The City of Shiell, Alphatia

 

Image by Lathander1987, source

The City of Shiell is the capital of the kingdom of Frisland (summary here) and has a population of 15,500 of various races, mostly human. Shiell is a fairly typical Alphatian city, filled with bold and wondrous architecture, often designed by wizards and created by magic. It sits just off from Shiell Lake which acts as a trade route and a source of fresh fish. There is plenty of surrounding farmland where non-magical commoners grow food and raise livestock. There is a small industry for crafting wagons, carriages and carts. 

The city has a long city wall that encloses more than just the built-up areas - the walls also include quite a few fields, gardens and copses. There are many wizard towers and mansions dotted around both inside and immediately outside the city walls - these often have eclectic and eccentric architecture. It is difficult to persuade a 36th level wizard to stick to town planning rules. 

The city skyline is dominated by the Royal Palace, the grandest of buildings in the city, with its two huge statues of Coatls (magical feathered serpents) towering over the palace and the heart of the city. This is the home to the king, Edjer the Twisted. This unfortunate epithet is not because of his character but because of his body - as a young boy he was involved in a horrible riding accident that smashed his pelvis and spine, so he now walks with the help of walking sticks and has a crooked, almost crippled gait.  Edjer is now 24 years old and competent wizard in his own right (17th level M-U, Neutral) but since this is Alphatia, he is by no means the most powerful.

King Edjer has his own "Privy Council" of 6 archmages, (36th level each) plus a general (General Gordolphus, human male, 26th level fighter, Lawful), a master merchant  (Maqueston, human male, 20th level M-U, 6th level Darokin Merchant, Neutral), a high priestess (Matriarch Delmina, human female 30th level cleric, Neutral) and his mother, Ellissia the Dowager Queen (human female, 25th level M-U, Lawful). There had been a spymaster but he was dismissed when it was realised that his skill at subterfuge and stealth could just as easily be accomplished with the right spells. 

The Magical College of Shiell is considered adequate for a small city, with 125 arcane members of staff (the dean of the College is an archmage and one of King Edjer's privy council). There are 1500 magic users of various levels of power registered at the college, most of whom are city residents, though some live further away across Frisland, usually in their own isolated towers or strongholds. There are believed to be another 500 unregistered mages resident in Shiell. 

As well as mages, there is a small force of 200 soldiers who keep the peace among the non-magical population. In the event of unruly mages causing problems, it is often members of the Magical College of Shiell who intervene. There is also the Cathedral of the Wondrous Book, a church of Neutrality that happens to revere exalted magic users - there are 7 particular neutral archmages who have ascended to minor immortality and venerated at the cathedral. The cathedral has 160 clerics of various levels associated with it, though not all these clerics will be in Shiell at any one time. The clerics are often sent out to towns and villages to administer to the lay folk.

There are other archmages in the city, including Derrobbar the Proud who took part in the war against Thyatian barbarians and who helped take the citadel of Newkirk thus securing the city, and also crippled the upstart Thyatian mage Ethanion with a Feeblemind spell. Derrobar feels he has done his duty to his Empire and now wishes to retire in peace, tinkering with various methods of creating constructs, including animated statues (also known as living statues) and golems. 

Gilgarreth the Unrepentant is an archmage that everyone else keeps an eye on. He does not obviously cause problems but his attitude is unpleasant and mean, and there are rumours that he secretly admires the forces of Chaos. Those rumours are correct, and Gilgarreth has now become a Twisted Summoner. (36th level!). He has been creating a dungeon underneath his mansion and is developing it into a combined laboratory, treasure vault, prison and barracks for his monstrous minions. The only monstrous minions that he allows to be seen are the kobolds - as well as excavating and maintaining his dungeon he also uses them to do some of the housework around the mansion. Gilgarreth's plans are uncertain - he has not attempted to attack the city but twisted summoners do not build up a dungeon filled with hordes of chaotic beasts without intending to do something with them. 

Marriselli the Wanderer (human female, 30th level MU, Neutral) is a nice lady when she is around but is often away on her travels. She has made extensive use of World Portals and has used powerful alchemy to create mithril-based portal frames that do not bend or break over multiple uses, so there is no chance of the World Portal closing prematurely. Her mansion sitting on the shore of Lake Shiell is filled with artefacts and trophies from different worlds. She currently enjoys visiting a city called Greyhawk in a world known as Oerth. as well as a very old world she calls "The Dying Earth" which she believes is the original home of how wizards of Mystara memorise and cast spells. 

 Barryabbla is another archmage (human female, 36th level MU, Lawful) who has invented a number of enchantments that can be placed on carts and wagons. There is an industry crafting these vehicles in Shiell, and she will sometimes place enchantments on them as favours to merchants.These include:

• Wagon of Heavy Hauling: reduce the weight and encumbrance of any non-living cargo placed on it. Any cargo on the Wagon of Heavy Hauling weighs only a third as normal. Once unloaded the cargo resumes its normal weight. 
• Cart of Swiftness: This cart can travel twice as fast as normal (120' per turn) without ill effects on the horses pulling it. 
• Wilderness Wagon: This wagon travels at the usual 60' when pulled by horses or mules but can travel through difficult terrain (deserts, mountains, forests & swamps) without any road. As long as the horses or mules can get through, the wagon will effortlessly follow. 
• Buoyant Cart: This cart will always float in water as long as it is not overladen. Most horses and mules can swim, and if they are harnessed to this cart, they can pull the Buoyant Cart across deep water as long as it is relatively calm (high waves will sink the Buoyant Cart). Oars or paddles can also be used by people on top of the Buoyant Cart.