Adapted from Argivia- MTG Wiki and Absalom - PathfinderWiki
Arann, also known as the City of Spires, is a magnificent metropolis perched on the southern tip of Rafs Island. Arann serves as a beacon of civilization, a center of knowledge, and a hub of commerce in the world of Memory. Towering spires, elegant bridges, and magnificent architecture dominate the city's skyline. Its strategic location within the Gulf of Ravia makes it a vital hub for trade and a gateway to countless adventures in the surrounding regions.
Arann is governed by the Grand Council, a diverse body of influential individuals representing various factions and interests. This council ensures the city's smooth administration, making decisions that shape policies, trade agreements, and security measures. The councilors are elected through a democratic process that involves the city's residents, fostering a sense of participation and representation.
The cultural tapestry of Arann reflects its diverse population, which includes people from different races, backgrounds, and corners of Memory. The city's bustling streets are alive with a vibrant mix of languages, customs, and traditions, creating a cosmopolitan atmosphere that welcomes visitors worldwide.
As a center of knowledge and academia, Arann boasts prestigious universities, libraries, and magical academies. The Scholars' District is a haven for scholars, wizards, and seekers of arcane lore. Here, the brightest minds converge to unravel the mysteries of magic, history, and the world itself.
Arann's economy thrives on a wide range of industries, including commerce, shipbuilding, magical research, and mercenary services. Its harbors bustle with trade ships from distant lands, while its renowned shipyards produce seaworthy vessels that ply the waters of Memory. The city's magical academies and guilds attract spellcasters and enchanters seeking to hone their craft and uncover the secrets of the arcane.
Arann Metropolis 20
Government: Grand Council
Population: 350,000
Settlement Qualities: Strategic Location, Prestige, Notable Citizens
Traits: Academic, Commerce, Governance, Magical
Purchase Limit: 200,000 gp
Leaders
Lord Aric Dorrin: The High Chancellor of the Grand Council, Lord Aric Dorrin is a respected figure known for his wisdom, diplomacy, and dedication to the prosperity and security of Arann. He presides over council meetings and ensures the city's interests are protected.
Counselor Solana Veritas: A prominent member of the Council, Councilor Veritas is a skilled diplomat and advocate for justice. She ensures that the city's laws and regulations are upheld and represents the interests of the citizens in matters of governance.
General Valeria Ironfoot: The commander of the Ironclad Guard, General Valeria Ironfoot is a formidable warrior and a stalwart defender of Arann. She leads the city's elite guard unit, ensuring law and order are upheld and protecting the city from external threats.
Emmisary -High Scholar Orion Gallant: A wise and erudite scholar, High Scholar Gallant oversees the city's academic pursuits and the education of young minds. He is known for his progressive thinking and innovative teaching methods.
Magister Lady Elysia Stormrider: A prominent sorceress and member of the Grand Council, Lady Elysia Stormrider is a charismatic and influential figure. She is known for her expertise in elemental magic and her efforts to promote the city's magical endeavors.
Capital Arann-
Key Features:
Spires of Knowledge: Arann's skyline is adorned with towering spires that house prestigious universities, libraries, and magical academies. The Spires of Knowledge serve as beacons of learning and research, attracting scholars, students, and magical practitioners from far and wide.
The Council Citadel: The Council Citadel is the heart of Arann's governance, housing the chambers and offices of the Grand Council. This grand fortress-like structure is an architectural marvel and a symbol of the city's power and stability.
The Trade Ward: Arann's bustling Trade Ward is a vibrant hub of commerce and economic activity. Its marketplaces, merchant guilds, and trading houses offer a wide range of goods, rare treasures, and exotic imports, making it a paradise for traders, adventurers, and collectors.
The Spiral Bridge: The Spiral Bridge is an engineering marvel connecting different Arann districts. It is a magnificent structure that winds its way up a central spire, offering breathtaking views of the city and serving as a symbol of the city's unity and interconnectedness.
The Mana Gardens: Located in the heart of Arann, the Mana Gardens are lush, magical gardens that showcase the city's affinity with elemental forces. These gardens are a place of natural beauty and a site for magical experiments and rituals conducted by the city's druids and mystic scholars.
