Magincia
Magincia, the city of humility, is located on the central island between Bucaneer’s Den and Moonglow.
Being the home of the largest diamond mine in whole Britannia Magincia is a very rich and dissipative city. It is bright and colorful, and even if some people moan that the whole town looks orotund and gaudy Magincia certainly has its own, luxurious charm.
Magincians have experienced the sensation of too much – a fact that is reflected in the many, almost ridiculously ornate buildings. Structurally sound shops often have additional columns and walls to get some more space for inlets of gems and other valuable materials. The letters on the road signs, in the meantime, are made of pure silver and the guards carry valuable badges to indicate their rank.
To some extent Magincia is a technical haven – and to some extent it is the worst nightmare. The wealth of the city has made the citizens lazy, and instead of researching and working hard to find new inventions the population decided to rather buy their technical goods than to roll their sleeves and get to work. Therefore Magincia has collected quite a lot of technical high-end goods, but unfortunately nobody seems to understand their acquisitions.
The assumption would be close that somebody who actually knows how all the modern comforts of Magincia work would come and gain power with his knowledge. Luckily – or unfortunately for those seeking power – settling in Magincia is relatively hard. Magincians have developed a sense of elitism over the years and gaining the permission to settle within the town is extremely difficult and costly.
Magic is something one has to work for hard, and therefore the people of Magincia do not practice magic at all. The few people that do are said to be a bit peculiar at least, following the reputation of the magis of the nearby Moonglow.
Despite this the citizens of Magincia are not too stupid to realize that magic can bring some advantages with it and ease the bit of work that needs to be done. Therefore a lot of magical enchanted items are brought to the town and those items are more seen as pieces of technology.
Due to the general repugnance against work the land around Magincia is mostly wild and untouched. There are lush green lands to the west, east and north sides of the island, while a dense forest populates the south. In the forest many fruit varieties grow, and the fields are filled with wheat and oats.
Magincia produces very little and so most of the goods needed for every day’s life need to be imported. Most of the gem mine has been occupied by the many noble families years ago, but still the average citizen of Magincia is very wealthy.
Since the thought of lowering themselves to Lord British – or any other person – is unbearable for the citizens of Magincia years ago the parliament of Magincia has been created. The parliament consists of nine persons and reviews the decision passed by Lord British. As of now no law or decree has ever been rejected by the parliament, but the plain presence of the council gives the Magincians the feeling of safety and comfort. To become a member of the council one needs to be appointed by the council member that should be replaced. Of course, often the best way of getting an appointment is by lavish demonstration of economic and social wealth.
If you treat the rest of the world like simple peasants it is not wonder that your town is not very well perceived by the rest of the world. Although Magincia is generally disliked and very rich raids do not happen often, and the pirates have almost stopped to infest the town. The main reason for that is that the town of Magincia is very well guarded by a lot of magical items bought from Moonglow, as well as odd feelings of foreboding that seem to come form being that close to all kinds of magical experimentations.
Although the other Britannians do not exactly like Magincia it is tough to hate a state that is as rich as the city of humility. For the right price political allies can be found and maintained. The exotic vacation city Nujel’m exhibits an especially friendly attitude against Magincia.
Legend claims that Magincian’s have been hand-picked by those who forged the world and that the vast gem-mine was put beyond the soil of the town only for the people of Magincia to find. Once they arrived the earth opened and made the mines available. In fact, many Magincians do believe in this legends, and even more they think that they are direct descendants of those who forged the world and that they will inherit the world one day and then make their physical way to the stars to take their place beyond them as the rulers of the world.
Magincia has a wide variety of costy, colorful and opulent customs. Most of their customs have been created to give the people a chance to show off with their profane possession. There is only one thing worse than not giving your neighbour the chance to show off his wealth and newest achievements: not showing off with your own.
The only thing the average inhabitant of Magincia despises more than hard work are the mundane and sloppy people who are forced to do it. Magincia has the habit of hiring people to interact with the workers for them. Now, of course, those people are laborers too, but the mere distance to hard and physical work makes them more tolerable. Of course, people that do not regard Magincia with favour moan that the only reason why Magincians do not interact with laborers is that the work they do only reminds them on how really lazy they are themselves.
In Magincia it is better to look good than to feel good. As in many other cultures ethics and customs are intertwined. Overall the main thing to keep in mind when interacting with others is that their primary goal is to enlarge and maintain their status superiority, while at the same time expecting that your goals are the same. This has led to some interesting transactions, where both sides are politely casting subtle aspersions towards each others ability to be a respected member of Magincian society. Subtlety is a key factor here, for open comments about financial inferiority is the greatest insult one can give to a Magincian.
A variety of art forms have made their appearance in Magincia, but almost all of them vanished again once the population found out how much work it is to maintain arts. There are certain trends that appear again and again over time, and once all of them had their comeback the circle starts from the beginning again. Elaborate works of rock, intricately carved sandstone, and finely inlaid precious gems and metal cover the streets of Magincia, but of course, all of it was imported.
Luxury and Boredom, by Mardom Adrelam, Merchant
It is afternoon and the sun reverberates from the ornate walls of the town. Precious gems in all colors, sapphires, diamonds, rubies and emeralds, and valuable metals like gold and silver cause a colorful, blazing firework of colors. I take a deep sigh and notice that I am bored, when I take another chicken leg from the golden plate in front of me.
I look around and notice that my wife is already getting dressed for the invitation tonight. Her ostentatious dress has been prepared already, and her she has already done her hair. It is blond and overloaded with white pearls which underline her pale skin. She is beautiful, but when she smiles at me to ask me which of her jewels she should chose for tonight she does so without warmth.
I yawn and blink into all the luxury that has always surrounded me, as it is my birth right. Maybe I should just take a short nap before I start thinking about how I can overtrump the wealth of our neighbours tonight at the festival.
The Other Face of Magincia, by Tindra Newiel, Journeyman Scholar
The sight of the bloated town of Magincia disgusts me. I have decided to learn and study, and to work – and I will never possess anything of mundane value. Nevertheless, the extravagance of Magincia is almost unbelievable. Street signs with letters of pure silver, gems inlayed into every column – everything is colorful and flamboyant, it hurts my eyes and I do not even dare to ask how many hungry beggars could be fed if the town just decided to tone town their style a little.
My master had told me to meet a man who is currently a member of the council and that I should talk to him to learn more about the customs of Magincia. I do not feel well in this overloaded town and I feel caged, cannot wait until I am back in the comforting fresh air of the wilderness again. I look around and the wealth of the town seems to glare at me. I look around and decide to ask for the way.
When I try I find out that I am not a welcome guest in the town. The people look at my simply clothes with a single, devaluating look, wrinkle their noses just to turn away of me without answering my questions, yes, seemingly without even noticing me. Finally I manage to find the parliament in this awfully overloaded city. I sigh and deeply hope that the man I am supposed to talk to is a bit more sensible. Maybe I can even convince him to give some of his wealth to those in need. The scent of magic is seemingly everywhere, and it starts to tear me down. I nod and take some steps – the sooner I can leave this town again, the better.
