Thimhallan
by Ethan DeneaultLocation: The ruins of a
Blackmoorian Elvish city, atop mount Thimhall, the geographical
centre of the Gelom'arr (Diamond Ring) mountain range, Southeastern
Davania.
Area: Approximately 28 sq. miles (71.68 sq. km)
Population: 70,000 permanent residents. 52% Human, 20% Elven, 17%
Gnomish, 11% other races (Dragons, Nagpa, Tabi, Sphinx, etc.)
Languages: Alphatian, Elvish (Blackmoor dialect), Gnomish (Serraine
Dialect), various others.
Coinage: All foreign coins, collected in payment for services, or
collected from sale of items. Thimhallan's economy is mainly
barter.
Taxes: None
Government: City Council
Industry: The major industry in Thimhallan is upkeep of the city,
and magical research.
Important Figures: Zodiak Mentrix (Male, Human, MU36), Matoia
Pendrax (Female, Human, MU36).
Notable Graduates: Glimreen Gemeye, Founder of Serraine, Class of
739 AY; Ferdynand Lillipot, creator of the Gargantoid and other
devices, Class of 1980 AY; Edison of Glantri, creator of the
electric cooker, Class of 1934 AY.
Flora and Fauna: In stark contrast to the frigid cold 20,000 ft. in
the air, the summit of Mount Thimhall and Thimhallan is a
comfortable 76°-80° F (36°-40° C). The main plant
life is composed of wild grasses that cover most of the ruined
city, as well as sporadic trees growing on the sidewalks. Most
vegetables and fruits are grown in hydroponics gardens. There is no
indigenous animal life, but domesticated dogs, cats and other small
animals that have been brought in over the centuries can be found
eking out a living throughout the city.
Description by: Woolford Skyratchet, Darokinian Inventor
A few years ago, I was visiting relatives up in the flying city of Serraine, spent a whole year there, and saw more of the world than I ever thought I would, even as a Darokin Merchant! I saw the ruins of Alphatia, and the jungles of the Barbarian Hinterlands. Nothing prepared me, though, for what I was to see at the bottom of the world - a whole alien city on top of a mountain - Thimhallan.
The Land
This city brings to mind the word ancient, even the newest buildings are over a thousand years old. The age is apparent throughout most of the city, there is a whole city mage brigade on call to protect the citizens from crumbling buildings, or to put them back together. Just from looking at the grasses and trees growing from sidewalks and streets, they have their work cut out for them.
Almost the entire mountaintop is covered with a huge grid of stone paved streets, connecting quite possibly the largest buildings in the world. These huge structures look like they are made almost totally of glass and metal, with only a hint of stonework, how they stand is a total mystery even to a gnome like me, and I've seen some impressive feats by my brethren! From what I'm told though, over half of these constructions are empty, filled only with dust and rats. That's terribly unfortunate, you could possibly hold all of Thyatis City within these walls.
Thimhallan is always comfortably warm, which is odd, considering it is on a mountaintop. There is a strange cloudy mist that floats at about 100 feet in the air all over the mountaintop, turning the sun into a dull haze. Beneath the cloud though, the city is fogless. Because of the intense cloud cover, the people here are much paler than average, having only a little more colour than a shadowelf.
The northern part of the city is in much better repair than the southern half, which has yet to be completely inhabited. Throughout "downtown" as the northern half is called, one can find a vast array of shops and markets, and the major colleges of the city.
I definitely would recommend to buy a map at one of the vendors, some of them are out of date, even by centuries (!!) but the roads haven't changed much, even in that time.
The People
The citizens of Thimhallan are contemplative, laid-back learners, its part of their heritage. It is not uncommon to find a small café as the site of an impromptu lecture on a finer point of magic, or a discussion on some historical period. These kinds of lectures sometimes draw crowds, even if half the crowd doesn't understand the topic. Thimhallaners are obsessed with learning as much as they can, about as many topics as possible. Trivia games are very popular, and there is no way anyone can compete with even the most mundane Thimhallaner in that sort of contest!
The people in the city are very open, always looking for new ideas, and new ways of looking at the world but you should be prepared to get into philosophical debates. Thimhallaners feel no guilt in interrupting a debate to learn more about the subject, or to add their own ideas. Very rarely do these debates flare up into an argument, and almost never a duel. The proper custom for ending a debate is to "agree to disagree" and the debate ends immediately, and the gathered crowd disperses.
The hardest thing to find in Thimhallan is a guest room, be prepared sleep on the street, or find yourself an empty building. The best way to get a real bed is to know somebody, or meet somebody who lives in the city. Sleeping in the street isn't bad though, the temperature is always warm enough.
Don't Miss
If you have a chance to see the college of Magic and Technomancy, I would highly recommend that you go. Not a good chance if you don't have connections. I, myself, was lucky enough to bump into Arwin, old human friend of mine from Serraine, who was studying for his final graduation as a Technomancer, and he offered me a VIP tour of the school.
The main building of the College is an immense glass, metal and stone monstrosity, reaching far above the haze. The actual design looks like a convoluted hodgepodge of native building style and Alphatian design. From what I could see, there were three round Alphatian styled towers arrayed equally around a central tower, possibly the biggest glass-building in the city. We climbed up what seemed to be 40 flights of stairs through the first tower, and crossed to the central tower through a huge glass tube walkway. From the walkway, we could faintly see the lights from other tubes all around the complex. All the while, Arwin was chatting about something, but I was so taken in by the grandioseness of it, I couldn't listen.
When we entered the main tower, I had a special metal cuff put on my wrist, which would allow me through the wards in the upper levels. We boarded a "lift", a glass elevator that zoomed all the way up to the top of the tower, above the haze. Only the top two floors were above the clouds, but I could see the sun, and Serraine from the windowed hallways of the upper floor! A lot of what I saw up there I can't remember, too much information too fast. I did see wonders, models of flying craft that Arwin called Voidships, and a strange hollow model of Mystara, the fools forgot the top and bottom! I know I saw a lot up there, but much of it is a haze. You'd probably get more out of it if you had a better memory.
Do Miss
The food in Thimhallan is almost
totally made from plants. I found it terribly bland for the most
part, and not very nutritious. The people in the city love it, but
I'd recommend day-tripping from Serraine, so you can get some real
food.