Areas of Tolgalen

Far inland on Tolgalen is a rare patch of forest known only to very few. The forest is known as the Lunar Woods and for very good reason, during the day this forest is seemingly normal if not very dark due to the dense trees but when the moon arises the entire woods change completely. In the light of the moon, the woods become alive with light as everything in this forest is Bioluminescent and reacts to the moonlight. While it is not a very dangerous area there are many things in the woods that can catch unaware mages and humans off guard. Inside the forest are many things that actually use the bio-organic light as a way to catch prey or catch things off guard before attacking them. There are also many plants and animals that use their bio-organic light to mesmerize things to keep them from being harmed or to ward them off. Though many things in the woods are dangerous not all of them are. Many animals and plants are useful in the woods as medicine or natural remedies. Some creatures light can be used to ease one to sleep while some plants are useful not only for sleeping medicine but also curing very rare forms of poison. However, it's important to have a good sense of direction when in the woods night or during the day due to how confusing it can be at night and how dark it can be in the day time. Some say the woods can choose those that it likes and dislikes and will lead those that it dislikes astray never to return. To those of inhuman blood, these woods are considered very sacred ground and know to not fight or take anything from it without offering a thank you or an offering to the forest

In the center of Tolgalen, atop a mountain is a massive tree. A tree not only large enough to hold one entire village but two. This is Celestia, the Tree of Stars. The villages of High Branch and Homevale reside within its leafy confines. Homevale is set within the trunk of Celestia while High Branch has been built along the thickest branches high above the world. Celestia is 300 meters tall and its trunk at its widest is 70 meters. The roots of the tree dig into the mountaintop around it creating an impassible barrier. Only the specially constructed path can be used to reach Homevale. The tree of stars glitters when darkness falls over it. To anyone looking up, it appears as if the stars stream down to touch the highest point in Tolgalen. The largest of these apparent stars are the tsuki fruit. This fruit is a source of massive magical energy and its abilities/properties are why the people of Homevale and High Branch work together to protect it. Should the tsuki fruit ever fall into the wrong hands, entire villages could vanish off the face of Fiore in the blink of an eye.

The first line of defense for Celestia is as already stated the roots. The form an impassible barrier from below unless taking a specifically carved path in the only root that reaches down smoothly. That path can be controlled by Homevale. The root can curve, make itself longer or even change the stairs into a slide if need be. Every other root has a two defensive abilities. The first is the outer part of the root is very durable and hard. It makes putting anything into the root whatsoever quite hard. The second is the pure amount of heat the roots generate. Celestia requires large amounts of heat to be siphoned off and the outer part of the root is used to do so. The inner parts of the root carry nutrients from the ground that is transformed into a floating liquid substance called hoshi juice. Hoshi juice is used in the alcohol, healing salves, ointments, makeups, perfumes, colognes, incense, and oils made by Homevale. Each of these products has a special quality, thanks to the hoshi juice, and they are Homevale’s main export. One bottle or tub of these products is usually quite expensive. It is after all the stuff of the stars.

Homevale:

Highbranch:

This forest was forever changed after the siren Tetalus spent many years crying within its borders. The trees now weep, showering water down upon whoever might enter here. As such, the forest is populated with many a beast who loves the water and the damp places of the world. The constant water might be a detriment to some adventurers but there are many magical plants that grow within the weeping forest as well. The beautiful Crystal Rose, the resilient Water Amethyst, and the strange Firewood tree are all found here. Soil from the center of this forest can help even the driest places produce a bountiful harvest. However, beware. For even in a place like this there is danger. You may never know the creatures or magic that might linger in a forest forever changed by the tears and cries of a sorrowful siren.

