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fletchergames · 6 years ago

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Lightspeak

Lightspeak:

Lightspeak (said lights-peak) is a large city-state locked in inner political war. Three factions battle for control of the economic and religious hotspot.

Lightspeak is a temperate port city-state with an extremely high trade volume. It has very valuable trade routes by land and sea. Merchants come to Lightspeak from the world over to trade.

At the center of Lightspeak is the Ashhuld. The Ashhuld is a small hill with a spring on top; due to the divine power there, the waters of the spring have healing powers. There is a small house on top of the hill. A young god once lived there before he truly ascended; this god is Astinous, a neutral god of healing and protection. A large wall has been built around the Ashhuld by the Guardians.

Lightspeak is technically a democracy, run by an elected council of the Premier and 30 Councillors. All legislative matters are handled by majority vote of the council, with the Premier's vote counting triple. The Premier also holds executive power within Lightspeak and controls the military.

In most matters, the council acts as a rubber stamp for whatever the Guardians or the Golden Road wanted to do anyway. However, if one of these factions tries to step too far out of bounds, the Premier usually uses their influence to put a stop to it.

Magic is near totally banned within Lightspeak, except for divine magic granted by Astinous. The Guardians have managed to get arcane magic completely banned to protect their monopoly on magic and its power. By no means has this stopped magic from being tought and used, however; it has just driven such people underground. It is worth noting that Astinous himself has nothing against magic.

Factions: The three factions of Lightspeak are the Guardians, the Underground and the Golden Road.

The Guardians are, at their core, a church of Astinous. They first founded Lightspeak back when Astinous still lived there. They have massive influence over Lightspeak. They have several churches around the city. Until recently, they had total control over the Ashhuld; only members of the church were allowed in. When Lightspeak was founded, the Guardian's focus was on helping people and following Astinous; these days, their primary goal is to retain their control over Lightspeak.

The Underground was, at first, a guild of thieves and criminals. However, the Guardian's anti-magic laws have caused a strange alliance to form between the theives and the mages; these two groups together form the modern Underground. The goal of the Underground is to reduce the control the Guardians have over the city and to lift the restrictions on magic.

The Golden Road is the informal alliance of traders, merchants and craftsmen who give the city most of its value. They don't actually care who is in control of Lightspeak, as long as the gold continues to flow. The Golden Road has nothing against magic; they do avoid it, but just to keep the Guardians pacified.

There is also a fourth pseudo-faction, the Vox Populi. The Vox Populi is the will of the people as a whole. They want the city to remain as stable as possible. Not being an actual organization, they have no actual power; however, their sheer numbers grant them large control.

International Affairs: Lightspeak has two land neighbors: Cherrytree and Wolfram. Cherrytree is to the south of Lightspeak while Wolfram is to the north and east.

Lightspeak and Cherrytree have a long series of treaties going back hundreds of years. The two nations share strong trade and military ties. Cherrytree has one of the strongest militaries in the region, granting Lightspeak a valuble ally.

Lightspeak and Wolfram have had a series of border battles over time. In modern times, the two nations are in an age of technical peace. Lightspeak's army isn't up to a war with a larger nation; Wolfram's isn't up for a war with Cherrytree. As a result, no one dares make the first move. However, Wolfram is attempting subterfuge to tilt the balance in their favor.

Important Faces in Lightspeak:

These characters serve as the "faces" of the various factions in Lightspeak.

High Guard Zendaris: Zendaris is the leader of the Guardians. He seeks to exploit the city to give himself more power. Over time, he and his predecessors have shifted the focus of the Guardians from helping people and worshiping Astinous to helping themselves grow more powerful and paying lip service to Astinous.

Priestess Mia: Mia is a young priest of Astinous. She truly believes the Guardians do good things for the people and for the city. A bit naive, she does what she can to help those around her. Ironically enough, this makes her more like Astinous than the Guardians as a whole.

Shadow Lord Batan: Batan is the leader of the Underground. He keeps the flow of dirty money clipping along through the city. If it's unlawful, he likely has a hand in it. While he doesn't know magic, he owns an unlawful ring of invisibility. He also sits on the council as a Councillor; for obivous reasons, the rest of the council does not know about his criminal actions.

