Below are the 7 most recent journal entries recorded in tillumni's LiveJournal:

Tuesday, June 15th, 2004
8:10 pm	Johrbro isthmus and theory of magic Going south from the 5-woods forest, brings us to where the Jorhbro Isthmus ((isthmus: thin piece of land that connects two larger body of land)) connects Geffen isle with the rest of the continent. (( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos177.jpg ))   Like the other local region of Geffen, is this a fertile area, with medicin herbs growing rightoutside the city gate. (( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos176.jpg )) This is also the must welltraveled part of Geffen, due to the Path between Geffen and Prontera that runs through and through sheer tradition, being the only way to acces Geffen, and in distant time, Geffenia, by using the Jorhbro Isthmus ( Johrbro translate to Earth brigde), before the bridges was made. (( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos174.jpg ))   2 noticeble consequens of the isthmus is that, of all the regions nearby Geffen, this is the one with the smallest wild-life and 2.nd, this being the only acces to Geffen that can't be blown up, have been the deciding factor for placing the barracks for Geffens army, which also double as town guards, on this island, the Mage shield isle. (( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos175.jpg )) From here, Geffen can strike at any invading force, after acces from bridges have been cutted of, and have been a large part of Geffens ability to stay mustly indepent from the 3 nations that surrounds it. (Kingdom of Rune-midgard to the south and south-east, Republic of Swarchbald to the north and north-east, and Arnafeltz to the west) not much more can be said about this place, so we'll quikly head south to the banks of the Rena river, and then eastward. _____________ ekstra entry, due to the short length, a small article will be added, not directly related to the lands, and will occasionally also be done for other short entries. the first article is about, almust obviusly, giving the area we are in, about magic: Arcane energy, spell effects and thier relation, a model for the working of magic. (simplified version)   Magic, must have seen it in it's varius form, from a war mages'  fireballs, to the abjures energy shields, but how, by all the gods of rune-midgard, does it work? the facts is the nobody really know, but the must used model to explain alot of it, is Nohrs theory of energy equitation. To understand it, one must know these facts: Arcane energy eksist in free form, called eksternal energy, and it eksist in must objekts, called internal energy. Arcana energy is different from the ones that acolytes channelize, an acolyte (must of them atleast) act for a conduct of divine energy and so what applies to the first, does not neccesary aply to the other. The 4 must important laws of Nohrs model is: 1: energy is never created nor lost, it "merely" change or move 2: all energy in the world and almust all matter is the same, the difference being the state they are in. 3: all energy and almust all matter can go from one state to another, depending on how they are affected. 4: matter that can't change, is not energy in a specific state, and are classified as stable matter, but they can store energy and be affected by energy number 1 can not be directly proved, but is proven indirectly by number 2. The Model is based on observations made by Nohr, of but the mundane and the arcane. He first noticed when studying the palm trees growing in Geffen, wondering if there was a relation between the lack of sun-light and the energy that the trees absorbed. By comparing the energy that a normal palm tree, growing in Socrat desert, gained from the sun-light and the energy a palm tree in Geffen gained from the sun-light and absorbed arcane energy, he found that the energy gained from the sunlight and the arcane energy by a Geffen palm, was roughly equal to the one a regular palm tree gained. the 2.nd test he did was to put a sapling in total darkness and only feed it arcane energy, equal to the energy a palm tree growing in sun-light gained. the end result was two healthy tree of roughly same sice, through the one grown in darkness lacked the green colour (giving rise to the theory that something in plants, which give them the green colour, is related with thier ability to convert sun-light to energy used for growth). the third test was burning the trees, and at first he was surprised to see the energy from the heat and light, ekseeded the one the trees had absorbed from sun-light and arcane energy, after much discussions with sages in Juno, he found out that he had forgot that trees also absorb water and nutrition from the ground, and by adding those factors, he got the ekspected result, energy absorbed = roughly energy released The final test was seeing how it related to spell casting, casting a controlled fireball, using the same amounth of arcane energy, that the trees had absorbed from varius sources, he threw fireballs, whose heat and light energy was equal the ones from the burning trees, but condenced into a much shorter time-span. further experiments lead to these results: matter had the must energy in relation to space they occopied, it usually requere energy to alter one type of energy to another, the process of altering one type of energy to another, also needs energy must of the time and all matter naturally absorbs arcane energy, up to a certaint point, that point depending on the matter. His model give explination to must of the working of spells, one of the must important is that when a spell is cast, it doesn't directly convert the casters internal energy to the spell effect, but uses the energy spent to start the process that alter eksternal energy to spell effects. This