Maharesh

Founded in the First Age, Maharesh was the pride and joy of the Twilight Caste Mahare. Located in a lush valley in the otherwise fairly dry hilly lands of the Riverlands, Maharesh was called the City of Sorcery during its height.

Because Maharesh firmly believed that all mortals should have a solid understanding in the world they couldn't see as well as the one they could, the occult arts were taught as part of the mandatory schooling all citizenry received.

After a few generations of this, mortal thaumaturgy became quite commonplace in the daily workings of Maharesh – fields were warded rather than fenced to keep herds in and predators out, all houses included mandatory talismans against disease and many citizens underwent the process for awakening their Essence, so that the arts of thaumaturgy blossomed and reached an impressive maturity here.

This extended even to the monks in the temples to the Unconquered Sun who practiced the Five Solar Scions martial art, a Terrestrial style based on the emulation of the animals iconic to the Unconquered Sun and his Chosen.

But this was the City of Sorcery in more than one way, for much of it was constructed by sorcerous means. The very land around it was altered, creating powerful convergences of dragon-lines upon which she raised Manses that served the public interest.

The Districts of Maharesh

Maharesh was divided into five different districts, geomantically based around each of the Manses constructed to serve as the heart and spirit of the city.

• The Tower District: The central district arrayed around the Tower of Mahare, the Tower District was the bureaucratic and mercantile heart of Maharesh. Mostly intended for the vast numbers of visitors who constantly streamed in and out of Maharesh's gates, the Tower District was made up of inns and pleasure palaces, plus the massive Plaza of Gold and Jade, the market square. It also possessed many buildings meant to facilitate the bureaucracies of the city, as well as a variety of academies of renown.
• The Falls District: Abutting the cliff that overlooks the city, the Falls District is dominated by the Great Palace of the Eternal Cistern, which straddles the river just before it flows over the cliff. The Falls District was the home of many of the technomagical foundries and other apparati necessary to allow Maharesh to function as it did, and the din of these places combined with the great noise of the water falls led to it developing into something of a poorer district, where those who couldn't afford homes elsewhere lived. Of course, the poverty of Maharesh was still quite opulent by today's standards.
• The Orchard District: Organized around the Verdant Orchard Estate, a Wood-aspected Manse, the Orchard District saw many farmer's markets and the myriad small cart paths that led out of the city towards the farms, orchards and vineyards further into the valley that provided much of the city's prosperity. The Orchard District was marked by vast parks and fine inns and estates.
• The Crafts District: Though not as known for its crafts as some other places, the craftsmen of Maharesh were prosperous and skilled, and produced elegant pottery, glassware and wicker material. These craftsmen were known to work their arts not in their own shops, but beside one another in the outer areas of the Vault of Skilled Hands, the Earth-aspected Manse around which this district was built.
• The Arts District: Where the wonders of the hands were made in the Crafts District, it was in the Arts District that the glories of music, the spoken word and the intricacies of interpersonal relations were upheld. The entertainment district of Maharesh, this district boasted everything from public forums to elegant theaters, from musical conservatories to elegant pleasure-houses. All of these things were arrayed around the Temple of Bright Flame, the public temple of Maharesh, which included a massive open-air temple to the Incarna and other temple space that saw a variety of uses and function. On any given day, a gala opening, temple festival and glorious street party was practically guaranteed to be happening.

The Manses of Maharesh

• The Tower of Mahare: X
• The Temple of Bright Flame: X
• The Vault of Skilled Hands:
• The Great Palace of the Eternal Cistern: X
• The Verdant Orchard Estate: X

The Tower of Mahare

• Aspect: Air
• Rating: 4/5
• Hearthstone: Savant's Icy Eye
• Drawbacks: None
• Powers: Attunement Recognition, Basic Senses, Cosmetic Displays, Basic Conveniences (1, light table on second floor, frostbreath jars on level four, running water, Essence safe), Hidden Escape Route (2, dif 5 to find, two passages), Power Grid (1; Powers Maharesh), Summoning Chamber (1, able to summon two creatures at a single casting with Terrestrial summoning), Workshop Manse (3, considered a Shogunate-quality workshop, Resources 4 per year to keep running)

The central Manse, the Tower of Mahare, was Mahare's dominion alone – the only way to enter it without her leave was to set the Hearthstones of the four subordinate Manses in the city into the sockets in the door, no easy task given those Hearthstones were carried by the rest of her Circle.

Though certainly a powerful Manse, a significant quantity of the power in Mahare's Tower was channeled towards another purpose – that of maintaining the city. The Tower of Mahare literally provided power to all of the city, pumping Essence into the orichalcum and crystal monoliths found at the center of every neighborhood that served to power the magical technology of that neighborhood – simple things like lights, running water, climate control and the like.

The Tower served as Mahare's palace and library, and it boasted a number of impressive outbuildings that served a variety of functions, from guest quarters to city bureaucracy buildings to the massive academies built to support the education of the populace.

The Temple of Bright Flame

• Aspect: Fire
• Rating: 3/4
• Hearthstone: Gem of White Heat
• Drawbacks: None
• Powers: Attunement Recognition, Basic Senses, Cosmetic Displays, Power Grid (1; Powers Maharesh), Temple Manse (3 – consecrated to the Incarna), Fire Dragon's Will (2 – manse prevents fires from burning those within, and shapes flames for ceremonies as appropriate)

Found at the center of the Arts District, the Temple of Bright Flame was the very heart of the district. An opulent cathedral-like construction with an arch-covered open roof that served as a temple to the Unconquered Sun, Luna and the Five Maidens, the interior of the temple housed a handful of temple priests, who performed sacrifices and prayers to the gods as appropriate.

The top-most crossing of arches at the top of the Manse harbored a massive ever-burning flame, powered by the raw Essence of the geomantic architecture. This flame burned golden during the day and silver at night, and was constantly orbited by five motes of flame, one in each of the colors of the Maidens. The smoke from sacrifices made on the altar directly beneath the arch floated upwards into the flame, which seemed to burn brighter for a moment when a sacrifice was offered.

The Essence of the Temple of Bright Flame is primarily channeled into the city's obelisks and then divided among the various dwellings and other buildings, in order to provide heat, light and open flame for cooking and hearths that burn without fuel.

The Vault of Skilled Hands

• Aspect: Earth
• Rating: 3/4
• Hearthstone: Perfection of Form Gemstone
• Drawbacks: None
• Powers: Attunement Recognition, Basic Senses, Power Grid (1; Powers Maharesh), Ability Blessing (2, +1 bonus to uses of Craft and Martial Arts), Zone of Influence (3, extending 300 yards beyond the manse itself)

The very heart of the Crafts District, the Vault of Skilled Hands' served as the communal center for the craftsmen of Maharesh. Boasting huge workrooms for all manner of crafts, from smithies and forges to carpentry shops and pottery-wheel rooms, those who worked in the Vault benefited from the geomantic architecture, which not only made the final results more durable than normal, but also made the craftsmen's hands sure and steady (granting them an additional die to all Crafts that involve the hands).

The Hearthstone Chamber is designed as a training studio for the martial arts, with high vaulted stone ceilings and smooth granite floors. Unlike a fair portion of the rest of the Manse, this is actually tucked back into the cliffs.

The Essence of the Vault of Skilled Hands is channeled to the Obelisks of the city in order to strengthen the materials from which the city is built – glass is remarkably unbreakable, stone almost never cracks, plaster and wood are highly impervious to harm.