(Eh-Feer) # Description / Overview Ephire as a city is brimming with a paradoxical amount of activity within its walls. The ambient environment shows a hazy grandeur environment, though the streets lay bare and devoid of a population. Spirits can be heard in whispering conversations and even glimpses of their words can be seen in the air made of the haze that blankets the dreamt city. A shimmering sunset beams across the landscape from an unknown direction, casting a golden and orange light across the sky and the rivers that wind and curve around the city. The walled settlement of dreams rests on a coastline, a rather large port making up an entire district of the city, serving as one of many place for dreamers and scholars to arrive. Architecture within the city is of an abundance of designs, ranging from the hogyo and kirizuma rooftops of Gal'nesh to the bulbous palace tops of Cal Duun. Many structures stand tall and proud along the skyline, though one stands above all at the center of the city. Many wanderers of the mind and dreamwalkers have speculated the purpose of this building, though none who can recall the visual spectacle are able to remember when they wake. A collective of physical ruins lies in the wake of the Second Great War, abandoned by all who were previously attempting to seek the knowledge of the divines in favor of their own safety in the modern age. Rumors of savage tribes that dwell within the jungle overgrowth that surrounds the areas run rampant through the cities of Astrolonia and Valkin. # History Once an older place in time, the ruins of Ephire now reside in the north eastern corner of the land known as Mannon. This long forgotten idea was once a promising future for the people's of nearby kingdoms. In a different age when the world was divided even more than it now is, The Dreamt City of Ephire was residence to many dreamers and inventors of the divine. Artificers turning onto the cusp of their prime years were sent here as a means to experience something similar to a "coming of age" ritual among inventors. What now lies as a decrepit temple and fragmented ruins once stood tall as a shining beacon of hope for the world in what many Elven Elders would refer to as the "glory days." (According to their history.) The history of this city runs deep with both devotees of the divine and the inventive peoples of Mannon. Clerics, paladins, artificers and wizards alike swarmed at even the thought of glimpsing the Dreamt City. It's roots begin in the collective minds of 15 wizards and witches. Having developed a magic so powerful, it would display an illusory reality but didn't behave as an illusion. The body would fall unconscious and a persons consciousness would be brought to The Dreamt City of Ephire. Upon this dream being formed among the 15 wizards and witches who performed the initial ritual, each had their own subconscious ideas of an ideal city. This collective of ideals and beliefs for perfection brought together in such a fashion caught the Gods attention. This city's first "construction" occurred during the Age of Platinum, near the turn of the century that brought about the new Age's name. All who tread within the city will hear whispers and echoes, almost tangibly seeing the words in small script dancing in the air. **Rules within the city:** - The city is frozen in a place in time. Those who would enter its boundaries will find themselves in the same state as they were when they began to sleep. At any given point in time, when a person choses to leave the city's borders, they will awake from the dream with vivid recollections of anything experienced within the dream, including but not limited to: Physical injuries and/or trauma, Mental injuries and/or trauma, knowledge of real world locations, memorization of any article (writing/scripture, physical descriptions, (alteration of major statistics (Only physical stats can be altered)). - Time will not pass for anyone who resides within the dream. - Your body will not age, you do not require food or water, if damaged while within the Dreamt City your body will regenerate to a completely restored status.) - The city's Dream Masters are not to be questioned. - Magic doesn't work the same. Many spells will fizzle for no reason, others will work in a backwards nature. This back-ass-wards nature is unique to every spellcaster that enters the domain of The Dreamt City of Ephire. # Imagery ![[Pasted image 20230104213708.png]] ![[Pasted image 20230105125508.png]] ![[Pasted image 20230106041758.png]] ![[Pasted image 20230106042032.png]] # Environment and Behaviors of the City ## Surrounding Area Within the dreaming realm, Ephire resides as a place between places. The body feels light while the mind is fully aware of it's surroundings while within the surrounding region. Dazzling and twinkling lights of gold, pink, and purple dance among the walls and buildings that stand proudly tall above the city's walls. Large floating monoliths of different polyhedral shapes float about the airspace of the area, almost perfectly encircling the city from the air as well as creating the rough outline of a dome made entirely of the monoliths akin to plotted points on a three dimensional graphed plane. The air itself clings to the pinkish haze, resembling a familiar sense of fog or mist rolling down from