Arcanum is the center of commerce in the civilized world. Known as the "Gentle City," this steam-powered city-continent is ruled by the constitutional monarch Queen Madeleine II, who is believed to be the descendant of a human Lord and a Queen of the High People. Arcanum's technological metropolis is home to the vast majority of Clockwerk, as it is believed the Artificer created the Clockwerk as part of his engineering plan for the architecture of the city.
Due to its strategic location against the high seas and its role as a center of commerce in the world, Arcanum enjoys relative independence from the Empire of Arcadia. The Peers of Arcanum, consisting of noblemen in the city, function as the Queen's governing body. Its multicultural population is split by class into the poorer East and wealthier West Ends.
The Arcanese enjoy the greatest diversity of religions on the planet, though Queen Madeleine II is an avowed worshiper of Beatrix, the Goddess of Light, and the Gods of Men. Arcanese are a learned people, invested in the advancement of science and the study of the natural world. Scholars of both the seen and the unseen world flock to Arcanum to study at its world-renowned institutions of learning. In the shadows, devotees of the occult and agents of the Syndicate have set up shop throughout Cheapside and the Silk District. The city's seedy underbelly is rife with thieves guilds, cults, and charlatans of all stripes.
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