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Return_to_Metropolis Crew
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 Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:20 am
Earth :
City Name: City of Earth (Terra to its residents)
Population: 90,000
Architecture: Hidden among the massive oaks and banyan trees is the Earth City, the houses literally made of the living trees. The people here almost seem to have willed the earth and it's plants to do their bidding, which their ancestors actually did (imagine Lothlorien when thinking of this city). The higher into the trees the nicer the residences become as more sunlight is required for more advanced magic such as tree manipulation, so the highest of the mages receive the highest homes and a view of the forest tree tops.
Trades with: Spirit, Witchcraft, Water
Magic: Earth mages specialize in ground and plant manipulation, as well as the ability to transform into a plant. Each mage is based off of a different kind of plant, from water lily to oak tree, to anything in between. They're coloration varies depending on what kind of plant they are, as does what they change into. The mages are able to make any sort of plant grow however they want, and bend them to their will. They cannot, however, make random plants spring up from nowhere. There have to be seeds, sufficient water, and nutrients for them to grow a plant magically. Therefore normally when they're trying to do something in a hurry, they will use plants that are already full grown and close at hand. They can also control any kind of earth, whether it be sand or granite, they are able to manipulate it. Once again though, they have to work with what's on hand. How much and how well they can control the earth depends on how powerful they are, and how much training they've had, the same with plants.
Surrounding Area: Deep within the dense forest towards the south end of the continent.
Residents: Their hair color ranges from golden blond to a deep rich chocolate brown, and sometimes even red. They also tend to have hints of green, orange, yellow, or even red, depending on the time of the year. These slight color changes reflect the state of the leaves of the forest around them. Terrans (what the people of the Earth City refer to themselves as) have long spindly fingers and tall thin bodies, adding to the graceful appearance of these people. Non-mages have leaves and sticks are interwoven in their hair, depending on which kind of tree or plant, they can range from birch branches and leafs to lilies and lily pads and cat tails. The mages though have these actually growing from them, generally from their heads. Their skin tone tends to reflect what type of plant they are based on. A mage who is a silver barked birch tree would have silvery skin, while an oak would have a greyish brown coloration.
Daily Life: The people of the City of Earth do not farm the land or raise live stock for consumption. They make meals of different kinds of earth from which their unique digestive system can extract necessary nutrients. To them, each kind of earth has it's own unique flavor. They are also able to photosynthesize for quick energy when the sun is out.
Mages of this city use their power mostly to quarry stone which they trade to different cities to be used in buildings. When they do this they always quarry stone from the land around the city that desires it so that their own land does not slowly waste away for the sake of trade. Non-mages are often sent to scout the forest for intruders. The Terrans to dot permit people to cut down their trees or hunt within their domain. Trespassers are are forcibly thrown out of the forest, and repeated offenders are punished by the God of the Forest. The God of the Forest choses a different mage of great power each spring to serve as his link to his chosen people, the Terrans. This mage conveys the will of the god to the people. He never demands much, as he loves his people like his children. Mostly he uses them to protect his sacred forest, though he rules over all forests on the continent; the forest in which the City of Earth is located his considered his sacred home. The God of the Forest, technically speaking, is not a god at all, but an immensely powerful spirit which not even the most powerful of the spirit mages can hope to control. He is the incarnation of the life force of all forests on the continent. When in physical form, the God of the Forest looks like a mix of deer, chinese dragon, and tree. He is very tall and extremely long, though his size can change according to his will. The seasons are the process of growth, death, and rebirth of the 'god'. Thus, the people of the City of Earth care for him for supporting their homes and way of life.
For clothing, the earth people tend to wear little, especially the mages. Since their forest is in the south, it is very warm, and they have no real need for extensively covering themselves except for in key places. The mages wear the least because when they shape change into tree's, any tight binding clothes would only be ruined. Their clothing is very similar to what Native Americans wore, only made from plants as they do not hunt and have no animal skins.
