Beacon
Beacon is a small continent to the south of Myas'tara, across the Sea of Shards. The entire continent is a massive city. Beacon contains nearly half of Temshai's population; nearly 1.5 million residents live in its seven boroughs. During The Assault and The Absence, escapees from the Lizardfolk army made their way across the sea, establishing Beacon as a number of small settlements. Discovered by a small convoy of ships that left Eleth Lilanor (then the City of Light), Beacon was named for the desire to be a safe haven to all. Beacon prides itself on being a place that offers freedom without judgement, where the races of Temshai mingle freely, where residents can have a fresh start and a better life, supporting each other.
After The Ascension, Beacon's population continued to grow, attracting those who espoused its ideals, those who had reason to escape other parts of Temshai and start over, and those who no longer wished to be under the rule of the various political factions, religion, and guilds that dominate the rest of Temshai.
As the city grew quickly, the limited amount of space caused the different settlements to merge together, to the point that modern-day Beacon is effectively one massive city made up of individual cities. Each is now called a Borough, retaining their original names, with walls separating them. Beacon has a mayor, with each borough having a magistrate. Boroughs retain a fairly high degree of autonomy, but larger issues affecting all of Beacon go before a council made up of the mayor and the magistrate and two other representatives from each burrow. While each is largely self-sufficient, they're all known for various things, and all depend on the agriculture from Fallham Vale to the south.
While Beacon is far from the lawlessness of places like the Contraband Coast, its citizens are given a lot more freedom and autonomy than other places in Temshai. Notably, Beacon remains largely free from the religious influence of the Hexalian Order, though the order has a small following in Starspire Rest, where they've established the Eternal's Light Chapel.
Beacon is hilly and rocky in the northwest, but slopes gently downward to small beaches along the southern and eastern coasts. The borough of Cragscrabble lies at the highest point in the northwest. An industrious community favouring stone as a building material, Cragscrabble is full of miners, masons, and metalworkers. The skyline of Azurebreak stands out to newcomers crossing the Sea of Shards, its numerous tall residential towers and the slums beneath being the most densely-populated area of Temshai. Further east lies Tidemount, home of Beacon's largest docks district and shipyards.
Pitfrey Hollow lies south of Cragscrabble, along Beacon's western coast. Much lower in elevation than Cragscrabble, it lies in the shadow of the Scrabble Hills, and is a sprawling, dimly-lit, town full of wooden buildings lining narrow streets and alleys. The heart of Beacon is Everwick Lake, the home of Haliskar University, whose grounds dominates the south side of the lake. South of Tidemount and east of Everwick Lake, Starspire Rest was built largely by Sun Elves, in an elegant style reminiscent of Eleth Lilanor, and is a bright haven for artists of all kinds.
Taking up the majority of Beacon's land is Fallham Vale to the south. It's much more spacious and is home to much of Beacon's agriculture and livestock.
Beacon connects to the Temshai Tram Network with a stop in Tidemount, but a network of tram stops underlies the whole city. Those with a little coin, or those desiring more privacy as they travel, can hire a Sky Coach, a small piloted airship holding 4 passengers.
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