Post by Twi on May 6, 2010 20:31:30 GMT -5
Key
- Gold dots represent Castle locations; the Castle itself, the village, and the harbor.
- Purple dots are the Forsaken camps; the main camp and the secret back up camp in case of some emergency drives them from the main one.
- Red dots represent the mysterious ruins found on Avalon.
- The dark green area represents the temperate forested West.
- The tan area represents the desert South.
- The lighter green area represents the rain forested North.
- The gray area represents the icy and mountainous East.
Wilds
Avalon from the very beginning is a strange place. The sailing ship the Seekers use when trying to find new Gifted always only takes ten days to make the trip no matter what the weather or where the Seekers are headed. The island is divided into four clear sections called by the residents South, East, North, and West after the directions they face. The North is a steamy tropical zone covered in rain forest, the South meanwhile is a barren desert. To the East are huge icy mountains after a flat cold tundra which makes dawn of the island amazing to behold as the sun peeks through the mountaintops and its rays are reflected by the ever present snow intensifying the light. Lastly the West is a temperate zone with forests like those in Europe and North America, old and thick. Each not only has the normal dangers of the terrain, but also the Gifted ones. The wyrven population in the East is high and they have no qualms about human flesh. In the North one should watch out for giant meat eating plants which can move their vines about all on their own sensing their prey by vibrations in the ground, while right next to it grows some berries which will heal all wounds in moments. The animals and plants bestowed with powers can be helpful or harmless. Either way Avalon is much more dangerous than the regular world as far as camping out goes.
This is true for the Forsaken as well. Having abandoned the safe walls of the Castle which sits in the meadow by the lake, they must try to survive out in these lands. So far they have made a camp for themselves in the West where things have always been the tamest out of the three regions. Finding a large enough clearing they constructed rough wooden buildings which are easily re-constructible if something happens to them. Knowing that one day they might have to completely abandon the site the leader ordered the construction of a hide away tucked into one of the most dangerous regions, the North's rain forests full of life and rain as one might guess. To avoid flash floods and as much dangerous wild life as they could, not to mention remain hidden from the Castlers, this base is a series of tree houses built high above the ground connected by bridges and branches with a few stairways down. No one lives here though since it is meant for emergencies and to help it stay better hidden the leader did not want too much traffic going that way. Still young Forsaken often hang out there when things become too much at the main base.
A last feature of Avalon are strange ruins in the center of the four regions. They all look the same, stone platforms smooth as glass and always spotless and whole no matter what happens. They have thirteen small columns around the outside of the circular platform and one huge column in the center which seems to be made of a different material being rough to touch and not the pristine white of the rest of the ruin. On this column are strange markings no one has deciphered. The way they are so perfectly preserved even after a hurricane shows some kind of strange power on them.
Castle Areas
Despite the world's moving on the island is still living in the Medieval Ages. Only one room is near modern and that is the Laboratory in the castle where all the technology brought by newcomers from the outside world goes since this is the only room with electricity. This is because of two gifted of whom one could make lightning and the other could make the effects of gifted permanent. The Lab is often a gathering place to hang out for newcomers who are the ones who know how to actually use the technology, island gifted cover their ignorance by saying the technology is barbaric and distracting and unnecessary since they have the gift and they avoid the Lab.
Other rooms in the Castle include the magnificent Library. While not up to speed on everything the outside world has discovered it is especially popular for its section on the island itself, records from inhabitants as far back as Merlin's own log to the latest journals written by teachers. The classrooms of the castle are not as interesting, simple stone rooms with not air conditioning and little heating abilities classes can truly become torturous. The classes the students receive depends largely on who they are. Children born on the island receive lessons in math, reading and writing, while those who came to the island usually already know this and can focus on their power training or classes of interest they want to take. After passing a certain level of education Islanders can take on similar schedules.
Other places for the students is the dining hall, dormitories, and the Fields, a large part of the meadow the castle was built in left untouched for students to enjoy. Whether it is flower filled spring, fresh grass in the summer, leaf piles in Fall, or snow covered Winter it is left open for the students to enjoy as is the lake where brave students can try swimming or boating with some of the unusual lake creatures.
Away from the castle is the Village and the Harbor. While the Village offers little but homes for the Non-Gifted the Harbor is an interesting spot to visit since the River Road is the only safe road down to beautiful beaches of the North region and the Harbor is where the Newcomers come in.
The Harbor is build in the largest bay on the island so it is sheltered from all but the worst storms. It also is near the clearest route away from the island, other places more heavily decorated with reefs to the North, sandbars to the South, and rocks and glaciers to the East. Even on this route though there are still trials to overcome so sailors must be wary. There is only one large ship that would sail so far out though, the rest are smaller fishing vessels. It is the ship the Seekers take to find gifted out in the world. The gifted who made other gifteds' gifts permanent put onto the ship with an gifted who made illusions a cloak of invisibility that could be turned off and on needed. The ship is a large wooden, sailing vessel like a pirate ship in the Colonial Times. It has most of the things a ship would but there is no captain or fist mate rooms, instead there is a large room where the gifted found in the world stay on the week long trip to the island. Otherwise it is like other ships. Since a Seeker's main job is to find new gifted their training includes how to navigate and run a ship as well as integration to whatever the modern outside world is like.
The blue line on the map connecting the Harbor to the Lake and then up to the mountains is the largest river and the road between the Castle and Harbor follows it in between the forests earning it the name River Road. (Not very creative but it sticks to the mind.) River Road since it tries to follow the natural breaks in the forest was originally built with many bridges going back and forth at the narrower parts of the river. Since then trees were cleared on the West Side so no crossing in necessary but some people still like to take the older, longer, scenic route though since it has fallen into some disrepair you have to be careful especially on the bridges. The river starts from a spring which the Ruin of the East was built over, is further fed by melt water from the snowy mountains and tundra, and then pours into the lake and out the other end aiming for the sea. Back at the in between point is the the Lake Abluo. The Castle is built on Abluo's shores and is often reflected in the clean waters making it appear even more magnificent than it is. Built with a graceful but strong architecture it has a feeling of both beauty and strength.
Around the Castle is the Village, a collection of small modest homes for the Non-Gifted who work in the Castle for the Gifted. The defenses of these areas is a low stone and dirt wall around the Village with a few gates, the largest being at River Road, and then another wall around the castle, this time high and clean cut out of stone re-enforced with barriers and only having two gates, one into the Village and starting River road, the other at the back of the castle to the small dock where yachts are kept for taking cruises on the large and extremely deep Lake Abluo The Castle does not push out any further than this into the island wilds but often students will go off to play and explore and just as often Seekers have to bail them out when they come across some kind of danger, be it natural or the Forsaken.