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Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:30 pm
Erin Laari, tower keeper for the tower of learning in the City of Earth, was heart broken. Her secret crush, the handsome Mage Superior Varen Aldris, was missing. She had woken that morning at dawn as she always did and gone to wake the kitchen staff to get them started on breakfast for the teachers and Varen himself. When breakfast was ready, she had gone to carry it on a platter to his room like she always did, but he had not answered her knock on the door of his private rooms. Worried that he might be sick when she did not answer her calls, she had set aside the platter and let herself in.
“I let myself in and...and he wasn't there!” Erin said with a slight sniff as she held back tears. She was sitting before the City Elder, explaining what she had found, or rather, had not found.
“I went to go find some of the other teachers to see if they knew what happened to him, but none of them were there! It was just the staff and I!”
“It's alright child, it's not your fault.” the elder said in a weary voice. The old man was a mage himself, an ancient looking oak tree was his plant half. All morning they had been trying to figure out what had happened to all the mages in the tower, but as of yet, no one could tell him a thing.
“Elder...Elder do you think he...I mean they are alright?” Erin asked, watching him with tear bright eyes.
“I do not know my child. The winds of change are blowing, and not even I can understand all that they tell me as they pass through the branches of our ancient home.”
Erin nodded slightly, wiping at her eyes and silently praying to the forest god for her secret loves safe return.
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Return_to_Metropolis Crew
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Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 4:04 pm
Caden slowly traveled through the crowds that covered the Terra city market. It wasn't like she could go any faster too, the crowds were as thick as mud and their voices traveled far and loud with talk. They seemed to be more talkative then usual and the 17 year old could not recall seeing the place so crowded. She pushed her way through the masses gently and when she got out of the giant swamp of crowd she tooka deep breath. So many people in one place, she had heard bits and pieces of something going on, but it was so loud and noisy it was impossible to decipher the stories. Caden walked a little more faster until she was at one of her favourite trader stores, containing many goods from all over, the spark of her curiousity of the outside world. "How could they possibly create such fine things?" was her constant question. She entered the store and looked about.
"Ah, Caden." The shopkeeper called out, he was an older gentleman with graying hair and fading leaves crackled amongst it. While Caden was not a customer because of her inability to afford these things she stopped by the store almost on a daily basis and he always recognized her.
"Hello, Verde." Caden gave a swift wave of her hand as she browsed through shelves and glanced at displays, looking for new things.
"Come here child, I got something new, I am sure you will love." The shopkeeper motioned to Caden as he bent down beneath the counter, rummaging through whatever lay beneath it. Caden approached the counter and waited for him to bring whatever it was out for her too see. The shopkeeper pulled out a wooden box and flipped open the lid for Caden to see. Inside the box was a necklace made out of a silverish metal that wrapped in spirals around a green stone.
"Oh, its lovely." Caden smiled
"A very special necklace, has done some traveling, fine metal from the City of Metal, and a gem of the ocean. Now, gracing my humble earth shop." The owner said proudly since he had spent a great deal of effort on getting this piece.
"Well it is gorgeous..." Caden knew she could never afford such a piece that had traveled so far.
"You should try it on..." Verde spoke as he gently pulled the necklace from the box.
"No... I shouldn't... its just not a good idea for me to do that." Caden dropped her head and Verde gave a quick nod of his head and closed the box with the necklace in it.
Caden looked towards the door and a familiar bundle of red hair breezed through it.
"Caden!" Shay called out, he had seen the back of her head from a window opening and wondered if it was her, his thoughts were confirmed when she had turned around.
"Hi Shay..." Caden spoke, her voice full of confusion, she hadn't been aware they were at a talking basis let alone shouting her name out in the middle of the store.
"You're here, you're ok."
"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked as she glanced in an enchanted ice mirror on the shelf to check her appearance, she instantly noticed how blush her freckle-covered cheeks had become.
