A brief introduction to Magnimar:

On the western edge of the land of Varisia, along the southern reaches of a beautiful stretch known as the Lost Coast, the swampy expanse of the Mushfens and the coiling length of the Yondabakari River come to a stark and dramatic end in the shadow of a striking limestone escarpment jutting from the cliffs. Varisian legends have long regarded the place as a blessed resting spot for celestial messengers, and the wanderers would often visit in hopes of seeing an angel and gaining the good fortune such a portent presaged. Yet the upthrust mass of stone itself is overshadowed by an even greater sight—the Irespan, one of ancient Thassilon’s most prominent ruins. Known also as the Giant’s Bridge, this ruined causeway juts out from the Seacleft nearly 400 feet, with its ruined pilings extending farther out to sea, giving the unmistakable impression of ancient grandeur. Be it the point at which angels descended from the heavens to bless their Varisian wards or the ancient site of forgotten commerce and travel, the region has long captivated the imaginations of those who beheld it. Its position at the mouth of Varisia’s mightiest river and at the southwesternmost safe harbor on the mainland only further ensured that the site would, one day, host a magnificent city. Today, that city is known as Magnimar— the City of Monuments.

Built in the shadow of megaliths, Magnimar endlessly endeavors to surpass the overwhelming scale and grandeur of the ancient wonders that litter the Varisian landscape. A place of great opportunity, social stress, and cold beauty, the city exudes the air of a southern metropolis, seeking to rise above its ignoble beginnings as a refuge for Korvosan outcasts to become a beacon of culture and freedom in an unforgiving land. Yet its towering monuments, elegant gardens, ostentatious architecture, and elaborate sculptures form but a cracked mask over a struggling government and a desperate people in need of heroes.

History:

The site had long been a favorite resting place for Varisian caravans, and at any time before Magnimar’s foundation, explorers could find numerous such caravans sheltering against the Seacleft’s walls. But by the dawn of the Age of Lost Omens, conditions in Korvosa had grown intolerable to those who did not want to live in a society many had taken to calling “Little Cheliax.” They wanted something more—a place with the comforts and conveniences of a grand city, yet free from the traditions of an overly pedantic and close-minded government. Unable to change such institutions in Korvosa, dissatisfied citizens opted instead to leave. In the shadow of the great upheavals caused by the death of Aroden, hundreds of pilgrims traveled west, helmed by four visionary adventurers led by the paladin Alcaydian Indros and known collectively as the Wardens of the Eye. After these travelers had journeyed across nearly the width of Varisia, they came to the Seacleft and knew they’d found a new home.

The integration between these Korvosan expatriates and the indigenous Varisians was not seamless, despite the fact that the settlers had left Korvosa behind in search of greater acceptance and diversity. Soon after the settlers began moving to Magnimar, the Varisians asked the foreigners to move their newly built homes south of the Yondabakari River and away from Varisian holy grounds. Freshly settled and defiant, Magnimar’s leaders all refused except for one: Mistress Ordellia Whilwren, a member of the Wardens of the Eye. Curious, Whilwren promised the Varisians that she and her followers would gladly relocate if they would show her an angel. In response, the Varisians mysteriously told her to look to the Seacleft Spire at dawn every day for a week. Whilwren did so, and on the week’s final day she saw a radiant figure perched atop the alabaster spire in the dawning sun. Awed and inspired, Whilwren kept her promise and moved south to the district now called Ordellia in her honor. Cynics whispered that all Ordellia witnessed was a cagey Varisian adorned with a magical disguise, yet Ordellia went to her grave with the happy conviction that she had seen, if not Desna herself, then one of her more powerful azata handmaidens.

Two years after the city’s founding, a great storm racked the land and threatened to destroy all the settlers had created. Through the driving storm, Ordellia Whilwren prayed to the angel of the spire. In a blinding f lash, a bolt of soundless white lightning struck the spire’s rocky perch, blasting it to nothing more than glass and rubble, but in so doing scattering the storm clouds to reveal starry skies. Having heard Whilwren’s prayers and seen the silent lightning, the townsfolk agreed to create a great tower to replace the fallen spire. As workers laid the first stones, local Varisians—seeing they now shared the same faith— joined in, and thus did the Arvensoar began to rise. Although it took more than 18 years to erect, the Arvensoar now stands as a symbol of Magnimarian-Varisian unity and an open invitation to goodly spirits.

Today:

A visitor to Magnimar might be stunned to learn that the sprawling city is only a few decades over a hundred years of age. The city’s sprawling slate rooftops and marble avenues stretch from the foundations of the Irespan to beyond the western banks of the Yondabakari River. A sheer cliff, the Seacleft, cuts through the city’s heart, dividing Magnimar into its two major sections: the Summit, upon the cliff’s top, and the Shore, below. A third area, the Shadow, lies beneath the Irespan, a place where the sun rarely reaches and the city’s failures and corruption hold blatant reign.

The second largest city in Varisia, Magnimar still wages its mostly bloodless war of coins and lies with Korvosa to the east. Both city-states vie for control over vassal communities, natural resources, and trade with the cosmopolitan south. Ever since Lady Whilren’s prayer saved the city and shattered the Seacleft Spire, Magnimar has welcomed those who would shape their own fates by the sweat of their brows and keenness of their wits, regardless of race or beliefs. To this end, the city has opened its gates and harbor to all comers, encouraging traders from many lands to discover the wonders of Varisia away from the excessive taxes and regulations of Korvosa, yet in greater safety than is offered by pirate havens like Riddleport. In an ironic turn, relations with the Shoanti steadily worsened as Magnimar grew—its leaders perhaps unintentionally fostering the same sort of classist discrimination and oppression that drove them from the east. Whatever the cause, those Shoanti who live in Magnimar are forced to lurk in the worst corners of the city, often working as gladiators in the Serpent’s Run or as aristocrats’ “tame savage” bodyguards.

Since the establishment of a formal city government in 4608 ar, Magnimar has been led by two political bodies: the Council of Ushers and the Office of the Lord- Mayor. When the city was established, this egalitarian arrangement was meant to assure that no one person would have too prominent a voice in the city-state’s governing. After more than a hundred years, though, this noble effort has become embroiled in bureaucracy, paper shuffling, and the ambitions of its members. A third political body operating outside of the city government is the Varisian Council. Formed at the request of the city’s elders more than 80 years ago, the Varisian Council ensures that the Magnimarian government does not infringe upon the rights and traditions of the land’s Varisian natives. Unfortunately for the city’s small but quite active Shoanti element, this level of understanding does not extend to them, and the people of the quahs often find themselves distrusted at best and unfairly persecuted at worst.

More than 16,000 people make their homes in Magnimar, with the majority of that populace consisting of humans of Chelish or mixed Chelish/Varisian decent. While these people are ethnically Chelaxian, they are anything but in mind and spirit—the people of Magnimar prefer to be called Magnimarians (or even just Varisians). The city also boasts the largest semi-settled population of Varisians in the region, with approximately 2,000 such residents—significantly fewer in the spring and summer travel months. Aside from the region’s native nomads, Magnimar hosts a second transient population: thousands of regular traders from far-flung foreign locales, particularly Absalom, Cheliax, and Osirion. Many of these merchants and emissaries have homes that they reside in while passing through but that otherwise remain empty. As a result, whole city blocks—particularly within the Shore—appear deserted for months out of the year.

Magnimarians show their affiliation with the City of Monuments through symbolism. Magnimar’s colors are blue and silver. The city claims the osprey as its mascot, but also identifies with angels of all types, as seen in many of the city’s carvings. The city motto is “Where Freedom Can Never Be Lost.”