nowandthen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nowandthen) wrote2021-11-20 03:30 am
nowandthen) wrote2021-11-20 03:30 am
Locations
THE STATUES.
Throughout each city, there are statues of people everywhere. Most of them just seem to be doing mundane tasks, as if frozen in time, but they're definitely solid stone. And they've been here a while. Outside the Church, there are four statues at each corner. Three are knelt down, praying. The fourth seems to just stare somberly at the church.
VIASNA.
The beautiful weather, gentle breezes, sweet smells, and calming noises of wildlife in Viasna are just a couple reasons to love this quaint little town. Sometimes, if you close your eyes, you can forget for just a moment that there are problems in the world. That maybe things aren't that bad. That things are just as soothing right now as they will be forever. But that's not the case. And looking within the actual city of Viasna is proof of that.
Most of the town is overgrown, making the walkways very unsteady, and many buildings either collapsed or on the brink of doing so. The only building that seems entirely in tact, sans maybe a vine or two that creeps up the wall, is the Viasna City Hall. The doors are locked, but at least it's nice to see a building in tact.
Anyone living in Viasna will have somewhat precarious living situations. Though the buildings they feel drawn to are definitely more well put together than most of the places in the city, they are either alarmingly close to the cliffs overseeing the Twisted Gardens, or completely overgrown on the inside. Sometimes both. Fortunately, while the rest of the home needs some serious TLC, your rooms are, at the very least, comfortable enough to stay in.
Most of the town is overgrown, making the walkways very unsteady, and many buildings either collapsed or on the brink of doing so. The only building that seems entirely in tact, sans maybe a vine or two that creeps up the wall, is the Viasna City Hall. The doors are locked, but at least it's nice to see a building in tact.
Anyone living in Viasna will have somewhat precarious living situations. Though the buildings they feel drawn to are definitely more well put together than most of the places in the city, they are either alarmingly close to the cliffs overseeing the Twisted Gardens, or completely overgrown on the inside. Sometimes both. Fortunately, while the rest of the home needs some serious TLC, your rooms are, at the very least, comfortable enough to stay in.
THE TWISTED GARDENS.
While the city of Viasna sits atop the edge of a steep cliff, below lies the vast field known as the twisted gardens. Many of the flowers here are beautiful and smell wonderful, but just as many are dangerous to be around. Some of the flowers are known to be smell sweetly to people, but entangle people in sharp vines to let them rot there. Others create their own tunnels under the ground, trapping people within their own acid pits if people aren't careful. All the dangers that plants can provide seem to exist within the Twisted Gardens, but perhaps the most worrying about it is the roots and vines that are beginning to inch their way up the side of the cliffs. But Viasna is very high up, and these cliffs are made of very solid stone, so it's probably safe. Right?
LETO.
It's a wet heat. No, maybe it's a dry heat? No, actually, you're certain that it changes the kind of heat just to mess with you. Is that a thing? Regardless, it is hot. You expect nothing less living next to a desert, but shouldn't the nights be cold? You just can't catch a break.
Despite the weather being a tad warm all the time, Leto is a very nice city. Walls are put up all along the city to keep the winds from being too intense, and all the exits have beautifully intricate archways. Streams of water run throughout the city, and judging by the tiled interior of the streams, they are absolutely meant for swimming. Following the streams will eventually lead you to the Leto City Hall, which all the water seems to come from. The door is locked, but there are a couple of palm trees growing around the building that make for excellent shade.
All the buildings in Leto are put tightly together, and a lot of them cast enough shade to make the place bearable. This does mean that Leto residents are all very, very close to one another. Privacy just became a little more challenging. On top of this, none of the homes seems to have general living areas or kitchens. Outside the homes, there are city communal barbeques and ovens meant for everyone's use.
Despite the weather being a tad warm all the time, Leto is a very nice city. Walls are put up all along the city to keep the winds from being too intense, and all the exits have beautifully intricate archways. Streams of water run throughout the city, and judging by the tiled interior of the streams, they are absolutely meant for swimming. Following the streams will eventually lead you to the Leto City Hall, which all the water seems to come from. The door is locked, but there are a couple of palm trees growing around the building that make for excellent shade.
All the buildings in Leto are put tightly together, and a lot of them cast enough shade to make the place bearable. This does mean that Leto residents are all very, very close to one another. Privacy just became a little more challenging. On top of this, none of the homes seems to have general living areas or kitchens. Outside the homes, there are city communal barbeques and ovens meant for everyone's use.
THE DESERTED MINES.
Outside the city of Leto lies a vast desert. Without the walls of the city, the wind can be a bit overwhelming at times, but overall, there's few things unexpected of this desert (besides the fact it lies between a flourishing plains and vast forest, anyway). It's chilling in the night, it's scorching in the sun, and there's very little sources of water to be found throughout. There is various tunnels dug throughout the desert, marked with wooden posts and lamps, and the railways inside suggest this, once upon a time, used to be an active mining grounds. Now, however, the mines have been overtaken by the various monsters that seek shelter from the rough weather of the desert, making them far more dangerous than ever. Just be sure to watch your step in the desert above, of course. The tunnels below are prone to collapse sometimes.
VOSEN.
The wind is foreboding in Vosen. Sometimes, it's strong enough to knock you off your feet, while other times it just seems to beckon you to those woods at the edge of the city. Sometimes, you're not convinced this is wind at all. You've heard things in it sometimes. Things that don't sound normal.
