Solo [The Wright Memorial Library] The Wider World.

A bit of insightful research into Zeltiva's neighbors.

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role playing forum. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

Center of scholarly knowledge and shipwrighting, Zeltiva is a port city unlike any other in Mizahar. [Lore]

[The Wright Memorial Library] The Wider World.

Postby Annalisa Marin on August 8th, 2013, 2:03 am

Image
55th of Summer, 513 AV

The artificial quiet nature of the Wright Memorial Library always had something of a soothing effect on Annalisa Marin. Even now in her worst moments she found an odd since of calm washing over her as she strode through the bookcases, searching for the correct section. The effects of her overgiving were still heavy upon her, but at least she had managed to make herself look at least vaguely presentable today. Her strides were not quite even and her eyes possesses the dark circles of sleep deprivation upon them.

To say she had not been sleeping well would have been something of an understatement, it had been weeks since last a full nights sleep had been hers. No matter how much she tried to get some sleep the effort seemed wasted just to lay wide awake in her own bed, it was hardly productive. So, the young professor had opted to head into the library today to see what she could learn about a topic that had recently caught her fancy. Lately Anna found herself thinking about places that laid beyond her beloved home, specifically Syliras, Sahova, and Nyka. They were close at hand, and from what she recalled Zeltiva supposedly maintained cold but stable relations with Syliras.

Anna herself was no expert on geography, preferring instead magic for its power. However, all knowledge was useful and knowing exactly where Zeltiva stood as far as location and relations with other cities could only help her in the long run. At the moment all she had was rumors and hearsay with few hard facts to go off of. Besides, getting permission for some of the magical tomes she had an interest in at the moment would be a pain.

Aisle after aisle the woman looked through, scanning the various bookshelves and sections for one having to deal with navigation and travel. It was a hard process, she was no member of the College of Navigators and she had never possessed cause to search for such information before. It didn't help that she possessed a headache that constantly buzzed in the back of her skull, disrupting her thoughts. For nearly the hundredth time Anna made a note to never be so foolish about handling magic again, if she was insulted by some uppity brat she was not going to fight him like an idiot, she was going to curse him up to his eyeballs. Nor was she going to enter impassioned intercourse with a kelvic after and while manipulating Djed.

Finally, the tall woman had the sense to pull aside a young librarian. Asking for help annoyed her but she needed to find the section she sought, preferably without having to tear the library apart.

"Excuse me, sir, do you know where the section dealing with maps and cities beyond Zeltiva is?" Anna asked, her tone holding a slight edge of exasperation to it.

The man raised an eyebrow at the sight of her, which set a spark of annoyance off deep within her. Anna let it pass without comment, she of all people recognized how bad she looked.

"Certainly, follow me miss." The young man replied, leading her down a nearby aisle.

The tall wizard followed the librarian, memorizing the sections they passed through and noting any outstanding markings for reference so she would not get lost the next time she needed to find this section again. Tomes detailing navigation were noted, the occasional chart or two, as well as tables tucked into little alcoves. Her gaze swept over as much as it could take in as they walked.

Anna nodded her thanks to the young librarian when they arrived and sent him off with a wave of her hand. The gesture was not quite as imperious as it had once been, but it still did the job in conveying that Anna possessed some import in the city. Her tired grey eyes scanned over the section, she could already tell she'd have a fair bit of searching to do before she found what she sought. With a heavy sigh, Anna started down the nearest aisle on the look out for her subjects of interest today.
Image
User avatar
Annalisa Marin
Sorceress of Chaos
 
Posts: 1479
Words: 1635951
Joined roleplay: May 19th, 2013, 6:52 pm
Location: Nyka
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 3
Featured Thread (1) Overlored (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

[The Wright Memorial Library] The Wider World.

