Ring

Ring
Ring is a city on the northern edge of the Empyrean Wastes.  Built on the ruins of an Old World city, Ring was a thriving center of commerce.  Before the Clock Wars, the city had an estimated population of 50,000 people.  During the war, Ring remained neutral, but its neutrality did not save it, or its people, from the final battle that created the Empyrean Wastes. The fallout from the battle devastated the city, prompting a mass exodus.
Today, Ring has a population of about 4,000 people.  Its position in the Empyrean Wastes makes it difficult to reach.  The city sits at the center of a snarl of chronal anomalies.  Land routes are the only way to reach Ring safely, and that is with the aid of a local guide.  Despite the difficulties, Ring receives a steady stream of visitors.  Most come to use the Moongate.

Thought-image of the Moongate

 

The Moongate lies at the center of Ring. In fact, the city was built around the gate.  It is described as an arcane technical artefact, since it is assumed to be the product of Old World science and not a purely arcane creation. 

The Moongate acts as a bridge between the World and the Open Moons.  Once a day, when the moons are in the proper allignment with the gate, a spatial bridge forms between the Moongate and its lunar counterparts.  This allows travelers to literally walk to the moons by simply stepping through the gate.

The Moongate trade plays an essential role in Ring's economy and survival. The city charges a modest fee to travelers using the gate. Most local industries provide services and materials to Moongate travelers, or serve as distributors for products and materials coming from the moons.

Ring is led by the Stilwynns, an aristocratic, mercantile family with connections all over the World and beyond. The head of the family, Lord Ceret Stilwynn, is a shrewd businessman and a formidable arcanist.

The Culture in Ring is mercantile, egalitarian and welcoming.  Everyone is welcome in Ring, so long as they do not break the peace.  Criminals, if convicted in the local court, are ejected from the city and barred from returning. Serious offenders can find themselves thrust into one of the chronal anomalies surrounding the city.