St. Bannick

Welcome to St. Bannick

St. Bannick is the beating heart of the Empire of Andervaan—where faith, law, and power intersect beneath banners of red and black. From its fortified cathedrals to its regimented streets, the city projects order, stability, and righteousness. Bells ring at fixed hours. Guards march in perfect cadence. Sermons echo across stone plazas.

And yet—nothing here is truly settled.

St. Bannick is a city held together by doctrine, fear of collapse, and mutual restraint. The Emperor’s claim is quietly questioned. The Temple remembers when it ruled. The Arcanum grows stronger each year. No one wants civil war—but everyone is preparing for what comes after stability breaks.

This is a city where violence is rare, but consequences are permanent.

City Tone & Identity

• Architectural Style: Germanic / Holy Roman Empire–inspired
• Materials: Pale stone, slate roofs, ironwork, stained glass
• Mood: Orderly, devout, watchful
• Public Life: Structured, ritualized
• Private Life: Politicized, cautious

St. Bannick does not feel decadent or decayed—it feels tense. Like a drawn bow.

Role in the Empire

• Imperial capital of Andervaan
• Seat of the Lion Throne
• Central authority for imperial law
• Supreme religious center of the Triumverant
• Hub for diplomacy, military command, and taxation

No decision that matters in Andervaan is made without passing through St. Bannick.

Major Districts

Lioncourt Ward

Imperial Palace, ministries, embassies, and the Senate Hall. Access is restricted. Guards are ceremonial but deadly.

Sanctum Heights

The Triumverant Temple complex, canon courts, seminaries, relic vaults. Bells dominate the skyline.

Steelward

Barracks, knightly halls, armories, training grounds. Loud, disciplined, brutally honest.

Mercantile Ring

Guild halls, counting houses, trade courts, warehouses. Where money argues with doctrine.

Low Bann

Docks, taverns, labor housing, smugglers, criminals. The city’s lungs—and its secrets.

Primary Power Factions

The Imperial Authority

Political / Military Power

The Emperor rules from Lioncourt Palace. His authority is legal, recognized, and enforceable—but quietly contested. Most nobles support him out of fear of what instability would bring, not loyalty.

Internal Priorities

• Maintain order
• Avoid succession conflict
• Control the narrative

Weakness

• No overwhelming popular devotion

The Triumverant Temple

Religious / Judicial Power

The Temple venerates Ashar, Aspira, and Justir. While no longer rulers in name, they retain control over canon law, education, and public morality.

Internal Division

• Orthodox Moderates: Support imperial rule conditionally
• Restorationists: Seek a return to clerical governance

The Temple does not rebel openly. It waits.

The Arcanum Collegia

Arcane / Intellectual Power

Originally from Eelia, the Arcanum operates under imperial charter. It licenses magic, investigates arcane crimes, and conducts sanctioned research.

Public Perception

• Necessary
• Dangerous
• Increasingly influential

Conflict

• Temple distrust
• Growing independence

Political Movements (Non-Factional)

The Loyal Crown Bloc

• Conservative nobles, generals
• Support the Emperor regardless of legitimacy
• Fear chaos above all else

The Renewal Compact

• Reformists, merchants, junior nobility
• Want abdication or lawful succession
• Popular—but dangerous

The Sacred Rule Movement

• Zealots and radicals
• Seek return of theocracy
• Riot-prone, unofficially tolerated

Guilds & Orders

Order of the Argent Standard

Imperial knightly order sworn to the Empire, not the Emperor. Used to enforce neutrality during crises.

The Gilded Knuckle

Professional thieves’ guild. Smuggling, forgery, information brokerage. Violence requires internal approval.

The Ledgerbound

Merchant consortium controlling imports, contracts, and currency flow.

Taverns & Public Houses

The Iron Psalm

• Soldiers, clergy, veterans
• Theological arguments
• Frequent fights after sermons

The Crooked Halo

• Merchants, Arcanum agents, informants
• Neutral ground
• Reliable rumors

Shops & Services

Hammer & Seal

Blacksmith / armorer
Owner: Hendrik Voss, former knight
Specialty: Legal weapon modifications tied to favors

Saint’s Measure

Relics & ecclesiastical goods
Owner: Sister Alwen
Specialty: Authentication—real and false

The Inkward

Legal services, writs, licenses
Owner: Tomas Grell
Specialty: Quiet corrections, expedited permissions

Law & Justice

• Dual system: Imperial Law and Canon Law
• Religious crimes supersede civil ones
• Trials may be judicial, ecclesiastical, or ritualized
• Punishment is measured, symbolic, and final

Justice here is not fast—but it is unavoidable.

Daily Life & Culture

• Mandatory sermons on holy weeks
• Public executions are rare, ceremonial
• News spreads via proclamations and rumor
• Guards are omnipresent but restrained

The city feels safe—until it doesn’t.

Current Tensions (News of the Day)

• Rumors of forged lineage documents
• Arcanum accused of heretical experimentation
• Zealot marches increasing in frequency
• Merchant strikes quietly suppressed
• Argent Standard deployed unusually often