Nightmare Tree:

The Mourning Stone:

A huge dead salt lake, has small brine shrimp, a large variety of migrating waterfowl, some mangroves and reeds. Mostly devoid of life the lake is set in a windy prairie, miles away from the nearest urban city, and although the lake is known of, it is typically avoided by both people and animals alike for the fact that it is a big dead salt like and nothing really lives or grows there. The lake is large in size, 103 miles in length, 70 miles in width, but of various dips and depths. The high winds evaporate much of the water and make it hard for the lake to be replenished by rain, hence its high salt content. On very rare occasions scientists have visited for a short time to study the waterfowl. Despite being known, the lake is not mapped out on paper and until recent businessmen took an interest, it was not really visited for any particular reason. Matapo: The monster An old monster species lives in the lake, and has been there for many years. They never leave the lake, and nobody knows how they ended up in the lake in the first place. They are somewhat like crocodiles, 12 feet long, with massive claws, thick and sharp armor spikes, and two layers of sharp teeth. They have no eyes, but a good sense of smell, and can sense direction through use of pressure organs inside of his body (the same way fish that school can sense other fish in the area and move around without bumping into each other). Most of the original population has been dying out from starvation. The dead lake's bottom is littered with the bones of dead monsters, dead waterfowl, and various other animals who ended up at the lake only to die at the jaws of these monsters. There are likely around 10-15 in the entire lake. Those most familiar with the monsters live in an underground tribe locally, and they refer to the monster as Vak. To all others, scientists included, the monster is known as the Matapo Lizard or just the Matapo.

Flute Reeds and Hale Mangroves:

Whiteshire:

This accursed place is the site of a massive blast of power from the Djinn of Discord, Taxen. No one knows if this was a targeted attack or simply an act of malice but the Djinn certainly left his mark. His magic forced a schism in the mermaids, causing one half to become violent almost obsessed with death. The other half became serene devoted healers, protectors of nature. Obviously the sides clashed brutally over their differences. The bloodbath stained the sand and the waters to a permanent red. The magic in the mermaids’ blood created a strange spell as a result of the battle. The spell separated the different mindsets of mermaids to either side of the cove while also granting them the ability to walk on land should they wish. Over time, they evolved into different cultures as well as different subspecies of mermaid. The boundary spell as it came to be called, keeps violence within the cove to a minimum. Each side does occasionally step over the invisible line the spell creates but there are severe consequences for any mermaid that does so with the intent to cause harm. Their eyesight dims, their hearing weakens, their body becomes numb with each symptom growing worse as they traverse farther. However, this only happens if they cross over the center of the cove. Going around the outside of the cove has no adverse effects. Such an attack is easily detected however. Both sides are not above hiring mages to do their dirty work for them whether it be a little sabotage or some murder of key figures in the opposing community.
The serene healers called themselves the Aicaya. They built their settlement on the left half of the cove on the shore and within the 30ft deep waters. They appear to have light shades of hair, their fins appearing to shimmer as they swim. Their skin is of light tones, ranging from a light tan to an off white.  The Aicaya delight in trading with humans and helping them out wherever they can. Despite their rather peaceful existence, the Aicaya have a highly trained unit to repel any attacks from the other half of the cove. That unit is also meant to protect those they can without putting the Aicaya people in danger. The Aicaya are split into pods of 20-30 mermaids. Each pod inhabits a single building either above or below the water’s surface. The pods have two leaders, one male and one female with each have an advisor or two generally of both sexes. One of these two leaders makes all the decisions for the pod itself, deciding what work the pod will do, when the pod will have time off, when they will eat etc. with input from the other leader. This other leader represents the pod on the Conclave, a collection of pod leaders that decides what is best for the community. The Conclave will meet every month under the full moon in a secret location to prevent an assassination attempt. When either of the pod leaders dies, the rest of the pod ‘uplifts’ what they believe to be the worthiest candidate for the job. That candidate then chooses two advisors from the pod and life continues. The job is for life regardless of whether the mermaid or merman is a proper fit. More often than not, the two leaders are mated but that is not a requirement of the job by any means. What mated means depends on what is agreed within the pod. It can either be a lifelong commitment to one person (mermaid/merman or not) or it can merely mean a joining of houses to which each can take multiple mates if they so wish.
Cecealia was the name the mermaids of the right half gave themselves. They are very nearly entirely black from head to tail tip with bioluminescence lights down their sides and along their tail. Their hair is generally a dark color but they can also have a shocking white head of hair. A rare few have evolved from having fish tails to having octopus’ tentacles. Some blame settling in the depths of the cove while others think it is a strange side effect of the boundary spell. Whatever the reason, these mutations are stronger than the other Cecealia and capable of magic. The Cecealia live under the belief that Might is Right. Therefore, the five strongest warriors called the Vehemans gather as many Cecealia into pods under themselves as they can. These five make up the ruling body of the Cecealia people. The reason they do not have a king or queen is to prevent constant assassination attempts from both the Cecealia and the Aicaya. The vehemans tend to have some 50 mermaids within their pods while claiming to rule any smaller offshoot pods that may emerge. The offshoot pods are generally lead by either a child of one of the vehemans or by a potential rival looking to take one of the current vehemans’ place. The offshoot pods led by rivals are most often sent into battle first with the hope that the rival will die or lose all of their support. This can be a double edged sword as it can potentially make the rival even stronger. The Cecealia tend to send out war parties every so often to try and claim bits of the coast for their own. They aren’t overly concerned if those parties don’t come back. The Cecealian society is namely a twisted net of lies, treachery and assassination and they feed upon the dead. If a Cecealia isn’t killing something for food or training themselves to be a better warrior/mage, than they are usually plotting something to increase their power. Might is Right.

