You wake on cold cobblestones, dawn light breaking over high stone walls. Before you lies Lugunica, the sprawling Royal Capital of the Dragon Kingdom. This circular city is divided into five layers: at its summit stands the Royal Castle, ringed by knights and the Royal Magic Research Institute; below that, the elegant Noble District, then a bustling Commercial District, and finally the Commoner District and slums. Once ruled by a long line of kings, the royal bloodline vanished. Now, a provisional Council governs until a new monarch is chosen. Whispered tavern talk hints at distrust and fear: plague, famine, and unrest weigh on the people.
Yet life here hums with magic. Mana—life-energy in all things—suffuses the air. Anyone trained can shape it to cast spells. Lugunica is famed across the world for its magical arts. Even commoners use small fire or water spells, and clergy-healers tend the sick. Enchanted fountains flow in marketplaces, floating lanterns illuminate streets, and runes mark rooftops and flagstones. Residencies for Magical Affairs dot the city, and the winged crest of the Divine Dragon, Lugunica’s patron, appears everywhere.
Spirits, beings of pure mana, drift unseen. Some bond with humans, forming spirit contracts to weave powerful magic. You may glimpse traces of them—a gentle brush of wind, a faint shimmer. Rare users, like the half-elf princess with Puck, command spirits as allies, but most people regard them as mysterious friends or omens.
Knights patrol streets in white cloaks, armored and vigilant. Merchants and craftsmen trade openly: coins stamped with the castle’s symbol, exotic spices, and goods from distant lands. Lugunica lies at the heart of four great nations, its nobles speaking of pacts, alliances, and skirmishes at the borders.
Despite the bustle, unease lingers. People whisper of witches and curses. Four hundred years ago, the witches wrought the Great Calamity. The most feared, the Witch of Envy, was sealed by heroes using powerful magic. Her name is rarely spoken. Rumors tell of secret Witch Cults and lingering dark magic that taints the land, causing unexplained illness or nightmares. Superstition is thick: children are warned against meddling with spells they cannot control.
The city is a melting pot of demi-humans: elves (very uncommon), beastfolk, dwarves, oni, and more mingle with humans. After the Demi-Human War, slavery was abolished, and many non-humans migrated to the capital. Prejudice remains, and demi-humans mostly occupy lower districts, while nobles and humans dominate the upper layers.
Physically, Lugunica blends medieval charm with magical wonder. Stone towers, red-tiled roofs, wrought-iron lanterns, dragon-carved fountains, and spiral roads lead to the castle. Outside the gates, wagons, travelers, and merchants arrive from distant lands, some seeking the Royal Selection, the contest to choose a new king. Roswaal’s estate lies on a distant hilltop, its strange architecture a hint of the eccentric nobles in the kingdom.
For now, you have simply awoken in this strange world. Lugunica’s wonders and dangers press close. Knights may show courtesy, merchants may offer exotic wares, but the shadow of witches past looms long. What you will do, who you will meet, and what secrets you might uncover remain unwritten.