Inhabitants
Houses of Arann
More so than anywhere else on Memory, Arann plays home to every conceivable type of inhabitant. While primarily a human settlement, members of all races, religions and homelands can be seen in (and under) the streets of the City in the Center of the World. The specific demographics of each individual district vary greatly. Still, there are few (if any) peoples who are not represented somewhere within the city, even the mysterious Kalili of ancient Aber and travelers from other planes. Many of Arann's residents organize themselves into houses, which are similar to clans organized by national origin.
Halflings
Halflings are the second largest racial group in the city after the humans, making Arann one of the main halfling settlements on Memory. Halflings from many countries come to Arann, joining the indigenous community. The main halfling districts are Summertown, Woolbowl, and the Medows; few halflings live or travel to East Quarter where the water's height can be dangerous.
Elves
Elves are relatively uncommon in Arann, mostly consisting of adventurers or outcasts; more common are their half-elven descendants, many of whom can be found around the Pleasure Salon of the Savored Sting.
Geography
Situated on the southern coast of Rafs Island, Arann is the largest city of Ravia and the entire world. The ice-capped peaks of the Hills of Naist stretch high above the treeline.
Countless abandoned siege engines and constructions of war from the numerous failed attempts throughout history to take the city by force lie scattered throughout the surrounding countryside in what has become known as the Eternal Seige and the wreckage of armadas of unsuccessful attempts on the city from the sea all but block the wide harbor into Arann.
The city is enormous: it stretches more than Five Kilometers from the Higheath to Summertown and more than five Kilometers from Summertown to the Medows.
Rafs Island
More than just a city, Arann controls all the land on and around Rafs Island (though much of the island remains wilderness). Many places show sign of Arann's great age, from the ancient Dudboso forest, to the aging Raf Towers of the Bladesteppe.
Eternal Seige
The Eternal Seige is a wasted plateau surrounding the city of Arann that are littered with the siege castles from thousands of years of failed invasions. These attract treasure hunters from around the world and are home to many creatures, brigands, and undead. The Needle of Nex is the greatest of the siege castles, a mile-high spire located 10 miles north of the city.
Settlements
Dulanial
Dulanial, the smaller of the two settlements, is a bustling port town located on the eastern coast of Rafs. The town is a center of trade in its own right, acting as a hub for fishermen, traders and smugglers wishing to bring illicit goods into the City at the Center of the World via overland caravan instead of through the closely watched harbor of Arann proper. Because of its important position as an alternative shipping route into the city, control of Dulanial is very valuable and rising factions wishing to gain power in Absalom can often be seen first across the Isle in Dulanial. The city is ruled by Lord Fairs of House Biratix, a rival and childhood friend of Arann's Lord Dorrin.
Hesee
Hesee is a vital military town located on the Western coast of Rafs. Originally founded as a shipyard and warehouse to aid Arann against naval blockades, the town quickly grew as workers and naval officers moved to Hesee. Beyond its continuing function as a reserve navy for times of siege, the fair-sized military base operates throughout the Chaia Sea in constant efforts to hamper piracy in the region. Hesee's governing body, the Lesser Council of retired ship captains and young relatives of members of the Arann Grand Council has also been known to grant letters of marque to civilian ships committed to fighting piracy in the waters around Rafs Island itself.
Loliba
Loliba is a picturesque port town nestled along the northern coast of Rafs Island, within the lush Dudboso Forest. This small settlement, located north of Naista and the bustling City of Arann, is a vital support hub for the region's lumber trade. Its tranquil ambiance and scenic beauty make it a popular destination for retired cartographers who have settled here, establishing businesses and adding to the town's unique character.
Naista
Naista is a city occupying the center of Rafs Island.
Economy
Arann's great wealth is driven by trade. Hence, the city's rulers strive to craft policies favorable to commerce (and their own interests) but otherwise take a relatively laissez-faire approach to regulation.
Taxes in the city are very light, although Siege Taxes during wartime may be significantly higher. There are no property taxes, although the city charges for access to roads, sanitation, and other public infrastructure. Modest taxes on foreign merchants, fees for pilots through the Arann’s wreck-littered harbor, and docking fees are generally sufficient to supply the city's needs.
Arann's economy can be divided into three basic parts: craftsmen, who manufacture goods; traders, who buy and sell physical goods; and laborers, who provide services. While craftsmen and laborers are organized into guilds that provide legal and illegal products and services, traders are prohibited from organizing to prevent collusion and price-fixing. The city's laws require that goods to be sold must be owned by a single merchant, who may operate a single commercial outlet for them. Arann's currency consists of pennies, silver weights, crests, gold measures, and platinum sphinxes. The city is a major hub for commerce on the Chaia Sea.