the mountains or off of a coastal region with morning light glimmering through without burning it away. The sky is pierced by a singular entity that signifies the time of day, though this entity cannot be pinpointed to a particular spot among the space above. When this sun-like entity that emits a radiant and gentle light sets for the evening, the supposed night sky electrifies with a glimpse into what one could only assume to the be astral plane; an expansive space with dotted stars and distant gaseous clouds and hazes of verdant or azure hues. Approaching the main road that leads to the city, one would be greeted with trees of gilded leaves of a wide variety of colors. The metallic sheen of purples, pinks, and yellows reflecting the natural beauty found within the sky and the area as a whole. Strangely shaped flowers grow in rounded patches in the rolling hills that fleck the perimeter of the city's ramparts, showing almost a regular attendance or care though none appear to tend them. ## Within the walls The main gate of the city is a cream colored stone archway that surrounds an astoundingly large vermilion colored drawbridge, a calm river flowing below the chained wooden bridge flows out into the rolling hills beyond though looking for the ends of where it extends off to are a fruitless endeavor. Passing through the gate, the walls are a sturdy twenty feet thick made of the same cream colored stone, with a smooth paved stone roadway into the settlement. Moving into the settlement one might notice or receive the sudden urge to look about nervously, to discern if they were being watched from a prying eye or peculiar angle from above or perhaps below. The fifty foot wide road that leads into the greater districts of the city runs barren from people, a hollow feeling of discomfort would be present to visitors to the city. The fog and mist that rolled through the hills from outside the walls encroaches itself into the alleyways and lonely streets. This eerie feeling would likely leave one gently paranoid of whatever may come next, though navigation of the city is a simple manner. Signposts and informational boards can be found within all of the districts of the city. The first district, which is where one would enter the city, is the military district. Distinct signs would be able to point a visitor into the direction of the adjacent districts, forwards heading into the knowledge district, to the west being the merchant district, and to the east lies the residential. While these first districts only make up half of the city, the knowledge district is very distinctly the largest of them all, with immense high rising buildings of fascinating and odd architecture that doesn't all blend together resting at the central point of the city. Buildings within the area appear to be made of a very fine brick, of a similar color to the exterior walls with flecks of magenta and violet minerals escaping the compact grasp of the large stones. While it might be common to see a great deal of mortar between these bricks in the material plane, there is little to none at all that resides between the bricks of these buildings. Perhaps it is an engineering feat no longer possible, but who's to say? Approaching any of the buildings, a traveler would certainly hear the voices of citizens and families going about their daily lives, but when one would peer through a window or a crack in the walls, nothing would be found. An auditory hallucination, some have claimed, though none are certain of the nature of such things. On the far side of the city, one would find the agricultural, fishing, and artisans districts continuing to bustle with similar and familiar stimulations of sound to the senses, though upon inspection would also appear barren from common folk. Parties, celebrations, and complacent laborers can all be heard from the vague edges of ones perception, alongside the physical manifestations of their speech floating by in the corner of a visitors eye, lines of written script in different and signature fonts manifesting as apparitions of the mind only to fade within the span of a moment. ### The Grand Library of the Divine At the epicenter of the Knowledge district, there sits an impossibly sized library. It's towering architecture ascends far beyond what is visible from the ground one would stand upon to be right next to the structure, climbing past the clouds and haze that cling to the sunset and twilight tinted skyline. Attempting to see the domed peak of the monumentally sized set of buildings would lead one to promptly go insane from the sheer volume of ascension the looming structure portrays. Guarded by four stone gargoyles mounted atop sentinels that could only be described as sphinxes, whose eyes trace those who would enter the structure, the pristine plum colored marble steps ascend roughly 100 feet before reaching the precipice that could be compared to the courtyard of an extremely large castle. Moving to the entrance of the building and its many halls, one would be greeted with yet another large wooden set of doors. The doors themselves are bound with a dark, matte finished metal that seems to absorb all perceived reflections of the dancing light across the landscape behind the one who would enter the complex. Impossibly sized door rings rest a dozen feet above