explains why people can learn how to case magic with less use of internal energy and still retain the same effect. the model also shows why spells that deals with matter is more difficult, due to the greater amounth of energy that must be moved and altered, and it explains why there are some type of spells that few mages can learn to cast naturally, but which come almust effortlessly to acolytes. Nohrs model is not the only one, but it's the must widely used whe magic is discussed amounth researchers since it give some clear parameters to work from and have so far not been proven wrong under normal circumstances, It becomes harder to make the model fit reality, when things move into, what's called "high magic". spells with ektremely large energy involved and often, also massive effects. and some believe that, that kind of magic will never be explainable, but that it will forever make magic a force not understood, but allways a source of wonder and power. (  ((ooc: a request and explinations of the ideas behind Nohrs Model)  ) Current Mood: working (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 19th, 2004
9:14 am	Sena bay and 5 wood forest we now reach the place where the Sena river floats into lake Geffenia and 5-wood forest. The 5-wood forest is named so, for the variation in large plant growth not seen anyway else: there's offcourse the palm trees, typical for the region around Geffen (( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos167.jpg )) which grows west and south of the Sena river. the Light Pine which seeds make eksellent seasoning (( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos168.jpg )) which grows on the southern part of the forest. Huge leaf tree grows in cluster west and south of the Sena river and to the north, at the foot of mt' Mjoilnor grows the Dark Pine (( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos170.jpg )) and the giant leaf plants (( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos171.jpg )) There also a large variation of Mushroom growth in the area and it's not uncommon to see one or two person out here, picking mushrooms for either dinner or experiments. This variation and interaction of plants, makes the forest an often visited place by botanics, druids and other studying plant growth and forest systems as a whole. the whole forest is generally a quite place, rarely disturped since it lies off the main travel routs and with little of monetary or resource-wise interest to make it an often visited place but stories goes that the isle in the middle of Sena river, was once of the site of a great heroisme. (( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos172.jpg )) The story goes that during the early time of the Geffenia, when it was still a fairly small city, just building up everything, a band of monsters appeared, some tales says that tey where Demons, other that they where intelligent undeads, but they all agree that these monster had somekind of ability or artifact that would put up a shield that could absorb arcane energy, much like a priest Kyrie Eleison would protect against physical harm. For a long time these monster roamed the lands untill they found Geffenia. here they found a people who had few trained warriors, an organisational struktur still in forming and a city with large resources and so they settled down. doing as they pleased where they pleased. this went on for 5 weeks according to much stories and records, then the mage Ostur (there's doubt about his family and there'll often be families in Geffen trying to claim heritage from him from time to time), an old mage, far up in his eigthies, gray hair and poor sight, challenged them to combat and the monster laughed, cause Ostur had not been the first. and they told him to run off, cause he had amused them. Then he restated his challenge saying that he would fight all of them, and they laughed again, warning him of his folly. Then he said that he would fight on the island in the middle of the Sena river, so that nobody could interfer and help him, and they looked at him bored, commanding him to leave and go back to his work. Ostur turned around and shrugged while mumbling and one of the monsters asked what he said, and he replied saying it wasn't important. The monster jumped up and screamed a demand to hear and Ostur replied "I just said: maybe they are afraid" Hearing this, the monster all rose, looking at him angrily and accepted his challenge. and so, on the same day, as the sun was about to go down, they met on the Isle and it had barely started, before it was over...Ostur knew long before the fight what he would do, so when the last dieing ray of the sun disappeared, Ostur casted a spell he had been forming in his mind, "Culmas' final blast", a spell that converted every single part of ones body into pure energy and also part of once spirit and a spell that had not been casted before ((Culma himself never used the spell, the mere threat of using it was enough for him never needing it)). The resulting blast overwhelmed the monsters shield and annihilated them. It's said that barely 10 seconds went from the moment the Spell had been cast, to the moment the energy dissipated, nothing was left of mage or monsters and the isle it self had been flattened, and in honour of his sacrifise it was named after him. Nows adays it's an peacefull place, where people go for picnic and parents take thier children to tell the story, with no trace of the battle save for one thing. the isle was so saturated with energy that even now, the blue, energy filled plants grows there. And so, with the closing of this story, we head south. Current Mood: accomplished Current Music: Ragnarok online. Peacefull forest (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, April 11th, 2004
