Artisans’ Bazaar (open shops on the street, Ducio lives in structure here)

Seminarium (School of Magic, residence of Fedabiblio)

7 Manors (Ensorcio/Stefano, Columna/Melino, Torrissio, Rotoluncia, Gustacio, Mortegro, Frigidazzi)

Common Residences (Topo, Pothos, Flindo, Bucia, Mosh

BACKGROUND

This city is the home of the descendants of those mages who once lived in the City of Moon, and who refused to be bound by the Oath of Honesty. They are a tempestuous lot, refusing to be limited by the laws of others -- indeed, they pursue individualism at all costs. The local architecture reflects the mages’ philosophy: Moonshade is surrounded by a jagged stone wall which refuses to fall into any kind of a pattern, and the mages’ homes are made up of a bizarre variety of towers, domes and odd-shaped windows (or the best we can do with our existing art).

There are four classes in Moonshade: the Adepts, who are masters of magic; the Lesser Mages, whose ranks admit those who could not master the training of the School of Magic (i.e. Paladins and Apothecanes -- they know a few speLls): the Artisans, who comprise the city’s small company of skilled Mundanes; and the Mundanes who labor in the orchards and greenhouses.

Only Adepts and Lesser Mages have real power in Moonshade. They elect the Council of Mages (only Adepts may be elected), which in turn elects one of their number as the Mage. The Adepts are highly competitive, and form competitive factions which sometimes war openly (political assassinations are not unheard of). The Council of Mages regulates the use of magic, and may censure a mage who abuses his powers.

The mages have legends concerning the dealings which their ancestors had with Daemons (gargoyles), and the powerful magical secrets which they guard. Gargoyles are now rare on Serpent Isle [see the Furnace townplot].

The rotund mage, who called himself Batlin, left from here on a journey to the north -- but he did not speak of what he sought. The mages can show the Avatar the ancient scrolls which Batlin read. The locals remember that the storms began only after Batlin left to go north.

Sosarian sorcery is primarily a physical phenomenon, as opposed to something mystic or holy. Certain individuals have the ability to tap into the arcane energies, and by the use of certain words and reagents, can cause specific results to occur. For the most part, magic is controlled by set rituals which are known as spells. The results of a spell depend solely upon: the presence of the reagents. the successful completion of the spell ritual, and the experience of the caster. There is no supernatural being whose approval is needed in order to enable a casting.

Magic is an ability which one must be born with, and which can be detected early in those who are so gifted. In genetic terms, each parent contributes a magic chromosome -- “M” (can cast magic) or “m” (no magical aptitude). Each child bears two chromosomes, one from each parent, and the combination determines the child’s abilities: “MM” produces an Adept (a master of magic, also known as a Wizard [always capitalized]), “Mm” results in a Lesser Mage, someone who can use magic to a more limited extent (such as a paladin or apothecary), and “mm” produces a Mundane (a non-magic-user). Note that the child of two Adepts must always be another Adept.

Those infants of Fawn or Monitor who prove capable of magic are spirited away by the Magister to the Seminarium in Moonshade, where the children can be trained under circumstances which assure the safety of all involved. (A “wild” mage-child is dangerous in the extreme, according to Sosarian lore.) Sosarian magical training includes a strong dose of regimented instruction, especially in the language and gestures of Sosarian spellcasting. Vasculio (see Skullcrusher townplot) was a Wild Mage.

MOONSHAD.DOC