Other ships come from all over the world, as far away as Bagasia. Arann acts as a hub for these countries and disseminates these goods to ships on their way to other ports across the Chaia Sea.
Due to Arann's size and scale, beasts of burden are important elements of the city's commerce and transport. Regular bench wagons allow commoners to ride around town for copper, and halfling porters with dog travois can be hired for a similar price. Horses are rare on the Rafs, since the centaur tribes regard them as invaders, and the harpies like to eat them. Consequently, the most prominent beast of burden is the camel; farmers use them for agriculture, drovers use them to pull wagons and chariots, and many district guards field a camel cavalry. Camel barding is more commonly available than barding for horses in the city.
After camels, axe beaks are the most common mount and beast of burden, faster and better able to defend themselves than camels. Dogs, lizards, elephants, and monstrous centipedes are also found; before the establishment of the Tack Shack, much saddle and tack had to be custom-made or ordered from dozens of shops due to the diversity of animals used in the city.
Exports
Even though goods from across the world are traded in Arann, it also has several important exports originating in and around Rafs Island. Lumber is harvested in the Dudboso Forest and brought to Dulanial or to Loliba. Dulanial's shallow harbor also has plentiful oyster beds, considered some of the finest in Ravia. Iron is mined in Rafs' interior (most notably in the dwarven settlement of Naista) and supplies Arann's countless craftspeople that sell their goods across Memory. Finally, various skymetals are harvested by the Kalili on the ocean floor or harvested in the Dulanial Hills.
Arann is also famous for its shellfish: oysters, clams, scallops, crabs, and lobster.
Government
Arann is ruled by the Grand Council, which is chaired by the primarch, a position currently held by Lord Aric Doren of House Solen. The Council has twelve high seats (including the primarch's) and a variable number of low seats. Most of the city's administrative positions are filled by members of the Council, the more sought-after titles going to members of the High Council. The position of primarch is held for life and decided upon by the High Council. It has additional privileges unique to the position granting the holder considerable power over the Council and by corollary, the City at the Center of the World itself.
Much of the day-to-day administration are handled by the district councils of Arann. The district councils are headed by a nomarch, who the Low Council appoints with the approval of the primarch.
Military & law enforcement
Arann is defended by a complicated web of military and law enforcement organizations, each with differing mandates. The Gaident Regiment serves as Arann's army. They man the city's walls, gates, and forts and protect it from external threats. The Socifen Guard is a military, intelligence, and law enforcement organization headquartered at Skywatch Keep outside the city. They enforce the Grand Council's decrees, investigate crimes that cross district lines, and investigate misconduct by the city's other military and law enforcement groups. Arann's Navy is the largest of the military branches, protects the city from sea attacks, and oversees the hippocampus-mounted Wave Riders. Finally, the various district guards or watches investigate crimes committed within the city's districts.
Quarters of Arann
A city the size of Arann could not function as a single cohesive unit. Thus it has been divided or split naturally over time into a handful of distinct quarters, each a city unto itself both in terms of sheer population and overall atmosphere and each having its own district council to run its day-to-day affairs. Arann's neighborhoods run the gamut of both the economic and social spectra from the high-class havens of the Higheath and Sunsetway Districts to the dangerous and destitute Dockside and Southroad Quarter districts. Additionally, austere monuments of historical and spiritual significance draw thousands of people to Aberi Keep, the Eastrow, and Summertown Quarter daily.
Elmway
Elmway is a district in the city of Arann. Most of Arann’s government buildings are located here, including the residence of the High Chancellor and the hall of the Grand Council.
History
Founded in 5000 ZR by the Wallbuilder when he raised it’s foundation from the depths of the Chaia Sea, there is nothing ordinary about Arann's history, even from its very first day in existence. Its whole-cloth creation allowed for a quick inhabitation, and the celestial prince tasked the best and bravest from throughout Ravia region to protect the city.
But given Arann's tactical position as the focus of countless trade routes and its undeniable influence, many ambitious nations or greedy warlords have set their sights upon the city's walls over the millennia, and guarding the city has never been easy. For the past millennia, the city has been besieged by one army after another in an attempt to bring Arann to its knees and wrest control of it from all others. Despite the relentless onslaught, the city has never fallen. Relics of these ongoing wars still litter the plains of the Rafs Island surrounding the city (known as the Eternal Seige) and sunken warships clutter the harbor.
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