Mohinders Spire: A City of Arcane Supremacy

Mohinders Spire with its Veilsteel Tail is a city unlike any other, suspended upon the immense, opalescent form of Eldeviér’s Shell. Its foundations are bound to the colossal structure by the Veilsteel Tail—an awe-inspiring, dragon-like framework of dark, iridescent metal, forged to honor the mythical being, Irion. This immense construct coils around the lower ridges of the Shell like the tail of a slumbering beast, its razor-edged plates etched with glowing sigils that hum with arcane energy. Massive iron rings and enchanted chains secure the city in place, preventing it from drifting into the unpredictable forces that swirl around the Shell’s glowing surface.

The city itself is a breathtaking fusion of ancient reverence and arcane ingenuity. Spires of dark stone and Veilsteel rise from the Tail’s structure, their forms reminiscent of Irion’s scales. Suspended walkways and platforms extend outward, anchored by energy fields, while floating districts hover in the skies beyond, shifting in slow, deliberate patterns. The Shell’s eerie green light bathes everything in an ethereal glow, casting shifting shadows over the winding streets and towering structures.

The Veilsteel Tail is more than just a foundation—it is a testament to Mohinders’ past, a sacred monument that channels the energies of the Shell. It serves as the city's lifeline, drawing power from the ancient structure beneath it, fueling the arcane portals and defensive wards that keep Mohinders secure. But recently, strange tremors have shaken the Tail’s metal plates, and the runes carved into its surface flicker unpredictably. Some believe that the Shell’s energies are shifting, while others fear a more unsettling possibility—that Irion’s spirit, bound within the Tail as legend claims, is stirring once more.

Meanwhile, the Shell’s glow, once revered for its restorative power, has taken on an unsettling aspect. The floating platforms above have begun to shift unpredictably, as if responding to something unseen. The scholars of the Keepers debate the truth—was the Shell always a sanctuary, or has it been a cocoon waiting to break open?

Airships hover cautiously beyond the city's edges, their pilots wary of the gravitational distortions that occasionally ripple through the sky. The portals flicker, unstable, as though the world itself is holding its breath. Mohinders remains, bound by chains and faith, clinging to the Shell’s enigmatic radiance.

Arcane: The City’s Lifeblood

Magic is not just a tool in Mohinders—it is the foundation of its society. The city is built upon the immense form of Eldeviér’s Shell, an entity radiating arcane energy, and its very infrastructure is dependent on magical constructs. The portals that connect its districts, the floating spires of its upper elite, and even the defenses keeping the city secure all stem from carefully controlled magical forces.

The control of magic is synonymous with power. Only those who can command, manipulate, or regulate arcane energy are considered true citizens of Mohinders. The Council of Controlled Magical Appliance oversees the flow of magic, ensuring that access is tightly restricted and monitored.

To be without magic in Mohinders is to be insignificant. Those who lack the ability to wield it directly often find themselves serving in lower societal roles, reliant on the whims of those who control the city’s arcane foundations.

Superiority: The Divine Right of the Arcane Elite

The city’s ruling class believes in a strict hierarchy: those who grasp the higher mysteries of magic are superior by nature. Superiority is not determined by birth, wealth, or bloodline alone—it is judged by one’s arcane prowess, cunning, and ability to navigate the city's political labyrinth.

At the top of the hierarchy sit the Arcanis Primes, scholars and enchanters who shape the laws of magic itself. Below them, the Luminates serve as magistrates, adjudicating magical disputes and deciding who is worthy of further enlightenment. At the lowest rung of power are the Glyphbound, apprentices and minor arcanists who aspire to ascend the hierarchy but are often kept in their place through the careful manipulation of knowledge.

Those who seek to rise in society must either prove their magical worth or find ways to manipulate the system to gain favor. The city thrives on exclusivity—only a select few are permitted access to the highest levels of arcane enlightenment.

Greed: Power is Hoarded, Not Shared

Magic in Mohinders is not an open gift—it is hoarded, traded, and controlled by those who possess it. The ruling elite see knowledge as a commodity, and the greatest spells, artifacts, and enchantments are locked away in private vaults, hidden archives, and secret libraries.

