Savants are amongst the most educated people of the Age of Sorrows which means they need somewhere to get that education. Even those trained in a master-apprentice relationship need time at a school or at least a serious library in order to avoid being merely a lesser copy of their mentor. A savant can of course have been born anywhere, but the following cities are good places in the East or North-East to be, intellectually speaking, from:
Great Forks
One of the three greatest cities of the River Province, the most dedicated to learning though of a religious bent as the bureaucracy that serves the three gods that rule the city are the primary student of its schools.
Nexus
No city in the world sees as much trade as Nexus. Built upon the ruins of a dimly understood First Age metropolis it is a den of (sometimes charming) inequity where if money can't really buy safety it at least can obtain danger for others. Knowledge from anywhere in the world, and practical lore of the previous age can be purchased here.
Lookshy
As much a military camp as a city, maintained by the Seventh Legion of the Dragon-Blooded Shogunate that considers itself the reason the Realm has not conquered the River Province. Training here is focused on creating Sorcerer-Assistants who maintain the Field Forces' magical arsenal, with instruction in the Sciences of Geomancy and Enchantment second to none.
Sijan
The tomb-city where the great and the good of the East are interred, where the knowledgeable morticians ensure that you can in fact take it with you. While a little depressing the lore available on the dead and the Underworld is unmatched.
Thorn
A glorious and cosmopolitan city that prized excellence in all things, including intellectual pursuits, as much ally as satrapy to the Realm. Once. Annexed by the Deathlord Mask of Winters to be his capital in the lands of the living it is now a dreary near ruin where living inhabitants are more concerned with feeding their children than considering the secrets of Creation. A good place for a savant to have received a wide ranging education but have no current connections, except possibly a desire for revenge against Wisdom Whispered, the thaumaturge and savant who betrayed the city.
Cherak
This cold northern city has long winters suitable for scholarly pursuits and a keen interest in arcane lore, remembering when their seed crystal of empire was shattered by the mortal sorcerer Bagrash Köl. Their fine ships journey far and make it an easy place to have travelled from. Though ruled by a Cadet House of the Realm (under a satrap) mortal savants are valued in a city without the enormous resources of the main Realm. A good place to be from for a character who intends to find new knowledge and take it back home.