where one would reasonably be able to walk within the courtyard of stone. With a knock firmly placed upon the doors, they would begin to open. Leading into what could only be described as heaven to a wizard, the lights from the surrounding region seem to be absent within the library, almost tangible pools of shadow and darkness cluttering the floors of the continuous outstretched floors of plum marble. Mahogany bookshelves litter the area, reaching hundreds of feet tall as one would stroll through the atrium, assorted stained glass windows allowing for the light from the city to pierce the darkness of the void like architecture and design. Even with the natural senses and perceptions of an Elf or a Dwarf, who may have superior vision within dark spaces, this building offers no such benefit to their sight. An assortment of torches, lanterns, and candleholders are placed on rental shelves within the atrium. After igniting one of the assorted items, the grand doors slowly close behind anyone who would enter, until they have found what they sought and return with a new outlook upon the knowledge the sought after. An inscription can be found, now illuminated by the ghostly flames projected by the provided light sources: "While seeking great knowledge, one will happen upon new and greater understandings of why it was kept within these walls." This inscription serves as a warning to all who enter, there will be a price to pay for receiving answers written by the divines of this world. ### Districts of the City Ephire is composed of a variety of districts that act as dividers for the various factions of the city. While the city may seem uninhabited from the general streets, the wailing spirits that do tend to float between the physical and more mystical existences will become apparitions within the alleyways. The districts of the city are the following: Scholar's Boulevard, The Shipyard, Industrial, Residences, Wing of Nobility, The Eastern Promenade, and the High Court. Each of these holds distinct purpose within the city, and has established factions that are associated within them. These factions are often lead by immensely powerful individuals who hold a great deal above others, and are continuously jockeying for a higher position of power among the different districts. **Scholar's Boulevard:** Placed as the centerpiece of the city, and located next to the High Court district, this is where the Grand Library of the Divine resides. Many other buildings adorn the area as it glints in the everlasting sunset hue that rests in the sky above, such buildings including regular facilities for living quarters and mess halls of inhabitants or visitors to the scholarly institutions. Multiple complete academies reside within this district, and when they were in more consistent use, they were often placed in competition with one another to see how their knowledge could suffice in trials of the mind, body, and soul. Such scholars would take a particular focus in a magical artform, be that of arcane or divine descent and attempt to create a masterful understanding of a single spell, or a group of spells that were all relatives to one another. In these institutions it was discovered and hidden away from mortal eyes, that many of the spells accessible within the previous ages of magic and its lost fertility with the weave from before the Big Bang, were actually very similar to one another. Mages from the world that came before were able to bring forth such powerful magic on a whim, but after the rediscovery of magic for humanity there were many trials and tribulations that mortals had to face in order to once again use the magic the universe possessed. **The Shipyard:** This district of the city is almost entirely run by an organization dubbed The Ravenous Souls. Many of the members of this organization possess multiple arms and have found great ease in creating the massive ships that sail out from the city and its persimmon hued waters. A galleon of mortal make in the material plane pales in comparison to the size of the galleons produced in this harbor, many of them upwards of 350 feet in length and 50 feet wide, adorned with over a dozen sails and averaging at 5 masts on the primary deck. The Ravenous Souls members are generally around 7-9 feet tall and incredibly muscular, allowing them to make such incredibly large facets of travel with ease compared to other humanoids. The Shipyard disctrict spans roughly 5 miles wide, with many docks and storage buildings for the ships to be placed for seasonal changes, despite the season being an eternal and unchanging hazy skies sunset. A majority of the Ravenous Souls are burly folk, so when they are not shipbuilding, they are enforcing their territory boundaries against the other factions that lie within the city. There have been many conflicts with the dexterous members of the Scarlet Circus and the Blades of Treachery within each organization's histories. **Industrial:** This district of the city is where many goods are manufactured or processed for distribution. The faction that primarily runs the district as a whole is known as the Silver Wrenches. The members of the Silver Wrenches are similar to Dwarves, though they have a more celestial nature to them, carrying themselves as though they were made of stardust itself. The organization