Isle of Mists
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This article is about Isle of Mists. For other users, see Mists (disambiguation). Contents |
The Isle of Mists
The Isle of Mists is a beautiful land comprised of rolling green hills, murky swamps, mysterious remains of the prior kingdom, and dangerous creatures. The Breath of Imperius is the name for the fog that gathers here at night even more than during daylight, supposedly the source of all magic. Within its veil, many oddities can be found. Dark magics at moonless midnight ceremonies, strange experiments to create new creatures, subtle coalitions of unspoken purposes... Much is hidden by the Breath of Imperius. The very center of the isle is the highest point, mountains rising there though not really comparable to Guardians' lofty heights. Four baronies are carved out of the isle.
Coat of Arms: A tricornered black shield with a crimson border has a luminous (often actually glowing) silver fang pointing upwards centered on it. This is for the Fang of Imperius in the capital city, Polaris Port.
Map: Map of Mists
Colors: Black, silver, and crimson
Timeline: History for 505
Baronies and Lordships
Barony of Dragon Lake
- Lordships
The eastern edge of Mists holds the capital city, the grand and magical metropolis built upon the ruins of demonic holdings and surrounding what has come to be called the Fang of Imperius. A tower of luminous silver stone stretching over three hundred paces into the sky and coming to a sharpened tip, whatever it once housed has been cleared out so for the Academy of Imperium. The capital city of Polaris Port is all within the Lordship of Fang of Imperius. Haven is the midway point on the road between Polaris Port and Shadrach's Folly, an idyllic lordship that raises sheep among emerald hills. Further to the west, the boggy lordship of Shadrach's Folly was named for the infamous bandit who accidentally saved the life of the first Mogur. He was then hanged.
Barony of Foxfire Cradle
- Lordships
Foxfire Cradle is so named as most of the barony is contained in a cradle-like valley between the modest mountains at the center of the isle and the beaches of the western shore. It's a wet area, the bogs of Shadrach's Folly bordering it to the east and seeping into it. Arden Vale is swampland, a place where travel is considered deadly after dark, but many prize components come from the murky swamps. Dark Waters holds the perpetually-black inland lake that provides fish, eels, and reeds. Spirit's Settling is along a southwards flowing river, the community very hermitish and unwelcoming of outsiders. However, the lordship takes softened clays from the river and creates pottery as its primary trade, often magical if not up to the sheer sill or beauty of Guardians' work. They also sell clay for magical components.
Barony of Crescent Coast
- Lordships
The northern beaches of the isle and the land just inward from them are part of the sprawling barony of Crescent Coast. The Breath of Imperius settles here at night, drifting across the waters and driving the citizens indoors. The sand from here is a treasured component, stained silver from the Breath and rumored to hold magic as no other component came. Divers harvest coral from the sprawling reefs off of Enchanted Coral, and that coral is often divided into components and crafts. Eleki Beach serves as a spot for fishing and sand-gathering, though the fishing is done cautiously and the fishers know to carefully scrutinize anything caught before it is consumed. Kraken Shoals are populated with large tortoises, and exports from this region tend to be carved tortoise-shell items. Kraken Shoals is also reputed to be one of the most beautiful beaches in all of the Empire, and often citizens will come here to enjoy the beautiful locale. A small trade is made off of the visitors and tourists.
Barony of Moonshadow
- Lordships
The largest barony of Mists is Moonshadow, encompassing nearly the entire western half of the isle. The mountains of the islands center are found within this barony, stretching out to rolling hills and finally brief, flat plains before reaching the beaches. The top of the highest peak, right at the isle's center, is called Sorcery's Crest. Almost nobody lives there and there are no real exports, but the open-air pavillion there serves as venue for many magical ceremonies and any Duels of Sorcery among ranking mages. The hills stretching down from the peak to the west are Gryphon's Reach, the reclusive lordship occasionally rumored to be the place where magical animal experiments occur. Rumors also say the cave holding the Breath of Imperius is within these hills. Midnight Lagoon is nestled in the hills to the south, a sprawling body of water that glows luminous beneath the moonlight, the liquid often sought and harvested at particular times as a component. The lake is also used for ceremonial bathing for magic spells. Banshee's Shriek is an odd anomaly, the coastal lordship south of Dragonlake so named because of the way that the wind seems to scream as it tears through oceanside cliffs riddled with holes. Inland from the coast is a forbidding forest of gnarled, twisted trees with only one safe road through it. They say the forest is haunted. Medusa's Graveyard is another southern coastal lordship of Moonshadow, the holdings set amongst the horrific, sprawling gardens of some past demonic overlord, a place with statues of people all over rumored to be actual humans turned to stone. Vines and plants have grown up around the statues, providing many odd flora for components and attracting some rather unique fauna. Wraith's Watch is the westernmost coastal lordship bordering Medusa's Graveyard to the south and Gryphon's Reach to the East. It is here that the fog of Imperius seems to gather heaviest. The people here are often thought odd, even by other mages, and whispers of magical cults abound. The exports from here are primarily the potions, scrolls, and other items that are sent to the rest of the Empire.