"Well, I heard on the streets that some people disappeared, including the mage superior..." he told her. That had been what all the talk and crowding had been about. Caden's jaw dropped slightly.
"When was this?" Caden asked slightly worried about her parents whom she had not seen since that morning.
"I'm not sure, rumors say around last night I think." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "But you're okay."
"Yeah, I'm fine, Shay, I got to go home and check on my parents..." Caden said as she waved goodbye to both Verde and Shay and fled from the shop.
Caden ran home as quick as her legs would carry her.
"Mom! Dad!" Caden called out, both her parents came running out of their home.
"What is it hun?" her mother asked.
"You guys are ok!" Caden shouted as she wrapped her arms around both her parents in a group hug. They had the same look of confusion that Caden had when she had been told the same thing. She quickly explained. "Some people habe gone missing from the city including the mage superior." Another similar reaction to her's. "What does this mean for my lesson's father?" Caden asked since she was supposed to start learning the following week.
"Maybe they will be back by then..." Lee suggested. "We can't be sure. I will go to the learning tower and see if there is anyone there who can explain this further." He looked at his wife and embraced her and then walked in the direction of the learning center.
"It will be fine Caden, you will learn, I promise." Her mother spoke after seeing the look of distress that had appeared on Caden's face with the sudden realization that she had no teacher.
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Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 10:31 am
"Twindy? Twindy...?" Each call of her name was accompanied by a sharp, swift rap on the door. The knob jiggled, but it would not open. The man hurriedly tried to shake the door, desperately wanting inside. Something was happening, and he had to make sure that she was safe...that nothing had ripped her from her happy lifestyle "Twindy... Twindy please open the door... It's me, Hadin!"
Finally, the door was pulled open by a light green hand, and the teenage girl stood rubbing her eyes. "Hadin...?" She blinked once or twice before giving the man her usual smile. "Good morning, Hadin." It was very early in the morning... before all the hustle and bustle of a usual day, but Twindy was quite all right with being awakened before her usual routine.
Hadin, however, was certainly not all right. He reached forward to grab the girl, and held her in a very tight embrace. All his worries escaped as tears down his cheeks, and he was breathing quite irregularly. "Praise the forest that you're safe. Did anything happen to you... anything at all?" He squeezed her tighter and buried his face in her hair.
"Mmm-hmm." Twindy hummed out her answer in quite a pleased manner. Daddy left for work a little while ago... I was still sleeping." She returned his hug and nestled her head against his chest, listening to the thump thump of his heart. In her world, everything was at peace... and it was all about to shatter. "Are you feeling well, Hadin? I'm here... it's ok." His breathing and crying confused her; what was making Hadin so worried like this?
He released the child and bent down to stare directly into her eyes; even as a teen, Twindy was not as tall as his towering figure. The tree-based man took a deep, preparing breath to steady his mind. "Twindy... Sunshine... The mage teachers have all gone missing. We don't know where they are, or if other mages are going to disappear, too. Please... please stay inside. I'm going to help the others look for them, so don't talk to anyone besides me or your father. I..."
"Hadin, are they all right? What if someone hurt them?" The thought of loosing a teacher didn't affect Twindy nearly as much as the thought of someone getting hurt. She was in tears as the ideas of all the mages disappearing creeped into her mind. What if they took her Hadin away, too? She refused to let him go, and pushed herself closer to him. "Please don't leave me alone, Hadin! I'll help you find the teachers... I want to. Just don't make me stay here all alone!"
"I'm sorry, Sunshine." He grabbed her arms in his firm grasp and gently unpeeled them from around his waist. "I'll come back home, I promise. If the teachers don't come back, I'll see if I'm allowed to teach you magic. Stay here and wait for your father. I'll come back later tonight." Hadin bent down and kissed her forehead before turning to join the others in the city; he had work that needed to be done.
