Magetown

Early History - the Birthplace of Human Wizardry

Settled in 0124 during the early period of the Northern Continent expansion of the First Wave, Magetown was one of the earliest human settlements on Arrhynsia. The settlers - and the site - were virtually predetermined by a fortuitous convergence where four magic leylines - earth, water, fire and air were accessible at the world's surface. Such a wealth of available magic power could not be ignored by the human mages (wizards) who flocked to the area, each establishing a small family community near the leyline that was most aligned to their preferred power. The earliest arrivals, most notably the Distepi family laid claim to the region of most extensive convergence near the junction of the Harbroken river and the Kimthroe River. This prime land included access to four different leylines within an area no larger than seventy three human acres as well as access to both rivers.

by Nejron Photo

Johann Distepi, the patriarch of the family and his wife Matilda had twelve children at the time of the initial settlement of Magetown. Overall, the community was peaceful, and the settlers were an odd mix of scholars and farmers. Distepi was descended from a family that had practiced magic in Eryia and had access to an ancient book of human spellcraft. He immediately staked boundaries to the prime property, and set his children to planting fields, raising sheep and guarding the property. He then locked himself in his study and began to decypher his family heirloom, learning the basics of human wizardry which had not been practiced since humans had left Eryia. Distepi was moderately successful in his endeavors, and it was not long before he was able to establish wards for this property and enrich the nutrition content of his soil. The family prospered, and Distepi spread out his efforts, looking to relieve the burden of work in keeping the family farm going for his wife, older children and their spouses through the use of magic. Eventually the families in Magetown formed a community co-operative or guild of mages and created a surplus of magic goods for sale to the public. By modern standards these were modest items with limited utility, but they found a ready market in the capitol of the human empire, Greytowne (later renamed to Cairne). Magetown grew and became a leading community in the region with an elected city council and mayor - who typically, but not exclusively - bore the last name Distepi.

The War of the Mages

The prosperity of Magetown was assured, but its leadership was not. In 0189, the cooperative led by Distepi made the mistake of selling magic items of a defensive nature to the Caroke tribe, a group of rebels against the human kingdom centered in Greyville. The records are not clear on whether the Council of Magetown or any of the particpating mages including Distepi knew that the intent of the Caroke leaders was to challenge the crown and establish a new human government. Nevertheless, as suppliers of military weaponry, the mages of Magetown drew the ire of the human king in Greyville Charles Cairne who demanded that these same, and better, war goods be sold to his forces. Magetown thus became a critical player in the "War of the Mages", a war in which no mages actually particpated, but which was the first human war in Arrhynsia which utilized magic items in battle. When the war ended, Cairne immediately outlawed the production and sale of magic for any defensive or offensive purposes at all except for use by the human crown which reserved it's own access to magic designed for military and police purposes, thus to securing absolute control and power over the entire human kingdom.
Following the defeat, Cairne brought the leaders of Magetown together and met with them. He announced his intent to establish a center of learning at Magetown for the benefit of all humans. To do that, he would be annexing key properties with the intent to establish the University in the heart of Magetown, specifically that property held by the Distepi family.
The dispossession of the Distepis was violent and costly as the family leader Hugo Distepi, great-grandson of Johann Distepi, objected to losing access to the remarkable power and flexibility provided by four leylines, and the wealth that his family had managed to acquire based on that magic. Distepi used his magic to defend his continued possession of the land when legal appeals failed as was inevitable. The conflict eventually resolved when the majority of the Distepi familiy, including the patriarch, was killed in conflict by agents of the crown or taken prisoner and tortured to death under charges of violating the new magical malfeasance laws and resisting the actions of the state by using magic. It is well documented, yet mostly ignored that the Distepi family was betrayed by trusted fellow wizards who secretly coveted the power the family held, and who were well compensated for their support by Juras Needenkel the head of the bureau of internal affairs under Cairne.

Establishing a University

The expressed intent, and indeed the actual outcome of the forcible supression of the Distepi family, was the establishment of a crown sponsored institution of higher learning. The University of the Arcane focused on developing the study and application of magic for human use, and grew the initial magic capabilities of the Distepi familiy into a multi-million gold business for Charles Cairne, thus securing his kingdom. The neighbors, and the Distepi familiy survivors of this takeover, all professed to be well satisfied with the events - at least in public forums.
The University was chartered with developing an economic revolution for the human kingdom. Their pursuit of this under the crown appointed Chancellor and the University Council was vigorous as Charles Cairne was careful to align the financial profitability of the industry and kingdom with the financial well being of the Chancellor and the Council. While the University had no direct influence on politics, at least on paper, early on, the crown was a significant investor in the experimentation and research that went on at the University.
Eventually, the University became independently wealthy and less dependent on the crown for funding. It began to act autonomously and took on a more political and proactive role in society. The government, instead of fighting this new source of polical power, used it and shaped it to serve it's ends, securing a long term grip on the society to keep itself in power.

Ancient City of Magetown, Northern Kingdom, circa 4th Wave.

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Map showing Pre-Cataclysm Magetown, revovered from ruins of Cairne.

• Layer 1 - Known leylines at the time of settlement
• Layer 2 - Magetown at the time of the Cataclysm

The Catacylsm

In the end, Magetown and the Univeristy that was it's source of significance and power was also the downfall of the human kingdom in the Northern Continent. The University was the birthplace and location of the ill fated magic spell that caused the Cataclysm and resulted in the transformation of the entire Northern Continent into the Northern Wastes. Millions of humans were killed in the Cataclysm, and the land was covered in sheets of ice hundreds of feet thick, made completely uninhabitable by any sentient species, and a great many others. The Cataclysm precipitated the Fifth Wave that brought the remaining humans back to the mainland of Arrhhynsia and resulted in their settlement of the Desolate Wastes south of the Draak'thor Massiff where the human kingdom of Errin is currently located.