Postby Annalisa Marin on August 8th, 2013, 2:39 am

Image
Anna's search began with a section that seemed to possess a number of humble looking charts and books detailing known trade routes. Curious, the wizard carefully removed one of the charts at random and looked at its contents. From what she could make of the aged piece of parchment, it detailed routes to Lisnar which was mildly interesting but not exactly the kind of map she had been looking for. Carefully, the wizard put it back in its place and resumed her search for a good chart. The professor was interested in a chart that could detail the entire region of Sylira, or at least a good deal of it.

The wizard quickly discovered that while trade charts were relatively easy to come across, maps of the whole of Sylira were less so. Anna did happen upon a good map of Zeltiva itself however as well as the region in its immediate vicinity, detailing it all the way out into Matthews Bay and beyond the foothills a good way. She was hardly a navigator but it looked really well drawn, she could even spy a place a ways down the bay that looked to be where her practice grounds were.

Nodding slowly the woman replaced it and continued her search, it was an interesting find but still not what she had been looking for. Though, perhaps she could commission a copy to be made for future reference. The wizard tucked the possibility away for future reference as she looked at chart after chart. Finally, it seemed as though the gods possessed some mercy and rewarded her search with born fruit. Anna quickly gazed over the map, nodding slowly as she made note of the cities that held her interest and one that piqued her interest somewhat. It was no where near as detailed as the Zeltivan map had been but it looked about right to her, then again she was not a member of the College of Navigators.

Chart in hand the wizard moved down the aisle in search of something else, books detailing the cities that held her interest. The map was there for physical reference, the tomes would hopefully illuminate what she needed to know. Her search led her down another aisle, away from the charts and maps and into one with the musty smell of tomes. Her eyes flicked over various tomes, most looked to be details of exploration and were of the cities she had not interest in. A few volumes did jump out to her so she memorized their location for when she decided to actually sit down and read. This search was far more easy than her previous one had been in some respects, and more difficult in others.

There were a number of volumes on Syliras, though that was not exactly surprising. One or two on Nyka caught her gaze for a moment and were recorded. Sahova and the newest place to gain her interest, Ravok, were a much more tricky thing. Anna scanned the same area multiple times, however there seemed to be nothing on either in the immediate section. So she looked further down, intent on find enough volumes to compile a good bit of research today.

Occasionally, Anna did stop and look over a book or two that caught her eye despite being off the topic of her interest. So far the search was proving more difficult than finding a chart of the region, however the tall wizard was not discouraged as she knew she had plenty of time to browse and find a good volume. Zeltiva was a port city known for its seafaring travel and exploration. The library itself was named for Kennabelle Wright, the woman who had sailed around the whole of Mizahar and one of Zeltiva's most famed historical figures.

Finally after a fair bit of aisle jumping Anna found a journal detailing a journey to Sahova. Now all that remained was to find something on Ravok and her search would be vindicated.
Image
User avatar
Annalisa Marin
Sorceress of Chaos
 
Posts: 1479
Words: 1635951
Joined roleplay: May 19th, 2013, 6:52 pm
Location: Nyka
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 3
Featured Thread (1) Overlored (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

[The Wright Memorial Library] The Wider World.

Postby Annalisa Marin on August 9th, 2013, 8:35 pm

Image
Disappointment was the word Anna would use to describe what she felt as she sat at a small table tucked away in the corner of the section. Not only had her search for a volume on Ravok not borne fruit but the tome on Sahova was proving to be rather useless. It's writer had not gone past the docks of the mysterious island, only being able to see golems and not a single nuit. As such the volume was useless to her, though that was unsurprising considering it was unrestricted. The same was true for the one she had picked out on Nyka, possessing only the barest of information and none of it looked useful. The professor had a sneaking suspicion that tomes possessing relevant information on Sahova and Ravok, might indeed be in the restricted section for some reason. The wizard sighed and opened a book on Syliras she had picked up, this one looked a bit more promising.

It was titled "A City within a Castle" by Telia Merthon, a former professor from the College of Scholars if she read this correctly. Anna's grey eyes scanned over the lines, already able to tell that this was rather professionally writing.