9:03 pm	Northwind gate bridge leaving the village of Sjaelfre by heading east, brings us to the North-wind Gate bridge region. This region is well known for the great amounth of wildlife in the area, being largely undisturped by merchants and adventure, who tends to enter Geffen from the eastern gate. It's also the region where Geffen harvest must of the medicin plants, having great fields of medicin plants, right outside the northen gate. But to reach them, we must first head south, which brings us to the northen part of the "North-wind gate bridge." ( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos154.jpg ) The northen Bridge is similiar to the Sunset gate bridge, and is named for the strong northen winds that makes the top of the supporting pillar sway and move, Surprisingly for somebody observing this for the first time, the lower part of the bridge is quite calm and that is due to "Windshield hill" which top give the best view in the area ( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos157.jpg ) Head east, to leave the region, brings us to a small rope brigde that cross the Fena River, which float into Lake Geffenia. ( http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos154.jpg ) This river was at a time nick named "Murk river", and was at that time, almust as brown as dirt. The reason for that can be found 1 sau upstream, where the coal mine of Mt. Mjoilnor can be fond. From this place, all the earth, dirt and other by product from ekscavating the mine was dumpde into the river, a process that took enough time for the river to earn a nick name. The dumping stopped, when the ekscevation of the 2.nd level of the coal mins had almust finished, great fissure and ravine was found inside Mt. Mjoilnor and the dumping was transfered to thier, both because of the protest of the fishermen whos' livehood was made wastly difficult, and because it simple was easier to throw everything into a nearby hole, then dragging it all the way out of the mine, just to throw it into the river.   And now we head eastward and onward, toward where the Sena river floats into lake Geffenia. Current Mood: accomplished Current Music: The gentle sound of floating water, from the Fena river (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, March 14th, 2004
2:04 pm	Village of Sjaelfre   heading a half sau, from the western part of the Sunset brigde, we now reach what commonly is called Tent Town, though it's real name is Sjaelfre village...which come from the words soul and peace, in the ancient tongue of the gods. Sjaelfre history short: The village of Sjaelfre, was founded shortly after the Geffen barrier to the north and east was lowered, by an adventuring couple who decided to settle down, Khey and Sanna Treekin. They originally intended to live in Geffen, where they had found work, but they quikly found the urban life of Geffen was not to the liking of somebody who grew up in Payon and who had been living must of thier life on the road, and so, they decided to set up permanent camp outside Geffen. Soon the word spread and more people moved to the area from all over the world, which can be seen in the diffent style of tents. (image link, untill I find a better host: http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos142.jpg  http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos143.jpg  http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos145.jpg ) must of them retired adventure, making Sjaelfre the place with the highest concentration of former adventures,which also give it the nickname, "Old tales hamlet" due to the many people who are more the willing to tell a story, it also make it one of the safest place to be.   A tour of interesting places: the First major place that one will reach, when entering Sjaelfre from the south, will be the market place: (link: http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos150.jpg ) basicly a big open place, where trade caravans can set up, selling there goods and buying the red herbs, which grow in large number in the area, infact the red herbs is the single must important source of income for the village, not counting the bounty it recieve from Geffen, for keeping the monster that populate the areas west and north-west at bay. only feature in this place is a big bon fire, ready to be lit, so that the trade can continue, to far into the night.   Heading north, and slightly west, to the north eastern corner of the village, brings us to "Wyrm rest" named so for the pattern that the grass and cliff forms, at the end of the path, that slightly resemble a dragons head. (link: http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos146.jpg ) it's said that at this image of one of the great dragons..not the small ones that can be found east of Glasthiem, but the majestic ones. huge, intelligent, powerfull, capeble of taking out a whole company of knights single handly, yet for some reason, died and crashed to the ground, smashing the cliffs and forming the path....and even though it's body disappeared, part of the dragons spirit still linger in the area, and is must visible manifisted in the image. heading east, and then south west to the brigde and crossing it, brings us to Durr isle. (link: http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos147.jpg ) This isle is used by the people of Sjaelfre for all thier fairs and celebrations, Especially the Spring comming fair, is much celebrated, and it's not uncommon that people come from Prontera to visit it, and even a few from distant Morroc, to this fair. It's also less known, as one of chrashed, floating isle, something that became more common knowlegde, when the tropical plants, that have adapted to use arcane energy to replace the light of warm from the southern lands, started to grow on the isle, indicating that it had a significant amount of arcane energy bound in the ground. (link: http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos148.jpg ) Returning to the main land again, we now make our way to the middle of the Village, and reach Sjaelfres' Council area. (link: http://tillumni.4t.com/screenChaos149.jpg )  basicly a big campfire, where one member from each family meet the last saturday each month, to discuss the affairs of the village. it's also the favored place to hang out when there's no meeting,  and  is basicly Sjaelfres' equivalent of a bar or cafe. It's also the best place to find people who's ready to tell stories from thier adventuring past. and here end the tour of Sjaelfre, and we'll now turn west in the next entry.   