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THE SETTING

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the continent of salem

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Salem is a large, pangea-like landmass with a rich history. However, life in Salem has always been a tussle for power and survival between witches and the monsters that live where they do not. As a result, only a few cities in Salem have been well developed, with the wilderness between them chock full of monsters, wraiths, ruins, and everything dark and dreary. However, as covens developed, so too did the study of magic, and witches became more adept at holding their own against the creatures of darkness. Nomadic covens settled down, clans and societies formed, and walled cities were built around them. Kings rose and fell, and finally, a Council was established. Magic bloomed, exploration efforts continued. Despite relative peace, the world is still shrouded in mystery.
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Technology has not advanced tremendously. Magical courier pigeons are still used to send letters. Things such as credit cards, phones, the internet, and private vehicles are not widely in use (though groups of witches of certain affinities possess magical alternatives to these technologies, used on a much smaller scale than real life modern society). Most witches rely on magic in their day to day lives, such as the trans-city teleportation network composed of enchanted Eluvian Mirrors or, in rarer cases, crafted Gates. Granted, most new or uncommon magical technology is not trusted by the public due to the unruly nature of mana; such magical items are mostly heirlooms or too difficult to be mass produced, after all. Non-magical technologies also exist, of course, to fill the gap that common magic doesn't fill: film cameras for capturing still images, railroads for transporting large quantities of material, radios for nonmagical communication and audible media, and vinyls and phonographs for listening to music. Guns and gunpowder have not yet been invented, and likely will not be, with magic as powerful as it is.
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Salem offers a handful of prominent and renown covens for young witches to join, and its political atmosphere is also mostly sound, with the occasional complaints, and hushed whispers of other groups heard only in the darkest of hours.
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Mirrorlight Metropolis is the most populous city in Salem and boasts the most advanced infrastructure. It is not only the home to the most influential governing body of the world (the Council of Salem), but also hosts the main headquarters for the world's largest coven (the Jester's Den). Being located on the northern edge of the Desert of Lazarus, its whimsical architectural designs take full advantage of this plentiful source of glass, from which the city earns its name.
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The overall structure of the city consists of 3 concentric circles of walls -- the smallest and most central being the oldest, and the other two built later as the city expanded. There is even talk that the Council may begin building a 4th in the coming years due to population growth. The most vital parts of the city, namely the food, transportation to other cities, and most of its people, are concentrated in this central circle, furthest from the outer walls, to keep it as safe as possible from the incredibly large monsters of the surrounding flatlands which occasionally break through.
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Sundial is a thriving city located on the far west coast of Salem. It is in the tussle between modern and pre-modern, bustling with modern facilities and luxuries, as well as ancient lore and rich history. While most structures take a Neo-Victorian look, there is the occasional skyscraper to behold.
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The most prominent feature of Sundial is its watch towers-- twelve giant pillars positioned around the city that, according to legend, were erected by the founders of the Helios Knights centuries ago. They seem to protect the city from outside threats and, when coupled with the massive sundial tower in the center of the city, they mimic the shape of a literal sundial. Two of these ancient structures have been destroyed, and two have been replaced by modern towers due to thousands of years of wear and tear.
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Gale Valley is the source of most of the food and ore used in the larger urban areas of Salem. With fertile soil and rich mineral deposits in the nearby mountains, they are sitting on a wealth of natural resources. Unfortunately, hostile beasts and nomadic raiders from the mountains and southern jungle have made it impossible to develop nearly as much infrastructure as the other population centers, leaving it incapable from evolving from its state as a rural, rustic town.
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This said, it should be unsurprising that the people of Gale Valley played a large role in getting Silvertongue approved as a formal, legal coven. The mercenary group's assistance in keeping the homes and livelihoods of the Gale Valley citizens safe has been vital to their success.
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In truth, Eclipse Town is only barely considered a "major" population center by the Salem Council. They only have one teleportation Gate linked up to the station in Sundial, have a far smaller population than any of the other three population centers, and have an odd, backwater culture that doesn't quite match up with the larger cities. They do not farm or garden much, and instead prefer to live off of what the surrounding Forest of Percival provides.
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It is, however, the largest non-nomadic culture in the far north, and one of the best places to find rare, eccentric items. Though they haven't yet caused trouble for the Salem Council, it is known that they don't always take kindly to outsiders -- especially those who flaunt their position on the Helios Knights. In fact, they don't seem to have much interest in any of the three major covens, leaving their goals and loyalties in shadow.