"The Radiant City"

Medina was founded atop a large cliff face overlooking the sea. Initially it was simply a place of study, with the schools and temples believed to be the oldest of the buildings. Over time the initial school buildings were added to with more and more scholars coming to Medina to seek knowledge. As the rich came to learn Medina grew. The schools that founded Medina were keen to separate those worthy of learning and those more base in their upbringing. The wealth rose to the top, building houses atop the cliff whilst the poor were forced to settle at the bottom of the cliff leaving a space in-between to separate the social groups.

Lower Medina became a bustling port, and the lucky individuals that became rich from this trade attempted to segregate themselves from the poor, mimicking the learned scholars atop the cliff. Without the natural barrier of the cliff the only way to achieve this was to set up great walls within Lower Medina. Lower Medina became a Labyrinth of a city, vastly larger then the isolated Upper Medina atop the cliff. Lower Medina spread around Upper Medina like a crescent moon spreading from the seas edge most of the way around Upper Medina. Only a thin guarded road and the sea stops Lower Medina from entirely surrounding its sibling.

Unrest has on occasional boiled over in Lower Medina causing riots, on the occasion where rioters have headed towards Upper Median they have been met by deadly magic retaliation. This has further divided the city. Many of the inhabitants of both Upper and Lower Medina will claim that it is not one city but two. The more peaceable inhabitants will reassure you that it is one entity, which suffers from common divisions found in any city. Medina’s is simply more pronounced due to the cliff.

It is unknown who originally called Medina “The Radiant City”, but the reason for the title is well known by all who see it at night. From the Sea to the north or the plains to the south Medina is a beauty to behold at night. The city lights form a crescent around the cliff framing it perfectly and the beautiful built schools atop the cliff shine, a small but bright pinnacle to the picture.

Lower Medina’s population is comprised almost entirely of Humans. Most are from Arabia, but numbers of Maurabians are present, stopping from their travels for brief periods to trade, before heading once more into the desert. Upper Medina has a much smaller but substantially more diverse population, with scholars coming from all over the world to study at the Radiant City.

The Medina Rings Circle provided a link to the Cyrenaica Circle found further inland to the east. The Mountains around the Cyrenaica Circle are mostly uninhabitable, but small groups survive and mine the mountains for rich metals and ore. Lower Medina’s traders trade this for foods and items brought in via the port. The Medina Rings circle is located near the top of the cliff and was maintained by scholars in Upper Medina. Its use by Lower Medina’s traders was allowed despite the strained relationships of the parties.

As a result of the Cataclysm, the Medina Rings Circle became derelict, and no longer functions. The scholars of Upper Medina do not have the art to repair the circle, and the resources of the Mages Guild do not stretch to repairing all of the damaged circles. As such, the pace of trade has slowed considerably in Medina, as mundane means are now required to transport all trade goods into and out of the city.

Arabian Cities