Elmikie closed the journal and finished his tea. "well, guess it's time to visit them" He made his way through the town, greeting people on the way, untill he reached his distination, a tent, he walked in and looked around, there was no light.. "mom?..dad?..I'm back..." He shrugged, maybe they had gone ou..BLAM, FWEEEeeee BOOM, suddenly light and explosions appeared all around him, and he instantly pulled out his staff, prepared, then he heard voices from behind the smoke "koff, koff...abit too much smoke from this spell, eh son?" a male figur walked toward him "hey, you're the one who didn't want to leave a wind spell on, to blow it away immidiatly" The voice of the woman switched over to a short chanting, which started a wind that blew away the smoke. Elmikie just stared.."wha..wha....you could had set fire to the tent with that" "ha ha..don't worry, who was it that taught you the firework spell? beside I got your mom here to fix my mess, right hon?" Elmikie's dad looked toward his mom and grinned "yeah...at worst, I'll fry you so good, that you'll never do it again" She grinned back, then they both broke out in laugther. "anyway, welcome back son, come, sit, sit" Elmikie made his way toward a low table, and recieved a hug from his mother, as he passed by her "glad to have you back Elm, even if it's only for a while" "....Thanks" He hugged back, then sat by the table, and noticed that it allready was decked with food and tea..."how did you found out that I was here?" "words spread quikly in a small town, old Sarma said that a mage had setted fire to her laundry, and that that mage was also walking around, constantly taking notes" Elmikie smiled abit ackward "eheh...guess I cause abit of a ruckus" His mother finished pouring up the tea and looked up "so what are you working with now?" Elmikie sipped, then replied "I'm just writing a travel guide and then there's my duties as a guild leader offcourse.." "nothing dangerous?" "eh...ehm...." She smiled softly "well, if you don't want to tell, then it's not something you can't handle" Elmikie nodded "anyway, what about you?" "not much...you know how quiet this town can be" Elmikie sipped from his tea and nodded "your dad have retired from being the villages defense leader, but that's it for major news" Elmikie quikly turned toward his father "it's true?" "yep, retired a few weeks ago and my replacement seems to be a good person" His father looked abit at Elmikie's worried face, then patted him as he grinned "don't worry, it's not old age...I'm not about to die soon or anything...just my old leg wound asking for a rest" Elmikie sighed relived "i'm glad to hear that" Elmikie looked outside, then walked towad his bag, and pulled out a book and a package..."here, just something I picked up...the book is linked to the travel journal" He handed them the gift, as his mother asked: "none of this will blow up this time..right?" "eh...he he he....don't worry, I've double checked everything this time." Elm close his backbag and prepared to leave, as his parent stopped him..."you're leaving allready?" "well..I'm a little busy" "bah..we'll just help you on the way then..just stay for dinner at least" Elmikie stood by the entrace and looked at them...then sighed "oh what the hack, I'll stay" "heh, heh, you won't regret it son" "and I don't ekspect to" Elmikie putted down his bag and returned to the table. Current Mood: good Current Music: laughs and spells setting off (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, February 14th, 2004
1:40 am	Leaving Geffen Elmikie sat down and regulary took bites form his dinner, a sandwich with sausages, he was too tired to take the risk of spellcasting. the view from the observatuorium was allways breath taking. "eh..that's all?"...he looked down on his empty hand "well, times to write"   We now head west leaving Geffen through the west gate   and reach the western part of Geffen isle, the fauna in this area is noted for it's variety, but must of all, for being one of the two places outside Geffen, where tropical plant grows.    though in this case, it's technically not a tropical plant, but a plant that have develioped from the seeds from Geffens trees and adapted to the weather.   This area have 3 noticeworthy place, starting with the one closes to Geffen is Jortohr isles   "Jortohr" roughly translate to "earth tear" cause it is said that these three isle is the top of the last floating isle to fall from the sky when Geffenia was lost. but it's now adays must well known for being a spot where couples meet to be alone, and it's an unspoked rule in Geffen that one doesn't go to any of the isles where there's a couple.   But it's also an interesting place to visit for people seeking to see some of Geffenia, cause under the water can ruins from that time be found.   Study have shown that it's must likely, what's left of the buildings that was buildt on tup of the isles when they still floated, the gate shows that it was possible to go into the isle which probaly had rooms digged into it, and the ruins of a shrinelike building indicates it must had been either a small isle dedicated to worship, or was a big isle enough to have its' own shrine, either option is possible with what is known now.   the next site which will be impossible to overlook is Geffens western brigde.   