With your friend and mine, Jack Lhasa!
Hey, hey, hey!!
Welcome to this mini edition of Building Realities!
I'm going to share a map and some early history of the MoonShadow setting. This is done with very broad strokes. Stories will be coming soon that provide more detailed and interesting plotting.
The map above covers most of the current story area in MoonShadow. The three major cities; Ilargia, Mistyat, and Dhaka. The cities are pretty basic for a close-area society.
Mistyat is at the river delta. Ilargia is at the top and bottom of the large northern mountain, split into two parts by a shear cliff face. The two parts are connected via a system of engineering innovations, known as lifts. Finally, between the two cities, sits the newest city, Dhaka.
Dhaka was planned as a collaboration between Ilargia and Mistyat. The mastery over magic that had slowly spread until every citizen could use the magic inherent in their bodies, objects, and air around them.
Magic had always been used in MoonShadow. Before the two cities were founded, only powerful, and often crazy sorcerers could harness and direct magic. In a time of constant conflict for territory and resources, this type of mage on the battlefield was a wildcard. It was completely unknown who they’d end up hurting the most.
Mistyat grew up in the river delta, a twisting labyrinth of wood slats tied to boats and docks. A small group of very quiet and polite people had constructed a stone building on the shore. Its defenses so sturdy, no random movement could hope to take it.
Inside, the leaders of the next decade were planning something. A way to end the chaos. A way to give simple, useful, fun magic to every single person. Through mandatory free public education.
Within 10 years, the first students had completed the first curriculum. Now, the magic users who left the growing academy brought peace with them. They helped plan and build the city, set up farms with irrigation, crops, livestock, and housing for all. Around 50 mages set about protecting this new city, Mistyat. They did not police. It was the magician’s opinion that if people’s needs were met, crime would drop to almost zero. And it did. Of course, crimes still occurred, but now they were resolved quickly, the offenders were put into the schools’ classes.
A century passed, and the Southern River delta knew lasting peace. Now, children were placed into classes at 5 years, and completed a curriculum that saw them through to adulthood, and set them free with enough power and understanding of their surroundings that they started building all sorts of things across the city. Shops, amphitheaters, a library, the Arcane Archive, where all were welcome.
A small group of emissaries were assembled, and sent north. They were to send people met along the way towards Mistyat, or to follow behind them to the mountain face. They taught very basic steps for beginning magic. Reading, writing, mathematics, logic, critical thinking, scientific principles and the basics of experimentation. Agriculture as a science boosted with easy spell work.
Several permanent outposts were erected as the group moved forward. As they arrived at the steep mountain, the people there had already begun building all the things needed for the safety, health, and education of a large population. Early scouting parties arrived months ago and gathered people, starting things ahead of the larger moving group.
Soon, Ilargia was founded at the mountains base, with plans of reaching the flat mountaintop. Much of this stone was pure marble, excellent for building. Mining was taught and set in motion. Public education, following the methods used at Mistyat was introduced. Clean water, irrigation, sanitation, farms, mills for grain. Small lifts powered by spellcraft connected the settlements the bottom with the high altitude of the mountains' peak.
A similar plotted settlement was built at the top. It couldn't realistically house and maintain a large population, but the areas were dug out in the stone, and the first graduates of this new Academy would develop the system of lifts with pneumatic raisers, long slow pistons, and teeth for cogs were used to provide a smooth escalation, and return.
Now, from an island that had been in contact conflict 150 years ago, two communities had grown. Sophisticated and capable citizens were as much a resource as the things they went on to build.
These two societies interacted, but kept all matters separated. Even with magic, suspicions from the untold years of battle took time to mend.
Each new generation of students graduated and increased each city's complexity, and amenities. War had not been a real worry in centuries. The leaders of Mistyat and Ilargia met with the Academic Authority, which had developed to monitor and improve the academic techniques, met at a spot between both cities.
Here they erected several temporary structures to house workers, students, and families. Resources were brought from both cities as the needed amounts had been calculated. The decision had been made. A new city, Dhaka, would be built here, a celebration of the now long sustained peace(500 years!). The Arcane Academy was the most important and prestigious building here, and the rest of the city was built around it, in districts that made all aspects of operating the Academy smooth, and perfectly in sync, like clockwork.
Almost 50 years later, Dhaka would be declared "OPEN". A monument to the incredible lasting peace and quickly developing society that education and research of magic had made possible.
A group of loosely nomadic tribes, which were almost always in conflict over limited land and resources, now had everything they needed and far more.
Magic, when applied in a manner that allowed everyone to learn enough essentials to pursue whatever kind of life they'd like. By setting up a curriculum that meant all would graduate on nearly equal footing, no sheer gapes of equality, the people had pursued their interests, and in doing so, they advanced the total of knowledge available to everyone.
Economic and social equality, basic liberties that remained respected, and growing diversity in each city. A golden age of near utopian society dawned.
This is the overview of the development of MoonShadow's society and culture. We've already begun tackling details, crafting stories, and making images of it. Each will unravel a bit of detail, or length of time.
The way magic is taught will be revealed through stories about students and teachers. Stories of the people in all manner of tasks or occupations, and grand tales of adventure and discovery are to follow!
Heyya! The chat I’ve got setup is a pretty rare experience. Or, it would be if I could get a few people in there with me. Sadly, the chats are kinda awful on Substack. Like sorting the timeline. Or my subscriptions, or keeping count of my subscribers. What is going on with these super lazy flops substack??? I really do expect much higher quality from you.
Just remember, that long and rambling story you just powered through is a loose rundown of the societally formative events over the previous 1000 years. lol. It’s a lot easier to digest as fiction. I promise.
Okay, that’s all for now! Love you guys. Get out there and let everyone know that the bullshit in Minneapolis can’t go unanswered. Do not let this seriously awful stack of tragedy lose its spark before reaching the next tier!! ICE has to leave all US Cities! Charges must be brought against the ICE agents who’ve killed, and beat, and broken, and taken kids from there homes. No more MASKS from any law enforcement in this country!!
Get that done. Congress should be drafting the legislation for desolving ICE and DHS, as they ARE THE ACTUAL BLOAT of unskilled workers on our government’s payroll.
Peace. Seriously. Be safe y’all. If you liked what you’ve seen in this post, tell me about it!! Comment! Restack!
https://buymeacoffee/exoteric
https://www.worldanvil.com/w/moonshadow-exoteric
You don’t need a penny just to hang around.
If you’ve hit a nickel, lay your money down.
I’m Jack Lhasa.
You are amazing.
This has been Building Realities.