Twindy was still shaking and crying in fear. It was only a mere hour after Hadin left that she bolted into the forest to find him. The path was thick, and she could not remember which way it was to the main city. A slight breeze and the local flowers pointed her north. Her fragile form followed the path it pointed out to her, and she began to run towards what she hoped was Hadin and the city. Instead, she left for a place that would leave her completely and utterly alone.
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Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 3:11 pm
Liliac walked from her home towards the main market, bringing some pots of earth with her as well as a few strong vines that her parents had given her. She hoped to find a trader from the City of Witchcraft so that she could get a potion that would help keep the briars out of her hair. At that thought, she unconciously started to comb out her hair with her fingers. Catching herself, she blushed and paused noticing that some of the other Terrans had spotted her grooming. Moving forward through the crowd she started to haggle with one of the merchants who wished for some earth. It was high in nutrients so she wasnt about to give it up too cheaply.
"No, I'm sorry but that's much too low. Perhaps if you add in.." Liliac glanced at the man's wares and sighed softly, almost nothing was there, the winter brought harder times for some of the traders, even this far south. Tucking a lock of her wavey hair behind her ear she sighed. "Add that skull from the Spirit City and you have a deal"
"But..but" the Merchant stuttered, not wanting to give up his prize possession so easily.
"Deal or no deal?" She waited patiently for the man to decide, taking a moment to tune into the conversations around her.Her slender body turned only a little bit but she bumped into someone who was speaking, something about the Mage Teachers. "Oh I'm sorry.. um.. excuse me but did you say something about the Mage Teachers?"
The woman nodded and quickly told Liliac what she knew. Blinking rapidly it was all Liliac could do to hold back tears. Being so secluded her whole life, she didnt think anything this devestating could happen. Turning to the merchant she smiled and fidgeted. "Deal?"
Grudgingly he nodded and they traded, hurrying she packed up all of her stuff and ran back towards her home. Her sparse clothing let her dash easily over the logs and under branches before she gave the trades to her parents and ran to her room to start packing right away.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 3:41 pm
Caden's desire to leave Terra had grown steadily over the past few days, as if there was something trying to pull her out of the forest. She had even noticed that she was sometimes wandering a bit closer then normal to the edge of the forest. To her this feeling seemed to be just part of her childhood dream and curiousity about all things outside the forest, but it felt of something more. Like a calling which she could not explain, so she had no excuse to leave. Her only excuse was to search for the mage teacher, but she didn't even know where to go.
Caden stretched her long arms above her head and yawned as she slowly got out of bed. She blinked a few times in silence, adjusting slowly to the fact that she was awake. Her ears could pick up her parents, already awake and talking, in the next room. Caden threw on a pair of leafy garments and left her room to join her parents.
"Hey mom, hey dad..." She whispered, her voice full of tire.
"Hello honey." Her mother smiled politely. Caden glanced out the window and felt a familiar tug at her heartstrings.
"Mom...dad... I'. Almost 18... that's practically an adult..." Caden started. Both her parents turned towards her and raised their eyebrows expectantly. They could already see where this was going. Caden scrathged the back of her head and pulled a leaf out of her hair and twirled it between her fingers nervously. She wasn't sure how to say what she had to say, and wasn't even sure why she was choosing now rather then any other time. This is what she had wanted all her life. "Well I've lived here my entire life..."
"Most people live here their entire lives Caden..." her father spoke.
"But I'm not most people dad... I want to see what's out there. I just feel compelled to leave, now more then ever, like its my destiny or something. Maybe I'm supposed to find the mage superior or something..." Caden said her voice quickly getting more and more excited.
"Caden..." her mother whispered quietly, her voice soft and angel-like. She was trying to be understanding "Leave that to the others, your place is here, with your father and I, all your friends are here, your life is here, stay here and wait for the mage to return..."
"Mom, I can't. I have to go. I need to go. Dad?" Caden exclaimed, she was arguing with her mother, something she hardly ever did, she was serious and her desire was growing.