Aside from that, however, Vosen is a charming city. The sun seems to melt away your worries, and there are cute little farms throughout Vosen that yield crops unimaginably quickly. You can gather that this city was very self-sustaining, and all the buildings are comfortably stocked with even more food than the stuff you have in your rooms. The Vosen City Hall is hard to miss, as it is closer to the Church than any of the other city halls. There's nothing too peculiar about it at first glance, but... why does this building look so much newer than the rest of the buildings throughout the cities?
Nighttime, however, is a whole new story for Vosen. The wind is ever relentless at night, and you swear you've seen shadows shifting outside your window. It might just be paranoia, but those are definitely claw marks across your welcome mat.
Aside from that, however, Vosen is a charming city. The sun seems to melt away your worries, and there are cute little farms throughout Vosen that yield crops unimaginably quickly. You can gather that this city was very self-sustaining, and all the buildings are comfortably stocked with even more food than the stuff you have in your rooms. The Vosen City Hall is hard to miss, as it is closer to the Church than any of the other city halls. There's nothing too peculiar about it at first glance, but... why does this building look so much newer than the rest of the buildings throughout the cities?
Nighttime, however, is a whole new story for Vosen. The wind is ever relentless at night, and you swear you've seen shadows shifting outside your window. It might just be paranoia, but those are definitely claw marks across your welcome mat.
THE HAUNTING FOREST.
Looming at the end of Vosen lies an expansive forest. It has clearly been growing into the city few a handful of years now, as younger trees have started crowding houses on the outskirts. There are maps of the forest in various places that attempt to make sense of the disorienting mess of foliage inside. However, all of the maps of the forest are completely different from one another. The only consistent thing throughout every map is an old, barren tree that lies northeast of the city.
ZIMA.
It's cold. Then again, it is snowing, so you should really expect the cold, but you've never felt something so biting before. Fortunately, it seems your homes are stocked with warm clothing to handle the intense weather here, but it doesn't help with the lighting in Zima. In Zima, the sun does not reach any surface. Darkness consumes the town, and even light, magical or not, are only half as bright in Zima, leaving the snowy town incredibly dim. Sound in Zima does not travel very far, as if the very surfaces of everything are made of snow. All plant life in Zima currently are some variation of evergreen, and any plants brought into the city seem to transform into an evergreen mutation of some kind.
The Zima City Hall is placed close to the frozen waters on the outskirts of the city, as there is a surprisingly bright fire placed atop the building, acting as an impromptu lighthouse or beacon. No matter how far out you go, you can manage to just make out the flickering light of the city hall. There's definitely something supernatural about the fire, as it does not appear to be burning anything, and won't go out entirely if attempts at stifling are made. Furthermore, it is also not as hot as natural fire, and won't burn anyone or anything who happens to touch it. This does mean that is isn't a suitable source of heat for characters, however.
Living in Zima is not as bad as it first seems. While the flames made in fireplaces are not as bright as they should be, they do manage to keep homes warm like a normal fire would. However, even despite how warm homes get, icicles still form where ever natural ones would form if the conditions were cold enough. This certainly makes sleeping at night in itself a bit... adventurous.
The Zima City Hall is placed close to the frozen waters on the outskirts of the city, as there is a surprisingly bright fire placed atop the building, acting as an impromptu lighthouse or beacon. No matter how far out you go, you can manage to just make out the flickering light of the city hall. There's definitely something supernatural about the fire, as it does not appear to be burning anything, and won't go out entirely if attempts at stifling are made. Furthermore, it is also not as hot as natural fire, and won't burn anyone or anything who happens to touch it. This does mean that is isn't a suitable source of heat for characters, however.
Living in Zima is not as bad as it first seems. While the flames made in fireplaces are not as bright as they should be, they do manage to keep homes warm like a normal fire would. However, even despite how warm homes get, icicles still form where ever natural ones would form if the conditions were cold enough. This certainly makes sleeping at night in itself a bit... adventurous.
THE FROZEN OCEAN.
Much as the name implies, the Frozen Ocean just outside of Zima is an expansive body of water that is completely frozen over as far as the eye can make out. The intense darkness that plagues Zima's light sources seems to also affect this ocean as well, making travel just as difficult. Just above the ice, you will find various ships not quite completely frozen over that sit unmoving. The darkness makes it hard to make out too many details of these ships, but they all appear old and abandoned. For good reason, of course. Most people aren't fond of a ship that can't sail, right? Within the rest of the ocean, you'll find a few islands scattered about, though the snow grows more severe the closer you get to them.
THE CHURCH.
At the meeting point of the four cities lies a massive church, with beautifully decorated stained glass windows, and many pews throughout the main hall. You actually woke up in one of these very pews the moment you arrived in this world. Being inside the church grants you a strange sense of security and warmth. Just outside of it is a poster board filled with old papers, and oddly enough, new ones with quests addressing... you. And all of the others who awoke in the church, of course. The church seems unaffected by the strange weather of the four surrounding cities, acting as a neutral grounds. It does not belong to any one city, though, so staying here for too long is inadvisable if you do not want to fall ill.
A visual representation (albeit a crude one) of the map is here. The buildings in each of the cities are not the size of the cities, but rather the placement of the city halls of each.