Beneath the land of Tolgalen, there is a creature. One that appears to be a black whale covered in overlapping natural plates enhanced with metal. A mass of tentacles rings its neck draping nearly the entire body. There are four apparent openings in the creature. Its mouth, two slits in the side that appear to be gills which can open and shut at will and something like a blowhole. The blowhole appears to be two metal doors which only open periodically when the whale thing is above ground. This creature is a moving, breathing prison owned by the Black Legion. The Black Legion is an organization that gathers supernatural beings and studies them. This creature, called Garganta, is where the Black Legion keeps those they capture. Garganta feeds off of the prisoners’ mana, leaving them with just barely enough to keep themselves alive. That combined with the fact that Garganta spends most of its time under the earth make escape difficult. While the prisoners could try to take the whale, they are weakened from the mana drain and the Black Legion are all highly trained non-magical warriors. The fight would be over before it even began.
The inside of Garganta is split into four sections for the prisoners and the Black Legion. The first three sections are cells for the prisoners, taking up most of the area inside the whale. These ‘prison’ sections near the top and middle of Garganta hold 20 cells each. These cells are made of antimagic material both in and out. They cover a 6 by 8 space. The cell delivers nutrients to the prisoners as needed from an opening in the top of the cell which connects into a tube system. This tube system also is used to clean the prisoners as need be. The bottom prison section holds 10 specialized cells meant to hold the strongest or most powerful ‘inmates of the Black Legion. These ten cells are not only built to hold the prisoners but keep them barely alive and paralyzed. They are built like the other cells except for the added protections and a tube that inserts into the prisoner’s mouth to deliver nutrients. All the prison sections have multiple locks on each cell and entrance to the section. There is always one mundane lock, one magical lock and one lock that is both mundane and magical. Only the Commander of the Black Legion has an override for all three locks.
The section for the Black Legion resides in an enlarged brain cavity. It functions as a barrack, an armory and a rec room all in one for around 30-40 off duty Black Legion soldiers. Garganta usually holds double that number and they switch off shifts. The entire section is built around the brain of Garganta. The creature is intelligent but subservient to whosoever controls the panels. That just happens to be the Black Legion at this moment. With the panels, the Legion can cut off any area of the creature. Garganta’s muscles respond to the commands given from the panels. The panels are also used to direct where Garganta goes along with weaponizing various functions of the creature if need be. However, weaponizing Garganta causes the creature to buck against the controls so it is only done with extreme prejudice. The armory of this section is built toward the nose of the creature with the barracks and the rec room flanking either side. The armory holds enough to arm twice the number of Black Legion soldiers that are on the Garganta at any given time. It has higher security with three locks on either side of the door and two elite soldiers watching it at all times. The floor of the armory also has an enhanced mana draining ability. This is meant to keep any revolting prisoners from ever seizing the weapons. Though there would have to be a revolt for that to happen first.
Five systems keep Garganta alive or moving. The first two filter air and nutrients the creature requires through its entire body. This prevents the creature needing a stomach or lungs in order to function. The third provides Garganta with the ability to move through the earth or water if need be. It’s an undulation along the outer layer of the plates covering the creature. This moves the earth around and behind Garganta, propelling it forward where it wishes to go. There is also a slight electrical field used to gently push living things away from Garganta until it passes. The final two systems use the mana absorbed from the prisoners. The first system regenerates Garganta from any damage caused to it. This does not include the metal enhancements of the creature, merely the organic material. The more extensive the damage the longer repairs take but the whale cannot die. This is due to the second system. An immortality clause so to speak. If Garganta does not have enough mana to regen, the creature will collapse in on itself, becoming smaller first. This tends to either make the damage superficial as the extra flesh fills in where the damage was or moves it to a less critical part of Garganta. Woe to anyone inside as the creature cares only to preserve itself at that point. Should that fail, Garganta places itself into a coma drawing tiny amounts of mana from its surroundings until the damage is fixed. This generally means Garganta can disappear for years, even centuries at a time.
Every three weeks, give or take a few days, Garganta must emerge to load/unload prisoners and/or replace Black Legion soldiers. This is to prevent her from accidently digesting the prisoners, as the constant mana drain can liquefy them after too long. There are several Black Legion strongholds around Tolgalen with areas built specifically for Garganta to surface in. These locations are a secret known only to the leader of the Black Legion, Black Legion captions and a few trusted members. The Black Legion members have their memories wiped when they are rotated out of Garganta to ensure that the location is kept secret. Each location is laced with magic-dampening lacrima as well as being manned by more of the Black Legion to prevent any prison escapes. The only entrance in or out of the cavern, besides Garganta’s ‘pool’, even has lacrima intended to collapse the entrance should any prisoner escape. For most strongholds, this is an unnecessary precaution as they were built using Garganta and have only one alternative way out besides the creature. Garganta can be called to the surface by the Black Legion leader or captains. Each of them carries a specialized whistle that only the great prison creature can hear. This allows them to call Garganta for an emergency instead of waiting three weeks for it to surface again.

