Parnassus

Parnassus is a city of universities and gardens, specializing in the life sciences. Located midway between the capital of Fault and Fortune, and centered around an ancient water creating tree known as “Mother”, Parnassus boasts the finest medical schools in Bastion, and every respected physician has at least studied a year there.

Parnassus is the only city that teaches the manipulation of life, and the knowledge of biology and chemistry by the local professors are unsurpassed. Everything from medicine to synthetic chemistry can be learned from Parnassus, and even a year of study in the city can teach one to mend quite a few wounds or create useful substances. Those who spend a lifetime there bring life from when there was none or concoct materials that can withstand any insult.

Geography
Gentle rolling hills and streams litter the land, all covered by dense forests. Rain is frequent and the land is teeming with life, to the chagrin of some travelers. Rivers connect Parnassus to Midway bay, which allow trade to the cities of Hylan and Waithe.

The city proper is located in a shallow valley, with the great Mother Tree located in the center of the city, which is visible for miles around. Dotting the surrounding hills are various organic watchtowers that overlook both Parnassus itself and the surrounding land. On a clear day, the tallest of these towers can almost make out the towers of Fortune.

The Mother Tree
The tree's roots form a network of many square miles under the city, and has a limited degree of intelligence. When the Sun Empire tried to eradicate the ancient citizens of Parnassus, spikes of wood shattered through the ground and destroyed an invasion force of hundreds of thousands in an instant. The connection between the locals and the tree is immense. Each family has a sapling that has sprung from Mother growing in their home as hybrid of shrine as well as a source of water, and whenever a young member leaves the home they will plant seeds where ever the may make a home. All Parnassians are buried next to the tree, and great effort is taken to ship in those who died far away from home.

Laws of Parnassus
The abuse of knowledge gained in Parnassus is not tolerated. Restrictions can be summed up in one phrase: do not use what you learn in Parnassus to harm others. Here are some, but not all, of crimes that have been persecuted:


 * Reviving those unquestionably dead for more than 24 hours.
 * Reviving someone for reasons other than that person's well-being.
 * Body/Mind control for reasons other than self defense.
 * Devastating areas of natural beauty.
 * Disfigurement of a living creature.