The People of Mists
Mists is home to a diverse people, the unifying thread being their possession of magic. The populace as a whole is educated, and a large percentage travel to the Academy of Imperium for their training. There are still those who follow a traditional apprenticeship program, however, and there are several magely orders that exclusively train their own chosen novices. More information on magely orders is in the Magely Orders section. A certain amount of paranoia and secrecy seems commonplace among Mistians.
As a general rule, the mages in large cities are more multi-cultured while those who live in remote towns, villages, and lordships are more subject to superstition and xenophobia. Visitors are not always welcome in some of the more secluded areas of the isle, and there are places where visitors are as unsafe from the locals as they are from any of the strange creatures that live in the mists. Most people won't ever encounter those areas, though, and spend their time in Polaris Port, seeing the wonders of Mists from there. A magical society is an enchanting thing to behold, and there are comforts here that can be had nowhere else in the isles.
The highly educated populace makes Mists a thinking isle, like Draught, prizing intellect. Gender is not often a differentiator of people in Mists; power determines ones social ranking. There are no chores defined as female or male. Rather, the menial or tedious chores of society are often left to those of junior ranks or minor abilities.
Family bonds are not as tight as other isles, with those that a young mage trains with or is trained by often taking a greater precedence than traditional family loyalties. This is exceptionally true for a mage who enters a magely order; their brotherhood becomes their family.
Most marriages are based upon the intention to breed more powerful mages, and this is predominantly considered even more desirable than seeking romance or title. Mages have gone to great lengths to attempt to conceive during celestial conjunctions or events, and fertility potions are in scarce supply during the weeks before a double eclipse.
As being a mage often leads to a somewhat sedentary life, typically mages are either lean and lanky or somewhat padded.
Holidays on Mists
January 1 is First Day. It is a ceremonial day where the children who have turned five during the year are brought into the cavern where the Breath of Imperius wells forth, to feel the Breath and be consecrated to their new lives as mages of Mists. It is a high day of solemnity and great joy for those whose children are involved. For those not having children involved in the actual ritual, it is a day of celebration for the continuation of our way of life.
February 2nd is Incipiation Day, sometimes called in the more prideful circles Emancipation Day. It is the day when Mists was separated from Crossroads, and is celebrated by mages all trying to do something for the first time.
The Vernal Equinox (mid March) is the Day of Restoration. Finally, the cold winter is over and celebration is in order. The vats of colored dye that have held the sheared Haven sheep fleece are opened and blessed so as to be made into the ceremonial robes all mages are given to wear. It is the day of Renewal, when the return of spring is welcomed with dancing and song. Children conceived on this day are considered to be especially talented in magic.
The Summer Solstice (mid June) is called Everday. A time for fun and frolic, Magic contests are held, feasts are prepared and eaten, joy is had by adult and child alike. Dancing begins when the sun begins to descend and continues till the sun rises the next morning. Many a girl is asked to be a bride traditionally on this night so the preparations can begin to be wed on Evernight.
The Autumnal Equinox (mid September) is called Balanceday. It is a time to weigh the duality of life, and mages are encouraged to remember the two-fold nature of all things and embody it in their actions. Such as having something sweet and something sour to eat, wearing light and dark, or anything else creative. The college students tend to come up with some rather crazy equivalents of this, such as drinking all night and sleeping all day.
The Winter Solstice (mid December) is known as Evernight, a solemn day that recalls the depths of despair and the times of Chaos and how they were overthrown by the Champion. Couples often marry on Evernight as a show of faith that once again the sun will rise on the morrow and life can go on till the Restoration of order comes again in three months.
Any double eclipse is considered a holiday, and one that potentially is good for breeding strong mages on. People tend to be absent from their activities this day.
The Breath of Imperius
The Breath of Imperius that purportedly is the source of magic is said to well forth from a cave at the heart of the isle. It is certain that it sometimes is seen during the day, and always cloaks part of the isle at night. Strange creatures and odd magical aberrations are said to dwell within the mists, though some mages speculate that it is a door to other worlds.
The Breath also causes some difficulties for living creatures on the isles.
It is considered almost impossible to maintain a self-sustaining farm on Mists in the long term, due to genetic problems that are known to occur in succeeding generations of crops, cattle, and other farm animals. In general, only 30 percent of a given herd is alive a generation later; 9 percent in two generations, 3 percent after three, and 1 percent after four generations. Farmers bring in "fresh blood" each year and aggressively breed them to maintain their herd levels and provide food, leather wool, and other marketable products. Without this infusion of untainted animals, usually from Green Fields, herds would only provide supply for a few years at most. The situation is similar with crops; except that each generation is only a year, and replanting seed is so inefficient it is not even attempted except when it is impossible to obtain new seed.