Deep in the center of the country of Tolgalen, where the stream becomes river and the hill becomes mountain, where the plains turn rugged and the sea rushes to claim the land, there lies the Scars. These scars are the result of a great battle fought between the Dark Fire Phoenix, Arsiatra and Taxan the Djinn of Discord. That great battle went unwitnessed by mortal eyes but the scars tell a tale of their own. The fey can always be asked about the story if one wishes to pay the price. The Scars are a perilous place taking mage and mundane alike for their prey. Few beings can walk freely about them without being effected by their strange phenomenon.
The scars appear grey to the eye, blank to the senses. It’s as if they don’t exist. The five of them are clustered together, creating an area known to the common folk as the Rictadon. The Rictadon is 10 miles in radius. The scars do not cover the entire area but to pass between them is considered folly. The Rictadon is kept clear of visitors by a family of wyvern riders called the Kurtama. They consider it their sacred duty to keep people away from the dangers of the scars. Their wyverns are raised from a young age, entrusted to them by the parents only after the pass a lengthy test. The test is designed by the wyverns to test the worthiness of the potential rider. If the potential fails, they will never ride a wyvern. That is why they train for years before attempting the test. After the test, the new rider must spend 3 years bonding with their wyvern. It is possible to fail in this as well, resulting in the wyvern flying off into the wilderness. Once the rider and the wyvern have become a team, they help patrol the borders of the Rictadon. The Kurtama and the wyverns work together to keep people out of the RIctadon. A council of Elders, both human and wyvern, oversee the entire operation.
All the scars constantly absorb any magic that is cast within its borders into the ground. Lacrima are slowly drained of their charge. Magic weapons have a chance of working but more often than not, their abilities are also absorbed. This is why the Kurtama work diligently to keep people out.