It's named the "Sunset gate" bridge, or more commonly called by name as the "Sunset" brigde since it have been placed so that the Sun will allways go down between the great pillars the support the bridge when viewed from Geffens western gate. The bridge is one of the largest contruktion made by man, spanning over a half sau and being 45 adult mens' shoulder wide. it's also a bottleneck and first line of defense for Geffen, must defensive strategy for Geffen deals with how to stop an enemy at one of the bottlenecks, before they can come close and damage the city itself. Crossing the bridge leads and going north bring us to the cloud-kin observatorium. It can be accesed by walking up "Sky gate" hill     which leads us to the Sky stairs     These stairs leads to the must important and efficient observatorium in the world. the Cloud-kin Observatorium   This observatorium lies in the optimum condition for observing the night sky: high placed, clear field of vision and no background light to interfer with the telescopes. Stargazers, divinator and mages having business the involves planets and stars can be found here every night and one useally have to book a time before hand in Geffen to get to use one of the telescopes, but even without a booked time, is it a pupolar place to watch the stars and for that matter the view. an interesting that can be seen clearly from this place, is that the hexagon and octagon shapes that often appear in Geffens' architecture can be seen on the bridge too.   The Floating Isle itself, is also a wonder to behold, it's one of the few leftover of old Geffenias' floating isle and the creation of one is a source of much research and studies, so far the secrets of the magic used to make one haven't been unlocked, despite the fact that the smallest of them is barely the sice of a shack.   notes about the regions' plant growth. the soil have a small concentration of arcane energy, which for some reason give potatoes in the area a distinctive taste, and give rise to the growth of the rare blue plant and even rarer shining plant. A fair amounth of medicin plant also grows in the area, but that's more due to the natural fertility of the area. also it's interesting to note that must of the tropical like trees, grows near Geffen, which have giving rise to speculation that they might be using the arcane energy that's released and use them as a replacement for the warmth and light that these plants useally need.   crossing the bridge, we'll head north, to visit what's been called "tent town" in the next entry.   *close the book and puts it back in his bag*..."am I glad that it's only the towns that take up alot of pages" *looks out from the observatorium toward north* "....going to be nice to visit them again..well better get packing" *packs his stuff together and accidently push his staff over the edge* "..." "I hate when that happens"     Current Mood: relieved Current Music: Travel - ragnarok online (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 10th, 2004
7:24 pm	Geffen ((OOC: warning, 4 page in ms word, long read, since it's a town, field maps will hopefully be shorter))   Elm sat in on a bench near the northen entrance to Geffen, book on lap, pen in hand an tea cup levitating in the air next to him. Geffen had suddenly seemed much larger when he walked around, ..he had ekspected a few hours..not a few days. but now it was done, he just had to start writing now "..." "..." "..." "darnnit" he leaned back and sighed..."brains to fried to write anything....better take a rest" He layed down on the bench, about to take a small nap, as he overheard a knight , followed by a young novice passed by. "here's your distination kid, Geffen, the city of magic. and remember, if you want to get back, then just head straigt east and look to the south" Elm opened his eyes widely "that's it, that's how I can start it, bette..gah...HOT" He had in his eksitement jumped up and tipped the tea cup over himself.."gark...I hate when that happens"...He quikly casted a firewall to dry himself by, and opened the book, there where more important thing to do, then worry about wet clothing. he conjured forth his pen.   First destination, right outside the door, Geffen. The city of magic and arcane wonders. Placement: Geffen lies 4-5 sua (standard area unit) east north-east of Prontera, close to The Commonwealth of Schwarzwald southern border and 3 sau west, south west of the Ruins of Glast Hiem, on an island in the middle of Lake Geffenia, connected to the rest of the continent by bridges to the west and north, and a small strip of land to the east.   Geffen Short: Geffen was founded on top of the Ruins of ancient Geffenia, which was founded here due to the high concentration of external arcane energy in the area, the abundance of energy have made it possible for Geffen to incorporate magic in all aspect of life in ways that no other city have done, making it the center of anything dealing with magic. Resource wise, it lies in one of the riches region, having fertile soil to the north and east, and a lake surrounding it, bountiful with fishes, and to the north lies the mineral rich mt. mjoilnor, which Geffen, unlike other cities nearby, have easier access too, due to a lesser amount of dangerous monster.  This have also made Geffen strongly indepent from the rest of the world, keeping it self politically neutral to both the King of Prontera and to The Commonwealth of Schwarzwald, though they have been more open lately. But Geffen in general keeps to itself, having other things to do then power broking and politic, two of the must important being the danger of Glast Hiem and Geffenia ruins.   