---------------------------------------------Lightspeak:

Lightspeak (said lights-peak) is a large city-state locked in inner political wa

r. Three factions battle for control of the economic and religious hotspot.
Lightspeak is a temperate port city-state with an extremely high trade volume. I
t has very valuable trade routes by land and sea. Merchants come to Lightspeak f
rom the world over to trade.
At the center of Lightspeak is the Ashhuld. The Ashhuld is a small hill with a s
pring on top; due to the divine power there, the waters of the spring have heali
ng powers. There is a small house on top of the hill. A young god once lived the
re before he truly ascended; this god is Astinous, a neutral god of healing and
protection. A large wall has been built around the Ashhuld by the Guardians.
Lightspeak is technically a democracy, run by an elected council of the Premier
and 30 Councillors. All legislative matters are handled by majority vote of the
council, with the Premier's vote counting triple. The Premier also holds executi
ve power within Lightspeak and controls the military.
In most matters, the council acts as a rubber stamp for whatever the Guardians o
r the Golden Road wanted to do anyway. However, if one of these factions tries t
o step too far out of bounds, the Premier usually uses their influence to put a
stop to it.
Magic is near totally banned within Lightspeak, except for miracles granted by A
stinous. The Guardians have managed to get arcane magic completely banned to pro
tect their monopoly on magic and its power. By no means has this stopped magic f
rom being tought and used, however; it has just driven such people underground.
It is worth noting that Astinous himself has nothing against magic.
Factions:
The three factions of Lightspeak are: the Guardians, the Underground and the Gol
den Road.
The Guardians are, at their core, a church of Astinous. They first founded Light
speak back when Astinous still lived there. They have massive influence over Lig
htspeak. They have several churches around the city. Until recently, they had to
tal control over the Ashhuld; only members of the church were allowed in. When L
ightspeak was founded, the Guardian's focus was on helping people and following
Astinous; these days, their primary goal is to retain their control over Lightsp
eak.
The Underground was, at first, a guild of thieves and criminals. However, the Gu
ardian's anti-magic laws have caused a strange alliance between the theives and
the mages; these two groups together form the modern Underground. The goal of th
e Underground is to reduce the control the Guardians have over the city and to l
ift the restrictions on magic.
The Golden Road is the
give the city most of
Lightspeak, as long as
nothing against magic;

informal alliance of traders, merchants and craftsmen who

its value. They don't actually care who is in control of
the gold continues to flow. The Golden Road actually has
they only avoid it to keep the Guardians pacified.

International Affairs:
Lightspeak has two land neighbors: Cherrytree and Wolfram. Cherrytree is just to
the south of Lightspeak while Wolfram is to the north and east.
Lightspeak and Cherrytree have a long series of treaties going back hundreds of

