Sp˙re

City of Magic

The city-state of Sp˙re is found on an island off the coast of southwestern Karnathas. It is a city dedicated to the art of magic and has the highest population of mages of any city in the known world. It is also home to the Obsidian Tower, a magical college dedicated to the instruction of wizardry.

Sp˙re was originally known as Skasmyre, and was a prison colony for those wizards who refused to submit to Marasinian law. Instead of just killing renegade wizards, the Mystarchs would send them to Skasmyre to allow them the opportunity to atone for their crimes and take their place among the elite of the empire (this was not a courtesy they extended to non-wizardly criminals). They would also occasionally pull out unrepentant prisoners to use for magical experiments or debased entertainments.

For the most part, Skasmyre was forgotten during the Thaumaturgical Wars. After they were over, the captive wizards took control of the prison and turned it into a stronghold; it evolved into a town and eventually into a city. They took in many other mages, loyalists as well as renegades, who had survived the wars. The city was renamed Sp˙re and became a bastion for all things magical.