Magnus, the Everlasting Bastion

Rising up from the desert sands, with grand stone walls, temples, schools, and structures of all varieties, Magnus truly is a Bastion of the Wastes. Built atop the ruins of an ancient city that's seen the rise and fall of many civilizations, Magnus is still a sight to behold, even at a fraction of its former glory.
The city is home to The Arcaneum), the most prestigious home of Arcane Learning in all of modern Eramis. Magnus is a center of Enlightenment, where Scholars of all disciplines may come to learn and teach. Where Qarthis prioritizes Law and Order, and Sythis focuses on Trade and Prosperity, Magnus seeks knowledge, all knowledge, for those of the Magnate understand that True Power can only come from a complete understanding of all things. 
Magnus is ruled by the Lich Lord Cain, the Unending), as it has been for the past eight centuries.  Cain rules the city and its surrounding territory through the Magnate, an organization of mages and bureaucrats who run the schools, government, state security forces, and more. The city is known not only for its pursuit of knowledge, but also its use of the Undead. Indeed, much of the city's security and menial labor forces are composed of mindless undead, controlled by Mages within the Magnate. Far from an evil act, the citizens see this as a way for the common folk to pursue their true desires and goals, as the undead tend the fields and quarries. And it's far better for a lifeless body to fall upon an enemy's spear than it is for the living to needlessly fall in battle. 

While the arcane power of Magnus is certainly the driving force of its prosperity, a civilization cannot survive on this alone. Magnus is location is particularly advantageous for a great many reasons. Not only does is lie at a crossroads, where many folk of all cultures pass through, it also lies atop one of the oldest, largest, and most consistent oasis in the Great Sand Sea. Some of it lies in the surfaces, and gives life to the soil, producing many necessary crops, most of it lies below the surface, in a series of underground springs, grottos, and subterranean lakes. Magnus is also built along the base of a mountain, which helps not only protect one of its borders from invasion, it also is a great source of stone for quarries and gems for jewelers and spell components.

Government

Magocracy

Type

City

Population

Approximately 6,000 to 8,000

Included Locations

• The Arcaneum

Owner/Ruler

Cain, the Unending

Owning Organization

The Magnate