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Lightspeak:
Lightspeak (said lights-peak) is a large city-state locked in inner political war.
Three factions battle for control of the economic and religious hotspot.

Lightspeak is a temperate port city-state with an extremely high trade volume. It

has very valuable trade routes by land and sea. Merchants come to Lightspeak from
the world over to trade.

At the center of Lightspeak is the Ashhuld. The Ashhuld is a small hill with a
spring on top; due to the divine power there, the waters of the spring have healing
powers. There is a small house on top of the hill. A young god once lived there
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 executive
power within Lightspeak and controls the military.

In most matters, the council acts as a rubber stamp for whatever the Guardians or
the Golden Road wanted to do anyway. However, if one of these factions tries to
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 divine magic granted by
Astinous. The Guardians have managed to get arcane magic completely banned to
protect their monopoly on magic and its power. By no means has this stopped magic
from 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 Golden
Road.

The Guardians are, at their core, a church of Astinous. They first founded
Lightspeak back when Astinous still lived there. They have massive influence over
Lightspeak. They have several churches around the city. Until recently, they had
total control over the Ashhuld; only members of the church were allowed in. When
Lightspeak was founded, the Guardian's focus was on helping people and following
Astinous; these days, their primary goal is to retain their control over
Lightspeak.

The Underground was, at first, a guild of thieves and criminals. However, the
Guardian's anti-magic laws have caused a strange alliance to form between the
theives and the mages; these two groups together form the modern Underground. The
goal of the Underground is to reduce the control the Guardians have over the city
and to lift the restrictions on magic.

The Golden Road is the informal alliance of traders, merchants and craftsmen who
give the city most of its value. They don't actually care who is in control of
Lightspeak, as long as the gold continues to flow. The Golden Road has nothing
against magic; they do avoid it, but just to keep the Guardians pacified.

There is also a fourth pseudo-faction, the Vox Populi. The Vox Populi is the will
of the people as a whole. They want the city to remain as stable as possible. Not
being an actual organization, they have no actual power; however, their sheer
numbers grant them large control.
International Affairs:
Lightspeak has two land neighbors: Cherrytree and Wolfram. Cherrytree is 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's isn't up for a war with Cherrytree. As a
result, no one dares make the first move. However, Wolfram is attempting subterfuge
to tilt the balance in their favor.
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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
himself more power. Over time, he and his predecessors have shifted the focus of
the Guardians from helping people and worshiping Astinous to helping themselves
grow more powerful and paying lip service to Astinous.

Priestess Mia:
Mia is a young priest of Astinous. She truly believes the Guardians do good things
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 clipping
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 the
council as a Councillor; for obivous reasons, the rest of the council does not know
about his criminal actions.

Archmage Lysander:
Lysander is one of the most powerful mages in Lightspeak. It was he who first
proposed 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 magic
that can reverse his age. He is currently training several apprentices to pass 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
Lightspeak. They control almost everything that enters or leaves the city. If they
don't want something, it's not getting in; if they do, it will arrive, law be
damned.

Master Stone:
Stone is a legendary craftsman living within Lightspeak. He can do with skill and
alchemy what most would find impossible even with the aid of magic. Adventurers and
armies the world over come to buy his weapons and equipment; the prices are high,
but well worth it.

Premier Natalie:
Natalie is the Premier of the Lightspeak council. She has no loyalty to any of the
factions; her loyalty is to Lightspeak itself. If any faction generates too much
disruption and chaos, she will use military force to bring them back into line. 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 land 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
Wolfram, sent to collect information and drive up tension between the factions.
Ideally, she can plunge the city into anarchy so Wolfram can swoop in and take
control 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 Astinous
himself. The Guardians can not directly harm her; however, they are trying to make
her leave. She is trying to bring the Guardians back in line with the will of
Astinous. It is under her command that the Ashhuld has been opened to outsiders.
The disturbance she creates threatens to destroy the status quo and change the city
forever.
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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 with a
small spring and a small house built next to it. Astinous himself used to live 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 and 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; it is found in the northern
quarter. Built to hold thousands of people 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 it 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 shops
of all kinds; if you want it, it can likely be found here... for the right price.
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 unoffical
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 army from
here as well.

The Wall:
Surrounding the city is the Wall, a large stone wall around the city to protect it
from ground-based attack. The city guard patrols the wall and watches the
surrounding area.

Lightspeak Harbor:
Simply known as the Harbor to locals, the Lightspeak Harbor is the beating heart of
the city. Ships, cargo and money are constantly flowing in and out.
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