I do not mind telling you dear reader that Syliras is an intimidating sight, a massive castle city unlike anything a native Zeltivan has seen before. It resembled some kind of great stone beast, ready to swallow up travelers. The famed Syliran Knights were ever vigilant and seemed to take a cold view of our little caravan, as though sizing us up as a threat rather than as friends.


The Syliran Knights... Anna wondered how important they were to the city. Were they comparable to the Wave Guards or the Martial Society? The professor read on.

We ended up staying in the Travelers Row, a pleasant complex of apartments where travelers to the city often stayed. Even still, the city itself possessed a foreign quality about it that was very different from my beloved home. The Wave Guard often stood watch in Zeltiva, but they were merely a branch of the Lord of Council's will. Here, it seemed as though the knights possessed purview over all. A militant force governing the people, watchful for every potential threat.

As a civilized individual myself, one who values education and equality, I am not ashamed to admit I possess some bias against the city of Syliras. Our two cities work towards the same goals really, to clear the darkness from this world and provide hope for others. The methods in which we accomplish this are what set us apart.

Zeltiva is a center of learning and exploration, knowledge is our weapon against the darkness. We seek to illuminate the truth of the world and better understand it. Syliras cuts and hacks its way through the darkness, destroying those that threaten the rigid order they would impose upon others. They are heavily militarized, I do not doubt if they wished it they could easily defeat our armed forces.


With each word, Anna's eyes narrowed and her opinion of Syliras rose and fell here and there. She could respect the need for strength to carve out one's way in the world, but the path of Syliras seemed foreign to her and offensive to her beliefs. At the end of the day, she was a servant of Rhysol and sought to bring disorder and chaos to the land. Through the fires of destruction and chaos, the truly strong made their way and forged their destiny.

Order was necessary in some respects, but the extreme of it was abhorrent to someone like her. It stifled creativity and forced people to conform to a certain way of life, something Anna wanted no part in.

The negatives being what they are, there are some parts of Syliran society I cannot help but admire. Every person in the city serves a purpose as dictated by the knights, those without employment can quickly find it. The efficiency of the city itself is indeed quite remarkable and its government does seem to lack the squabbling of factions, such as the occasional tensions between the University and the Sailor's Guild.


Anna frowned at that, if their political system was stable and their population was relatively happy then trying to introduce the will of Rhysol there seemed unlikely at best. Still Anna looked on the map and noted the distance from Zeltiva to Syliras, likely at least a months travel by caravan and that was if they were lucky. Land travel was always a risky affair, even just her little excursions into the wilds around Zeltiva tended to make her a little cautious. You never knew what could be lurking over the next hill, even close to the city there was no guarantee of safety.

The wizard glanced back over the map, memorizing the location respective to Zeltiva the cities were at. Sahova would require travel by boat, a route to the east and then north. Ravok, Nyka, and Sunberth were well north of the city. Ravok appeared to be located in the center of a lake if the map was correct. Syliras was due north west.

Anna nodded and returned the moved to return the map to its respective shelf. This was likely the most she was getting out of this little trip. She could return later to look over the restricted books.
Image
User avatar
Annalisa Marin
Sorceress of Chaos
 
Posts: 1479
Words: 1635951
Joined roleplay: May 19th, 2013, 6:52 pm
Location: Nyka
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 3
Featured Thread (1) Overlored (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

[The Wright Memorial Library] The Wider World.

Postby Taylani on November 20th, 2013, 6:47 am

Image
XP Award!


Annalise Marin:

XP Award:
  • +3 land navigation

Lore:
  • Syliras: Castle City
  • Zeltiva: City of learning

Notes:.

Comments :
This was a neat and informative thread. A little bit of skill a little bit of lore. Please feel free to PM me any concerns with your grade, and don’t forget to delete/edit your post in the grade request.

TAYLANI
Image
User avatar
Taylani
Captivated
 
Posts: 1230
Words: 541241
Joined roleplay: September 7th, 2013, 4:41 am
Location: Endrykas
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 3
One Thousand Posts! (1) Extreme Scrapbooker (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests