Snowdrop

Snowdrop is a city in Windrose. It is the capital of the province of Boreas and is famous for being a regional center of Magic and the study thereof.

#### Geography

Snowdrop is located in the far northern regions of Boreas, on the eastern side of a pair of peninsulas known as the Horns. It sits on the western coast of this peninsula, which open out into a large arctic bay. The region around Snowdrop is a frigid arctic tundra, with little plant life. A variety of Kaiju dwell in the tundra and the nearby sea. It can be assumed that some ordinary arctic animals also inhabit the nearby land, but no specific species are confirmed.

The city of Snowdrop itself is divided among a large amount of districts. The easternmost regions of the city primarily consist of shantytowns inhabited by impoverished hunters who make a living hunting the nearby kaiju, followed by a slightly more affluent region atop a nearby plateau, filled with crowded apartment buildings. Following this region is a large stone wall made to keep any particularly powerful kaiju out of the inner city. The inner side of the wall turns into a series of massive steps heading down towards the coastline. These steps are also settled with various buildings. Beyond the coast is a large bridge leading to a handful of islands that make up the rest of the districts. Most of the upper class and nobility of Snowdrop live in these districts, and the prestigious University of Snowdrop is located there.

There is a "Theater District" somewhere in Snowdrop, likely in one of the more affluent areas. A train line runs from Snowdrop from the south, but it does not go any further north.

#### History

Snowdrop was founded sometime in the last one thousand years by migrants from Lancata. While most early cities and city-states in the region were founded and ruled by powerful mage families, Snowdrop is especially unique in this regard as the relative uninhabitability of the region made powerful magic necessary for survival. It is unknown why these migrants decided to settle in such a dangerous location in the first place. Much later in history, Snowdrop agreed to become a formal member of the country of Windrose, acting as the capital and political head of the province of Boreas.

During the One Week War, Snowdrop saw essentially none of the combat due to its far northern position. Very few citizens of Snowdrop fought in the war, either.

#### Demographics

Little is known about the exact number of citizens in Snowdrop, but it has been confirmed that the city itself is similar in area to Bluebell, so it is likely that Snowdrop boasts a similar population in the seventy to eighty thousand range. None of the notable bloodlines residing in Snowdrop are known.

#### Culture

Snowdrop has an incredibly mage-centric culture. Having magic is a vital key to maintaining social and political power within the city, and basically all of Snowdrop's upper classes are mage families. In turn, the non-mage citizens of the city are mostly resigned to poverty and mistreatment by the nobility, although certain amenities like food and shelter are kept decently available. A key symbol of Snowdrop's mage culture is its university, a massive center of magical study where mages from all across Windrose and beyond learn to hone their skills in magic and other areas of study. Much of Snowdrop's infrastructure is maintained with magic, making it hard for Aranea to get a foothold in the city's affairs. It is unknown how Snowdrop's heavy magic culture interacts with the Ars Tellum initiative's goal of eliminating magic items, but Snowdrop does have at least one branch of the initiative present, known as Adderstone.

Aside from magic, Snowdrop has a vibrant culture, especially in the realm of entertainment. The city is the birthplace of cinema, and many of Windrose's most popular movies were produced in Snowdrop. There are also a variety of architectural styles in Snowdrop, ranging from the colorful brutalist apartment complexes of the outer city to vibrant art deco city streets in some of the inner districts.

#### Trivia

* Snowdrop is named after the Snowdrop flower. This follows a trend of Windrosi cities named after flowers, like Bluebell and Gaillardia