Irhurma
Irhurma is a magical force on a bend of the Zhenhua River. Crisscrossed by canals and adorned with tinkling glass charms on every window and door, it’s a fitting home for the Legendary Mage College, the oldest and most prestigious school of Arcane Magic on Gradus. Its location on the Zhenhua makes it a hub both for ships sailing upriver from the
sea and caravans making their way through the surrounding jungles.
The smells of rich spices and rare woods fill the city’s open-air markets, while glassmakers and cloth merchants display a riotous array of colors and
designs. The city’s population is comprised mostly of Humans, with most of them being Umel, followed by about half as many Kanai and a few Berberan. The city is also home to communities of Hrava elves, Dodra, Szorenat, Nulbazil and Set as well as a few members of rarer ancestries.
Founded by Old-Mage Anasi to be a seat of learning, the city has evolved over the millennia into a renowned mage's haven. The College’s presence enhances the city’s prestige and contributes to the safety and stability of its people. Irhurma is also the base of operation for the Feisev and through its inexhaustible supply of troops maintains peace with its neighbors. No attack against the city has ever prevailed— the Feisev has never let any foe within 20 miles of the city. As such, the city houses few soldiers, and most of its inhabitants devote their time to the arts, principally glassmaking and wood crafting. An elected council governs the city, and any citizen old enough can cast a ballot or run for office themselves.
The Irhurman College at the city’s heart attracts eager students from across and beyond Mifob, and its renowned arcane instructors don’t confine their lessons to the academy’s buildings or enrollment rosters—they’re just as likely to be found lecturing in a courtyard as a classroom. Likewise, students of the College are not bound to one area of the city. Those of means often have apartments in other districts, while those from less wealthy backgrounds still live comfortably within the academy’s dormitories.
Irhurma’s culture has flourished under the protection of the Feisev. Even the poorest Irhurman has access to food, clean water, and a safe place to sleep, while even the most upscale restaurants set aside a table or two for charity and sponsor the city’s many public festivals throughout the year. Without having to worry about starving or freezing, Irhurmans can innovate and take risks that citizens elsewhere can’t. The city’s artisans have honed their craft to the highest caliber, and their works, known for their quality and durability, are sought out across and beyond Mifob. Some believe the constant magic of the College imbues the items with a level of power, while others posit that the crafters themselves, having acquired knowledge from the academy’s sages, imbue their own works with magic. While the various crafters’ guilds and unions sing and chant to meter out time or remember a recipe or method, there’s no evidence their creations are inherently more magical or powerful than usual—although there’s no proof that they aren’t, either.
Life in Irhurma
Life in Irhurma begins before dawn, with bakers firing up their ovens to turn out small loves of tangy sourdough and fishers heading out to cast their nets onto the Zhenhua River. Irhurmans enjoy a quick breakfast of bread, fruit, and fish, while children head to their lessons and merchants set out their wares. Food carts grill fish and vegetables and griddle flatbreads to wrap them in, and prepare plates for hungry laborers on their way to work. Glassblowers check the annealing ovens and the wares they left cooling overnight, before stoking the fires to start melting sand. Apprentices grind additives and fetch water to moisten shaping pads while journeyman crafters go over the day’s plans with the masters. Woodworkers likewise sharpen their tools while studying raw logs and stumps to see what beauty will be revealed from within; their apprentices, meanwhile, start working on stools and chairs to hone their fundamentals. From outside the city, carts and boats loaded with raw goods from the surrounding farms and villages flow in, all supervised by a small army of bureaucrats accounting for everything and distributing the tribute as needed. Street musicians and performers start busking around lunchtime, often setting up in a courtyard or town square so passersby can enjoy their acts while they eat. Savvy food carts feed artists in exchange for them setting up nearby, then hawk their treats to the crowds that gather to enjoy the performance. Theaters and music houses stage daily shows beginning around sundown, with most serving light refreshments with the entertainment. Guilds sponsor annual competitions for new plays, musical works, and choreography, sometimes with required elements like the Khababari Woodworker's Alliance’s stipulation that wooden instruments be used, or the Irhurman Glassmaker's Guild’s mandate of a glassworker as the protagonist. These competitions offer valuable prizes and bragging rights, but are also a way for musicians and actors to make a name for themselves, since the guilds finance a showing for each finalist and a quarter’s run for the winner. Dinners are a leisurely affair of grazing on finger foods in the summer or, in the rainy season, cradling small cups of hot stews while talking or reading. Most homes share a communal outdoor area conducive to chatting with neighbors and sharing meals with them, such as a central courtyard shared among several buildings or a rooftop terrace used by all the tenants of a larger building. There are two prominent seasons in Khababar : the wintry rainy season, which lasts about 3 months and features storms lasting up to 20 hours a day, and the warmer and dryer growing season that begins in spring and fills the rest of the year. Spring, when the land starts drying out and young green life starts to sprout, comes with an explosion of color as merchants and crafters start displaying the wares they produced over the winter. Flowers stuffed with cheese or meat and fried in a crispy batter are available on almost every corner as people start planting their garden boxes. In the summer quarter, people store melons and fruits at the bottom of wells to keep them cool and refreshing in the daytime heat. Fish are caught in abundance from the River, grilled fresh within hours, and served with a squeeze of citrus or sprinkle of spices and salt. The autumn quarter brings leafy greens in abundance, quickly sautéed if already tender or slow-cooked if tougher. The grilling and quick cooking of the spring and summer make way for stews and braises in autumn and the rainy season. Fish are salted and fruits dried or preserved to be packed away, and an annual slaughter of livestock gives meats time to cure and smoke. The rainy winter’s daily torrential downpours drive most Irhurmans indoors. Riverbeds provide starchy marsh tubers to be roasted in coals or boiled and mashed to serve with rich, meaty stews. Most people work on their sewing or weaving projects to make clothes for the upcoming year, and they hone their crafts by putting in long hours on commissions or masterworks to showcase their skills. Nearly four-fifths of Irhurmans are literate, and the rainy season gives them opportunities to read alone or to each other as they work, with the households’ youngest often reading aloud for practice. Most shops shut down for all but the few dry hours at midday, while the city’s mills are at their busiest, grinding the harvest’s grains into fine flours for cakes and breads in the new year. Bakers prepare mountains of delicately shaped cookies, traditionally given as gifts to friends, loved ones, and business associates alikeGovernment
Two factions struggle for control of the city, the Feisev a militant order, and The Irhurman mages school.
