#Septopolis (25) Most important of all days is the week-long celebration of ro-Hallah, the dwarvish New Year tradition. While it rings in the new year, it also serves as a recreation and observance of the original story of creation, leading to the death of the dwarf-father dwe-Mari by il-Ithus.

#Septopolis 24 Honestly, there is a touch of other settlements thinking of Castinians as a 'hoity-toity elite' and that it is an excessively queer space, neither are exactly wrong, but, also, neither are taken to a true distain. Now, what the Inigne North think of Castine . . . That's for a book.

#Septopolis (24) For its large size, Blackstone thus holds client relationships with much of its neighbors, assuming they be of humanish or catlike shape, or otherwise are agreeable to their causes. They may respect Blackstone, begrudgingly or not, and with a healthy dose of fear and awe.

#Septopolis (23) Opium, alcohol, and gambling form the trifecta of the criminal underground of Blackstone—quite literally, for the many complex tunnel networks dug beneath the city for the illegal transport of goods, and people, in and out of the walls.

#Septopolis (22) We've spoken frequently of tev-Udo as the man in charge of Blackstone—and he is, holding the exclusive voice of power on all issues as he sees fit. But We think he exercises it infrequently, concerned more by his research. He doesn't micromanage—that's what the police state is for.

#Septopolis 21 Education, medicine, or the arts and crafts on offer is the short version. Promising mages, if not taken in by Eagle Rock to the east, are offered a significant stipend to their family to come and train. The ability to access such vast libraries and networks of academics is unique.

#Septopolis (22) A simple and short answer: There are no attractions for outsiders. Blackstone has strictly forbidden outsiders from entering its bounds. Exceptions are made exclusively for recruited workers and mercenaries, and some traders—who may only do business at specific customs houses.

#Septopolis 20 So, Castine has the usual, parks, inns, tearooms even. Notably the alcohol content of what the inns server is closer to historic light bear, then what we drink now, and caffeine contents are also low. There are also the huge public baths which can become a gathering spot.

#Septopolis (20) Long working hours in the silver mines does not leave much for leisure time for many people, yet they've devised card games that are quite popular to play in the tents during break times, and when nobody is watching. These games proved popular enough to feature in casinos back home.

#Septopolis (19) At any given period of history, nearly two-thirds, or more, of Blackstone's able-bodied population works in the mining and processing of silver ore. The city is entirely, hopelessly dependent on silver for its economic function. In recent times, there have been efforts to diversify.

#Septopolis (18) We broadly think of Blackstone's structures in terms of class—landmarks and milestones can be found both in the things tev-Udo and his associates ordered and made, and those built by the working peoples. Both have transformed Blackstone into what it is now, often in conflict.

#Septopolis 18, let's go! The Royal Quarter is dominated by the palace and its gardens, both elegantly woven into the remains of the lava flow that shapes the Eastern Slope of Etara, and are built upon the First Vault of the Royal Armouries, grand halls built in stolen magical steel ingots.

#Septopolis 17 Going to try and make an effort today, might touch on some of the things we skipped yesterday due to poor #MentalHealth. A dozen posts. Generally though, Castine is a city with low slopping roofs, and buildings either defined by the black stone of the mountain, or white plaster.

#Septopolis (17) When you walk the streets of Blackstone, you find startling similarity—hostels and dense housing, which all are built to identical specification. Circling the streets of the city shows the same repetitive sights for miles, given only dashes of color by traditional woven fabrics.

Aight, #Septopolis! The catchening continues! For this question, I'm going to delve into the basics of Gemorria's demographics - appearance, general function in Gemorria, how old they are as a demographic, and so on and so forth!

#Septopolis (16) Blackstone's population swelled as its industry grew; We estimate, before silver, the community here counted roughly 5000 working people, which grew by ten times after silver's first discovery. Further imports of workers and some natural immigration have multiplied it 5 times more.

#Septopolis 15 So, there are the old ways, #MythAugust call back there, but probably the most notable set of rituals and beliefs exist around the Final Flame, a direct continuation of the flame from the campfire that Passantra lit the night before her capture and killing by the Inigne.

#Septopolis (15) Dwarvish religious philosophy, if not most dominant in practice and participation in the culture of Blackstone—We suspect it is—has yet carved out many allowances and freedoms for the people which may not have received them otherwise, under the apathy and un-love of tev-Udo.

#Septopolis 14, barely fitting this in before bed after a decent chat about it to our partner on a walk this morning, then, um, stuff. Castine has almost everything that Teryte has to offer food-wise being a trade hub that brings in every spice and grain and protein known to human or dragon.

#Septopolis (14) Corn, beans, peas, and rice. The typical diet in these early ages of the world is vegetarian—a bit of a personal insert, as We are vegetarian in Our own life—but particularly for the dwarves that came to this region, strict vegetarianism is part of traditional religious practice.

#Septopolis (13) Rapid development is the byword of Blackstone's technological advancement, adapting to the tasks at interest to the industrializers, but as of late this development bends towards the forging and conjuring of weapons of terror, for whose purpose is yet to be seen.

#Septopolis (12) The working values of the peoples of Blackstone come from the collision and mixing of distinct interests—the veneration and deference towards elders, nearly though not quite ancestor worship, which comes from dwarves and men, and the solitary independence born of the catfolk.

Gift for my friend Fernin!

