Hothis

Population: 130,000   Outlook: Most Hothians are open and care about others. They find the aggression of cities like Skaris baffling and make the mistake of assuming that most Arclanders are reasonable.   Languages: Mainly Hothian Lower Vannic. Some Hothians speak High Vannic, but it is looked upon as a language of formality and repression by many in Hothis.   Geography and Weather: Hothis has a temperate climate with abundant rainfall and sunlight, surrounding the city with verdant farmland.   Politics: The Lord Wardens of the Drau lead the city in crisis, but for much of the time power in Hothis is decentralised to district and street committees. This means that most Hothians believe they have a say in the running of their city, despite its chaotic existence.   Hothis is an ancient city of mystery and dreams, built in a ring shape around the Drau’en’Khana, or ‘Forest of Dreams’, that Hothians are forbidden to enter and which is guarded by the city’s warrior order - the Axe Guards of Hothis. The forest itself has become impenetrable since the Sundering and the return of magic; those trying to enter find themselves gripped with a terrible fear and confusion after walking just a few paces beyond the first trees. At the centre of the Drau is a tomb to Jothun-Odun Jarrath, an ancient Fey Prince, and it is believed that the magic emanating from his resting place induced the forest to grow. There are very few in Hothis who know the real nature of the woods at the heart of the city, even though the first settlers were mysteriously drawn to the Drau centuries ago. The sense of the unknown, of hidden revelations and of lost secrets at the city’s heart gives Hothis a unique character.   Other than Gol, it is the only city in the Arclands that openly admits the reality of magic and allows its practitioners to enter the city, even though open displays of spell casting are discouraged. The open and tolerant culture in Hothis is despised by the authoritarian Skarisi, who see it as a city of weakness and godlessness. The Aruhvian church has a declining presence in the city, as many Hothians see it as entirely irrelevant. The city is ruled periodically by the Lord Wardens of the Drau, whose first duty is to protect the forest that made the city and to maintain its sacred link with the people. New Lord Wardens are selected every twelve years, and normally command respect across the Arclands, except in Skaris, where their idolatrous forest worship is reviled.

A Fire in the Heart of Knowing

  Our debut Arclands novel is available here. Read A Fire In the Heart of Knowing, a story of desperate power struggles and a battle for survival in the dark lands of Mordikhaan.

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