Examples
CITY OF SOM
written by wrensghost, art by Banzz
"Are you sure you've got everything?"
The question came out entirely deadpan, leaving Akalo to turn his head and grimace. Over the course of the last hour, Akalo and his mentor had been carefully chopping up herbs and tucking them into pouches, rolling up parchment for better transport, scribing equipment with protective sigils. "If I don't they'll just have to suffer. Your stupid mortar is sitting right on my spine - "
"Oh, the pestle!"
Leaving only the sound of paws against cobble, Baymir vanished back into the building, leaving Akalo alone in the courtyard. The Vesper grumbled. He was already exhausted and a bit sore and he hadn't even started out yet - of course, Baymir had offered some sort of stamina boosting potion, but how long would that last? Besides, potions were notoriously unreliable, and typically had some sort of horrid backlash.
All he needed was to get halfway to Wormwood and have his legs turn to jelly.
Akalo turned his gaze skyward, studying where the sun rested. If he left soon he could get a good start by midday, break for lunch, and reach the edge of the wood by sundown. No one on this earth or the next would convince Akalo to plunge into the bog after dark. Not at this time of year.
Staring thoughtfully into space, it took Akalo too long to register the shape edging along the tower's side. A mild panic overtook him - and then rapidly grew as the shape grew in size. Someone had jumped - someone had jumped off the Tower of Som!
"All right, I think that - "
"Baymir!"
Akalo made it a whole four feet before tripping over himself, and the figure was taking shape. Just before it should have slammed brutally into the courtyard roof, wings spread out to either side, and what Akalo had originally taken for a Thalla or a particularly stupid Dourin took flight.
Awestruck, the Vesper craned his head around to follow the creature's progress. Unfortunately, the walls of the courtyard rose on every side, and almost immediately the stranger was out of sight.
His eyes flicked to the empty sky, to Baymir, back to the expanse of blue. "What was that?"
Baymir finished squeezing the Pestle into Akalo's pack, ears twitching with amusement. "The Dourin call them birdfolk, which I guess is what they are at their most basic description. But that would be like .... that'd be like calling Dourin baldfolk."
Akalo snorted with laughter, following Baymir out of the courtyard and down the main hall until they stood on the square. Merchants weren't permitted to hawk their wares so close to the tower due to their distracting nature, and so early in the morning traffic was fairly muted. "Then what do they call themselves?" Out in the open, Akalo could see where the creature had come to land, nearly clipping a house on the way down, wings outstretched.
Closer now, Akalo could make out more defined features. Their faces were like that of the barn owl, flat and beaked, almost heart shaped. Feathers made up what could have passed for hair in a Dourin, thickened, and instead of plain arms there were wings, talons instead of hands. The only adornment the creature wore was a simple pouch around the neck, much like the ones Akalo wore to transport herbs.
"Ahh ... let me see." Baymir stuck his tongue to the bottom of his mouth, pursing his lips, trying so hard to remember the exact phrasing that his eyes almost crossed. The first syllable was a soft whistle, feeding into a shrieking cry that bounced a bit. Akalo stared blankly, much to Baymir's continued amusement. "Children of Dragons, or Somnis herself. It depends on the translation. And your beliefs." A grin stole over his face. "Many refuse to call them by their name, calling it heresy. Who knows."
Akalo could see the resemblance - the flat face, the leathery under wing, the dark but beautiful scales along the chest and legs. He took another step. "Do you think they could teach me to fly?"
"My boy, you would need wings."
Debatable. Akalo watched a second creature descend gracefully from the sky. What was the point of magic if a Vesper could not learn to fly?
SOM, THE CITY OF HERS
Said to be where Somnis first pressed life into the earth, the city of Som is a tumbling expanse of busy streets and ancient stone buildings. Most all who call Attica home have walked Som's alleyways once or twice in their life time, and many more seek out the city as a sort of landmark in their lives, in pilgrimage to find themselves among the bustling world.
At the center lies an enormous tower, reaching towards the sky with the belief that those who build it may some day reach the End itself. Dourin have grown obsessive, spending hours in a day adding brick on top of brick, building higher and higher.
The City of Som is Attica's capitol, home to creatures of all sort and a thriving, wild mess of cultures from all over the continent. Pilgrims stop to pay their respects, and many call the city home. Som's major outputs are lumber from the nearby Noca Pines, as well as magic and knowledge. Som hosts massive libraries dedicated to recording all events across the land, as well as the stories told of ancient deities and strange heroes.
Officials of Som are dedicated to their people, and as such it is unusual to find anyone living in true poverty. Somnis preaches Community, and bettering one's self - and so far, the people of Som have taken it to heart.
LANDMARKS
CENTRAL TOWER / SOMNIS'S TOWER: Constantly under construction, the central tower houses many government officials as well as barracks beneath the city's surface for local guard. The tower's construction has been altered to allow races of many size entrance to the many important halls. Around the Tower is the main plaza, where all manner of officials can be found, as well as courthouses, elaborate gardens and the homes of higher class individuals.
MARKETPLACE: A lively section of the city bustling with activity and not for those of timid nature. Hagglers can be brutal, and thieves even more so - although woe to them if they're caught by the guard. Anyone can set up shop here to sell off their extra belongings, or leftover vegetables from a fruitful harvest.
UNIVERSITY OF LIGHT: Many have expressed interest in studying in a less traditional way - and the local officials have finally responded. In the remains of an ancient, abandoned church, creatures of any sort can study any art of their choosing. While there is no real sense of 'graduation' or such, some of the mentors located here have given out special badges and tokens to those who put forward great effort in honing their skills.
LUMBERYARD: At the north tip of the city, where the road steals towards Noca Pines, a massive lumber yard can be found. A primary source of work for many in Som, the yard is busy at almost any hour - but becomes eerily silent once true dark falls.
QUEST BOARD
quests must meet Vesper-End submission guidelines. completed pieces may be submitted to the misc. quests folder. each quest can only be completed once per vesper. reward may vary depending on effort put into piece.
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While milling about the marketplace, you hear the shrieking cry - "Thief!". It's not uncommon, but for once the local guard is less than vigilant. This could be your chance - to show yourself as truly useful, a real hero. Or you could take advantage of the chaos.
Submission must meet our Submission Guidelines.
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