First Scar:

Second Scar:

Third Scar:

Fourth Scar:

Fifth Scar:

Located through a secret entrance inside of the West Fiore Trading Company on Tolgalen, there is a underground cavern known as home of Onyx Moon Guild. There is another entrance that may only be accessed during certain times of the day on ships with diving capabilities. Upon finding a way underwater and through a system of watery caverns, the ships will find their way into a cavern where the main base of Onyx Moon reside. The ships brought in from the underwater caverns will be brought to a well designed underground cavern dock where they can be left so that those on board can make their way to the Lair. The dock can house a large amount of boats that are capable of making the trip. Those who make the underwater trip will also be welcomed by members of Onyx Moon on guard duty who are ready to welcome you as either friend or foe.

The remodeled cavern came to be known as "The Lair". The Lair houses the members as well as provides entertainment for them. It is usually the best place for anyone to hide out and to stay in that is not a member of the West Fiore Trading Company or to hide away any possible certain people who need protection from the world. This cavern was here before the creation of Onyx Moon, so it was assumed that the Guild merely took over the remains of the previous owners. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything left over as an inheritance other than a Black Book and the eerie chamber that is was found in. The Lair used to be much like a eerie cave but has had upgrades done to it so that now it takes on a more higher classed look for the members of Onyx Moon which makes it more like a upper class hideout for them. This has caused the hallways to be remodeled into proper ones with straight slopes and being clearly lit for those in them.

The Lair has multiple items used to look outside of it to check on anything going on around them. This is done through the many cameras placed around Tolgalen and through magic that allows the user to see through those cameras either through items or through their own eyes. Further into The Lair is a door with a large bronze figurehead is seen above the door. The figurehead is that of a topless mermaid with bountiful assets sticking out of the cavern wall. Once you have reached this figurehead, you will have to verify that you are a member of the Onyx Moon by showing your guild mark to the mermaid and the door will unlock and open for a short time, otherwise the door will remained locked and you will not be allowed access unless someone else lets you in. The entrance from the West Fiore Trading Company is hidden inside a hidden door that leads to a elevator that goes down to a small hallway with a similar mermaid door that requires the same 'key' to open it. Once inside, you will have found your way to The Siren's Song; the bar of Onyx Moon Guild.

Siren's Song:

Personal Rooms:

Glowing Pool:

Council Hall:

Hidden Chamber:

About a mile away from the West Fiore Trading Company headquarters, nestled in the heart of the forest, grasped by the reaching arms of a nearby hill is the small town of Cloverdale. This quaint little town is exclusively for the employees of WFTC and their families, in case they do not wish to stay in the provided rooms at headquarters. It holds many of things one might want for their family to enjoy or ways to relax after a stressful day at work. The first thing that meets your eyes when you enter the town is the school. Across the road is the day care. This is to enunciate the emphasis on family the many people of Cloverdale have. Despite the nature all around Cloverdale, there is a little more of it placed near the centre of town. This functions as the town’s park. The centre of town itself is paved stone around a massive tree and many important festivals take place in it. The area was made quite large to accommodate visitors as much as the entire town. Near the hill, at the back of the town, the winery, brewery and vineyard are placed. Around the entire town is a wall manned by mostly skilled re-quip mages and a few elemental mages for artillery support. The wall is a durable plant that appears to be made of stone. It is magicked to grow taller when it is under attack and extends under the ground. The roots of the plant provide a defence for any assault attempted beneath the ground. In this way, the 8492 people of Cloverdale can feel safe. It also allows the town to grow as the plant-wall can be encouraged to expand to make way for more housing or other features being added to the town.

