Fatehpur

City of the Sages, the second largest city in the nation of Merais. Known to house the largest collection of arcanists, magical technologists, researchers, and outright cranks in the Great Rift. "Ruled" by the Weirdling Assembly, a collection of such individuals; this rule has a very light touch. Not a safe city by any means, but a city of opportunity.

Demographics

• Roughly 13,000 individuals.
• Mostly humans, but with a leavening of kalasaa, a significant number of rebel sena'ka, and some of the only gwerin known to live north of Two Moons and the Phoenix Empire.

Economics

Knowledge is power. Arcane knowledge is real power. Those without either are servants, seekers, or experimental victims...cough...subjects.

Departments

The primary "political" divisions among the Fatehans (the demonym for residents and citizens of Fatehpur) are the Departments. Named semi-jocularly after branches of a university, they represent approaches to power and specialties. Being a member of a Department (which about 60% of the citizenry are) grants both resources and protection, but the cost is that your vote is delegated to the head of the Department and you can't revoke it without serious drama (and usually switching Departments). This is considered a small loss for the notoriously administration-averse mages. In decreasing order of size and power, the Departments are

1. Information Sciences (specializing in divination, illusion, as well as being the home of chronomantic magic), headed by Hieronimous sur Golai (goes by Hiero), a gwerin archmage of uncertain origin (or at least he's not talking about where he came from about 10 years ago)
2. Life Sciences (specializing in biological magic and transformations), headed by Brinmar sur Pelam, another gwerin archmage and ex-wife(ish, it's complicated) of Hiero. The two are neck and neck and frequently feuding.
3. Physical Sciences (specializing in elemental magic), headed by Raila (no last name), a human woman born to a noble family in Ikela. She's only a Master mage, but easily the most personally popular of the top 4.
4. Psychology (specializing in mind magic, psionics, mind control, etc), headed by Mind-Seeker (not his real name, but what he goes by), a mkhulu archmage and psion. By some accounts he's the most personally powerful individual in the city, but rarely leaves his domed complex on the north side of the city. Psychology is home to most of the mkhulu, sena'ka, and kalasaa citizens. Mind-Seeker's right-tentacle-mage, Master Kfthis, is the one who represents those votes on the Assembly.
5. Divinity (specializing in the study of both the gods, ascendants, and other residents of the Astral), headed by Master Apsalan, a human mage. Divinity is also home to most of the non-arcanely-powered citizens, who chafe at being second-class citizens (literally).
6. Alchemistry (specializing in, well, alchemy), headed by Master Pthai, a rare zandolit mage.
7. Labor Relations (specializing in the study of summoning, binding, and necromancy, as well as dabbling in mind-control a little bit), headed by Boss Hogg, a master mage and sena'ka exile from the Fleet. Very not popular. Own many of the "Property"-class people in the city.
8. General Studies (specializing in, well, not specializing), headed by Adept Solon, a human woman. GS claims to speak "for the common citizen" and seeks to better their life. Newly started.

Wytch Storms

One phenomenon in Fatehpur and the eastern Ikelan Colony Lands is the Wytch Storm. This is a combination of a regular wind/rain/lightning storm and a magical disturbance. They emanate at random from an area of jungle roughly 100 miles south of the city proper, in the Stormveil Jungle, a particularly dangerous and dense jungled area. This magical disturbance disrupts sensitive magical experiments (at weakest) and may disrupt all active magic, causing spells to fail or backfire. The city is warded against the worst of the effects by the efforts of the Stormwards, a group of mages belonging to Physical Sciences. Travelers to Fatehpur should be aware of the warning flag system, however. The towers of Physical Science may fly colored flags warning of incoming storms (as predicted by Information Sciences). These flags are (in order of increasing severity):

• No flag: normal conditions
• Green flags: Minor storm. Those participating in sensitive ongoing experiments should take precautions to prevent contaminated results. Active spellcasting outside of the ward zone may induce unintended harmless (mostly) sensory effects.
• Yellow flags: Storm Warning. Sensitive experiments should be paused and protected. Unnecessary spellcasting outside of the ward zone should cease and necessary casting should be done only by those trained in storm-time casting. Unpredictable results may occur ranging from minor sensory effects to completely different results than normal.
• Red flags. Seek Shelter. All citizens and Property are advised to seek shelter in a designated Wytch Storm Shelter. Stormwards are on full alert. Once the storm strikes, no access through the ward line is allowed. No spellcasting should be performed outside the most strongly-warded areas, and even then precautions must be taken. Those exposed to the storm may experience substantial unwanted effects, including death.
• Black flags. No Casting Allowed. Under no conditions should you cast a spell. The effects are...unpredictable but always bad. CF the large crater down the SW road--that was someone casting a cantrip during the last Black Flag storm.

In the last year, only 3 storms have reached Yellow Flag status; in the last two decades, there has only been one Red Flag storm. Green Flag storms are fairly common (monthly or more).

The storms get more frequent, more powerful as you travel south toward the Stormveil. There are reports of null storms, where any organized magic simply stops working until the storm passes. Travelers through the Eastern Gap are encouraged to stick close to the Sunud range and move through the gap as quickly as possible. If caught outside during a storm, take shelter underground if possible and watch out for weirdling beasts seeking prey.