Storm Lord's Sanctum

The lodestone yard is a magical place to those who have never seen it before. On the ground it looks like a slightly old-fashioned mine crawling with people- but if you look up (which is irresistible, given the sounds) you will see something that looks like a cross between the aurora borealis and a storm of biblical proportions. This isn't too far from the truth; what's really happening is an eternal lightning storm, of unprecedented strength and frequency. This lightning isn't fully understood (and never will be, not really), but it is what causes the weird magnetic properties of the lodestone. The lodestones here are undergoing a kind of perpetual magnetisation, which gives them extremely strong magnetic fields, which are used to power the wonderful magnetokinetic technologies of the city.

The lodestone yard technically lies outside the boundaries of the city, but it is still considered part of their land. Despite the location, this area is probably the most important one in the city; indeed the battle for control of this region is usually a microcosm of who is winning the political game (so to speak) at any point in time.

The actual political/legal ownership of this region is hotly disputed between the main power players- the Banking Guilds (who have tried to buy it more times than they can count), the Nobility, the Arcane Guild, and the Priesthood/Church. The current compromise is that all economic and mineral rights go to the Guild and all cultural and religious rights are owned by the Church; both see their way to granting frequent concessions and gifts to the nobility/investors for the good of the city, and in lieu of heavy taxation. The Arcane University are allowed to go on academic expeditions there, having been granted carte blanche by their brothers in the guild. Given all this significance it is somewhat surprising that the city isn't built around this region; it was once (see History of Ethax) but has shifted since then in a mix of relocations and gradual expansions. Power now comes not from magic, but from using it well- technology and finance are the new kings of the city.

The lodestone yard is a place of great cultural as well as economic importance. The religion of the city is deeply intertwined with the arcane/divinely granted (depending on who you ask) power. Much of their core original mythology is based on worshipping the lightning itself, or the Storm Lord who creates it. The North Lodestone Yards are the site of the first holy temple of Ethax which dates back from early Grecian times. The temple itself is constructed from stone (ironworking is difficult when you barely know what iron is). It has thus avoided too much damage from the lightning simply by being a far less attractive target; apart from the centuries of erosion and crumbling the temple is almost as good as new. From the inside it's vaguely intact, complete with murals and artworks. The temple is now protected from the elements by periodic renovations; some architects have called for remaking it but have been shouted down by the historians and priests, which is fortunate for culture and civilisation generally.

From an economic perspective, the lodestone yard is a major money maker; arcanists pay for it for their work, and as a result it is pretty reliable currency- you can trust the arcane guild or university to be willing to pay for it. As a result, lodestone is a workable substitute for currency in the richer areas, where it is useful and in perpetual demand.

The lodestone yard also has its own tourist industry, despite being literally right outside the city. Souvenir shops and bizarre tourist traps have sprung up around it, including something which gives a colourfully false history of the Arcane Craft. Only by decree of the very powerful and respected banking clans has the entire thing not been advertised to all of Italy as a tourist attraction; it is destined to become so in the future when capitalism inevitably gets in everything. Being a vital mining site the yards are crawling with complex machinery such as winches, shovelling mechanisms, etc. As a result of this, it is common for Arcanists to take their apprentices or students here on 'field trips' to examine the machinery, and a common challenge task is to improve on the designs of one of the old projects. These school trips are the most common source of income for souvenir vendors.

Much of this machinery is powered by arcana; the people working here are arcane supervisors presiding over large amounts of miners working with the lodestone. Some of the workers wear crudely fashioned insulating gloves- the scientists don't understand how they work, simply that they do- which prevent them from being shocked by the endless storms. The low-level mining jobs are quite dangerous because of the exposure to lightning- even if it doesn't hit you it can cause lasting eye damage- and are held by the lower classes of people.