School:

Daycare:

Hatchling’s Sorrow was once a town that was filled with powerful magicians. The town was purposed to help people with whatever they needed. It was in essence an ancient version of today’s guilds. That changed when a group of mages got greedy. They stole eggs from a dragon, believing themselves too powerful to suffer the dragon’s wrath. They were wrong. The mages didn’t account for the innate magic of the dragon eggs. As a result, two were lost and the third refused to hatch. The mages only got one dragon hatchling. When the dragon mother found them, she cursed the village for each of the hatchlings that had been lost. The Curse of the Crushed, the Curse of Red Death and the Curse of the Unhatched smashed the mages’ sanctuary. Those directly responsible died by fang and claw and fire. The three curses continued to effect the town through the years. This once prosperous place has turned into a town of hardened survivors who are wary of any outsiders. They have no wish to bring more misfortune down upon their town and they have long given up hope that they’ll break the curses. An additional issue has recently sprouted within the town, infecting the massive sewers beneath with crystalline creatures. The creatures can bring people back from the dead and are highly resistant to magic making the infection difficult to get rid of. So Hatchling’s Sorrow trudges along, biding its time until it finally collapses in on itself.

The Curses:

This little ruined town is all that is left of the Enkiitu kingdom of old. It consists of maybe five buildings, with the ruins of others sinking into the swamp all around it. This is Fairshadow. The few people that live here work hard to tear their living from the swamp around them. Others try to expand their village and rip what has been lost back from the swamp. The dangers here threaten the small population but thanks to the wealth from the old kingdom, they can afford to hire protection. Yet that money is running out. They must reclaim what they can of the Enkiitu Kingdom or surrender Fairshadow to the swamps.
The buildings of Fairshadow are by no means small. Each building is the equivalent of three or four standard houses, on the bottom level alone. Then each reaches two or three levels into the sky. It gives the inhabitants of Fairshadow enough space to survive but not to flourish. Three of the buildings serve as homes for the population. The other two serve purposes to keep Fairshadow going and both are set nearest to what most call the town center. One serves as a storehouse, rec hall and other various functions as need be. The other is home to exclusively smithies and a storage for things recovered from the Enkiitu kingdom. It pays homage to what the ancestors of Fairshadow were famous for. Unfortunately, the people of Fairshadow no longer remember how to make weapons out of pure elements rather than simply infusing the elements into the metal of the weapon.
The people of Fairshadow are hardworking individuals that will go out of their way to help other people. They tend to be a friendly lot, though tough and more than willing to get into a scrap should a situation call for it. They are endlessly curious about their ancestors and are willing to pay for information or for someone to go explore various areas of the mountains around Fairshadow. The mountains are said to contain several hidden forges used by the Enkiitu to make their wondrous items or weapons or armor.

The Moonshadow Falls is a beautiful area, hidden in the inner parts of Tolgalen, close to a mountain range. Before someone can get to the falls they would have to navigate the thick wooded area that encircled it. Once passed they would reach a big pool. Multiple lakes could be seeing flowing into it. At the top the water is calm and crystal clear, and at night it is beautifully lit up by the Moon. Around the edge, where the water is cascading a large drop could be seen into another smaller area that is quite deep.

The rocks at the lower pool are covered in moss due to the constant moisture from the cascade above. Small fish could be found in both area's but nothing dangerous that could hurt the people that decide to visit the Waterfall or even take a swim in it. The water itself is salty and could get quite cold especially at the bottom part where it is mostly hidden from the sun.

The lower pool also has a smaller waterfall that is not cascading and is flowing in a steady stream, due to the larger area beneath and slower flowing of the second waterfall, the water there is knee-length at best. A wrecked ship almost in the middle completely surfaced. No one knows how the ship got there, there are still some notes and maps left. From the treasure chests and such it indicated that it was once a pirate ship. Maybe a treasure was hidden somewhere around the area? There is also a hidden unexplored cave under the larger cascading waterfall, the cave's inner length is unknown.

Spoiler:

The Exotic Emporium is a glorious place filled with wonder and awesomeness! Deep within the island of Tolgalen lies an area the size of a small city,if not larger, surrounded by mountains and forest. Carved with magic, this small city sized area is in fact a zoo!  A zoo filled with  exotic creatures from all over the world. Each exhibit is made specifically for a mythical or special animal, carved and made from magic enhance stone, glass, and metals. Around every corner could be a new beast you may never have seen before! Could it be a Chimera? Or maybe a Manticore! Or maybe it’s a wee baby dragon.