#Septopolis (11) Dwarvish dialects are found to be most common among the working and lower classes of Blackstone, even among other species. Such language has its origins in the liturgical practices of the dwarven people of old, which still persist in one form or another to the time of Blackstone.

Silksong

#Septopolis (10) Edein in these elder ages of the world was a time of great species diversity—not merely humanoid peoples, but what we think of as animals now, and the archaic forms: felid species and their ancestors, canids, primates, dinosaurs, insects, fish and birds—and all can speak like we do.

#Septopolis (9)The name "Blackstone" is the common name used by the people who live and work there. It's a direct name, referring to the many deposits of obsidian which were the principle interest before the shift to silver mining. But this name isn't used by the leadership.

#Septopolis (8) Blackstone is a construction of the Driedein—whence comes our term Dryad in the modern day—"nature spirits," children of the children of God themselves, and the one most prominent in this task goes by tev-Udo, the lord of cats, inspired by the dark powers of il-Ithus and Agonath.

#Septopolis (7) The silver industry is the primary driving force behind Blackstone today, riding off the coattails of industry in logging and iron-mining before it, but the purpose of its current leadership is something more, theological, primordial. There are secrets buried deep under the earth.

#Septopolis (6) As a remnant of old geothermal activities, many geysers can be located across the reaches of Blackstone. More than 600 are active throughout the year. Some are frequent and predictable, though most operate inconsistently, with long bouts of silence punctuated by sudden activity.

#Septopolis 5 Castine has fresh water, hot baths, arguably a defensible position, warmth through winter, and acts as the seat of the Ashlands to the east where fertilised soil results in the bread basket of the south. The volcano is now tamed and considered a resource, with work to exploit it.

#Septopolis (5) Built upon the remnants of a chain of ancient volcanoes, Blackstone bears vast reaches of volcanic soil across 2 million acres. Fruiting trees and bushes would stretch for miles, and neighboring them were fields of beans and wild rices, which make up much of the common diet today.

#Septopolis (4) Blackstone is found within a caldera, one of many, a large expanse in a mountain range formed of many dormant and extinct volcanoes. The place was once a hotspot of volcanic activity, but is now temperate much of the year, with warm summers and few months of extreme cold in winter.

#Septopolis (3) First of Our inspiration is Walt Disney's vision for EPCOT, Fordlandia, concepts of planned communities such as these, as well as gold rushes and the industrial revolution. Last of all We draw vision from Isengard, the sight of Orthanc rising like a smokestack above a ruined land.

#Septopolis (2) The "dark city" is an idea, an echo of the first city built by the father of vampires before the formation of Earth, a fantasy of ever-greater invention, convenience and beauty, at expense to life and the living world. It's a dream of pride, profit, and legacy, for evil things.

Commission for @medusaofmanynames.bsky.social

It is time >:) For this month, it won't be anything Bloodied Rose related - this prompt accidentally resurrected an old world-building idea of mine (thus, blame Khonri), over 10 years old at this point. And it got me thinking... ...it is time to delve into the Kingdom of Gemorria. #Septopolis

#Septopolis (1) There's an idea across Our works of this dark city, an idealized anti-Utopia dreamed up again and again by ambitious vampires—vampire being both literal and metaphorical, a notion of world-consuming hunger and desire without end. We'll create Our own vision of it for an RPG setting.

#MythAugust Gorgons themselves started as human, receiving their transformation through tragedy, devotion, or long exploration. They found their own faith, rather than faith finding them—and in the religions they form, humans and others follow in hope of achieving the same power of enlightenment.

#MythAugust Within the worship of the Demogorgon, it is gorgons that place themselves as the authorities of spiritual practice, forming their traditions independently—as spiritual teachers in natural communes, lead astrologers of secret mysteries, or as autocratic despots amid the Deep.

#MythAugust Symbols of the Demogorgon have changed over eras, as faiths have shifted and changed over time. Common motifs are the sun, of course, but also fire, a sign of enlightenment. Newer are Sagittarius' arrows, planetary and zodiac symbols, eyes, and most famous of all, the crossed catchpole.

#MythAugust The Demogorgon's role as the sun at the center of our system gives Him constant, passive presence in the everyday lives of people. But He rarely, if ever, has direct, intentional interaction. Most often, beings of the void and other stars seep into His creation to enact their own will.

#MythAugust If you want to see the Demogorgon, our god of Earth, simply wait until noon on a clear, cloudless day, and look up. If you want to see other gods, do the same at night. Lengthy traditions and associations of these gods have formed over human history by mapping stars and constellations.

#MythAugust The Demogorgon is no more than a wild animal, but He is possessed of power greater than all else found upon the Earth. He created all Earthly matter, and His son, the shapeshifter and ur-werewolf Pan, contains the shapes of all possible life within Earth matter. But He is ever imperfect.

#MythAugust Our primary setting is built on Earth and blends many concepts. Within Our conception, each star in the sky is a unique world of its own creation, each the sovereign territory of its own creator. As such, there are too many gods to count. Our Earth is built by the animalistic Demogorgon.

baby boy

Final Artfight attack for Tokyozilla 👁

"Celestial Deer" Personal art

Finished Absukified commission for @medusaofmanynames.bsky.social Character is They/Them

Finished Absukified commission for @medusaofmanynames.bsky.social Character is They/Them