works in tandem with the Ravenous Souls to make shipments of their goods, and send them off into the great beyond. Members of both factions are unaware of where the goods actually end up, but every ship they send is a member lost to the great beyond. The ships are sent with only a single man to steer them into the great light that resides on the edges of the water, and while the ships are returned to the harbor, not a single person has returned from their journey. The Silver Wrench members mostly ensure that the manufacturing process of their goods stays in suitable condition, as they have a system of automation that needs very little maintenance or care. The organization is not treated well by many of the other factions however, referred to as "Stubs" or "Stubbies" when addressed by members of the Scarlet Circus, Violet Tomb, or Blades of Treachery. It has created a great deal of tension between the Silver Wrenches and the other districts that may end up relying on their help, but the Ravenous Souls have stood as an ally to them for as long as anyone can remember. The district spans roughly 8 square miles, and contains many warehouses stocked with supplies, magic items, potions, and much more. **Residences:** This is where a majority of the housing within the city lies. This is more of a neutral ground among the different factions, as it holds properties that all factions will return to for their ability to continue on in their day to day lives. While the streets mostly lay barren or with whispers of the semi-corporeal denizens of the dreamscape city, the people who do live here in physical form take solace in their small homes or apartment complexes and the regular journeys to work from day to day, with a break every few days. Many people reminisce about skirmishes in the streets or the deaths of lost coworkers or family members, though the hostility between factions lies dormant within these streets. **Noble Wing:** Without any noble families left to truly maintain this district of the city, Ephire's wing of property solely dedicated to such things has fallen into a decrepit state. Some factions have attempted to claim the mansions or complexes within the district as bases for their operations, but have soon found that there is an unsettling air of mystery and a disheveled manner about the different locations and how they are all overgrown with vines and lush purple shrubbery that brings them to leave the area to its own devices. Almost as if there lies a curse solely placed upon the district itself, the growths, the sounds of moisture while walking though never seeing water, gaps within the floors and walls left with holes of a pure blackness unlike any other. **The Eastern Promenade:** A large hillcrest resides on the eastern side of the city, covered in large purple grassy fields that glimmer and flash in the eternal sunset as waves of wind wash over the whole of the city. This district of the city contains mostly open areas and few buildings, but acts as a sort of perimeter to the far right side of Ephire. What little count of buildings stands within this district are occupied by members of the Violet Tomb, one of the major factions of the city who have designated themselves to be more of a city watch. They involve themselves into the skirmishes seen within the city and within their swaths of territory as many other factions will host duels and scuffles out in the amethyst blades of grass. Though they are not above the judgement from the other factions, they are a sort of mediator when the time comes for these groups to clash. After the mauve fields are stained crimson, they haul the bodies away for a proper burial, tending to their death rites and proper send off into the afterlife, as is the nature of their faction name. Mass graves, as well as many graveyards have been made within these fields that rest at the edge of the city, which are frequently tended to by the Violet Tomb as an assurance to their duties and the respect of their fallen foes and allies. **The High Court:** Similar to an assembly house or a location of grandeur that would resemble a town hall or place of official governing status, the High Court is a district of buildings dedicated to the management of the different factions, the civil ones at least. High ranking officials from each faction that can hold civil debate and proper council meet in these buildings to discuss issues and changes within the factions that cannot or refuse to participate within these meetings. The district is beautifully decorated with many marble and granite buildings of white, persimmon, gold, and plum. At first glance, it can be almost jarring to the eyes as one would gaze upon some of the buildings, as the colors almost bulge out compared to the streaks of violet, orange, and gold that rains down from above. Within the halls of these buildings, records of incidents, skirmishes, deaths, and unions are recorded for safekeeping. Some have described it as a "bureaucratic hall of the gods" with the numerous freestanding shelves and other filing instruments or furnishings that line the halls and rooms, which reach upwards of 100 feet. ## Factions and their leaders within the city ### The Ravenous Souls ### The Violet Tomb ### The Scarlet Circus ### Blades of Treachery ![[Pasted image 20230106162505.png]]