Shade
Shade, the City of Shadows, is an enigma within an enigma. The city, if it can indeed be called that, is an assemblage of structures built from the scavenged ruins of forgotten civilizations and the native purplish soil of the Grip of Sarvan. Its structures are transient and improvised, constantly being erected, dismantled, and altered. The cityscape often shifts with the ever-changing terrains of the Grip.
The inhabitants of Shade are a kaleidoscope of races and backgrounds, united by their status as the rejected, the cast-offs, the runaways. Fugitives from justice, political dissidents, outcast mages, mercenaries without a cause, scholars driven by forbidden knowledge, and even beings from realms unknown, all find a haven in Shade. It is a city with no single race or culture, a tapestry woven from the diverse strands of all of Teralt's denizens.
A peculiar code of ethics binds these wayfarers. There is no written law, no council, no king, but there are unwritten rules of respect and survival. The price of betrayal is steep, usually paid with one's life. Despite the chaos, a semblance of order exists, in no small part due to the enigmatic entity known as the Veiled Arbitrator.
The Veiled Arbitrator, as the entity is referred to, is the closest thing to a ruler that Shade has. No one knows who or what the Arbitrator is, as they always appear shrouded in cloaks of deepest black and masks that reflect no light. Their voice, a formless, haunting echo, seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The Arbitrator settles disputes, imposes penalties, and in the rarest of cases, banishes individuals from Shade.
The city's economy thrives on barter and trade, of goods, information, magic, and even promises. Given the presence of Imustones, some semblance of mining takes place, although the process is fraught with danger due to the inherent instability of the stones and the territory itself.
At the heart of the city, a towering monument known as the Obsidian Spire pierces the sky. Built from a gargantuan, gleaming black stone that resonates with arcane energies, the Spire is a beacon for lost souls seeking Shade, its pulsating aura serving as a guide through the treacherous Grip, as it pulls them in. The Spire is also a place of communion, where residents gather during moments of shared importance.
Type
City
Location under
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