Completed The City and it's Map - Walk #1

[Chandray]

Chandray Evereene Location: Riverfall Timestamp:Day 1 of Winter 513 AV Purpose: Try to understand the city map and layout, find the way from the shipyards to the labor aid office, and do some sight seeing on the way there. The first thing Chandray did after she had arrived in Riverfall and received the greetings and the scroll was to look at the map. Being the daughter of parents who were forever making maps as part of their jobs she had learnt that a good map is a treasure, no less. And she had been given this treasure of a map for free, as a gift when she arrived. The Alalak, she thought to herself, were generous, to say the least. Thanks to this map she would be able to explore the city in an organized way, part by part, place by place. Curious as she was, this appealed to her. Just looking at the map and quickly browsing the other information, even the advertisements for the shops, made her feel exited. She would explore it all ! But not right away. First she would visit the Citizenship, Housing and Labor Aid Office. So now she needed to use the map to navigate in the town and find her way from the Shipyards to… she held the map up in front of her and searched, her gazemoving over it, reading the names of numerous building and trying to find Labor Aid Office. But she didn’t see it anywhere, not at once. She hoped the map was good: it ought to be pretty good as they were giving it to all newly arrived visitors in the city. Yes - thinking logically it ought to be a very reliable map, as so many people must have used it already and surely any faults must have been reported and corrected long ago. Optimistic as she was she felt she could trust the map. The map was surely right ! It would allow her to navigate well in the city, if she just could find out where the Labor Aid Office was situated and was observant and paid attention to the surroundings.

[Chandray]

Chandray was 27 and hadn’t been living with her parents for years, but while she still lived with them she had sometimes listened a wee bit to what they tried to tell her. Thus she actually had an idea about how to proceed now. She wasn’t going to just rush away with the map in her hand. That could make her do silly mistakes and before she knew it she could be lost. She didn’t want to end up in the wrong part of the city and be forced to rent a luxurious and hideously expensive room. The city had a reputation for eating your mizas and leaving you broke if you didn’t watch out. It would be a bad idea to be wasteful when she didn’t even have a job yet and didn’t know if she would be able to find one, or how much she would earn. According to hearsay the best option for people who weren’t made of money was to buy a cottage and that was what she was going to do. It was obvious that it was no point trying to stand in the middle of a busy workplace and read the map while holding it up in front of her, the wind tearing at it. So she walked a short distance and found a reasonably undisturbed place in the busy port. There she put the map on top of a big crate and could start to study, understand and memorize the layout of Riverfall. Before she started walking she was going to investigate all the information she had been given. She looked at the map and for a start she observed that many different colors had been used. This ought to mean something, she thought. Maps were done by people who worked hard to get every detail right, and her sense of logic told her that it would be unlikely for that kind of people to paint the map just for fun. Giving the map a closer look she observed a detail she had missed at first: there was an explanation to the colors ! They were a simple code used to add information. Orange color meant official buildings. Moving her index finger from place to place on the map she investigated the names of a few buildings marked orange… one by one she sought them out on the map and read their names in order to see what they were used for. The City Council, The Gilia Medical Center, The Gideon Arena, The Labor Aid… Hey, there it was, her goal, The Labor Aid Office!

[Chandray]

Encouraged by how easy it had been to find the place on the map, she continued to look at it. She could as well take the time to learn more about the layout of the whole city, even if it was only map level and not the real thing. It could come in handy to have a rough knowledge about this, she thought. There are situations when you certainly don’t have time to read maps. Riverfall had a reputation for being a well organized and not particularly violent place but no place is totally free from bad people, violence and threats. It was best to be prepared and know at least the basics about the city just in case she would find herself in trouble. She looked at the map again. This time she observed that it looked just like the map had tree somewhat different sections…Again, she investigated the other information she had. She followed the text with her index finger and could read that Riverfall had three different tiers and when she looked at the map she guessed this was what the impression of three sections showed. The lowest tier was where she was right now : on the map she could see beaches, and the shipyard area. And next to it, the middle part, a big part of the map, showed a maze of streets and buildings. Glancing up at all the city with its houses that seemed to climbing up the hillside, on both sides of the huge waterfall, falling down. She thought this seemed to be what the middle part of the map showed. And on the top … the top of the mountain was far way. She wasn’t able to see it from here, but she knew that beyond the upper part of Riverfall lay the wild inland of Cyphrus, The Sea of Grass. She took it the area at the top of the map was also the top of the cliff. It felt like she had now started to grasp the layout of the city, if only very roughly and only on a map. But one day was far from enough time for learning to know the city in practice, she thought to herself. The only thing she had really seen in practice so far was the part of the shipyards where she was standing right now. Learning to know the city for real would take many long walks. Looking at the climbing city she realized that is would also be tough walks.

