Eruditio
Region
Eruditio sits in the mid-west of the Land of Dawn, neighboring the Agelta Drylands and the Moniyan Empire. To its north lies the Northern Vale port, giving it a strategically important position. In history, it was once part of the old Moniyan Empire; some scholars and artificers moved here becaus...
Eruditio sits in the mid-west of the Land of Dawn, neighboring the Agelta Drylands and the Moniyan Empire. To its north lies the Northern Vale port, giving it a strategically important position. In history, it was once part of the old Moniyan Empire; some scholars and artificers moved here because of the Empire's over-reliance on magic, and buried themselves into technological research instead. Hence it is known as Eruditio, the city of scholars.
After the old empire collapsed, Eruditio broke away from the imperial jurisdiction to instead become a city that welcomed freedom and tolerance. Openness and progress are two of Eruditio's key values, which stands in stark contrast to the others also residing in the western lands, the Los Pecados.
As time passed, the power of Eruditio's influence within the Land of Dawn continued to grow, attracting avid technology aficionados and inventors of all kinds who gathered there in great numbers.
Heroes of Eruditio
Lore
Eruditio's history can be traced right back to the Golden Era, during which the rise of the Moniyan Empire and unification of the Land of Dawn took place. Few are those who possess the power of magic, but as the kinds of magic grew in variety, mankind's dependence upon it also grew: hence the Academy of Magic and Mages held a significant influence within the Empire. Yet the blessing of having an innate skill for magic was seen as an extravagance by many, and those without a gift for the arcane hoped to instead use their wisdom and knowledge to make a place of their own. Moreover, the magic users became arrogant and rude as they carried more weight in society; they held technology in disdain and contempt, even considering non-magic users second-rate citizens. As such they blocked their access to positions of power. This constant exclusion and maltreatment left a very sour taste in the mouth of the technological researchers and scholars of the Empire. They set out for the small town of Eruditio in hopes of gaining the appreciation they deserved, where they erected workshops and laboratories where the conducted systematic scientific research in the hopes of developing technology powerful enough to hold its own against magic. Things continued to develop this way for several decades, and Eruditio slowly transformed from a no-name periphery town into a new, vibrant city. This is when it began to be known as the city of scholars. Eruditian technology would go on to play an important role in the war with the Elves that followed, working to counteract its previously weak standing in Moniyan society until it became just as renowned as the Academy of Magic. Aristocrats and nobles of all kinds were falling over each other to act as Eruditio's sponsors, eager to cash in on the rise of technology. Following its fall, Eruditio stepped out from the Moniyan Empire's shadow to become a freer city with the Civic Council serving as policymakers and every Eruditio citizen possessing the right to vote. The everyday operation of the city was shouldered by the Union of Scholars in order to guide its continued development, and by sharing its technologies with other areas Eruditio's trade also experienced a massive boom. As such, it would go on to become one of the most affluent cities in the Land of Dawn. Yet during this period, some darker times also came to pass in the place known for progress and tolerance, Eruditio. The fervent desire for technological advancement and its misuse brought about serious pollution among other incidents in neighboring areas. While hastily patched over, such moments in history also gave rise to some particularly troublesome characters and events. Several decades ago, a number of radicalistic scholars began conducting horrific animal and human experimentation, with hopes that all humans could be replaced by mechanical equivalents. Such perilous lines of thought were swiftly discarded by the mainstream scholars represented by Dr. Rooney, and its proponents were then disbarred from their respective societies and associations. This included them being forbidden from participating in experiments of any kind within Eruditio. In the face of this punishment they decided to defect with their research materials in tow, heading abroad to establish the 1718 Lab instead. Here they would further their diabolical research into dark technologies, with the ultimate goal of laying waste to Eruditio.