Irhuran Governing Council
- Lorenzo Omo: Gufar of Irhurma
- Cammala Kwei
- Daras Anai
- Gianagon
- Kolia Cerick
- Mel Bea
- Nobo Mila
- Shaon Eos
- Sif Alson
- Theo Wuto
- Thunda Bund
Defences
Citadel Feisev
Seivon the Marshal of the Feisev coordinates the defence of the Khababari heartland from the spectral army's headquarters in Irhurma.Assets
Most people of Irhurma are artisans and crafters, and glassworkers are the most prominent among them. Exquisitely skilled, they produce all manner of
works, ranging from tiny beads covering citizens’ clothes to charms that hang from every window and above every door, and up to the dazzling, dancing sculpted chandeliers that hang over the College’s halls.
Fish that swim up the city’s canals from the Zhenhua River supplement the fruits and vegetables sent as tribute by the surrounding villages in return for protection. Neighborhood plots of vegetables and municipal orchards double as public parks and are open for all to harvest, and most households have a windowsill hosting a few pots of herbs to add to a dish. Most homes don’t have ovens, so hearth-griddled flatbreads are a staple used as both dish and utensil for fragrant stews and fluffy grains. People most often wear sleeveless sheaths and loose, wide-legged pants draped with strings of tiny glass beads in an array of colors, which wealthier citizens accessorize with large necklaces and chest and waist pieces that feature bold geometric beading patterns.
Most travel within the city either on foot or via shallow Boats in the canals. The streets, while wide enough to accommodate standard carts, arereserved for foot traffic, so the canals carry most of the traffic. Shallow-drafted, flat-bottomed boats transport cargo, while people usually ride in colorfully canopied wherries. The canals have little current, but the boats’ rowers (or more rarely, sails) provide enough speed for commerce to flow easily. Wealthy citizens own sleek and decorative vessels for both travel and a favorite sport: racing.
The racing boats, called Flats, look vastly different from the transport scows and travel barges. Small and streamlined, they more closely resemble a surfboard than a canoe. Citizens of all ages compete in the amateur races, while wealthy patrons sponsor professional teams. Both teams and individuals compete, spectators place wagers on the heats, and final results fly fast and furious. Some races have ostentatious prizes for the winners, others have participation prizes for all, and children compete for pure sport on the more residential canals. The city’s youth and recreational racing leagues emphasize safety and fair play, while leagues focused on magic or technology draw Arcanists perfecting wind spells or crafters working on designs to convert rowing power more efficiently. The most widely attended race is the first regatta of the spring season, with a route that traverses every neighborhood. Any citizen or group with access to any kind of boat can participate, but the professionals come to win. Once the pros have finished, the atmosphere becomes more like a parade, with cheering crowds lining the canals and showing off their new finery made over the
long rainy season, and some sponsored barges even throwing treats to the spectators.
