’s current focus is on developing its navy. It seeks to compete with Alba, in terms of quality if not quantity. Its Shipbuilders Gan is on the cutting edge of hydrodynamic research, and some of its experimental ship designs are exciting - if a bit flawed. Muwanga already boasts the fastest ships in the world (the Cheetah Class Catamarans) but these ships sacrifice maneuverability for speed, and a redesign is underway.
Muwanga’s small but important “air force” is the Bird-Knight Gan. Members of the Bird-Knight Gan are all women, and all as small as possible – like jockeys. The Bird-Knights will take orders from the Military Gans during times of war, but their primary role is to police the very vertically-oriented city, and rapidly deliver important messages. Men may join the Aviary Gan; they are responsible for breeding and caring for the very large birds flown by the Bird-Knights. The birds are enormous, brightly colored, and carnivorous – though bred to restrain their hunting impulses. They can walk as well as fly, and resemble gracile feathered dinosaurs (e.g., winged raptors).
Defense: 17 The notion of conquering a city built on and under a mountain is a bit absurd. Muwanga’s natural defenses are exceptional, and the only obvious invasion route is by air. (Which is still absurd, since the city is bristling with ballistae and guarded by Bird-Knights.)
However, there are some less-obvious invasion routes: secret tunnels through the mountain, not all of which are fully sealed during a siege. This is how a legion of infernal demons conquered Muwanga two hundred years ago, and began the generation-long Weeping Years. Closer attention is paid to these tunnels nowadays, and yet parts of the mountain are made of soft pumice, so it wouldn’t be inconceivable to simply make a new tunnel somewhere…
Muwanga Cultural Stats: The last two values are averages of interactions within one’s Gan (which involve much physical contact and no boundaries) and with people outside one’s Gan (which involve significant distance and no touching.)
Government: Absolute monarchy, hereditary but with a large pool of successors, who must pass the Ordeal of Heaven before becoming monarch; most fail and die, but the good and wise prevail. The Ordeal of Heaven is primarily a test of empathy, to weed out all would-be rulers with cruel, selfish, or sociopathic tendencies.
Most Common Criminal Acts: desecrating the graves of a rival's ancestors, smuggling, dishonoring one's Gan (guild)
Justice: Social shaming is typically sufficient, but punishment for truly appalling crimes is banishment from one's Gan. Capital punishment is considered truly barbaric – even the Ordeal of Heaven (which only royal successors are subjected to) is looked upon as an unnecessarily violent relic of the past.
Climate: tropical, wet & dry seasons. The Savannah is hot, but the top of the city can be chilly; sometimes even snowy.
Nights: Central pillar of fire lights the inner core of the mountain-city in a spectacular and otherworldly fashion. Night dancing is common, and is one of the few ways adults from separate Gans socialize with each other. (The Dancekeeper Gan is essentially a DJ’s guild.)
Food: The centerpiece of Muwanga’s large dinner meal: steaks and meat roasts of every imaginable variety, from the rich Savannah. Mostly grazebeasts - AKA aurochs AKA wild cows. But also giant okapi, bald mammoth, stalkers, striders, and various horned deer. Fish are also abundant, and typically eaten for lunch. Eating flying birds is taboo; some consider them sacred. Flightless birds (especially their eggs) are on the menu; most Muwangan animal farms are moa egg farms. Breakfast is mostly fruit, both wild and cultivated. Local varieties of coffee and tea are consumed at all hours, typically with small crackers or fruit slices with butternut paste.
Muwanga has access to many cows (mostly wild aurochs / grazebeasts), but does not milk them. Dairy products are an exotic import; only the rich eat cheese or butter.
Many trees of the savanna have flavorful, edible bark. This is a food of last resort - but also a lucrative export. (Foreigners have developed a taste for it, while the locals shun it.)
Clothing: Diverse; mostly colorful, but varies by Gan. By tradition, members of the Merchants Gan always wear current foreign styles: typically whatever is in fashion in Yozai, Fortuna, or New Harmony.
Festivals & Holidays: Many Gan-specific festivals, which are more like lavish conferences or conventions. Only one universally-celebrated holiday: the Monarch’s Birthday. (The royal family showers the public with gifts.)
City Appearance & Architecture: Very vertically oriented and cylindrical; the city’s many elaborate towers adorn the upper ring of a hollowed-out volcano. From a distance, the city looks ENORMOUS; the tall towers blend in with the mountain (many are carved from the mountain itself) and thus the city appears miles high. This is not entirely false, as the city DOES extend deep into the open core of the mountain. However, no individual building is of record-breaking height.
Multiple roads - most notably the Heartroad - spiral down the mountain’s gaping core, AKA the Skyheart. The view from the Heartsblood (a pool at the base of the Skyheart) is awe-inspiring and disorienting.
Flower-bearing vines grow along the spiraling roads and up many of the buildings.
From a practical & navigation standpoint, the city is many narrow rings around a hollow center. Thus it lacks the grid-like layout and central hubs (marketplace, temple district, etc.) common to most cities.
Common Sounds & Smells:
Smells: Roasting meat, bird dung (from the Bird-Knights), spices, sweat, floral scents from perfumes, braziers, and the wild vines.
Sounds: Not too loud during the day; no centralized marketplace. Dance beats and general party atmosphere most nights.
Governance Buildings, Iconic Structures & Landmarks: the Diamond Spire, the Jet Spire, The Amethyst Tower, the Ruby Tower, the Sapphire Tower, the Emerald Tower, the Citrine Tower, the Maw (entrance to the mountain-city), The Cloaca (sewer system exit; sewer system is not navigable), the Skyheart, the Sky Catcher (snow-fed water tower a.k.a. ivory spire), the Flameheart (pillar of flame in the center of the mountain, provides lighting to the inside of the city.)
Districts, Sectors, Zones, Regions, Wards, and other big places: The Founders' Tunnels, the Aviary, the Lower Stores, the Canals (the small but efficient sea-port, at the base of the mountain, just outside the Maw), the Heartsblood (a clear pool at the very bottom of the Skyheart), the Heartroad (spirals up the Skyheart), the Skyheart (massive hollow open space at the center of the mountain-city; over a quarter mile deep, lined with windows, walkways, balconies, the Heartroad, and - near the top- free-standing towers and ring-roads), The upper tunnels (between the Heartroad and the Outer Spiral), The Outer Spiral, The Upper Rings (two roads around the inside and outside of the top ring of the mountain, the meeting place of the Heartroad and the Outer Spiral, where the mountain frays into individual towers), the Cloudwalk (roads across the roofs of low buildings and balconies of high towers, on the Upper Rings), the Bird Road (landing pads for bird-knights and carpeteers, on the highest towers - though there are also some in the Skyheart.)
Muwanga is somewhat unique among Terra Trema’s cities in that it has no centralized marketplace - the heart of the city is mostly empty (the Skyheart / Heartsblood) and the rest of the city is spread out along spiraling streets. The city has no “grid”; it’s never more than two streets thick at any one place.
Produces, Exports: Pumice, ivory, feathers, wood (balsa, stonewood, telf), fruit, meat, eggs, spices, bows
Demands, Imports: All metals and gems, contraptions, helium, marble, jade, whale oil, horses
Satellite Cities & Towns: xxxx
Highly optional game-related or story-related material:
Important People: xxxx
Plot Hooks:
-xxxx
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