Niar (Formally Mel'dom Nihar) AKA The City of Artificers
Niar is a small city famed for its production of magical devices which are highly sought after the world over. From weapons to compact but voluminous storage containers, nearly anything can be found in Niar for those willing to pay the exorbitant prices charged by the Guilds.
Territory
Niar is situated in the southeastern portion of Thass, less than a day's hard ride to the coast.
People
Technology
Magical artifacts of global renown. Some notable examples include:
Void-Jars, spheres that are the size of a melon but can store many times their apparant size and weight, they are made with Voidmancy (derived from Night Orc tomes, and the jars are often sold to Rezhekal at somewhat reduced prices.)
Irrigators, single-use devices that dig small trenches in a field, then release pre-stored spells that water the area automatically. The Irrigators are based on designs that have remained relatively unchanged for centuries and date back to the time of the original mage cabal.
Varied forms of magical lighting.
Government
Culture
Religion
History
Origins
The city was founded roughly 1480 A.S. though the region had been settled on and off since the Dissolute Time of Poorhouses. It was originally the site of a cabal of mages, who came together seeking ways to combat the poverty the entire world was facing. They developed vast arrays of oddities, many seemingly without purpose, in effort to combat such maladies as drought and disease. Towards the end of the era, as Nherru's rampant expansion turned the minds of the world to war, their focus turned to weaponcraft. The height of their achievement was a cannon known as the Obliterator, and though stories that a single Obliterator could rout an entire army are likely exaggerated, the weapon was sufficiently powerful to halt the advances of Nherru. The Children of Blood apparently underestimated the cabal's capabilities, as they had overlooked them entirely until near the end of their campaign, when they sent their Soldiers in to crush resistance and claim their technology for their own use. The Children of Blood only ever attacked with a handful of troops and a few of their deadly Soldiers, all of which were repelled by Obliterator fire. Before they could reassess their attack strategy, the Eye of Nherru was shattered, and the Bloodstained Aeon fell upon Xothu. Though they were able to survive Nherru's assault, refugees from various neighbouring nations seeking the protection of the cabal's technology attracted attention to the area, and at some point the settlement was overrun by invading armies. It is uncertain who was ultimately responsible for the rout.
Rediscovery and Kyrosian involvement
People did not return to the site until around 250 A.S. after scavengers reported still functioning magical devices could be found there. By this point the region was relatively peaceful, and many who had come to acquire relics of the mage cabal remained there to study them. Population gradually increased as more and more valuables were recovered, yet when the Kingdom of Blue Moons collapsed, interest in the region waned. Centuries passed and only a few stalwart hermits remained, cataloguing everything they could find in the ruins. Eventually, scouts for the ascending nation of Kyrosos stumbled across records of the old cabal, and attracted the attention of the empire. Settlers from all over the expanse of Kyrosos' influence were called in to investigate and unearth what they could, among them mages and immigrants from the young City of Chronographers. Early findings were not spectacular, and were hampered by constant meddling by the capital of Kyrosos, and the imperial refusal to establish a permanent settlement in the area. This caused a great strain on the supply ships who delivered food and material goods to the researchers, as more and more people established themselves in the region on behalf of the empire, which considered the research largely a failure. As the strength of Kyrosos began to decline, those not essential to the studying process were relocated elsewhere, leaving mainly mages and engineers who felt that they would be much more productive if every suggestion they sent back home wasn't vetoed by their superiors. Eventually, the Kyrosian settlers felt they had had enough, and successfully declared independence from the empire.
The rise of the Guilds
No longer required to merely understand old magical workings and technology, the new settlers were free to develop their own artifice as they wished. Permanent habitation, workshops, and local supplies of food and raw materials were established, and it was not too long after that the modern city of Mel'don Nihar took shape. It was officially named in 1479 A.S. Early immigrants to the budding township were mainly additional spellworkers and chronographers interested in Mel'don Nihar's specific areas of study, as well as merchants whose main business was in magical artifacts. Researchers naturally began grouping themselves based on their individual areas of interest and expertise, eventually resulting in an addendum to the town charter marking the foundation of the Guilds of Research. Productivity soared, and the city began to build a reputation for magical artifice, yet the guilds gradually became isolated from each other and suspicious of the others' motives, concerned that other guilds might infringe upon their specialities. This resulted in each guild becoming more secretive and exclusive, eventually shutting their doors to outside commerce entirely, severely affecting the local economy which relied upon the wondrous devices produced by the guild. Hostilities flared, and city council rulings attempting to impose an open marketplace upon the guild traders failed. Though growth stagnated, each guild was convinced that the others were still as productive as ever. Espionage, and eventually outright fighting resulted, which was only quelled by the council when ordinary cityfolk got caught up in the struggles and killed. Guild charter was revoked, and a law was passed literally banning trade secrets and placing all research jurisdiction in the hands of the city council. This humbled the artificers into cooperating, though it was not terribly long before it was realised how inefficient the new system was, and eventually the laws were relaxed and new Guilds were allowed to form. Since that time, the guilds have traded secrets for additional funding from the council, which in turn has released the accumulated knowledge to all the guilds, permitting uniform growth and preventing conflict.
Population
International Relations
Niar has a profitable working relationship with the City of Chronographers, as many of their designs and mechanisms are used in Niar products. Early in Niar's history, one of the Guilds competed with the City of Chronographers for production of clockwork mechanisms, but after the Guilds were dissolved and reformed it was deemed to be in the city's best interests to set up trade with the City of Chronographers. A decision which has benefited both parties greatly.
Economy
The original Guilds were spectacularly wealthy, though much of this was squandered in the in-fighting resulting from generations of hostility and suspicion between them. Niar is now as prosperous as it was before the banning (and subsequent reinstatement) of the old Guilds, though income now flows largely from the merchants directly into the council, which pours it back into the city (and, of course, the Guilds) improving quality of life at all levels of the city's society. In spite of being a single, independent city, Niar is as prosperous as many of the larger national capitols on Xothu.
World-View
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