White London

	"They didn't really want to know. They thought they did, but knowing only made them miserable."
	This article contains plot details and potential spoilers for the Shades of Magic series, particularly for The Fragile Threads of Power. If you have not begun reading the books or are not too far into the story, please do refrain from reading.

“ Scorched metal and settling ash. A dying city, a desperate people, a defiant magic. There is no future for the weak, and power bends only to those who take it. The ruthless twins perch on marble thrones, their lips red with blood. They give orders— And a magician in chains obeys ” —ADSOM offical site (archived)
White London
Current ruler(s): Queen Kosika	Magic? Yes.

White London is the capital of Makt. It is one of the four Londons along with Grey, Red, and Black London; specifically White London sits between Red and Black London.

For centuries, White London had little magic and its inhabitants believed magic had to be conquered and controlled, often binding it to themselves using tattooed markings.

Overview

White London is a ruthless place and especially dangerous at night. People constantly fight for magic and their survival. The worst part of White London is called the Kosik, a long stretch along the edge of the city.

Under the rule of Queen Kosika and her council of Vir, White London has been improving. Most are no longer starved for magic, as the ability to manipulate the natural elements has returned. It was first for children, then came to the some of the adults over the course of a few years. With the Sijlt thawed, there is now a reliable and efficient way to import goods. There is an abundance of food and resources the people did not previously have access to.

Geography

The city is oriented around the Sijlt, a river, because it is still a source of magic despite its half-frozen state. Because of the magic's bitterness and withdrawal, everything in White London looks faded and colorless. Regardless of the season and the time of the day, everything is coated in snow, or ash.

However, after Holland Vosijk became king and brought Osaron with him to White London, the city started slowly reviving: the sky went true blue, the Sijlt began thawing, and the temperature rising.

After Holland's death and Kosika's crowning, conditions continued improving. They now have true seasons, and flourishing flora. They can feel the warmth of the sun.

The Sijlt, when healthy, gives off a subtle starry shine.

History

When Black London fell almost three hundred years ago, Red London closed their doors between White and Grey London because White London was stronger than Red London at that time, and they believed it could withstand the corruption coming from Black London. Instead, White London's magic was forever changed and the city and world fell into chaos:

Whereas Black London allowed magic to consume everything, White London decided to dominate magic. Magic resisted though and retracted into the earth. Since then, magic in the White world has been sparse, and people try to hold onto it with talismans and binding runes carved into their bodies. The little power that still exists is not elemental anymore. It is a "bastard of fire and something darker, corrupted" and predominantly takes the form of a "unnatural" kind of lightning, or electricity.

When Maxim Maresh ascended the throne in Red London, he installed his adoptive son Kell, an Antari, as ambassador between the worlds to "make up" for Red London's past actions. The rulers of White London were not willing to cooperate until Astrid Dane and Athos Dane took the throne. After that, the three remaining Londons wrote to one another regularly.

Communications between Red and White were once again gone after the death of the Danes. When Kell went to White London shortly after, he found that no one had managed to claim the throne yet. He did not return during Holland Vosijk's short reign.

Now, with Kosika as queen, communications still have not picked up again. There was discussion of it between her and the Vir, though ultimately decided against, due to the risk and also in order to focus on their own world.

Known locations

• Blood Square: It is located in the heart of White London. The square used to be a blood-stained execution site full of cracks, fallen columns, and ruined buildings. There was also an abandoned well basin and a fountain. Holland transforms the square during his reign, mending the cracks and turning the stone archways into glass, part of the ground into soil, the pavers into marble, the ruins into sand, and the pillars into apple trees with marble trunks. Amber-colored wine now runs in the fountain.
• The Scorched Bone: White London's version of the fixed tavern.
• White Castle: The main residence of the monarch.
• The Silver Wood: A grove of trees sat on a rise just outside the city. According to the stories, the Silver Wood may have been made by a magician, or may have be the last place where magic was before withdrawing into the earth, or nothing at all. Many children find it scary as they think it is dead and haunted.

Trivia

• White London smells of blood and "has the arctic air of the far north" because the city was inspired by Germanic and Scandinavian aesthetics. The city's design was chosen to represent the place's relationship to magic.
• Cigars are not made of tobacco in White London. Char is used instead.
• The currency of White London is the silver tol. It is an eight-side coin.