Xen-Aoris, The Longing City

[Lichtenhart]

Ok, here are the odd ideas from the other thread

The city of yearning

Once upon a time there were two brothers and a beautiful princess. They lived in a magnificent town of marble and silver, that generations of artists had made splendid. The two brothers fell in love with the princess, so they tried to show her their prowess in order to gain her love. The elder became a brave warrior, the younger a skilful mage. Both declared their love, but the princess chose the elder. When the mage saw the happiness of the lovers, he swore to protect them and their love.
Then the fiends came and claimed the land. The brothers fought to defend the city, while the princess led her people to safety. But in the middle of the battle, the warrior was poisoned, and the mage could nothing to help him. He swore to his dying brother to take care of the princess and her people. The army led by the mage managed to retreat, but the town of marble and silver was destroyed by the fiends. When the princess knew about the warrior's death, she decided to be strong, hoping to see him again after her own death, so she led her people in the lands of the East, where they could live in peace. But when the fiends sealed the gates of heaven, and her hope vanished, the pain was too much to bear, and she sought shelter into madness. The mage tried everything he could to make her smile again, he even turned their new city into a reflex of their former town, but he could nothing to rescue her from her grief.
So he cast a charm upon her, to make her sleep, quietly, till the doors of heaven will open again. He built a Chamber for her, a palace of marble and silver and swore to watch upon her, even after his death.

So the city remained, home to all the people who lost too much, and wanted to live in a dream, pretending the fiends never came, pretending to be happy again.


I thought the city could be founded on a rocky basement that was once part of a cliff, that falls perpendicularly to the sea. The city may be made of very high towers, the highest being the Lighthouse. The only way back to the land could be a long draw-bridge, and there could be a small harbour at the base of the rock, with a narrow stairway carved in the rock. Heavy loads should be lifted with mighty pulleys and winches.
There could be an order of illusionists, and when the city faces danger they take place on the walls towers and make the city invisible.

Ok, I know I'm not so good at describing things, so I looked for some pics to give you the feeling:

This one's how it should look from the sea
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/b/o/booms/18kherossiae.jpg.html
This one's how it should look from the air
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/a/a/aar/plaza.jpg.html
And this one' s how it should look at dawn from the land
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/h/o/hogberg/sunsetcity.jpg.html


From the Glossary:

Gulf of Hador (HAY-door): A rough, treacherous, reef-filled and storm-tossed reach of the Endless Ocean, separating the eternal peaks of the Mur Bruach and the Peninsula of Sourell. The Gulf of Hador holds little of value. It does however provide a treacherous barrier against fiendish naval incursions. Kesselan and Shattered Isles vessels patrol its eastern reaches (which are calmer) but only fools travel the sandbar- and reef-infested waters closer to the coast. It also said that leviathans and terrible beasts from the deeps infest the Gulf of Hador.


I feel this people should come from the West, let me know if you think otherwise.
Perhaps they originated on the Green Coast 1700 years ago?
That should go. They were one of the early kingdom to fall. They managed to escape because they were expert navigators and the Horde wasn't well organized yet. They were a people of famous artisans and fabled artists, not warriors. They were lucky.
There should be legends in the Kessel about this strange city lost in the north. In Red Harbour they should know better.
They can act as the Kessel' sentries in the North, since only they can travel across the gulf safely.
I haven't checked yet, so, if you think they have been involved in some historical facts, point it out and i'll work it in.


I was thinking about a fleet effective in an environment such as the gulf of Hador: and I came up with two kind of ship:
the first is very light and easily manoeuvrable, with large sails for max speed with the strong winds of the gulf, and some kind of skate (I don't know the right word) to slip on the surface and avoid most of the reeves. With an illusionist aboard to make it invisible, you'll hate it very soon!
The other idea was a more traditional kind of warship, with warriors and all, but with some druids aboard to set some friend (dire sharks? cachalots?) on you. If they want to survive in a sea infested with krakens and aboleths, they have to find some ally, don't they?


The faith of his people somehow allowed the mage to outlast his own death; he wasn't strong enough to turn into a Patron, so he became the Shade, a mysterious being that sometimes appears to protect the City, the Chamber, or a citizen in special danger. He looks like a shadow with a large hat and cloak,and three strips of flame on his breast (the three oaths he took in life). The inhabitants don't like to speak about the Shade, though they still revere him.

I'm working on putting everything in the form of the other stronghold. In the meantime, every suggestion is welcome.

 

[Leopold]

are they going to have a fleet in the ocean or in the air.

thanks for the new thread...

 

[Lichtenhart]

Originally posted by Leopold

On that note how far up the mountain or cliff are you going to have the city. The one picture showed it extremely high up and yet you want to have warships? I don't see how you can have a flotilla of ships and have a city high on the cliff surround on all side by water and that small strip of land connecting it to the mainland. Now there are AIRSHIPs that you can use and that would work fine or you can have them raised and lowered by pulleys off the main city..your call.