A tour of interesting places: Geffen is a town known for its' magic and for the craftsmanship of it's artisans, being the center of arcane research, and the seat of the Blacksmiths' guild and in no other building is that as evident as the Great tower. The Tower is one of the two must important building in Geffen, being the main administration building, housing Geffens' mage council, the last line of defence, academy for the training of wizards and maybe must important of all, the seal to the Ruins of Geffenia. The whole tower is primarily built as one big seal, to keep the dangers of Geffenia at bay. Originally, it was also the focal point of Geffens' old barrier to the rest of the world, but Geffen had for various reasons decided to lower those barrier, first the eastern and later the northern and western. One of the reasons was to direct the energy used to uphold the barrier into the seal, which have charged the tower with the greatest concentration of arcane energy made by man, and at the heart of this construct is the sealing stone.   This crystal is the single must important artefact of Geffen, it's unknown what it is, rumours says that it's an Shard of Ymir, other that it's a gift from the gods giving to the founder of Geffen to keep what ever lurks in Geffenia, away and yet other says that it's no less then the greatest achievement in the history of spellcraft and that the means of creating one can still be found. It is also unknown exactly how it works, though many theories exists, however, those theories lies outside the boundaries of this book, being far to scientifically and requiring a certain knowledge of the workings of magic, however it is clear what it does, gathering and directing of arcane energy to the towers' seal. On a side note, it also lies in the safest room in whole Geffen, being stuffed with wards and protection spell to keep the crystal safe and therefore also often used for meeting between rivals part where the risk of combat exist.       Above the crystal room lays the main office for Geffens' wizard academy, where there'll always be one or two hopeful magician. One can also always find the ever busy staff: Catherine, who'll teach the basic and the one who decide when one is ready for the 2.nd part which is handled by Laurel, one of the must powerful wizard in Geffen and the person behind the final part of the test for wizardhood and finally Maria Splodofska, student counsellor and talking dog, always ready to help despite her condition.   The teaching of spellcraft in the Wizard academy is founded on practical experience, self study and the encouragement of students to find the solution to a problem by them self and by doing so, tries to teach them resourcefulness, persistency and creativity, all traits that they'll need to learn and prosper by them self when they graduate.   Right outside the Tower lies the inner road, going counter-clockwise; the first building worth visiting is Geffens' pottery and glassblower workshop.     This place is known both for the high productions of jars and bottle used all over rune-midgard and for the high quality and beauty of vases and glasses, ordered from lords and nobles all over the world.   Right next to it lies the "resting wand café" a favourite place for the local population to hang out, be they students, clerks or guards and occasionally an adventure or two, though they tend to be found in the Inn by the outer road.     If you decide to visit the Café, then remember to keep your weapons sheathed and your spells hiding, it's not nicknamed the "broken wand" café for nothing and the owner is more then capable of making the café live up to that name, being a former teacher in the wizard academy. Another thing to remember is to try out one of the fish dishes, many of them caught in the nearby lake, all of them served with locally dogged potatoes, famed for the unique taste that the slightly mana filled soil around Geffen gives. It's also the place to go for local gossip and rumours, which all are more or less truthfully, but there'll always be one or two who can be interesting to hear.   West of the Café lies the Geffens armoury, specialising in equipments for mages, but it's must well known for the spell guarding sallet and mirror shield, the means of crafting it being closely guarded. So this is a place worth visiting if one is expecting to fight spell user.   Completing the circle around the tower, we now head south to the Gem spring plaza, named after the unusual water spring that, instead of having water coming out, holds a gem levitated in the middle, which act like a prism, reflecting , enhancing and altering any light that enters into a grand display of dancing colours. It's a sight that is not to be missed, and always worth visiting again and again, to see what new shapes and patterns that it forms. The Plaza is the must often used place for gathering and visiting merchants plying their goods and the streetlights in cohesion with the gem spring keeps the place lighted enough to be used from one sunrise to the next.   Going counter clockwise again in the outer road, bring us to what unofficially is called "Blacksmith road", it used to be the centre of all freelance smiting, but nowadays, must of the trade have now been moved to Prontera, still, it's one of the few places outside of Prontera where forgers regularly can be found and the reason can be found right next to the road, where the Blacksmith guild have its' head smithy and office.   The Blacksmith guild originally didn't had office in this smithy, but the discovery of the old coalmine nearby Geffen resulted in a large increase of ores coming in, the result being the blacksmith guild following to where they where must needed. The actual smithy lies outside, but it's not one that people usually will buy weapon from, this smithy is mainly used as a place for new blacksmith to practice their skill and get some experience as part of the training.   