It is rumored that the same situation exists among humans, but due to the length of generations and frequent interbreeding by those suspicious of these effects, the rumors remain unconfirmed. There is one tiny advantage to the difficulty in breeding: those very few 4th and 5th-generation animals that survive tend to have small benefits that make them a worthwhile gamble for some farmers. The wool from 5th-generation sheep is prized for magely robes and can fetch more than the price of the hundreds of sheep needed to produce it. Unfortunately, these 5th generation animals are equally as likely to develop bad behavior. Stories of six-legged cows rampaging through taverns are, amusingly, all too common, possibly making the gamble a far too costly one.
Daily Life on Mists
Trade on Mists
Mists does not deal in many mundane trades such as mineral, plant, or animal, for reasons mentioned in the section entitled 'Breath of Imperius'.
Scrolls, magical items, potions, or magely services... these are the exports that Mists is most famous for, the lifeblood of the isle. Small items could be such as light spheres, pots that will never break, brooms that can sweep on their own, or blankets that make a bed warm. Larger ones would be items such as unbreakable blades or blades that are more likely to strike true, divining rods to find water, weather enchantments to help grow crops, spells to cure diseases, and magical containers to preserve whatever may be put within.
Homes on Mists
Mistian homes depend largely upon where they are made. In the swamp areas, they're largely wood and occasionally uplifted on stilts above soggy ground. In hilly areas, they are often stone and set slightly into the hillside. In cities, they're either wood or stone. Most homes are fairly small as it is rare for people to live with extended family. If a mage is a member of a magely order, they might live in the hall of that order.
Almost all homes will have a separate area for experimentation, warded by magic to prevent excessive damage if something goes wrong. Most have a window in the roof to allow direct sunlight, moonlight, and starlight into the home if necessary for some componential preparation.
Justice on Mists
Justice on Mists is handled at a local level by Magisterium, men appointed by the Duke to handle infractions of the law that carry menial punishments. These Magisterium travel regular circuits to established villages to hand out justice in the name of the Duke.
Crimes that have more serious consequences or that are committed by nobility must be brought to Polaris Port to be heard before the Magister's Council. The council is all Magisterium and the Duke and/or Duchess, and it convenes every other month. The Duke and/or Duchess can overrule the Magisterium, but it happens rarely and is looked at askance when it does. Primarily, if a duke or duchess wants to have a certain verdict come up, they'll speak with the appointed beforehand and indicate their preference.
Those who have committed crimes that must be heard by the Council will either wait in the gaol if they're common or under house arrest in some rather nice townhouses if they're noble.
Most punishments are not of a physical nature, but rather involve a period of indentured servitude to the injured party as recompense for a crime, and for nobles punishment can include loss of title. This servitude can be as brief as a day for something minor, extending to years for the greatest of crimes. If the punishment is death (only for the most heinous of crimes such as treason, planned murder, or the stealing of another's spellbook), it is to be exacted by the hand of the Duke or Duchess personally.
Magical Duels
Although it's not discussed much outside of the isle, magical duels are still a common way that a person ascends to rank within magely orders or proves his or her power. These battles traditionally take place at Sorcery's Crest, although less formal versions often occur in back alleys, the halls of magely orders, or in village squares.
The traditional dueling arena is thirty feet wide and eighty feet long, and each mage begins at their end of the rectangular arena. The traditional rules allow each person one standard pouch of components and no pre-prepared spells nor magical items, although any of these provisions are negotiable for a particular combat. Sometimes, only a wand or a staff is allowed.
Variants exist where each person has to be silenced, where strange creatures are thrown into the dueling field, or where the contestants must duel blindfolded. The last variant is most often seen around intoxicated college students.
For grand duels -- those between people of the highest rank or between nobility -- the Mogur Imperius must judge. Others can be judged by a party agreeable to both duelists.
Duels are often a show of power, not intended to be to the death. It is rumored, though, that the more remote parts of the kingdom still perpetuate such fatal entertainments.
The Orders of the Mages
Through time, mages have stratified to some degree into separate orders. Each order upholds a certain ideal, some publicly declared and some not, just as some orders are publicly known and some are not. Most orders only accept mages of their own arcane talents into their fold, though some accept all sorts of mages. Most orders will have some sort of hall where they can perform their magics and where members can live. Those that are more secretive often lack this gathering point, or have a hall hidden off in the hills or distant reaches of the isle.
A few of the publicly more well-known orders are as follows:
- The Order of Oberon: They believe transportation magic thins the veil between worlds, and they work to find a way to stop in the middle of any transport, to find worlds beyond this.
- The Order of Icarus: They hold faith that mages are growing stronger and stronger, and it is the duty of all mages to submit their bodies to trying to mate and breed the perfect mage.
- The Order of the Ready Arm: This order believes that demons will ultimately break out of the Gateway and they study magics to hold nefarious or extraplanar creatures at bay.
- The Order of Cassandra: This order believes that since magic removes the physical domination of men, it makes women superior to their counterparts.
There are suspected to be many other orders that are not publicly known. A member of any order is entitled to wear the emblem of that order upon their magely robes, usually a disc emblazoned with the coat of arms of the order. Each order has its own method of determining rank internally, training novices (though many merely have their novices go to the Academy), and rules about the use of magic. Of course, these rules should not supersede the law or the will of the duke of Mists or the Mogur Imperius.
