Syracuse

Laying close to the eastern shore of the Continent of Zyin, just outside the Kingdom of Clir, Syracuse is a beacon of hope, light and prosperity. In its center lies the Heart of Syracuse, floating above the Tower of Mages. Here it protects and watches over Syracuse with its magic, which is what allowed Syracuse to grow into a powerful city-state. Throughout the years, many mages have studied the crystal, but none have learned anything. Due to this mysterious nature, and its unknown origin, many believe it is the crystal from the myth of The old man and the moon, and that Syracuse is the small town the story takes place in. This is also why the worship of Alinia, The Moon Goddess is very widespread, and a massive church has been constructed in her name. The Heart of Syracuse is revered, almost as if it was a god itself. This has lead to the culture of only using pastel colors, believing any bright colors to be disrespectfull. This is reflected int the city itself, being full of muted colors, especially blues and greens.

The city itself is diveded into three rings, the outer ring laying outside the walls, this is where most of the farmers live and it holds many small marketplaces, near the main gate lies the tradig-market, this is where outsiders come to trade. The residental ring lies up against the wall and fills most of Syracuse, it is where most people live and it only has a few other buildings like inns, barbers and the occasional blacksmith or other artisan. The inner ring is where the military has its main buildings along with the nobles of the city, and in the middle lies the Tower of Mages.

In its many years, Syracuse has not had to deal with monsters or magical beasts, the crytal pacifies any that wanders close, gently nudging them away before they do any harm. Additionally, Syracuse has never known famine or plague, the crystal keeps both crops and people healthy, and in some very good years, crops grow so quickly they are able to sow and harvest their fields twice. This double crop yield and almost guranteed perfectly healthy animals gives Syracuse a strong trading position, especially in the winters. All of these effects have been for years studied by the Tower of Mages but no revelations have come to light. Only minor modifications have been made to the crystal, but none with any significant effects.

Laying on the border to the Kingdom of Clir, Syracuse has had many border skirmishes with them, fighting over territory. There has never been a full blown war, but tensions are always high between them. The most noteable of these skirmishes, was the Battle of Denor Diamond Mine, where the Kingdom of Clir almost crippled Syracuse's military, and claimed their only diamond mine. Today Syracuse has a standing army of 7.000 soldiers.

Syracuse's political system is very unique, in that it is the Heart of Syracuse that chooses who rules. Every 2 years, 10 random people are marked with a glowing rune over their heart. These people are then the designated rulers, alongside the last group, until the next group is appointed. This means Syracuse has 20 rulers at all times. Each group has their own way of doing things, but it is often by vote and splitting up responsibility to those who know the most in each area. As far as anyone knows, you cannot be chosen twice for this, but if you are chosen you cannot say no either. Everyone has to take their turn ruling. The oldest ever designated was a 78 year old woman, and the youngest was a 8 year old boy.