[Chandray]

It was time for her to go. Chandray folded the map and other information from the welcome scroll very carefully in order to make it easier to handle. The part of the map that she could see now it showed the lowest tier of the city, with the harbor. In order to be able to use it to navigate in the city she kept it in her right hand so she would be able to access it quickly while she walked. She started walking. She could see the all the ships that were moored in the harbor, and all the people milling around, working. As she walked on, upwards, she seemed to leave the area with the beaches and docks and enter the middle tier of the city. Soon she could see a big building to the right. She took the map, unfolded it and looked at it. On the map there was a big building named Karma Bliss Spa. Was this a public bathhouse, or what … it was marked rose on the map, but she had forgotten what rose meant. In order to investigate it she unfolded the map a bit more and looked at the color codes again. So...Rose meant business. The house seemed to be the place named Karma Bliss Spa on the map. But she wasn’t sure. She looked in her scroll and tried to find out if there was anything written about this Bliss Spa. But no, she searched and searched, reading the text several times, but she couldn’t find anything and the house itself gave her no information. It might be there, but if so she wasn't able to find it. And she didn’t want to go closer without knowing more . It could be some kind of expensive place … After the outcome of this investigation she felt a bit nervous. Was the map after all not as reliable as she had assumed ? She had been trying to navigate by comparing map and reality and it had already proven to be hard. On the map everything was clear. In reality, it had already turned out to be more tricky to find her way than she had hoped.

[Chandray]

Chandray came to a new building, this time to the left side of the street she hoped was the right way to the other side of the lowest tier. She was still in the port and could still see the ships and hear all the sounds of the work there. The new house was situated near the waterline. Chandray decided to investigate if she could find out where she was. She looked at the map and saw a building named Pearl House. It was marked green. She looked at the color code key again and saw that green meant residences. Looking Pearl House up in the advertises in the scroll she could read more: it was a house with apartments designed exclusively for konti and their needs. Feeling quite interested in this exotic information, and wondering what the konti’s special needs could be, she continued to read. It was three level apartments, with a water exit on the lowest level and an elegant bedroom on the top level. The prize for buying an apartment there was 500 gold mizas. Chandray had heard that the housing in Riverfall was expensive, but this one seemed to not cost more than a simple cottage, despite how the standard seemed to be much higher. She wasn’t a konti however. She was going to walk closer the house to the left , but only in order to investigate if this really was Pearl House. After not having been able to identify the previous building properly she wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity to investigate this new landmark to find out if the map matched the reality - was she able to navigate by using this map, or was she not? A very pale woman opened the front door a few chimes after Chandray had knocked on it. After a very nice welcome greeting the pale woman introduced herself as Nati Alva and added : “I am sorry but we are full. And the waiting list is very long. I’m afraid we can’t offer you housing here. Have you been informed about the Housing and Labor Aid office?” “So this is Pearl House?” Chandray asked. She showed the map to Nati Alva and pointed that the symbol of a building painted green and named Pearl House. “This one?” As Nati Alva confirmed that it was indeed Pearl House, Chandray started to feel more optimistic again. She wasn’t lost. She investigated the house and identified it as the house on the map. Reality and map matched each other and at the moment she knew her position exactly.

[Chandray]

Walking on from Pearl House she stopped to search on the map for new landmarks to be on the outlook for. She found Nysel’s Tower, a round building, painted red on the map. Nysel’s Tower...let's see...again she investigated the welcome information : she followed the lines of text with her fingertip and scanned it until she found a short description. It was said to be a small and beautiful stone tower dedicated to the Dreamlord. It could be the tower she saw but she wasn’t going to guess. Besides she felt curious and wanted to know more about the mystical tower. She turned right and walked there. And the tower was truly beautiful. When she came closer she could see that its pale stone surface was shimmering in the sun. It was ethereal and very beautiful and she thought that there was something unreal over it, despite the five stories of solid stone. When she was even nearer she could discern carvings on the stone. The surface of the tower seemed to shift and change in the light, depicting different things from moment to moment, almost like oil spilled on water slowly changes its pattern as it flows across water in the sunlight. Intrigued and impressed she stood there just watching it for a few chimes. There was a garden around the tower. Driven by her usual curiosity and the allure of the beautiful tower Chanday entered the garden and saw that there was an altar … an altar full of something that looked like flowers and food. Offerings to a god. And ...could she hear a faint pleasant sound of music? At this point an Akalak approached her. Like all Akalaks he was a big, tall, darkskinned man. He was holding what looked like a musical instrument in his hand. She didn’t recognize the instrument but she guessed it was some kind of string instrument. A gitter? “What can I help you with” he said. “Have you come to make offerings to The Dreamlord?”

