This page is currently incomplete, and will be added to over time
Name
Mairen (MY-ren)
Demonym
Mairener
Colors
Blue and green, accented by red
Common Knowledge
While forests and woods are generally considered little more than hiding places for Unwritten, Mairen exists almost in defiance of those fears: built entirely within the sprawling Kaisair Forest (better known simply as the Great Forest, or the Mairen Forest), the city somehow has been safe from Unwritten attacks for all of modern memory. Many believe that old magics have kept the city and its surrounding areas protected, and any skilled magic-maker can indeed feel a strange hum to the Strands that intersect near the city. It is known mostly for its enchanted items, often made of wood and lacquered, as well as the high concentration of magic-makers that reside within its walls. It is also the nearest of the five cities to the First Bell Temple, though it’s still a significant distance away, north into the mountains.
To the outsider, Maireners are an unusual bunch. The city’s casual use and comfort around magic isn’t common elsewhere on Insul, considering the potential hazards that come from using anything more complex than the simplest enchantments and writpaper. This stereotype is only amplified in regards to Mairen’s magic-makers, who are either seen as elitist rune crunchers or jumpy enchanters that stare at shadows for too long.
Twining around the city center and the surrounding towns, connecting them together into a sprawling constellation, is the Red Line. How exactly it is related to Mairen’s resistance to Unwritten attacks is lost to time, but it is the most consistent marker of what parts of the forest are safe and which aren’t. To the eye the Red Line looks deceptively simple: an unbroken heavyweight red string marking out the borders of towns and leading safe paths through the forest. Especially on the travel paths through the forest, it is common knowledge that one is safe as long as they can still see “the Line’s redness”.
A Local’s Knowledge
“Only fear the known. The unknown is illusion and shadow, and you can’t stab it. Only worry when the known resists stabbing” is the prevailing attitude, in a forest full of whispers and illusions that try to lure you further into its depths. While the Red Line marks where Unwritten cannot approach, that doesn’t mean that tricks as simple as calling voices or as complex as complete illusions can’t. On the unfortunate chance that one does get lured out into the forest, almost all Maireners will also carry an enchanted dagger to fend off any Unwritten long enough to get back to the protection of the Red Line.
For a place in constant close habitation to Unwritten, the hunters that call Mairen home are very different from those in other regions. They are often praised and derided as Insul’s only “noble hunters”: the same magic that keeps Unwritten away from towns also quickly spoils harvested Unwritten parts. Because of this, Mairen hunters solely kill Unwritten that pose a threat and usually do not bother harvesting anything from them. This is also why Mairen alchemy rarely includes Unwritten parts.
Notable locations
Government
Mairen is run and led by the Protectorate of the Red Line, usually just called the Protectorate Red.
Notable People
Notable Groups
Common Costuming
- Forest tones, greens & browns
- Soft leather
- Garments with boxy silhouettes, sometimes belted in
- Cloaks and wraps common
- Enchanted and magical accessories not uncommon
- Brocades/patterned fabrics, typically in single colors