Mirandus
Mirandus is a human settlement, a castle stronghold built into the mountains, and one of the five Allied Duchies of Westreach. It is infamous for its long history of plague and synchronous isolationism.
Demographics
Mirandus was established as a human duchy and humans continue to be there primary demographic, especially with the city's frequently closed borders. The merchant class has some dwarves and few elves. There is also an immigrant population of elves, gnomes, and centaurs, though many are relegated to the slums of the Maryedge district.
Government
Mirandus, though called a duchy, underwent a complete restructuring of government after the first Black Death plague and concurrent riots. Today, it is nominally a democracy, ruled by a tribunal. This tribunal is made up of a High Tribune and one Tribune representing and elected by each of the city's five districts—Maryedge, Westbrook, Tourmaline, Hearthwick, and Spire. The tribunal votes on laws governing Mirandus, though each tribune has a degree of freedom in independently governing their own district. Some laws apply to one district but not the others, such as curfew or ordinances for animal and non-animal creatures.
Industry & Trade
Mirandus relies on imports from the surrounding farmlands outside its walls for agriculture. Timber is also scarce and must be traded from Sylvanmere, usually in exchange for precious metals or salts.
Mirandus' primary export is enchanted goods crafted by wizards of the Kalafrax' Wizard College. These items were once rare and expertly crafted, putting them in high demand. After Mirandus' bout of plague and subsequent recession, high-yield and low-cost enchanted items began to become the norm, produced through cheap labor. The waste products of the enchantment process has polluted the Beltz River with unsafe levels of magic, which has killed most of the river's fish.
Infrastructure
Mirandus has five districts—Maryedge, Westbrook, Tourmaline, Hearthwick, and Spire. Each is encompassed by the outer city wall, but are divided either by the inner walls or by the Beltz River that passes through Mirandus. The entire city is paved with cobblestone roads—daily cleaned in the upper districts but left to dirt and disrepair in Maryedge. The sewer system exists underground and was maintained by sanitation workers and enchanted pumps until mutated rats overran the tunnels.
Guilds and Factions
The Adventurer's Guild, once a famous organization of legendary heroes, has faded to obscurity and jest. They now provide odd jobs for skilled individuals registered among their ranks, taking a cut of the profits. Despite their increasing irrelevance, they still possess a monopoly on mercenary and "mercenary adjacent" work.
The Kalafrax Wizards' College is an institution of learning, mastering, and innovating magic. It was founded by Kalafrax the Kind, a centaur wizard whose statue graces the campus courtyard. The College typically teaches children of the noble class, though recently scholarships have become available for particularly gifted individuals. After achieving journeyman status, a wizard may choose a field of magic to master—Abjuration, Illusion, Enchantment, Divination, Evocation, Transmutation, Necromancy, or Conjuration. (Though necromancy is studied, it is not actively practiced after the Scions of the Raven Queen banned it in 304 CA). The current headmaster of the college is Headmaster Alfirin.
Opposed to the College is the Beltz Magus Syndicate, a rogue group of magically talented individuals—such as sorcerers—who defy the wizards' strict and oppressive laws restricting the use of magic. They are hunted by the city guards, but have so routed efforts to disband their order. Several bands of the Syndicate have infiltrated the Penitents' Dungeon and broken out prisoners who were arrested for illegal use of magic. Hunted individuals are smuggled from the city. The Beltz Magus Syndicate is led by a powerful illusionist named Valana'danya, though her identity is not widely known.
The wererats who live in Mirandus have no official organization or name, but they are a community of the underclass who keep each other secret and safe. Once brainwashed by the entity known as the Rat King, the wererats are now free of mind control and follow a new leader. This group has come under oppression from the city guard and the Raven Queen's undertakers, who see them as pests at best, walking contagions at worst.
Finally, the Undertakers are a religious organization who follow the Raven Queen. Ever since the first Black Death plague, their authority rivals the city guard and often exceeds it in matters of death and public health. They are led by Doctor Amrit Schnabel, a man blessed by his goddess in his mission to save Mirandus from its curse of malady.
Natural Resources
Mirandus has veins of mines in the surrounding mountains and cavern systems, rich in copper, cobalt, salt (its primary export), and the rare and highly toxic aether. The mountain provides stone for reinforcing the castle walls. The Beltz River which runs through the city is flush with freshwater fish such as trout and migrating salmon. Wild goats that live in the mountains are hunted for meat and pelts, and their domesticated kin are owned by middle class families.
Maps
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Mirandus
Alternative Name(s)
City of Plague
Type
Large city
Population
30,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Mirandusian
Related Materials
The crest of Mirandus displays three interlocking ravens protecting a triquetra, which originally symbolized the city's three districts. The surrounding vines represent malady, which the city has thrice suffered and thrice survived.
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