"Caden! Calm down, listen to your mother." Her father spoke as he stood up and rested a hand on Caden's shoulder. "She's right. If you go out there, who knows what could happen. It could be a very dangerous and scary place beyond this gorgeouse forest we live in where we are secure and safe."
"How would you know. Neither one of you have ever left, what if its safer out there with the light?" Caden asked.
"Enough of this nonsence, we've made our decision, you can not leave." Her father spoke closing his protective grasps around his only child. Caden frowned and took in a few deep breaths trying to calm herself down, she never had much of a temper, but she really wanted to go, and she couldn't stand her parents putting such a tight leash on her.
"Alright..." she said agreeingly, though in her mind she was already plotting how she was going to leave. She wanted to leave by noon so she could get out of the forest before nightfall. How big was the forest? Would she make it out before nightfall? All these questions were circulating in her mind as she walked to her room and worked on packing her things. At the same time she was wondering how she could do this. It just wasn't in her disposition to go against her parents' wishes. She wasn't sure if she should tell her friends or just leave. She packed her clothing, and it took most of the morning to narrow down what she wanted to bring in order to make the load light. She packed some food and other necessities and continued her thought process, thinking of which way she would even go. She slowly pulled her slender figure threw the window opening and glanced back into her room, making sure the note she had written was laying on her bed. She brushed herself off and neatened her clothes and then walked through the trees. Caden lifted her head to the sky and could see some light filtering through the foliage directly above her. It was noon, she was right on time. She wasn't even sure which direction to go in. Caden closed her eyes, searching for that tug, as if asking her heart where she wanted to go. She felt a pulling towards the north so she followed her instinct and began to walk in that direction.
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Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 11:59 am
Even though she had finished packing days ago, Liliac didnt know how to break it to her parents that she was going to be leaving. She grew sad each time she thought about the people she would be leaving behind, but she felt that she just had to do something. Pacing in her room she sighed softly, stopping to check on her bags every once in a while. Finally she swung her nap sack over her shoulder and secured the smaller bag with some clothes in it on top.
"Mom, Dad?" She called out softly as she crept from her room. They had known that something was bothering her but had not pressured her to tell, and she was thankful for that. Still she was nervous about telling them. Fidgiting slightly she finally found them, making some sort of paste to sell at the market. "Um, I'm leaving, i'm going to look for the others."
Her mother looked up sharply and frowned. "No your not, you dont have to do anything but stay here. You havent even figured out any of your powers yet. How will you take care of yourself?" She looked to her husband for back up.
Chimming in he agreed with Liliac's mother. "Its too dangerous for you."
Liliac started to get frustrated. "But Dad, I told you one day i would be able to help the forest. And without the Mages, how do we expect to survive!? We need them, and they probably need us too. I have to go, you just don't want me to go, just like you wouldnt let me play with my friends!" Her mind flashed back to a time from before when she had other friends from lower classes, then her parents told her not to play with them because they were too poor. Poor was such a disgusting word, and hurtful too. Blinking away tears she turned from the room. "I'm going, and dont try to stop me." She said softly before running out into the surrounding forest.
"Wait!" Her mother called after her as she stood up quickly. Turning to her husband she gestured wildly. "Why aren't you getting up, go after her!" Liliac's mother was in a panic and wasn't sure what to do.
"Let her go, she's old enough to make her own home, why can't we just let her grow, you've been shading her with your branches for too long my dear, its time for her to get her own space. Besides, I'm sure she'll be back in a day or two after she gets lonely." He said quietly as he continued at his work. "Let her be.."
Liliac was suprised when her parents didnt follow her, but that made her feel even more secure in her decision. Slowing to a walk she let out a deep breath, she had no idea where to go.. except inward, away from the forest, and perhaps follow some of the traders. Adjusting her straps on her back she set off towards the trade routes, hoping to find someone along the way to give her some advice on where to look for the Mage teachers.
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