The Council of Controlled Magical Appliance enforces a strict Magisterial Taxation—citizens must pay in gold, favors, or loyalty to gain access to spells, enchanted items, or even the ability to travel between districts via portals. To study magic is a privilege, not a right.

Black markets thrive beneath the city’s towering structures, dealing in illicit scrolls, stolen grimoires, and experimental magic forbidden by the Council. The wealthiest citizens do not display their riches in gold or gems but rather in the rare tomes and spells they have obtained—or kept from others.

Beneath the grandeur of the Spire, the poor fight for scraps—not of food, but of knowledge. A single whispered incantation, if stolen or sold, could elevate someone from servitude to influence… or result in their immediate erasure.

Forbidden Knowledge: The Veiled Truths of Mohinders

Not all knowledge is meant to be known—or so the ruling class insists. There are truths about Eldeviér’s Shell, the portals, and the origins of Mohinders itself that remain carefully concealed. The Archives Obscura, a hidden vault beneath the Council chambers, is said to contain tomes so dangerous that even reading their titles could alter reality.

Rumors persist that the Shell is not simply an arcane wellspring, but something more—a prison, a slumbering entity, or a boundary between dimensions. The Council dismisses such claims as heretical nonsense, yet the most ambitious seekers of knowledge continue to dig, risking their lives and minds to uncover what lies beneath the city’s surface.

Some whisper that Aurelthys, the city’s divine arbiter, does not reveal all that it knows. It grants wisdom in fragments, never in full, and its silence on certain matters is as telling as its proclamations. Those who seek to unveil its secrets must tread carefully, for forbidden knowledge in Mohinders is not just dangerous—it is a currency and a curse.

Conclusion: The Spire of Secrets

Mohinders is a city of ambition, deception, and exclusivity, where magic is not just a power but a gatekeeper to society itself. Those who wield it with mastery are revered as near-divine, while those who lack it are left to scrape by in the shadows.

The city’s core philosophy can be summed up in a simple truth: knowledge is the ultimate power—and only the worthy deserve it.

A Unified Network

When Mohinders was first constructed, it was designed to be a unified urban environment where citizens could move freely across streets, districts, and neighborhoods. The city was not divided by physical walls or barriers but rather by a vast network of magical portals. These portals were the primary means of transportation, allowing easy access between all areas of the city.

Portals as Primary Travel: There were no traditional streets connecting one district to another. Instead, portals were strategically placed in each district, enabling citizens to move across the entire city, regardless of location.
A Unified Whole: The portals ensured that the city was a single, continuous space where the streets weren’t divided by borders. Travel between any two areas was quick, easy, and unrestricted.

The Great Divide

Mohinders was once a city of seamless connectivity, with portals scattered throughout, allowing citizens to freely travel from one street to another. The city’s design was meant to be interconnected, and every street, alleyway, and district was accessible by magical portals. However, over time, the opposition factions began to take control of these portals, leading to the Great Divide that now splits the city.

Faction: Council of Controlled Magical Appliance

At the heart of Mohinders’ governance stands the Council of Controlled Magical Appliance a powerful assembly of arcane scholars, engineers, and enchanters tasked with stabilizing the immense raw magic that surges through the Shell and the Veilsteel Tail. The Council oversees the intricate network of conduits, runes, and siphoning devices that regulate the flow of energy, preventing dangerous surges that could destabilize the city. They maintain the arcane portals that link Mohinders to the lands below, ensuring that the power channeled from the Shell does not consume the city it sustains.

Faction: Veilbreakers

The Veilbreakers are a faction born from frustration and resistance to the oppressive rule of the Council of Controlled Magical Appliance. Originally formed as a loosely connected group of protestors, workers, and intellectuals, they have grown into a powerful political and rebellious force, bent on liberating the city from what they see as an unjust, corrupt, and exploitative system. Their name, Veilbreakers, stems from their desire to tear down the metaphorical veil that cloaks the Council’s control, as well as their opposition to the Taxed portals that they believe divide the people unfairly.

