Figured I should join in on this, but I’m doing mine with a twist. Anything in [brackets] are things that don’t particularly spark joy for me. They could be better. Suggestions are welcome.
[The Mages of the Tower are on good terms with everyone and no one. A mage is a welcomed sight in most communities for they tend not to be like those of the Tower, an individual of remarkable abilities who can be very helpful.] Mages in any number, especially if the dark cloud of [Cloud Tower] hovers in the sky, is an ill omen.
[Still thinking on this one, since I don’t want the obvious answer to be “magic” because I want everything to be at least a little bit magical (and some things to be very magical) but I’m drawing a blank on anything other thank Cloud Tower (see question #5).]
Dictatorship. It’s called a meritocracy (in the grand traditions of Ohir), but in truth there has been no upward movement in as long as anyone not on the Magisters’ Council can remember. [The Twelve Immortal Magister Lords of the Council] are supreme leaders of the mages of the Tower and any who disobey are annihilated by their awesome power.
But they are fickle and distant rulers focused on their own obsessions, and if one avoids drawing the ire of the Magister Lords they can effectively do whatever they want. Most spend their time refining their abilities and scrambling for whatever political power they can among the other mages, but some decide to ignore they petty squabbles and leave the Tower to make their own way in the world. These [Mage Errants] run the gamut of sinner and saint, but most tend to keep their heads down and not let word of their deeds get back to [Cloud Tower], least they draw the attentions of the Council and be forced to ride the Lightning back to face their judgment.
Raw magical might, mystical knowledge, and political clout are all valued by the Magisters of the Tower. Kindness, compassion, and friendship are seen as weaknesses.
[Cloud Tower] is a mystical marvel. A castle that site atop a mobile cloud that moves at the whims of the Magisters’ Council. This is the site where almost every mage trains at and is a sprawling maze of a building.
Travel between the ground and [Cloud Tower] is performed by a magical device that seemingly teleports the passengers via a lightning bolt travelling from the tower to its destination (only within a mile or two of the tower and not with much accuracy on travelling from the Tower to the ground). This is frequently referred to as “Riding the Lightning.”
[Cloud Tower] is the only real location were Mages gather in any appreciable number.