Archmage Lysander: Lysander is one of the most powerful mages in Lightspeak. It was he who first proposed the alliance between the mages and the thieves. Despite looking to be in his late-fifties, he is actually over two hundred years old due to possessing magic that can reverse his age. He is currently training several apprentices to pass on his knowledge.

Merchant Phineas: Phineas is, technically, just a very successful merchant. In reality, he is one of the three Golden Kings, the three richest and most powerful merchants in Lightspeak. They control almost everything that enters or leaves the city. If they don't want something, it's not getting in; if they do, it will arrive. He doesn't so much care about the laws against magic; he'll sell it either way.

Master Stone: Stone is a legendary craftsman living within Lightspeak. He can do with skill and alchemy what most would find impossible even with the aid of magic. Adventurers and armies the world over come to buy his weapons and equipment; the prices are high, but well worth it.

Premier Natalie: Natalie is the Premier of the Lightspeak council. She has no loyalty to any of the factions; her loyalty is to Lightspeak itself. If any faction generates too much disruption and chaos, she will use military force to bring them back into line. The factions don't much like her, but the people of the city do. None of the factions dares try and replace her; too much risk that another faction would land one of their allies in the spot.

Ambassador Ryu: Ambassador Ryu is an ambassador from Cherrytree. He stays in the area to assist communication between the nations. As an ambassador, he is immune to many laws, including the restrictions on magic; he actually wields nature magic.

Agent Ruby: Ruby appears to be a member of the city guard. In reality, she is an agent of Wolfram, sent to collect information and drive up tension between the factions. Ideally, she can plunge the city into anarchy so Wolfram can swoop in and take control before Cherrytree can react.

Bard Trisha: Trisha is a bard who has traveled here from a distant land. To all appearances, she is a humble bard. Truthfully, she is a political mercenary; a social warrior of negotiable loyalty hired to influence the situation in Lightspeak. None but her employer knows her true goals here in Lightspeak.

Prophetess Alexandria: Alexandria is a follower of Astinous with powerful healing abilities. She is not a Guardian; however, she currently lives in the Ashhuld on the request of Astinous himself. The Guardians can not directly harm her; however, they are trying to make her leave. She is trying to bring the Guardians back in line with the will of Astinous. It is under her command that the Ashhuld has been opened to outsiders. The disturbance she creates threatens to destroy the status quo and change the city forever.

Important Places in Lightspeak:

These locations act as the focal points around the city.

The Ashhuld: The Ashhuld is right at the center of the city. It consists of a grassy hill with a small spring and a small house built next to it. Astinous himself used to live here before he ascended to godhood. As a result of his presence, the location is of great religous importance. Until recently, the Guardians held the site and shut out others; since Alexandria moved in, it has been opened up to outsiders.

Unmance Temple: Unmance Temple is the largest church in the city; it is found in the northern quarter. Built to hold thousands of people at a time, behind the massive service room is what amounts to a mansion for the highest ranking Guardians and a fine mansion at that. While some may think it excessive, none dare voice that opinion too loudly.

Yellow Path: The Yellow Path is a large road running down the Trade district. Along it are shops of all kinds; if you want it, it can likely be found here... for the right price. Merchants from all over the city gather here to make their profits. It is said that nothing's free on the Yellow Path.

Heartsoar's Pub: At first glance, Heartsoar's Pub is just a regular old pub by the port. However, nothing is truly as it appears in Lightspeak. Truthfully, this pub is the unoffical home of the Underground. In the basement, you can buy and sell all matters of unlawful goods and services. By night, the storeroom finds itself turned into classroom of the arcane arts.

The Council Summit: The Council Summit is a large building that serves as the home of the Lightspeak council. They meet here to discuss matters that impact the city as a whole and to determine the path the city will take. The Premier commands the guard and army from here as well.

The Wall: Surrounding the city is the Wall, a large stone wall around the city to protect it from ground-based attack. The city guard patrols the wall and watches the surrounding area.

Lightspeak Harbor: Simply known as the Harbor to locals, the Lightspeak Harbor is the beating heart of the city. Ships, cargo and money are constantly flowing in and out.

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