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Return_to_Metropolis Crew
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 Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:56 am
 Witchcraft:
City Name: City of Witchcraft
Population: 150,000
Architecture: This city is comprised of narrow, winding streets that form a veritable labyrinth to anyone who doesn't know their way around. The streets are packed with two to three story buildings so close together that there is little to no space between them. The buildings themselves are made of stone with arched doorways with intricate reliefs incorporated into their structure. What type of relief varies from building to building by the tastes of the original creator. A river cuts through the city, dividing into two pieces, one side smaller than the other. The smaller side is referred to as the 'upper district' where all the wealthy live. These homes are very grand indeed. They are much larger than the middle and lower classes homes, though for lack of space they tend to be built upwards more than out.
Arched stone bridges of various sizes span the width of the river as it flows all the way down to the ocean, some miles away. Along the river front is the market place. It bustles with activity every day with people from pickpockets to wealthy merchants. Boats move up and down the river, some of them going all the way out to the ocean to hug the coast and end up in the bay where the City of Water is located.
There is the occasional small park located within the city, something the witches of the city deem necessary to keep in touch with nature. These areas are left more or less wild with the occasional dirt path, but mostly trees, grass, and other wild plants.
((For this city, think Venice, but with less water and more trees))
Trades with: Water, Earth
Magic: Unlike in other cities, the people who wield magic in the City of Witchcraft are not referred to as mages, rather they are called Witches, whether male or female. Where this tradition stemmed from is unknown, but it seems to have always been that way.
Even the magic itself here is a little strange compared to the rest of the cities. Witchcraft is actually divided into several different sub-categories of magic. These are spell casting, potion making, necromancy, and influential magic.
Spell casting is the most commonly practiced type of magic. The way that one does this varies from witch to witch. Some perform a ritual, others a chant. Types of spells vary as well. There are spells to mend things, destroy things, transform things, and summon things. Potion making entails the mixing of certain key ingredients to get a desired affect. These affects can be to heal, help one sleep, poison, forcefully tell the truth, and temporarily fall in love. Necromancy is the ability to raise the dead. These bodies have no souls nor any will of their own. They basically act as puppets for their master. This type of magic is generally frowned upon in the witching community. It's users are often outcasts of society. Influential magic is the ability to influence the mind of another. Most of the time this is used to help people overcome traumatic experiences. This magic is almost impossible to use against the others will though. Only the most powerful of mages are able to use this magic to control people.
Witches of the City of witchcraft are able to use only one of these four types of magic. It is incredibly rare for any one w itch to be able to control more than one. The current mage teacher is the only known witch that is able to use all four magic sub-categories.
Surrounding Area: The area outside of the city is a wide spread forest. Unlike the dense, dark forest in which the cities of shadow and spirit are located, the forest in which this city is placed is a much brighter place, it's trees further apart, letting more light in. The land here has a few hills, and lots of grass with flowers that bloom spectacularly during the spring and summer.
Residents: The residents of the City of Witchcraft are some of the most normal looking ones compared to the other cities. They look completely human, their hair color is generally different shades of brown or black. Their eyes are what is truly interesting though, as the key trait that makes them stick out is there rather amazing metallic purple eyes. No other race on the continent has purple eyes. The shade of purple varies from person to person. From pale lavender to the deepest indigo. Their style of dress would be what we call Regency period or Victorian era clothing. There is also a rising trend in rennaissance style dress.
Daily Life: Like most cities the wealthiest residents of the city are either successful merchants, powerful witches, or very old families that have inherited wealth from when they first came from the metropolis generations before. They trade with the city of water to get important ingredients for their potions that can be found only in the ocean, beyond their reach. They trade with the city of earth for the cut stone that makes up their homes and nearly all the other buildings within the city.
The city is a peaceful one, despite it's size. Most wake at dawn and go to bed not long after the sun sets below the distant horizon. Some of the forest just beyond the city was cleared in order to make room for farm land which lower class workers use to supply t he cities food.
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Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:17 pm
Gone! All gone! Mage Superior Morgan Neydenya and her entire teaching staff were gone! The middle aged woman in charge of taking care of the tower of learning in the center of the City of Witchcraft ran frantically from room to room, looking under beds and in closets as though everyone were playing some kind of mean spirited joke on her poor nerves, and were just waiting to jump out and surprise her. After searching every room from bottom to top and back down to the bottom again though, the tower keeper finally came to the conclusion that the entire teaching staff, was indeed, gone. The tower keeper told the staff, who told the students as they told them to go back home, as there would be no classes that day since there were no teachers. The students in turn told their parents and families, and thus the word spread like a wildfire throughout the entire city from the richest home to the poorest shanty... The Mage Teacher of the City of Witchcraft was gone!
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Return_to_Metropolis Crew
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 2:57 am
The tranquility of the large house in the high end of the city of witchcraft was shattered by the crashing of the large oak front door being thrown open.
"Esme!?" the head of the Faeron household bellowed across the house, waking their only son from the nap he had been taking on a book.
Now awake, Tamlyn rushed down the stairs, slowing down just in time to stop from collideing with his mother.
Pale and visibly flustered, Tam's father threw his papers down on the table.
"Da, what's the matter with y-," The Master Potion Maker cut off his son off before he even finished his sentence.