North of the blacksmith guild, and along the eastern part of the road lies Geffens' food market, the must well known product being the freshwater fish that's caught in the surrounding lake, it's also the only place this high to the north that sells locally grown tropical fruit, the reason being mentioned further down.     Looking toward the North eastern corner of Geffen, can one find the Windsong inn. which also double as the local mill. It was build after inspiration from the buildings in Al de Baren, which is must noticeable in the two windmills, one used to pump water up from a well, providing the inn with a constant supply of fresh water, and one used to grind grain. An interesting feature of the windmills that gives the inn its name, is the intricate holder for putting small flute like devices in the frame, that will move around and change placement with the precision of an Al de Baren clockwork, changing the melody that they'll play several times a day. The Flutes are usually replaced every 2.nd day, with melodies ranging from ancient songs filled with tradition, to the latest composition from aspiring bards. The Inn would however, still be a distinctive building without the windmills, architectonic it's an unique mix of Geffen and Al de Baren design, and it's the largest building not counting the tower. And the size it needs, like the "resting wand" café is the favoured place for the local people, is the windsong inn, the favoured place for visitors. Here young acolytes, resting from pilgrimage, comes and rub shoulder with knights who use Geffen as a staging ground for holding back the kobold threat and sages, researcher, mages and scientist from all over the world comes to debate over everything between heaven, earth and what lies beyond, in one of the Inns' meeting rooms. The Open Arena managers also have a branch in this building and it's not uncommon that disagreements are settled through them and there'll always be somebody who'll be interesting in taking a bet or two on the outcome, be it zeny or a pint of ale. And speaking of Ale, remember to try out the locally brewed Golden Dew ale, made with honey which give it a sweeter taste, and if that isn't to your liking then the Inn still offer a fair variety of beverage. Off course, the main reason for must people to visit the Inn in the first place is for having a place to stay for the nights, must commonly used is the shared rooms that goes for 10 zeny a night, though better rooms are available for better money. How ever, if you're looking for a nice place to eat and don't mind paying extra, then head a little further down the road, and you'll reach the Blue Sky, open air diner.     The dishes here lie on the higher end of the price scale, but so is the quality, the cook is, very literally, a wizard with his cooking and don't worry about weather, the owner have a deal with the neighbouring mage, who'll cast a small weather screen spell for a dinner.   Going further, we now reach the western part of Geffen, and the first building of notice, and the other, of the 2 must important building is Geffens mage academy. This place is always buzzing with life, rivalised only by the gem plaza. Hundreds, if not thousands, of practitioners and students of the arcane art visit this place over a year to learn about magic, an almost one hundred man large staffs works everyday in shift, coordinating spell research in Geffen with researchers on the rest of the continent and beyond and Geffens' own researchers are concentrated here, the latest major achievement being the creation of the energy coat spell. Off course, such a high concentration of untrained spell user and experimental use of magic isn't completely safe and the building and its inhabitant are therefore protected by a modified version of the safety wall spell, based on this Gem.   It's been made out from theories based on the study of the sealing crystal in Geffens' Tower, and though it's even less then a faint shadow, compared to that, it still does a good job in minimising the damage that's bound to happen.. So far, nobody in the academy have died because of spell casting accidents. The Academy also work as a contact bureau for people seeking to hire spellcaster for various job and for a fee offer the expertise of the sages regarding just about any question related to magic.   To the south of the Academy and nearly completing the circle, can the "Glittering Gem" Tool Shop, be found. Named so, for being only places with a steady supply of blue gemstones, for being one of the few places that sells arcanely treated stone for various uses and for the great crystal behind the shop which is said to be the basis of its' crystal trade.   Continuing on, brings us back to the Gem Plaza, hereby ending this short tour of Geffen.     Other things, worth mentioning. As mentioned in the tour, Geffen is one of the few places that sells locally grown tropical fruit, and the reason for this, lies in the trees that decorate the town.   The Saplings where originally brought to Geffen several generations ago, by a wizard wanting to find out if they had any magical attribute, and though he didn't find any, the unusual shape of the tree, for the people of Geffen, and the taste of the fruits, convinced the city planner to replace Geffens old trees, that crewed right out side the city anyway, with the saplings, and under the roots of each, was placed a small gem that would give them the optimal condition for growth.   