[Chandray]

“I follow Laviku” Chandray said hastily, suddenly worried. There were many gods and she had heard tales about them all, from her parents the antropologists, from other passengers on ships she'd travelled on, from people in the cities. She knew there was the god named Nysel, The Dreamlord, the god of dreams and nightmares. Yes, she knew his name, but that was all. She had never before approached a place where he was worshipped, never come this near an altar, or spoken with one of his priests. Her belief in Laviku was strong. How could she ever need to seek out any other gods beside him ? But now …suddenly…like the tower had called to her and drawn her there…here she was. “Is this Nysel’s tower then?” she asked, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Nysel wasn’t her god, no he wasn’t, she belonged only to Laviku. Albeit she bore no sacred marks, this didn’t sway her in her faith. The Akalak smiled at her. “Yes, It’s Nysel’s Tower. And you are…But,not today then, not yet...” he said, still smiling at her. “Not today. Come back another day. Anoher day. When you need guidance, come here and talk to me about your dreams. I will help you interpret them. My name is Osdyn. Alvikin.” He smiled, like he took it for granted that she wouldn’t turn the invitation down, and followed her out from the garden like she had asked him to escort her. Chandray took her leave, feeling oddly upset, like she had stepped into another world just for a fraction of a chime, and been shown the way out again as quickly. Another day. The priest’s words settled in her memory. She would perhaps go back another day, although she had no idea why she would think this...why would she ever want to speak with a priest of another god, when she had Laviku ? What would she want with Nysel, or the Dreamlord with her ... Surely nothing ! She walked on, supressing the anxiety she had felt for a chime or two. Now she would focus in the map and the navigation in the city again, and try to find her way to the Labor Aid...

[Chandray]

After the detour to Nysel’s Tower she went back on track. Another house, a new landmark … and once again she stopped to check the map and the reality in order to ensure that she was navigating right. On the map there was there was the symbol of a house, painted rose. A business again. She read the name on the map: Jia’s Place. Then she went on to reading in the text of the scroll, trying to find something about Jia’s. The only thing she found was a cryptic comment: Magical Emporium. Having checked this up she did as she had done before and went closer, but if there was a business in the house it seemed to be closed. She wasn’t able to confirm that this really was Jia’s … optimistic as she was she decided that it was likely to be Jia’s, and then she walked on. However, her feeling of insecurity increased when she passed by several other building she wasn’t sure of what they were. Accoding to the map there was a residence named Cliffside Grotto and another one named Crystal Rose but when she looked around to compare what she saw to what she could find on the map, she didn’t feel totally sure of where she was … and the moment there was nobody to ask. She was nearer to the waterfall now … she looked at it and listened to the sound of it. And there was a street, a street, or a stair more correctly, windling upwards …She looked at the map again. Despite not being able to identify the building properly, she could see the waterfall and the street on the map and if she was right she was standing at the beginning of a street that would take her towards a house named The Velvet Curtain,… and there was a new tower on the map, The Night Tower, that she could hope would be visible from there and be useful as a landmark too. She planned to walk towards the tower, but take next street to the left, where more landmarks would come into sight … If this was right she would continue forward, over the river. She started to walk up the stairs, hoping that she was on the right way and would be able to find The Velvet Curtain.

[Chandray]

And at the top of the stairs she found the house she thought might be The Velvet Curtain. She stopped there and took started reading again, to see if there was anything written about this place. She wasn’t sure … but now, at a distance she could see a dark tower. The Night Tower ? Chandray decided to have a closer look at the nearest house in order to try to find out if it really was The Velvet Curtain. The house’s façade was unassuming. There was a large window at the front and when she peered in she could see a deep red velvet curtain inside, and what looked like a plethora of rich, dark wood. She noticed that there were no other windows on any side of the house. It was a really weird building. But reading in the information in ordert to see if she could find details, she realized that it was a brothel. This could perhaps or perhaps not explain the lack of windows ... she didn't know and the short text about the place didn't tell her more. She hesitated a bit, but decided to not knock on the door. The house seemed to be closed. Yet another closed business. She decided that the faraway tower she thought must be The Night Tower, together with the position of this house would have to be enough. She put the finger on map on the place where she hoped she was. Finding the way in Riverfall had proven to be much harder than she had thought when she first saw the map. The city was nearly vertical, and the way up was steep. Neither her skill in land navigation or her physical fitness had been ready for this challenge. A walk in Riverfall, she thought, was like climbing. How came people had built the city this way, on the hillside, she wondered. There must be some special reason for it…but Chandray didn’t know this. She made a mental note to find out, one of those days. She wouln’t walk all the way to that dark tower and investigate it. Not today. Instead she walked on in the direction she believed was right. After a while she passed by new places. She stopped to trace the map with her finger : Gilia Medical Center … Valkalah Academy … and finally, there was the Bluevein River. Walking over the bridge to the other side she continued. And on the right side it turned up at last : The Citizenship, Housing and Labor Aid office. She went in and applied for a cottage and a job.

[Translucent]

Congratulations On Your Hard Work!

Chandray:
XP:+1 planning, +5 observation, +5 City navigation
Lores; Riverfall: City of Akalaks, Riverfall: Layout of the city, Landmarks of Riverfall,

Notes:Just a note, and this doesn’t really pertain to any other grader then myself possibly, but when you have skills listed in your CS but with 0 XP its really hard on the grader to read. With no listing of the skill then we know its not there, with a listing it takes us longer to find the ones we are looking for..just to find 0., Would save a lot of time if you didn’t list skills you don’t have points in,.

As always PM me if you have issues.