Events
1) A hostage is liberated
Fulke and Galric got into a heated argument and left on bad terms. In revenge, Fulke kidnapped Galric's child and sent an anonymous letter to Galric. The letter asked them to publicly humiliate themself in exchange for their child.
Galric read this letter in the pub and started weeping.
One of The Scholars who was in the town incognito saw this and offered to help. Going against the Scholars' rules, they used a ritual to pinpoint the child's location and captor. Galric, now aware of magic's usefulness, no longer holds a stigma against it.
The scholars are displeased. The public display of magic might leak their existence! Though, they are unaware that the reputation of the arcane has slightly turned for the better in Bandar Esok.
+1 power to The Scholars
2) Hygiene gains in importance
The Capital's weekly newsletter has just arrived at Bandar Esok. One of the feature articles is a ranking of the cleanest cities in the country, of which Bandar Esok placed dead last. Not willing to accept this humiliation, a town meeting was called. Everybody eventually agree to make resources for personal and public hygience easily accessible.
The guild now stocks cleaning supplies for anyone who needs it. Cleaners are a much more high paying and respected job.
As a monument to this new hygiene craze, a new bathhouse was constructed, with free public baths and private shower stalls, full stocked with toiletries.
+ bathhouse
3) Ground becomes unstable
An earthquake causes the big mountain nearby to collapse. No one got hurt but now the city has lost easy access to their main export - cinnabar. The only was to get more is to main the mountains further east and west. The city chooses the western mountains. A new district is build nearby, close to the swamp and The Scholars' secret research post.
As there is not as much cinnabar in these mountains, mining as a career is in decline.
The swamp has spawned a small fishing industry, with its abundant eels and snakehead fishes.
Many members of The Scholars have taken up residence in the new district
- Big Mountain collapses
+ new western district
4) A great scandal
Some of The Scholars that live in the western district are sick of practicing in the shadows, so they devise a plan to gain favour in the city. They called themselves "The Rebels".
First, they set up one of The Scholars' suppliers to get caught for stealing guild supplies. All Scholar suppliers have a spell that prevents them from revealing the recipient.
In the town meeting regarding this scandal, The Rebels come in and reveal all the other suppliers, making a show of using magic to figure it out. As each supplier came to light, the people's trust in the guild and each other decreased.
Most people still thought magic was suspicious at best and demonic at worst. Though some descendants of Galric thought that it wasn't too bad.
The other Scholars disowned the Rebels. But now that their suppliers are gone, they have no choice but to assimilate into society
-1 power for The Miner's Guild
5) A strong claim
A new King has been crowned. Hearing about the practice of blasphemous magic here they send a Minister to quell it, to bring 'order' to the seemingly lawless city.
A government building is constructed. Upon arrival, the Minister is not liked at all.
The Minister is also tasked with making the city more 'useful' to The Royal Family.
The King strongly believes in traditional family and religious values.
+ government building (Royal Family landmark)
+1 external faction - The Royal Family
6) A grand palace is built
The Minister, aware of their reputation, generally keeps their head down and works hard. They help the people secure supplies from the Capital at a good price, and dutifully addresses their grievances. The people's opinion of them has softened since the Minister was appointed 10 years ago.
In contrast, the King is annoyed by the Minister's lack of notable progress. They decide to take things into their own hands.
To prepare for their arrival, the King decides to turn the local government building into a holiday palace. The Minister is instructed to seek residence elsewhere.
The Minister felt betrayed. Years of dedicated service only to be evicted from their home?! They go around looking for a place to stay, illiciting surprise from everyone they asked. The Minister's paltry income precludes them from any fancy lodging. To their shock, a young farming family comes up and offers their spare room for a modest rent after hearing about their circumstances.
The palace finishes construction just in time for the King's arrival. The King is perturbed by their apathetic treatment here, in stark contrast to their adoring subjects in the Capital.
Just a few days after arriving, the king gets news that the Queen is pregnant and rushes home to be with them. Before leaving, the King hands the palace to the Minister, saying that they have no intention of returning.
The Minister decides to give the palace to the people, turning it into a ridiculously opulent community centre. Events and classes are held, a large kopitiam opens, and the valuables are repurposed and redistributed.
- government building
+ community centre
7) A great fear
On 初一, usually a day of new year celebration, a beast tore through the city, ravaging crops and damaging buildings.
Monsters are generally regarded as folktales or relics of antiquity. The blue beast looks like a mutated lion, with a single large horn and protruding canines.
Unable to find a logical explanation to this, the people's belief turn to the supernatural.
The Scholars, now under a new generation of leadership, takes this opportunity to share their forebearers' knowledge.
The beast is called the 年兽 and comes from the ocean. They say that the 年兽 has three great fears - the colour red, loud noises and bright lights.
Not having any better solutions, the people decorate the city in red; cheerful music, live and recorded, fill the streets; and the nights are always brightly lit.
Not knowing when the beast would return, the people kept this up every day.
On the following 初一, the 年兽 returns. But seeing the town decorated with its fears sends the beast running.
The people rejoice, the mood of the town finally matching its appearances. Of course, The Scholars are quick to take credit.
+1 power to The Scholars
8) Criminals makes travel difficult
A group of thieves have taken over the western mines. They had been sent by a rich businessperson who failed to negotiate an exclusive cinnabar deal with the town.
Lacking any sort of militia, the people couldn't do much to the well armed bandits. The mister has tried to contact the Capital multiple times, but reinforcements never arrived.
The western district becomes more dangerous. But this increase in chaos have allowed the resident members of The Scholars to practice more bold magic. It's to protect the town, right?
An eastern district is established so the city can mine in the eastern mountains
+ bandits
+ new eastern district
9) An important alliance falls apart
Growing internal tensions between The Scholars in the western district and research post have resulted in the faction splitting in two. The two sides are unable to agree on the purpose of magic. The western district ex-Scholars call themselves "The Mages" and practice magic openly.
The Scholars
- Reside in the research post
- study magic in search of eternal life, continuing initial goal of the research post
- Believes that all magic discovered should be in service to that goal, not to be used for personal reasons.
The Mages
- Reside in the western district
- Western district is dangerous, you need to use whatever you can to stay safe.
- Believes magic should be used to better their own lives and the lives of people around them.
- Since being excommunicated from the post, they've lost access to post research. Spells that get passed down become more mundane and practical.
- Most people in town are more familiar with them and ask them for help.
+1 factions - The Mages
10) Ground becomes unstable, yet again
The western mountain collapses suddenly. Thanks to The Mages, most people evacuated to the central district. The bandit leader was killed in the collapse.
There are rumours that the over-mining of cinnabar had angered a beast deep in the mountain. That's probably what happened to the Big Mountain in the past, right?
Some also say that it might be a vigilante attempt by some Mages gone wrong. They might having been trying to get rid of the bandits.
Or maybe it was just a natural disaster.
At night, glowing eyes and unnatural figures can be spotted in the ruins of the western district.
western district => western ruins
- western mountain
11) A revolution succeeds
As strange occurrences become more frequent, the people of Bandar Esok turn to The Mages for guidance, considering them the authorities on the supernatural.
Soon, The Mages organises themselves as the city's ruling body. They take over The Miner's Guild building and renamed themselves The City Council.
The second generation Minister is in a tight position - not only have they failed to eradicate the practice of magic, the practitioners are now in charge! Their predecessor was beloved in the city. At least they inherited some of that good favour.
They have no choice but to work closely with the new City Council.
The Mages + The Miner's Guild => The City Council
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