To those who have never seen it, Endon’s Pass is a city of myths and half-whispered marvels, a place where the mundane and the arcane weave together in the air itself. It is a city of scholars and spellcasters, of wandering merchants who peddle their wares under flickering magical lanterns, and of warriors who fight not only with steel, but with the raw power of the elements at their command. Resting at the threshold between Endon and the eastern city-states, it is the kingdom’s gateway to knowledge, commerce, and danger.
The city did not grow from the fertile earth like so many others, but rather from the need for control and curiosity. Once, it was a mere outpost, Castle Agdir, a watchful eye upon the roads to the east. That changed with the rise of the Academy of Magic, a grand institution that transformed this fortress town into a thriving hub of magical study and trade. Today, Endon’s Pass is a place where mages stroll the avenues in shimmering robes, golems stand sentinel over bustling markets, and artifacts of untold power are exchanged in broad daylight. Few places in the kingdom are so alive with the arcane.
On Arrival to Endon’s Pass
"The first sight of Endon’s Pass is a contradiction of old stone and new magic. Castle Agdir, with its ancient, towering walls, still stands as a silent guardian over the craggy mountain road, but the city itself is something else entirely. Bridges of enchanted glass arc over streets pulsing with trade, banners shimmer with illusions that change their patterns with the passing hours, and the air hums faintly with the residue of a thousand spells cast each day. The roads are filled with merchants and travelers from all lands, and above, one can sometimes catch glimpses of skyships docked upon hidden aeries, or the brief flicker of wings that do not belong to any bird."
There are three sections to the ancient city: the Scholar's Quarter, huddled around the soaring towers of the Castle and the Academy, where any number of peddlers, charlatans, and gawkers come to see the wonders of the City of Magic; the Barrow Man's Bluff, the living quarters of the city, whence can still be found, on street corners and in shrines built into the sides of townhouses, the cairns that give the place its name: and the Artefact, the entrance to the city, named either - scholars cannot agree - for the Nameless Arch of aeons past, or the Reminder, the great boulder that sits on the road before the northern gate.
The Scholar's Quarter
Many claim that Endon's Pass is a studious, serious city of mages that spend years honing their craft and scholars that come from around the world to share knowledge in sober discussion. This assumption discards the many pretenders, performers, and hoodwinkers that fill the streets, bustling for the attention of wide-eyed tourists, and also forgets the presence of the students from the Academy, who are filled with the excitement of the novice caster and have yet to learn the sobriety that comes from surviving one too many explosions.
The Academy of Magic. The heart of arcane learning in the kingdom, this towering institution is more than a school - it is a fortress of knowledge. The halls are filled with apprentices debating spellcraft, scholars engaged in grand experiments, and archmages who have long since surpassed the need for mortal conversation. It is said that the lower levels of the Academy stretch deep into the rock beneath the city, where ancient tomes and volatile research are kept far from the prying eyes of the uninitiated.
Approaching the Academy
"While the streets are indeed filled with noise and colour, and all of the many vendors proclaim their goods to be the finest magical wares in the world, nothing in Endon's Pass speaks so much of wizardry as the Academy, its base perched above the market square, and its towers floating serenely through the air above. Tenuous wooden bridges anchor the weightless towers, and students can be moving to and fro in the air between them."
The Pass Library. Second only to the royal archives in size, the Pass Library is a treasure trove of magic both wondrous and terrible. The greatest minds of the kingdom flock here to study, and the Vault beneath its halls holds artifacts too dangerous to be wielded yet too valuable to be destroyed. Its librarians, robed in spellwoven silk, guard its secrets fiercely, and more than one would-be thief has found themselves turned to stone before reaching their prize.
The Wizard's Hat. A tavern unlike any other, frequented by the intellectual elite of Endon’s Pass. The drinks here are said to be infused with traces of magic - wine that lets one remember forgotten dreams, ale that sharpens the mind for scholarly debate, and a spirit known only as ‘The Archmage’s Folly,’ which has been known to induce spontaneous spellcasting in those who dare to drink it. However, it should be noted that students from the Academy are strictly barred from entry, due to an infamous incident some years ago that required the walls and roof to be rebuilt.
Barrow Man's Bluff
The townhouses are poorer on the outskirts of the city, where they huddle beneath the high walls, but all the windows in the city face inwards, to the market square, the river, and the floating towers of the Academy. On street corners, in crossroads, and in quiet pockets in alleyways, ancient cairns have been swallowed by the city as it expanded, their stones worn by time and their purpose forgotten by history.
The Arena. Unlike the grand coliseums of Endon, the arena of Endon’s Pass is a place of raw, unbridled magic. Here, gladiators wield spells as well as steel, and battles are fought between beings both mortal and monstrous. Death-matches, elemental duels, and even battles between summoned creatures draw crowds eager for spectacle. Though some view it as a lawless den of bloodsport, the Academy ensures that the games remain within its control - at least, officially.
The Sewers. Beneath the bluffs lie twisting tunnels and hidden chambers, home to those who prefer to avoid the eyes of the Academy and the city’s officials. Thieves, smugglers, and those who deal in magic too dangerous for the open market make their homes here, selling illicit artifacts and forbidden spells.
The Artefact
The Artefact is the entrance into the city from the wide lands beyond the Iron Mountains: the Free City-States, the Greenlit Seas, and beyond.
The Market Square. The heart of Endon’s Pass, where wares both wondrous and terrifying change hands daily. Here, a simple coin purse can purchase anything from a potion of youth to a cursed blade, and the stalls overflow with trinkets infused with wild magic. Merchants from across the world gather here, and one never knows what strange and exotic goods might be for sale on any given day.
The Reminder. Some decades ago, the scholars of the Academy attempted to research the strange magicks of the Giants, and to that end removed the bronze celestivere from the Tower of Night. In retaliation, the Reminder appeared in front of the north gate of the city overnight: a boulder so huge it remains immovable save by magick. On its surface is carved, in simple Common lettering: The Agdu-Stein still stands above you.
The Nameless Arch. Among the oldest structures in Endon’s Pass, this crumbling archway stands at the eastern edge of the city, a monument to forgotten history. No records mention its construction, nor does anyone know what it once led to.