"Gone, they're all gone. Every last one of them, not even a note left behind." The man said, hunched over with his head in his hands wracking his brain for a logical answer to the dilemma that besieged their city.
"Morgan, her assistants, all vanished!" Theron managed to say through his distress. After all, Morgan had been a long time friend of his.
Tam's stomach plummeted to his feet as he realized the repercussions of the missing mages. Morgan! She would never leave the city like this! And his lessons, what would happen to his lessons? His father surely couldn't teach him.
"How could they have all gone without any warning? You don't think Mage Superior Morgan was kidnapped do you?" Esme questioned her husband quietly while straightening his papers, which moments ago had been strewn across the massive redwood table.
Theron shook his head in dismay, his dark hair falling in his face, unusual for him as it was pulled back ninety percent of the time.
"No one knows. We don't know where they went, why or even if it was against their will. The Mage tower guardian swears there was no disturbance though and nothing was out of place; save for the mages of course"
"Do they have a search party out yet?" Tam asked although his thoughts were already racing on where the Morgan and the other mages might be and why on earth they might have left their beloved city. Not unlike his father Tam shoved his hands into the pockets on jerkin while he thought.
"Yes, but I highly doubt they'll find them. After all, where would they look? No one knows where on earth they might be."
Well if no one was going to look for Morgan he would just have to do it himself. He needed her more than ever now that he had these powers he couldn't control.
"I'm going to go to bed, I want to sleep on this," Tamlyn said walking up the stairs, trying his very best not to run. The idea of actually going to bed had never entered Tam's mind. Instead, he rushed up to his room to start collecting the things he would need. After all, it wasn't going to be an easy trip to find Mage Superior Morgan and her assistants.
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 1:27 pm
Finally satisfied with his letter (one he had revised at least a dozen times) Tamlyn carefully place the parchment on the kitchen table, where he knew his mother would find it the next morning. Sighing to himself and wishing there was a better way, the 17 year old lifted the heavy bag he had packed over his shoulder. Recounting the clothes, food, water and potions he had stolen from his father, Tamlyn tried his best to sneak soundlessly down the hallway past his father's office/potions lab. If he just make it past that door…
“Tam? What are you doing out of bed?” bad timing. The boy had managed to catch his father’s gaze as he was trying to tiptoe past the door.
“Um, getting something to eat?” He wasn’t usually a bad liar but he had never lied to his own father and he hadn’t had any time to think up a good answer either.
“Sit” Theron said; it wasn’t a question. Cursing himself mentally, Tamlyn sat down in one his father’s office chairs while Theron watched his son over a large cauldron the tall man was stirring slowly.
“Now what were you really doing, and don’t try to be smart with me” The man said before turning around to the retrieve some herbs from one of his many shelves.
“I’m leaving; I’m going to search for the mages; for Morgan.” Tamlyn almost cringed waiting for his father’s response but Theron only scoffed before sprinkling in some ingredient Tamlyn couldn’t read the label on.
“Don’t be stupid, there are search teams out there right now looking for her. What makes you think you can find her when no one else has?” Though he didn’t say it, Tamlyn knew his father was concerned about his only son, even if he refused to say it right out.
“Because I have a feeling, I think I know where she is.” Tamlyn said standing up, which shocked even himself; he wasn’t one to be easily angered or riled up.
“you’re not going” Tamlyn’s father said, a finality in his voice, looking up at his son with his almost black purple eyes “end of discussion.”
“I’m almost eighteen I can do what I want! This is my life not yours!” Tamlyn flared, clenching his fist the nails on his hands almost cutting his palms.
“Damnit Tam, I said you’re not going! did you not hear me?” Theron bellowed back at his son, his knuckles white on the spoon handle.
“I’ve lost one son, isn’t that enough?” Theron said not looking at Tam at all, his eyes downcast as if talking to god.
“I heard you but I’m not going to let you stop me, this is something I have to do, Father”
“Even if it means breaking your father’s heart?” his father said very quietly, not doing as well as he usually did at hiding his emotions.
Feeling guilty, Tamlyn walked quietly to his father side and hugged him, not realizing just how much his leaving would hurt his parents.
“I’m sorry but yes, I have to go. You had to know this was coming or something like it. I couldn’t just stay under your roof forever; I’m almost eighteen I had to grow up sometime.” Tamlyn said torn between wanting to leave and wanting to stay.
“I figured you would say something like that, I just didn’t want you to go so soon. I guess never would have been to soon” Theron said giving his son a small smile, a rare event for the somber man.
After his father had given him some of his potions, understandably unhappy that Tam had already taken some, Theron gave his only son a final hug before walking Tamlyn to the front door.
Letting go of a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, Tamlyn looked back over his shoulder at the carved oak doors of the Faeron Family house, committing the image to memory; He knew it would be a long time before he would see it again.
Somber now, the teenager walked quickly down the narrow streets he knew so well. Pulling the hood up on the dark green traveling cloak Tamlyn’s eyes shifted to every shadow as he walked further and further from home into unfamiliar territory, the lower poorer end of town. Purple orbs eyed the Mage tower standing proudly in the center of the city “I’ll find you, Morgan. No matter what it takes” the young man said to himself pausing for a moment.
Staring at the forbidding dark forest beyond the city limits, the boy shifted the pack on his back before walking into the woods, following the only path he found.
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