Kasteban

The label "Kasteban" can refer to either the Magic Kingdom of Kasteban, or to the capital city thereof, also known as Kasteban. This article deals with the city.
Thousands of years ago, the Larlavient, the precursor people for both the Kastebani and Thalosians discovered that Kasteban Mountain was exceptionally rich in mana. As Larlavient wizards learned to tap this mana for their magic, it became the obvious place for them to settle. In later years, a schism divided these Larlavient in two, and the ones who stayed here became known as the Kastebani, and those expelled to the southeast became the Thalosians.
The mana being a precious resource and space being limited, Kastebani wizards have worked ways to build on every surface of the mountain adjusting the local gravity to their needs, thus buildings and towers jut out at every odd angle around the mountain, even hanging under underhangs. Even away from the mountain, the mana is still rich enough to support a brisk magic industry. In general, though, the areas of the city on flat ground below the mountain tends to be for the mundane residents necessary to support the city. The skies of Kasteban are lit up by brilliant illusions or evokations advertising the prowess and services of different archmages.
Kasteban lies upon the Xxx Range, an offshoot of the Karmeron Mountains. Kasteban Lake lies directly to the north, and the Raystwar River flows through the city to the immediate west and south of the city from Kasteban Lake through to Delternas several hundred miles down river.
Climate
Kasteban is in general a temperate city, a higher latitude and elevation cooling the place in relation to the more sauna-like cities of the Empire to the south. Sitting in the windward side of the Karmeron Mountains, the city is subject to substancial rainfall and humidity, and the humid heat of summer could be quite stifling. On the other hand, winters can be cold and snowy or icy. The appearance of the oddly formed icicles in wintertime is striking.
As the crown of the mountain the city lies on is often within the cloud deck, that part of the city is often found within a cloud, creating a dense fog for those within.
Due to the ambient mana and the wizards' doings, the local climate is subject to the random effects of magic. Most commonly, odd colored smog happens, but bursts of lightning and rains of odd animals or objects are not uncommon. The Mananado of 1651 is still remembered by some of the longest lived Kastebani.
Category:Kasteban