Mismead (Ms-mead)

Missmead is a metropolis boasting a culturally diverse population. Though its highest population are humans and dwarves, owing to the large span of caverns, ruins and mines deep beneath the region, it has seen a huge increase in the number of elves, gnomes and halflings over time.   With the recent situation of the neighbouring countries falling into war, the spread of people has boomed massively as refugees travel from across the lands seeking safety from the ravaged lands in these difficult times. And with this population boom has come a set of new problems. Slum settlements, disease and scapegoats have formed from the more monstrous and rarer races. Its no longer uncommon to see small families of Kitsune, goblin or Tieflings pushed from their communities and isolated to live on the fringes of the slum districts despite years of happy living with those around them.

Mismead is a Oligarchal Democracy, a council of representatives is elected from the cities districts that decide on policy and taxation, who internally vote for a speaker who is the chief decision maker for the city and the diplomatic representative to other nations.   The council meet in the central most building, The Suntree, located in the heart of Majesty Square. Huge palace built in honor of the First Radience under the Golden Sky, boasting the absolute highest quality of everything. Hand crafted furniture from the finest artisanal wood and metal workers the city has to offer, food cooked to exact tastes from the best possible master chefs and the strongest possible guards in the city who second only to the Labyrinth Stalkers.   The Central Council contains in total 131 members from across the cities districts that meet weekly to discuss matters ranging from civil infrastructure all the way to high court trials.  Councilors otherwise oversee districts on a local level from what the locals refer to as Sage chambers.  A sage chamber contains all the councilors for a particular district, meeting on the first day of the week to ensure affairs and matters are in order to be presented to the meeting of the city council later in the week.    A popular misconception is that city funds are distributed from the top down. This is actually not true, instead the Sage Chambers collect the taxation at rates agreed for the district. These funds are prioritised to that district first with a percentage tithe being paid to the city as a whole. On average the city only receives 60% of its actual tax revenue.   To run as a councilor a person must meet all 4 of the following criteria.

1. They must be a citizen of Mismead, or hold a civil liberties card.
2. They must fully own at least 1 property in the city.
3. They cannot be considered a minor.
4. They cannot be a member of the Army, Navy, Civil Service, or Ex Labyrinth Seeker, the can also not be a member of any of the organisations listed in the Protection against voter Liability act.

  Above the council, but with less powers, are the Stratium. The Stratium are a group that act as experts and advisors to the council. To be on the Stratium one must be considered a leader in their field, or an ex councilor. Entry to the Stratium is a by appointment only, they are not elected, rather a position created by circumstance and need. The Stratium have no exact powers in times of peace, but in a time of crisis, the council is suspended while the Stratium and civil servants hold office to deal with impending crisis. The Stratium hold power only until crisis is averted, and must relinquish power the second peace has returned.    The speaker of the chamber is the position held by the council member elected by other councilors to speak on behalf of the city as a whole. In times of crisis, the speaker is considered the leader of the Stratium, due to a figure head needed to keep public order.  Any councilor can run for speaker, as the only requirement is to be an elected councilor. But many will find that internally, those that are in power, will side with those that keep them that power.   As of time of writing, the speaker of the chamber is Durgan Mudlink, older of the Mudlink brothers and a captain of industry. The Dwarven oligarch has held the position for at least 10 years, owing to his popularity among the populace.

The city of Mismead is defended by a large outer stone wall. Since the cities inception, its greatest defense has come from the vast mountains that surround the central basin of the Valley in which the city rests. Onslaughts of armies and monsters have tried over the cities long history to breach its walls with only very few ever scratching the surface. Even then, the city has been designed in such a way that should an attacker breach the defenses, counterattacks will be swift, as the wide open streets allow for rapid reorganization of defenses and little opportunity to surround or cut off areas of the city.  The siege of Mismead under the high king Ithylans against the Korbal Raiders saw this swift defense in action, where the  river canals that run around the cities main streets were used to quickly redeploy and evacuated people, leading to a successful hold of the city despite lower numbers. The siege came to an end following the eventual surrender of Warmaster Korbal after his elite guard were defeated on the Deeproad bridge on the steps of the Suntree.

Mismead trades in agriculture, with the city producing food on a large scale. Huge farms of rice, wheat and corn don the vast planes surrounding the valley and the rich lakes and rivers offer a bountiful catch every day.  Where the city truly shines though is in its progressivley growing industry and advances in technology. The ruinous labyrinth deep beneath the city have always been a seat of study into the paths of the Radiant ones and this has attracted scholars and learned people from far and wide. This prompted the building of Kessok Library, a seat of study for the relics that Labyrinth seekers bring from the ever shifting halls of the maddening ruins upon which the city sits. The advancements of Magitech that reached the city some 100 years ago by the traveling mechromancers of Coford have evolved the levels of industry tenfold, bringing an evolving landscape of production and development. But at a price, some have seen this advancement as a threat to the old ways of ceremony and honor. That the machines and contraptions that promise to improve society, are instead erasing what makes Mismead unique. But despite the protest, the Council of Mismead have continued their investments into the developments of Magitech, as seen with the lightway, the powered lights that burst across the city.

High level of industry including sewage systems, deep waterways and limited magitech streetways in the center of the city.

14 districts branching from the Beolight Tower