Maharesh

Founded in the First Age, Maharesh was the pride and joy of the Twilight Caste Mahare. Located in a lush valley in the otherwise fairly dry hilly lands of the Riverlands, Maharesh was called the City of Sorcery during its height.

Because Maharesh firmly believed that all mortals should have a solid understanding in the world they couldn't see as well as the one they could, the occult arts were taught as part of the mandatory schooling all citizenry received.

After a few generations of this, mortal thaumaturgy became quite commonplace in the daily workings of Maharesh – fields were warded rather than fenced to keep herds in and predators out, all houses included mandatory talismans against disease and many citizens underwent the process for awakening their Essence, so that the arts of thaumaturgy blossomed and reached an impressive maturity here.

This extended even to the monks in the temples to the Unconquered Sun who practiced the Five Solar Scions martial art, a Terrestrial style based on the emulation of the animals iconic to the Unconquered Sun and his Chosen.

But this was the City of Sorcery in more than one way, for much of it was constructed by sorcerous means. The very land around it was altered, creating powerful convergences of dragon-lines upon which she raised Manses that served the public interest.

The Districts of Maharesh

Maharesh was divided into five different districts, geomantically based around each of the Manses constructed to serve as the heart and spirit of the city.

The Tower District: The central district arrayed around the Tower of Mahare, the Tower District was the bureaucratic and mercantile heart of Maharesh. Mostly intended for the vast numbers of visitors who constantly streamed in and out of Maharesh's gates, the Tower District was made up of inns and pleasure palaces, plus the massive Plaza of Gold and Jade, the market square. It also possessed many buildings meant to facilitate the bureaucracies of the city, as well as a variety of academies of renown.

The Falls District: Abutting the cliff that overlooks the city, the Falls District is dominated by the Great Palace of the Eternal Cistern, which straddles the river just before it flows over the cliff. The Falls District was the home of many of the technomagical foundries and other apparati necessary to allow Maharesh to function as it did, and the din of these places combined with the great noise of the water falls led to it developing into something of a poorer district, where those who couldn't afford homes elsewhere lived. Of course, the poverty of Maharesh was still quite opulent by today's standards. [Night caste]

The Orchard District: Organized around the Verdant Orchard Estate, a Wood-aspected Manse, the Orchard District saw many farmer's markets and the myriad small cart paths that led out of the city towards the farms, orchards and vineyards further into the valley that provided much of the city's prosperity. The Orchard District was marked by vast parks and fine inns and estates.

The Crafts District: Though not as known for its crafts as some other places, the craftsmen of Maharesh were prosperous and skilled, and produced elegant pottery, glassware and wicker material. These craftsmen were known to work their arts not in their own shops, but beside one another in the outer areas of the Vault of Skilled Hands, the Earth-aspected Manse around which this district was built.

The Arts District: Where the wonders of the hands were made in the Crafts District, it was in the Arts District that the glories of music, the spoken word and the intricacies of interpersonal relations were upheld. The entertainment district of Maharesh, this district boasted everything from public forums to elegant theaters, from musical conservatories to elegant pleasure-houses. All of these things were arrayed around the Temple of Bright Flame, the public temple of Maharesh, which included a massive open-air temple to the Incarna and other temple space that saw a variety of uses and function. On any given day, a gala opening, temple festival and glorious street party was practically guaranteed to be happening.

The Tower of Mahare

• Aspect: Air
• Rating: 4/5
• Hearthstone: Savant's Icy Eye
• Drawbacks: None
• Powers: Attunement Recognition, Basic Senses, Cosmetic Displays, Basic Conveniences (1, light table on second floor, frostbreath jars on level four, running water, Essence safe), Hidden Escape Route (2, dif 5 to find, two passages), Power Grid (1; Powers Maharesh), Summoning Chamber (1, able to summon two creatures at a single casting with Terrestrial summoning), Workshop Manse (3, considered a Shogunate-quality workshop, Resources 4 per year to keep running)

The central Manse, the Tower of Mahare, was Mahare's dominion alone – the only way to enter it without her leave was to set the Hearthstones of the four subordinate Manses in the city into the sockets in the door, no easy task given those Hearthstones were carried by the rest of her Circle.

Though certainly a powerful Manse, a significant quantity of the power in Mahare's Tower was channeled towards another purpose – that of maintaining the city. The Tower of Mahare literally provided power to all of the city, pumping Essence into the orichalcum and crystal monoliths found at the center of every neighborhood that served to power the magical technology of that neighborhood – simple things like lights, running water, climate control and the like.

The Tower served as Mahare's palace and library, and it boasted a number of impressive outbuildings that served a variety of functions, from guest quarters to city bureaucracy buildings to the massive academies built to support the education of the populace.