Irhurma Clockworks
While most do not associate the city with mechanics, Irhurma has long had a good relationship with Nomos due to its historical position as a bastion of order within Mifob. Though the art doesn’t have many Irhurman practitioners, water clocks and orreries can be found tucked away in stray corners of the city by those who know to look for themThe Dance Courts
Irhurmans of all ages like to listen to music and dance, but the young and unmarried especially gravitate toward the Dance Courts as places to see and be seen. Unlike the theaters and performance houses, where one must be respectful of the performers while they are on stage, at the Courts people can talk to others and show off their skills. New dances are constantly cropping up among the older classics. Some are group dances where two groups face-off, others are ritualized couple’s dances where pairs move in patterns around each other and the other couples on the floor. Some Courts specialize in teaching dances to children and young adults during the day, while others host obscure musicians to help them get their first breaks. Newcomers are enthusiastically welcomed and prodded to teach the popular dances from their homelands. If they return, they may see some of the steps incorporated into new dances on the floors. Most of the Courts are comprised of a central dance floor with a small stage for the musicians and curtained alcoves with tables and cushions surrounding it. Open curtains are an invitation for servers to offer refreshments or friends to stop by and say hello. Closed curtains mean the occupants do not wish to be disturbed. It’s considered extremely rude to open the curtains, as business deals are just as likely to be discussed there as assignations are to be conducted.Guilds and Factions
Belief in deities is a personal choice among Irhurmans. No one deity is revered above others, nor any shunned or forbidden. It’s considered rude to evangelize or question someone else’s beliefs; many wear some small, visible token that openly indicates who or what they worship. Similarly, there’s no
single day of the week held holy among all Irhurmans. Each shop or family takes days off as needed, so the odds of a shop being closed on a particular day are predictable but not necessarily consistent between shops.
More broadly practiced than any religion in Nantambu is the custom of leaving an empty seat. Every home has a spare chair or place at the table, every restaurant leaves one table empty even at the height of a dinner rush, and theaters always keep a box or seat open. Even the City Council has an empty chair in the corner of the meeting chambers. Only strangers are allowed to sit in these empty seats, and even then only if there’s no other option. Similarly, a stranger in need is never turned away but instead treated as a member of the family, if only for a meal—though rude guests are politely but firmly shown the door. Some claim this tradition began because Old-Mage Jatembe might return in disguise, while others believe it allows for an ancestor or deity to bring a blessing. Some simply think of it as a polite way to invite someone into their lives. Whatever their personal beliefs, most Irhurmans are reluctant to take the last seat.
Mother of Peace
Temples of all sizes dot Irhurma’s streets and surrounding area, and any citizen can likely point any visitor to the temple they’re looking for even if it isn’t one the citizen regularly frequents themself. The largest of these is the Hall of Mother Peace, Goddess of Community, where meals are served to all who ask. Many Irhurmans serve at least one day a year in its kitchen or cleaning its hall.
Irhurman Guilds
On most mornings, young children in Irhurma attend classes in open-air courtyards known as “child gardens.” Starting around three years old, they’re first taught life skills like swimming, gardening, and rudimentary cooking. These gardens are hosted by the guilds, alliances, or temples to which the children’s parents belong, or are otherwise funded by the city. Older children learn counting and money handling, and how to read and write both the Ithurman dialect and Common. They also visit guild houses in six-week rotations to help them decide where their interests and talents lie. At the age of 13, they choose where they would like to apprentice. While this choice is important, the first apprenticeship they choose will not necessarily become their lifelong career. An apprenticeship can last anywhere from three to 20 years, depending on how long it takes the student to pick up the necessary skills. A fisher, for example, must master net making—complete with creating the yarn used to tie them—as well as fish identification and proper cleaning. A baker must master everything from the basic skillet bread to elaborate pastries. Once a student completes their first apprenticeship and graduates to the journeyman stage of their career, they are considered an adult, and their parents or guardians throw a huge feast to celebrate. This is often when an individual moves into their own abode, either symbolically in an added room in the household or into an apartment with friends of the same age. Marriage usually comes a little later, with young adults encouraged to take their time choosing a spouse. Parents often introduce potential partners, but arranged marriages—while not unheard of—are less common. Polygamy is also uncommon, but not prohibited. To ensure no coercion occurs, all partners must agree and apply separately before a marriage ceremony proceeds among any number of participants.- Irhurman Glassmaker's Guild
- Khababari Woodworker's Alliance
Local Alliances
Irhurma’s protection extends far beyond its limits, and no enemy of the city has ever come within 200 feet of its walls. As a result, the city has many alliances with local towns and villages, which often tithe to Irhurma in exchange. Wheelbarrows of produce and gifts of cattle and ibises are commonly carted into the city squares, and promising young students from nearby settlements happily fill the ranks of the College’s initiatesPoints of interest
- Fionna's Woodworks
- Fire-Pot's Workshop
- Flesh-fed Garden
- Irhurma Civic Boathouse
- The Last Pier
- Lilly Field
- Mounted Lion
- White-Capped Crow
- Zoba's Menagarie
Irhurma
Service of the Spellcasting services of up to 13th level can be found in Irhurma with ease. Acquiring higher-level services requires 1d4 weeks of work and usually requires an additional donation of 10% of the value to Irhurman College.
- Languages: Amurrun, Dwarven , Elvish, Gnollic , Iruxi, Mifid, Uktab
- Religions: Hearth Mother, Storm King , Mother of Peace, Lady of Portents, All-Seeing-Eye , Lady of Love
- Threats: Magical accidents
- Lorenzo Omo: Gufar of Irhurma
- Kolia Cerick: Council representative from the Glassmakers’ Guild
- Moyambe: Dean of Irhurman College
- Belle: Influential socialite
Founders
Type
Large city
Population
50334
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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