@Miragliano – The Serene @Tilean (Human)
Miragliano is a remarkable city-state in northern Tilea, uniquely constructed upon hundreds of small islands connected by stone-banked canals. While the surrounding land is marshy and often unpleasant, the city itself is airy and relatively clean, though the canals can become foul and attract disease if poorly maintained. Drinking water is a perennial problem; residents rely on barges selling freshwater, which has occasionally been monopolized by powerful figures, leading to social unrest.
The city’s distinctive geography allows canals to serve as streets. Broad canals are interspersed with narrower ones, all connected by numerous bridges. The waterways facilitate commerce but also provide potential entry points for intruders such as Skaven. To counter this, Miragliano employs canal gates—iron portcullises guarded by the famed Rat-Catchers—to secure the city against infiltration.
Miragliano’s urban planning reflects centuries of civic improvements. Much of the city was redesigned by the architect Leonardo da Miragliano under Prince Cosimo, transforming a chaotic medieval settlement into an organized metropolis with distinct, easily navigable districts. Wealthy merchant quarters, artistically adorned temple areas, and residential zones for soldiers and laborers are clearly delineated, often separated by canals and reinforced walls.
Miragliano is famous for its leaning towers, a result of construction on marshy foundations. Despite their angles, the engineering expertise of Miragliano’s architects ensures their stability. These towers have inspired architectural fashions throughout Tilea. The city also boasts grand palazzos, ornate bridges, and impressive civic and religious buildings, blending classical Tilean aesthetics with functional design.
Notable buildings and districts include:
Palazzo Villarias: A massive gray stone residence featuring intricate marble carvings, statues, and portraits reflecting centuries of Tilean nobility.
Palazzo Margrave: Residence of a wealthy patron of the arts, known for its musical and artistic entertainments.
Strada dei Cento Peccati: A lawless street near the port lined with taverns, brothels, fighting pits, and illicit trade.
Black Boar and Maid of Albion: Taverns catering to foreign merchants, mercenaries, and sailors, providing familiar comforts to outsiders.
Eastern District: The oldest part of the city, largely abandoned and slowly sinking into the surrounding marshes, housing ruins and remnants of former palazzos.
Miragliano is Tilea’s premier trading city, renowned for its agile merchant fleet. Local merchants trade as far afield as the New World, Marienburg, and Arabia. The city’s guilds function more like social clubs than strict regulatory bodies, in contrast to the highly structured systems of Talabheim or Marienburg.
Miragliano is particularly celebrated for glassmaking and mirror production. Skilled artisans produce crystal-clear glass and mirrors treated with reverence, some believed to reflect the viewer’s soul rather than physical appearance. Famous artisans, such as Ilaria Acutis, have gained notoriety for experimenting with exotic materials, including warpstone, to enhance their craft.
The city also hosts prominent foundries, producing famed Miraglianese armors and cannons used throughout the Old World. These industries trace their roots back to Leonardo da Miragliano, who initially worked in bronze before transitioning to civic engineering.
The city’s defenses are formidable, taking advantage of the marshy terrain and canals. Thick walls, reinforced towers, and artillery emplacements provide strategic superiority over potential invaders. Miragliano maintains a large mercenary army, including the elite Rat-Catchers, tasked with defending the canals and eradicating Skaven threats.
Canal gates are patrolled day and night, while the citadel serves as the last line of defense. Dwarf-runic mechanisms, such as gates that glow when active, augment the city’s defensive capabilities. The city’s strategic position near the Blighted Marshes necessitates constant vigilance against incursions by Ratmen and other subterranean threats.
Miragliano is a center of learning, science, and art, attracting scholars from across the Old World. The city houses the Universita de Miragliano, with faculties ranging from medicine to the study of the undead, and the Schola Chirurgica, a prestigious surgical school. Scholars also study dangerous creatures in the Oubliettes, from Squigs to Minotaurs, and even Skaven, under controlled supervision.
The city boasts thriving theaters known for elaborate productions, ranging from grand opera to bawdy comedy. Restrictions on particularly morbid or violent plays are occasionally imposed by city authorities to maintain public order.
Miragliano’s religious life is equally vibrant:
The Grand Chapel of Mathann oversees maritime affairs and opposes pirate incursions.
The Temple of Myrmidia was partially destroyed by Skaven, later defended by adventurers including Gotrek and Felix.
The Temple of Mercopio supports trade and commerce throughout Tilea.
The Shrine of the Seven Mercies provides aid to rural populations and emphasizes Shallya’s selfless compassion.
The lands around Miragliano include fertile farmland, orchards, vineyards, and pastures, all protected by forts and garrisons. Beyond the farmlands lie uninhabited wildernesses with forests, hills, and plains, home to Beastmen, bandits, and small Orc and Goblin tribes. To the west lie the Blighted Marshes, the primary domain of the Skaven, which the city continually defends against.
Rural villas, such as Villa Bertolucci, reflect the wealth of Miragliano’s nobility, though many have fallen into decay or been abandoned, leaving mercenaries to guard them from looters and wild creatures.
Miragliano is a city of contrasts: prosperous yet perilous, cultured yet violent, a hub of trade and learning, yet constantly shadowed by the threat of Skaven and other dangers. Its intricate waterways, leaning towers, and mercenary garrisons make it both a jewel of Tilea and a bastion against the dark forces lurking in the surrounding swamps.