I thought that since the the city is not on the main trade routes, only few airship would stop by, so they wouldn't have airship on their own.
I imagined the cliff thing before looking for the pictures, so they are not exactly how it should be, they should give a general feeling. The one more similar is the first one. There is a small harbour at the base of the cliff. The warships (4 or 5) are usually patrolling the gulf, only one of them normally remains at home.
The smaller ones instead are are used mainly to go fishing and picking edible seaweeds. Normally there are only few soldiers aboard just in case.
I meant the city to be completely surrounded by water, on a rock that was separated from the cliff by erosion. The cliff and the rock should be both high about 60/70 feet on the water and the span between about 80 feet. The bridge was supposed to be a draw-bridge that can be retired thus leaving the city isolated.
This was the original idea. If you are not convinced let me know and we'll fix it.
I really like doing this. Thank you all for giving me this opportunity.

 

[Leopold]

I thought that since the the city is not on the main trade routes, only few airship would stop by, so they wouldn't have airship on their own.
I imagined the cliff thing before looking for the pictures, so they are not exactly how it should be, they should give a general feeling. The one more similar is the first one. There is a small harbour at the base of the cliff. The warships (4 or 5) are usually patrolling the gulf, only one of them normally remains at home.
The smaller ones instead are are used mainly to go fishing and picking edible seaweeds. Normally there are only few soldiers aboard just in case.
I meant the city to be completely surrounded by water, on a rock that was separated from the cliff by erosion. The cliff and the rock should be both high about 60/70 feet on the water and the span between about 80 feet. The bridge was supposed to be a draw-bridge that can be retired thus leaving the city isolated.
This was the original idea. If you are not convinced let me know and we'll fix it.
I really like doing this. Thank you all for giving me this opportunity.

My concern was thus: How can a city surrounded on water 60-70ft up the cliff with no outcroppings support a navy? This would mean lowering ships and supplies down the cliff or building a cave that would house them UNDER the main compound. I just wanted to play the devils advocate and make sure it sounds believable. I like the idea of the hidden city in the sea. I just want to know how commerce flows in and out if any and how the people get food and supplies in such a barren wasteland. The picture of the city surrounded except for the stone bridge was what I was referencing. Now if there is a lift or something built into the city to lower the supplies down the center of the place or it was tunneled out to make it accessable from underneath, I could see that.

Just my ideas on the matter...

 

[Lichtenhart]

At the beginning i thought there were pulleys all around the city walls, and that a ship only had to go under one of them and say, put fishes in a big basket and hoist it up. People can carry the small loads and climb the stairs on the outside. There also small villages of hunters, woodsmen, shepherds and gatherers in the mainland. And mines too. They can trade metal workings for food with Red Harbour and Lavernum (the nearest ones).
Does it work now?

But I like also the idea of the lift in the center. Since they live in high towers, they should have studied a way to make things easier. I can work it in.

 

[Leopold]

oh i didn't know about the lift system that you had which is why i questioned it. Upon further examination I see that it can work with only a few boats doing the majoirty of the work. Would you have some gnomes there working on the machinery to keep the lifts going or is it manual? Perhaps trade with THE FORGE would be nice as you could then have machinery there as well OR you can do it all via magic. Options abound...


I am not downplaying it just voicing my opinion on the matter. If you can incorporate that in the descritpion where they have the lifts at the edge of the city by all means do. This is your baby run with it and thank you for posting your thoughts. I wish more people like you would come in here and take one look at the setting, get an idea and run with it. Don't stop now!

 

[LRonKnieval]

I think the city is real feasible. Elevators and pulleys are easily run on counter wieghted systems. Perhaps they could even have a few clockwork gears and stuff, (to maintain certain consistancies with the technologhy of the setting)
One more thing, could the city be carved into the side of the cliff more, like almost be part of the cliff. That would make it more steep and dangerous. When I first read the passage, I had imagined the Wizard carved an image of the old city into the face of the cliff, but actually built the city into the earth behind it. That way it would be easier to hide with an illusion. It would also differentiate it from Templemount a little more (the city on the mountain).

 

[Leopold]

Steamjack preview can be seen here:
http://ironkingdoms.com/jacks.shtml


I think lichtenhart's idea is more of a magic realm than a mechanica realm. I would think that with the description he has built it was mostly founded on magic (magi as the main patronish fellow) has magic for the defense (surrounded in illusion) and has magic be a part of the society (read live 70ft from a cliff with water everywhere, levitate and feather fall are your friend!). I would presume that this society would have more of a land for magic folk than for anything else IMHO.



I believe this was supposed to go here as instructed...it has value in both places..

 

[LRonKnieval]

Actually, a magic city would be much cooler. It definately works better for the Magi/ princess thing and hiding the city with illusions.
All the levitating up and down and what not.
For that matter, they could levitate the ships up to the city to load them and then plunk them back down into the water.
Or cast featherfall on boxes and throw them into the sea to where the ships are waiting.

 

[Leopold]

Actually, a magic city would be much cooler. It definately works better for the Magi/ princess thing and hiding the city with illusions.
All the levitating up and down and what not.
For that matter, they could levitate the ships up to the city to load them and then plunk them back down into the water.
Or cast featherfall on boxes and throw them into the sea to where the ships are waiting.

now that is using magic! Definately a good idea..