An interesting thing, for those interested in architecture, is the great emphasis on octagon and hexagon forms, and one can find the shapes all over the city. The circular design is also the basis for the cities defences, having 3 rings of defence structure surrounding tower, from wich long range spell can be used all over the city. The basis of the defensive walls within the city lies in these towers. Who in peace times are open public place for relaxation and meeting, and in times of war, turns into battle stations for the cities mages with the use of icewall to create walls.   Final thing to note, is the fact that Geffen lies in the middle of a valley, which might appear as merely an oddity at first, but indicates that what ever took down Geffenia, which Geffen is build on top on, is a destructive force capable of levelling nad creating a crate covering an area the size of a city. It is therefore no wonder that Geffen puts so much effort into the sealing of Geffenia.   Here ends the first entry in the travel guide, sorry for the long windiness some of the places. Anyway, I hope you, the reader will one day come visit Geffen, to see the sights and experience firsthand, why Geffen is called the city of magic.   next, the Geffen region.     *leans back* "phew..it's done" *ponders optimistically* "maybe this projekt isn't as farfetch..." *gets interrupted by the rumbling from his stomach* "gah..hunger..had completly forgot to eat" *pulls out loaf of bread and is about to brite from it, as a smll blop of milk jumps up and swallows it* "..." *stares at his empty hand* "..." *stares after the blop* "..." *stares at his empty hand* "..." *stares after the blop* "KILL!" *runs after the blop*   ((ooc notes and explinations: 1 sau is the sice of a field from one end to the other, couldn't come up with a better sounding name, so took the scintific naming approach, any large distance will be giving in sau, untill another unit, or unit name is found. The Entry might also be edited, if I come up with something good enough to warrent a change, or hears a suggestion that can be used, so don't hold yourself back. not all images have been added, and doesn't show up un some browser, if anybody know a good image hosting, then please let me know.)) Current Mood: accomplished Current Music: Geffens' theme - ragnarok online (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, February 8th, 2004
2:28 am	Forewords Elm pulled out a heavy book, today was the day, he had finished an important part of his studies, and now, now he could finally spend time on things that was more....he tried to find the fitting word..."fun"...he conjured forth a pen and started to write in the book Forewords: Rune-midgard, our world, well-known, familiar... or what? Rune-midgard is a world of wonder and history, ruins lays out in the fields, a reminder of past history, noticeworthy landmarks cover the lands, sights of wonder and cities are filled with small uniq traits, witnessing of the history and culture in it...sadly, must of it is overlooked as people hurry in what ever deed they are occopied with, glory hunting, money making, daring quest and everyday lifes' drama. therefor, it is in this book, invested the hope that maybe people will like what they read, and possible take a break from everything to explore the world, and that they too, will want to witness the beauty of this world and have sights to enjoy with other..and that it will be an enjorable read offcourse </p> well, let's go explore, shall we?</p> Elm closed the book and placed it on the table infront of him, on which a small pile of replica of the book lay. he pulled out a pen and started to paint runes on the cover of the books, as he drew, he started to chant which instantly resulted in the runes glowing during the whole casting that took some minuts "there, that should do it" he opened the books and looked satisfied as he saw that the foreword written in all of them, then he looked out of the window, the sun had rose not too long ago over the rune-midgard and had started to fill his office with sunlight, where his travel gear lay ready, in the distant, the sky covered mountains could be seen and under the tower, the bustling city life of Geffen was about to begin. The moment was almust divinely tranquil.....well, apart from the fact that the window was actually a big blast hole in the wall. *sighs and thinks*: "atleast they waited untill after the worst of winter was over, before blowing up an outherwall..oh well, no gain from worrying about it now, got copies to deliver" *heads to the exits as the sounds of the studens and inhabitants of the tower appears*..Blam...*sighs* "he really need to find another way to wake himself up" *quikly runs past the dinner room then stops up* "...huh?..nothing's happening in there? *turns around and looks inside the room that for some reason was deserted* "where the hack could they..." Slam..get it, get it..ZZZaap...bastard ate the breakfeast *sweatdrops as he sees the students running out of the kitchen chasing a blop of milk*...."okay, I definately have to go and deliver the books now" ((ooc: this journal will be kinda like a travel guide where I'll make an entry per map, with descriptions, notes, screenshots with comments and everything else one might find in such a book. allways wanted to try to see if I could flesh out the world and make it more...alive...The description will be as general as possible, so that it can fit into the rp of as many as possible, incase somebody want to use it, but I'm allways open for suggestions regarding just about everything, from interesting site, too possible background story of a place. The placements of the copies, incase you need the info for rp purpose, is in any major library in-game and one in an office building in each town, anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the book. )) Current Mood: mix of worried and eksited Current Music: Misatos' Theme from Evangelion (4 Comments |Comment on this)