years. The two nations share strong trade and military ties. Cherrytree has one
of the strongest militaries in the region, granting Lightspeak a valuble ally.
Lightspeak and Wolfram have had a series of border battles over time. In modern
times, the two nations are in an age of technical peace. Lightspeak's army isn't
up to a war with a larger nation; Wolfram doesn't want to provoke Cherrytree.
---------------------------------------------Important Faces in Lightspeak:
These characters serve as the "faces" of the various factions in Lightspeak.
High Guard Zendaris:
Zendaris is the leader of the Guardians. He seeks to exploit the city to give hi
mself more power. Over time, he and his predecessors have shifted the focus of t
he Guardians from helping people and worshiping Astinous to helping themselves g
row more powerful and paying lip service to Astinous.
Priestess Mia:
Mia is a simple priest of Astinous. She truly believes the Guardians do good thi
ngs for the people and for the city. A bit naive, she does what she can to help
those around her. Ironically enough, this makes her more like Astinous than the
Guardians as a whole.
Shadow Lord Batan:
Batan is the leader of the Underground. He keeps the flow of dirty money clippin
g along through the city. If it's unlawful, he likely has a hand in it. While he
doesn't know magic, he owns an unlawful ring of invisibility. He also sits on t
he council as a Councillor; for obivous reasons, the rest of the council does no
t know about his criminal actions.
Archmage Lysander:
Lysander is one of the most powerful mages in Lightspeak. It was he who first pr
oposed the alliance between the mages and the thieves. Despite looking to be in
his late-fifties, he is actually over two hundred years old due to possessing ma
gic that can reverse his age. He is currently training several apprentices to pa
ss on his knowledge.
Merchant Phineas:
Phineas is, technically, just a very successful merchant. In reality, he is one
of the three Golden Kings, the three richest and most powerful merchants in Ligh
tspeak. They control almost everything that enters or leaves the city. If they d
on't want something, it's not getting in; if they do, it will arrive, law be dam
ned.
Master Stone:
Stone is a legendary craftsman living within Lightspeak. He can do with skill an
d alchemy what most would find impossible even with the aid of magic. Adventurer
s and armies the world over come to buy his weapons and equipment; the prices ar
e high, but well worth it.
Premier Natalie:
Natalie is the Premier of the Lightspeak council. She has no loyalty to any of t
he factions; her loyalty is to Lightspeak itself. If any faction generates too m
uch disruption and chaos, she will use military force to bring them back into li
ne. The factions don't much like her, but the people of the city do. None of the
factions dares try and replace her; too much risk that another faction would la
nd one of their allies in the spot.
Ambassador Ryu:

Ambassador Ryu is an ambassador from Cherrytree. He stays in the area to assist

communication between the nations. As an ambassador, he is immune to many laws,
including the restrictions on magic; he actually wields nature magic.
Agent Ruby:
Ruby appears to be a member of the city guard. In reality, she is an agent of Wo
lfram, sent to collect information and drive up tension between the factions. Id
eally, she can plunge the city into anarchy so Wolfram can swoop in and take con
trol before Cherrytree can react.
Bard Trisha:
Trisha is a bard who has traveled here from a distant land. To all appearances,
she is a humble bard. Truthfully, she is a political mercenary; a social warrior
of negotiable loyalty hired to influence the situation in Lightspeak. None but
her employer knows her true goals here in Lightspeak.
Prophetess Alexandria:
Alexandria is a follower of Astinous with powerful healing abilities. She is not
a Guardian; however, she currently lives in the Ashhuld on the request of Astin
ous himself. The Guardians may not directly harm her; however, they are trying t
o make her leave. She is trying to bring the Guardians back in line with the wil
l of Astinous. It is under her command that the Ashhuld has been opened to outsi
ders. The disturbance she creates threatens to destroy the status quo.
---------------------------------------------Important Places in Lightspeak:
These locations act as the focal points around the city.
The Ashhuld:
The Ashhuld is right at the center of the city. It consists of a grassy hill wit
h a small spring and a small house built next to it. Astinous himself used to li
ve here before he ascended to godhood. As a result of his presence, the location
is of great religous importance. Until recently, the Guardians held the site an
d shut out others; since Alexandria moved in, it has been opened up to outsiders
.
Unmance Temple:
Unmance Temple is the largest church in the city. Built to hold thousands of peo
ple at a time, behind the massive service room is what amounts to a mansion for
the highest ranking Guardians and a fine mansion at that. While some may think i
t excessive, none dare voice that opinion too loudly.
Yellow Path:
The Yellow Path is a large road running down the Trade district. Along it are sh
ops of all kinds; if you want it, it can likely be found here... for the right p
rice. Merchants from all over the city gather here to make their profits. It is
said that nothing's free on the Yellow Path.
Heartsoar's Pub:
At first glance, Heartsoar's Pub is just a regular old pub by the port. However,
nothing is truly as it appears in Lightspeak. Truthfully, this pub is the unoff
ical home of the Underground. In the basement, you can buy and sell all matters
of unlawful goods and services. By night, the storeroom finds itself turned into
classroom of the arcane arts.
The Council Summit:
The Council Summit is a large building that serves as the home of the Lightspeak
council. They meet here to discuss matters that impact the city as a whole and
to determine the path the city will take. The Premier commands the guard and arm

y from here as well.

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