How the Veilbreakers Gained Control

As tensions grew between the Council of Controlled Magical Appliance and the Veilbreakers, control over the portals began to shift. What was once a free-flowing system was slowly manipulated and altered by the Veilbreakers to control access to parts of the city. Over time, the Council also tightened its control over the other half of the city’s portals.

Veilbreaker Infiltration: The Veilbreakers, opposing the Council’s control and taxes, began to secretly alter portal sigils and install counterfeit portals in key areas. These changes allowed them to block travel to the Council-controlled streets while gaining access to parts of the city that were once unrestricted.
Council’s Response: As the Veilbreakers slowly took control of more portals, the Council responded by strengthening their own grip on the remaining portals. They enacted new regulations that allowed only certain loyal citizens to pass through their controlled portals, while ensuring illegal passage into Veilbreaker-controlled zones was impossible.
Split Control: Eventually, the portal system became fractured, with the city now split into two main zones: one controlled by the Council and one controlled by the Veilbreakers. The city itself remained physically intact, but portals between districts could only connect areas that were within the same faction’s control.

Split but Physically Unified

Now, the city is divided, not by physical barriers, but by the portal system that governs access to the streets. The streets are still physically adjacent to one another, but the portals no longer connect the two factions’ territories.

How the Portal System Functions Now:

Portal Segmentation:
- The portals, once freely connecting all districts of Mohinders, now serve as the dividing line between the two factions. A portal may exist just a few steps away from another, but it will only lead into one of the two territories controlled by the opposing factions.
No Cross-Territory Travel:
- If a citizen of the Council-controlled district tries to use a portal in their area to move into a Veilbreaker-controlled zone, the portal will either fail to activate or redirect them to an inaccessible location—sometimes a void or a misleading street that leads them back into the same faction’s control.
Portals Are the Key:
- The only way to travel from one side of the city to the other is by using secret, hidden portals that bypass the control of either faction. These secret routes are known only to smugglers or members of the underground resistance—and their existence is often only whispered about in back alleys.
Portal Restrictions Enforced:
- Both factions have installed magical wards and enforcement sigils on their portals to ensure that only those within their control can pass. Runeswindler (a loyal agent of the Council) oversee the portal regulations, ensuring that the Veilbreaker-controlled streets remain cut off from the rest of the city.

Life in the Divided City

For most citizens, life in Mohinders is one of segregation without physical walls. The streets of both factions are physically close, often only separated by a single building or a street corner, but the magical divide created by the portal system has rendered these streets completely inaccessible to those from the other side.

The Illusion of Proximity: Citizens often feel the odd sensation of being able to see the other side but never able to reach it. A person standing at the intersection of two streets, only a few steps away from another faction’s territory, will be unable to physically walk into it due to the portal restriction.
Smuggling and Black Markets: To maintain the illusion of a unified city, smugglers have begun to offer illegal portal crossings—creating underground black markets where secret pathways allow for dangerous, covert access between the two factions. These routes are often unstable, and using them could trap individuals in voids or redirect them into lost corridors.
Isolation: Citizens living on the Council-controlled side may have little knowledge of what is happening across the divide, and vice versa. The walls between the factions are more magical than physical, and the people may never understand why they cannot reach the streets just beyond their own.

The Struggle for Unity

Both factions—the Council and the Veilbreakers—continue to seek ways to expand their control over the city’s portals, striving for the eventual unification or total domination of the Spiral. The portal divide remains at the core of this struggle, and rumors persist that the city’s original design, which once allowed free movement, might be restored by those powerful enough to break the magical barriers that divide the streets.

The Future of Mohinders

The city teeters on the brink of change. If the portal restrictions are ever broken or bypassed, the physical proximity of the two territories might allow for a sudden collapse of the divide, leading to a possible new conflict or a shift in the balance of power between the factions. But until then, the city remains in a fragile equilibrium, where the streets are close, but the portals are far apart.

Citizens

Elf (46%)
Human (41%)
Halfling (6%)
Dwarf (1%)
Gnome (1%)
Dragonborn (1%)
Tiefling (1%)
Half-Orc (1%)