Now, you may wonder who would dare have such a bold and extravagant endeavour?! Why it is run by none other than Jaeger Krüger and Pandora Dagger of the West Fiore Trading Company! They have carefully constructed, crafted, and designed the world's best zoo to house these marvelous beasts. To get there, one must start off in the HQ town for the West Fiore TRading Company then head east, following a paved pathway through the island. In the distance, as you travel, one could see the Myazhe castle that overlooks the sacred province of the former Vice President.

All along this path are benches and gardens, creating a very peaceful zone and atmosphere. Eventually, you’ll come up on a Midi styled gate, opened during visiting hours, and it is very large. Large enough to walk Elephants, or other large creatures and large enough to be seen from the ocean. This gate is the entrance and has a large sign with thezoo’s name on it “The Exotic Emporium”. Upon entering the Zoo, you’ll be greeted by the ticket office and then other shops, concession stands, and consumer based buildings, all in a Midi style. Further in are the exhibits, which looks like they were dug into the ground and stone to form the base of the enclosures. They are then likely built up of magical stone and wood that extends up about 20 feet above the top of the holes. Magically treated glass panes are placed and supported throughout for visitors to look in on the animals.

Around the zoo is a forest and mountainous area, protecting and creating a nice kind of… serene enclosure. The forests are a mixture of oak and cherry blossom, flowers and bushes all over the forest floor. There are a few pathways the swerve around the entire zoo,  with benches every so often for travelers to sit and just look into the entire place as well as trash bins for those having lunch around the area. The zoo employees those from all over Tolgalen as well as mages for jobs such as “Crap, where did the basilisk go?”, “Come on Griffin…. Out of the HQ please.”, and “Manticore, stop eating the guests!”.

The zoo has policies to both protect the exotic animals as well as the patrons. First and foremost, do not try and get into the habitats. The zoo and animals are not liable for your lack of critical thinking. Animals will not be put down due to your bad decisions.

Spoiler:

Several miles away from Cloverdale, out among the rolling hills and mountains, there's a patch of ruins. It looks to be the site of a very old village that is long gone, but that's not to say the area is unused. While everything is overgrown, mostly reclaimed by nature, a sanctuary is situated amongst the trees at the base of a mountain in the back of the ruins. It's a small structure made of some sort of blessed stone. It has barely lost any of its structural integrity, even though vines and moss are trying their best to cover it. It's a domed structure with a single arched entrance. Inside it is filled with more arches and pillars as support. In the highest point of the dome, where there should be a steeple, it's left open and circular. Light from the sun and moon alike filters through to the center of the sanctuary, putting all the emphasis on a lone winding tree. Its pink foliage never wilts or falls, no matter the season. It's as if it is always frozen in the season of rebirth: Spring. The cobblestone floor of the sanctum is hardly noticeable because of fresh standing water, since it rains in the area quite a lot.

The Sanctum of the Remnants is a place of meditation. A few robed monks mill about the grounds, meditating, praying, and otherwise keeping an eye on the sacred place. For all visitors who ask, monks will quietly explain that this is a place for those seeking answers from and to come and commune with those who have already passed. The tree at the center is an immortal symbol of the hope found in life's cycle. Even from death, life continues on. The sanctum blurs the line between life and death for those able to clear their minds. It is a place of grief and knowledge. Some visit to say their goodbyes and lay unfinished business to rest. Some come for answers, either from loved ones or ancient scholars. Some come to just find peace or forgiveness. Some come to rest in the comfort of lost family. While it is generally a place for those who have been left behind, it is also open to those who just need a place to think, a place to breathe and seek the calm aura of the tree. It's a place of reverence, quiet, happiness, and sorrow. It is a place to speak with the dead.

Occasionally though, it is a place of war, a place of rage and bitterness. The dead are not always at peace. It's not unheard of for vengeful spirits to use the thinness of the veil between life and death in the sanctum to wreak havoc on the living. They can possess the monks or reanimate the countless bodies beneath the ruins. Fortunately this only happens on full moons and blood moons, nights where the sanctum monks do their best to keep visitors away far away. For the safety of all.

Spoiler: