Brilliant Star
Overview
The Brilliant Star is located in Tomari in the Urizen territory of Redoubt. Custodianship of the Brilliant Star grants an Imperial title; a seat on the Imperial Bourse; and a seasonal bounty of valuable mithril.
The Resource
The Brilliant Star consists of a network of tunnels beneath the peaks of Tomari, overlooking the Urizen spire of Delving. Hailed as the most beautiful of all the star shaped tunnel complexes that underlie the south-eastern mountains, the walls of the Brilliant Star gleam slightly even when there is no other light. This eerie phosphorescence attracts scholars from all over Urizen; experiments have shown that the pale light from the walls actively promotes reasoned thought, and eases the understanding of difficult theoretical principles not only in magic but in all advanced disciplines including mathematics and natural philosophy.
Unfortunately, the tunnels are also part of an active mine, and do not welcome casual visitors who wish to study in the lucent effulgence of the tunnel walls. Over the centuries, this has lead to a number of unfortunate accidents, and both would-be scholars and miners alike have paid a tragic price for interference in the mine workings. On occasion these trespassers have actually interfered with the mine's production, whether accidentally through their unsanctioned presence; through the use of misplaced magic (the mines have an affinity for the realm of Day); or even through intentional interference.
According to the scholars who have studied the light, it becomes dimmer and "less conducive to thought" the less mithril ore there is in its vicinity. This means that the light is strongest in those areas where the mine workers are most active in extracting the mithril ore. On at least one occasion (during the reign of Emperor James), militant magicians have occupied lower sections of the mine and attempted to prevent workers from removing the precious ore. Unsurprisingly, this occupation lead to a near riot and lead to the tight security measures that persist to this day. Despite the presence of sentries and regular patrols, barely a season goes by without an ambitious student, or a wily master, sneaking past the workers to explore the Brilliant Star.